First United Methodist Church of Omaha sits on Cass Street in the heart of the city, a large brick building with a 600-seat sanctuary, a chapel tucked at the side, and a labyrinth on the front lawn. Inside, the congregation describes itself as "a welcoming and fiercely inclusive community, inspired to grow with and in God." Since 2000 it has been a Reconciling Ministries congregation within the United Methodist Church, and its history of standing with marginalized people in Omaha stretches back to the nineteenth century. Today it draws together Sunday worshippers, weekday learners, artists, justice advocates, volunteers, and a Rainbow Factory Preschool, all under one roof.
Sunday Mornings in the Sanctuary
Two Sunday services fill the sanctuary each week: an 8:30 a.m. service and a 10:50 a.m. service, both held in the same space. Worship is described by the congregation as blended - a mix of liturgy, prayers, sermons, and music drawn from many genres, with the Chancel Choir singing at the later service. Holy Communion is shared on the first and third Sundays of each month, and everyone present is invited to receive the bread and cup with no requirements or restrictions. Baptism is celebrated at any age and in several ways, and the baptismal font sits at the entrance to the sanctuary so that the gift of grace is remembered on the way in and on the way out.
The 10:50 a.m. service is livestreamed on Facebook and on the church's live page, so people at home can take part even when they cannot be in the pews. Recordings of past sermons are kept on the church's Vimeo channel and on the sermon page. Visitors are told to come as they are: members worship in jeans, dresses, slacks, suits, and leggings, and many staff and congregants wear nametags with their pronouns. Children are welcome to stay in the sanctuary for the whole service, and a nursery is open from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
A House of Progressive Theology
First United Methodist Church of Omaha is rooted in the broad theological stream of the United Methodist Church but leans deliberately progressive. The congregation affirms John Wesley's teaching that God's grace goes before us and continues with us through every stage of life, and it reads scripture in conversation with tradition, personal experience, and reason. The Bible is understood as a collection of inspired writings penned by human hands in particular contexts, interpreted in light of the whole and in dialogue with the wisdom of writings that did not make it into the biblical canon.
The congregation has adopted eight points of progressive Christian identity. Members describe themselves as Christians who have found God through the life and teachings of Jesus, who recognize the faithfulness of people of other faiths, who see communion as a sign of God's feast for all, and who invite anyone to participate in worship without becoming like the community in order to be accepted. They find more grace in searching than in certainty, work for peace and justice, protect creation, and follow the costly way of Jesus through selfless love and resistance to evil.
A History of Showing Up
The congregation's justice work is part of its identity. In 1858, when a pro-slavery pastor was appointed to the church, members refused to pay him until he was removed. In 1877, when Chief Standing Bear and his followers arrived in Omaha desperate for food and provisions, the people of the church responded immediately with care, and the church's pastor supported Standing Bear in court as the case for his full humanity was argued. In 1992, First United Methodist joined with twenty other congregations to form Omaha Together One Community, a faith-based coalition for community organizing. In 2000, the church became a Reconciling Ministries congregation, working within the United Methodist Church for the full inclusion of all people regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. On April 2, 2019, the Church Council voted unanimously to host same-gender weddings in the building and on the property, and to support clergy who choose to officiate them.
WONDER-kids and a Children's Wing of Their Own
Children are at the center of the church's life, and the program carries a name to match: WONDER. From 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, between the two worship services, the upstairs Education Wing fills with young people. Children under fourth grade start in Room 204 at 9:30 a.m. for Hosannah Choir rehearsal with Children's Choir Director Lauren Morrissey. At 9:50 a.m. they break into age-appropriate classes that work with the Peace Table Bible curriculum.
Classrooms are arranged by age: a nursery for infants through four-year-olds in Room 203, an Experience Pre-K class in Room 206, and multi-age rooms for Scripture (Room 209), Tradition (Room 207), and Reason (Room 205). Older children in fourth through sixth grade have their own Tween Zone that meets on Sundays and once a month for a group outing. The WONDER-Ones Nursery stays open until noon for families who want their youngest children cared for during worship.
WONDER-ful Wednesdays extend the program into the week. At 6:00 p.m. the Listening Lab in the WONDER Children's Library gathers children, youth, and adults around a single picture book, playing with text, images, themes, and feelings. At 6:30 p.m. the group moves to Room 208 for "Exploring the Assembly," a hands-on hour that engages all the senses. On the last Wednesday of each month the program turns outward, with intergenerational outreach that puts the theology of interconnected repair into practice.
Youth Ministry
Middle and high schoolers have their own space, coordinated by Youth Ministry Coordinator Chris Marshall. Faith Studies for sixth through twelfth grade meet every Sunday during the education hour in Room 114, with a curriculum built around current events, faith formation, scripture literacy, and interfaith dialogue. The United Methodist Youth Fellowship, or UMYF, gathers on Sunday evenings: at 6:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month for food and fellowship, and at 6:30 p.m. on the other Sundays, with the evening ending at 8:00 p.m. The Excelsis Youth Choir, led by Kori Archbald, rehearses on Wednesday nights during Wonder Youth Wednesdays for students in fourth through eighth grade, and the youth choir performs periodically throughout the year.
Adult Faith Studies and Lifelong Learning
Between services, the church offers a wide spread of adult classes. Boomers +/- in Room 112 explores progressive Christian living through videos and discussion of current events. Centering Prayer meets in Mead Chapel and begins with ten minutes of fellowship, then a twenty-minute sit in silence, closing with the Lord's Prayer; it is facilitated by retired clergy Rev. Dr. Don Bredthauer. Connections in Room 107 is a middle-aged group that begins with sharing a life-giving moment from the week. Explorers in the Adult Education Library reads and discusses a book, changing titles every six to eight weeks. FaithLinks in Room 111 looks each week at a different topic and the United Methodist Church's stance on it, encouraging action on the basis of belief. A Young(ish) Adult Faith Studies group meets in the Parlor, and a Casual Conversations class for millennials gathers in the conference room near the offices.
Weekday offerings include a free Tai Chi for Balance class on Mondays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom, open to anyone over age 55. A Book Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. A Craft Group gathers on the first Monday of every month at 1:30 p.m. A Movie Group meets on the second Wednesday at the downtown W. Dale Clark Library. The outdoor labyrinth, garden, and gazebo on the south front lawn are open twenty-four hours a day, weather permitting.
Music That Carries the Message
Music is treated as an essential part of worship, carefully chosen to reflect the church's progressive theology and the theme of the day. Mark Kurtz directs music ministries, and Marie Meyers serves as Music Associate. The Chancel Choir sings at the 10:50 a.m. service, drawing on a wide range of genres. The Hosannah Choir, directed by Lauren Morrissey, gives children the chance to sing in worship several times a year, and the Excelsis Youth Choir offers the same to older children and youth. The first Saturday of every month, Kurtz also leads the music for the Taizé prayer service in Mead Chapel, where the simple, repeated chants are meant to settle into the bones.
Taizé, Wild Worship, and a Wider Circle of Prayer
Beyond the two Sunday services, the church offers two more distinctive worship experiences. On the first Saturday of each month at 5:00 p.m., Mead Chapel hosts a Taizé prayer service, about forty minutes of sung and chanted prayer, short readings, a long silence, and candlelight, drawing on the meditative tradition of the Taizé community in France. On the last Sunday of each month at 4:00 p.m., Wild Worship Omaha gathers outdoors at a location that changes each time. People are asked to bring a chair or blanket, a curious spirit, and a heart open to the wild, and the gathering is open to all.
Mercy and Justice: Service to Omaha
The church takes its call to mercy seriously. Members volunteer monthly with the Clair Cares Food Pantry at Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, helping to pack more than two hundred boxes of meat, produce, and dry goods for the North Omaha community. They collect donations for the Pearl Pantry at Living Hope United Methodist Church, and they prepare and serve a meal at Siena/Francis House on the third Wednesday of every month, working with the shelter that has been housing and feeding people experiencing homelessness in Omaha since 1975.
FUMC members also staff the Tip Top Thrift Shop at 5910 N Maple Street in Benson on the first and third Wednesday of every month. The shop is volunteer-run and its profits benefit Youth Emergency Services and their work with homeless and at-risk teens. Through Volunteers in Mission, the church has been sending work teams locally, regionally, and internationally for more than twenty years, on projects that range from disaster recovery and home repair to building churches, schools, and UMC camps. One-day local mission projects are scheduled throughout the year.
Advocacy Teams
A cluster of advocacy teams translates the congregation's faith into specific public witness. The Diversity and Inclusion Team promotes inclusion, accessibility, and equity and coordinates participation in the Heartland Pride Parade and Festival. The ECO Team, which completed a Master Sustainability plan in 2021, educates the community on ways to reduce carbon emissions and is currently raising money to replace the church's traditional light bulbs with LEDs. The Immigration Ministry Team advocates for and supports immigrant and refugee families. Omaha Together One Community, the interfaith organizing coalition the church helped to found in 1992, continues to bring congregations and institutions together across lines of race, faith, and neighborhood. The Poverty Education and Advocacy Team, known as PEAT, focuses on the root causes of poverty. The Racial Justice ministry runs workshops, book and movie discussions, and forums. Salt and Light promotes nonpartisan civic engagement, nonviolence, and public witness in local, state, and national government.
Care for Body, Mind, and Spirit
Stephen Ministry organizes and trains lay Stephen Ministers to provide one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people going through difficult times, both within the congregation and beyond. People who are interested in meeting with a Stephen Minister can call the church office. The Health Ministry, led by Faith Community Nurse Jan Dixon, offers classes in spiritual practices throughout the year and runs the Health Equipment Loan Program, which lends wheelchairs, walkers, canes, toilet risers, crutches, and similar small items to anyone in need. The Healing Arts ministry hosts an annual Celebration of Soulful Healing, a day devoted to the integration of body, mind, and spirit.
United Women in Faith
The local chapter of United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) gathers women of the church for fellowship, study, and mission. The group meets on the first Thursday of January, March, May, and November at 10:00 a.m. in Room 112, and on the first Thursday of September at 6:00 p.m. in the Commons for a potluck. A book review meets on the third Thursday from February through May and September through November, and Stitchin' Sisters, a sewing, knitting, and crocheting group, gathers on the first Tuesday of the month. Co-presidents Nancy Coziahr and Suzanne Morgan lead the chapter along with a team of officers and circle leaders.
The Building and Beyond
The main building contains the large Sanctuary with its premier organ, the smaller Mead Chapel, and the Commons, a flexible space of more than four thousand square feet with audio-visual capability and a labyrinth set into the floor. A variety of meeting rooms can accommodate groups from two to two hundred and fifty people, and the building is available for private and community events, including weddings and funerals, with reservations handled by the Director of Communication and Membership. The seven-circuit lawn labyrinth on the front lawn, surrounded by the Prayer Garden and watched over by a gazebo, is open to anyone at any time.
The same building also houses Rainbow Factory Preschool, a separate program that shares the address. Members and non-members alike are welcome to hold weddings in the Sanctuary or in Mead Chapel, and same-gender weddings have been part of the church's ministry since the 2019 Church Council resolution.
Getting Connected
First United Methodist Church of Omaha sits at 7020 Cass Street, and the church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The main number is (402) 556-6262. Online giving is available through the church's Clover Give page, sermons are posted on the sermon page and on Vimeo, and the Sunday morning service is livestreamed at 10:50 a.m. on Facebook and the church's live page. Anyone who wants to learn more about the church's work or find a place to plug in can reach out to Cass Opal, Director of Communication and Membership, or to Pastor Morita Truman. The church's monthly newsletter and building map are available online, and prayer requests can be submitted through a form or by calling the church office.