In the heart of Birmingham's Five Points South neighborhood, Highlands United Methodist Church has stood at 1045 20th Street South since the sanctuary was completed in March 1909. The Spanish Renaissance Revival building sits immediately behind the landmark Storyteller fountain, just down the mountain from the Vulcan statue and a short walk from the UAB campus, and has long been described as the church where Birmingham's city and suburbs meet. Members travel from across the metro area, some forty-five minutes or more, to make this congregation their church family, while others live close enough to hear the church bells chiming from their homes. The congregation's blend of traditional liturgical worship, a long-running breakfast ministry to neighbors who are unhoused, a NAEYC-accredited child development center, and an explicit welcome to LGBTQ+ people through the Reconciling Ministries Network give Highlands a distinctive presence in the life of central Alabama.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
The central rhythm of life at Highlands is the Sunday morning service. A single Morning Prayer service takes place at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary, drawing on liturgy, scripture, proclamation, and sacred music. Holy Communion is generally offered on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month and on major feast days, and it is open to all in attendance regardless of age or church affiliation. The congregation still sings from hymnals, and the Choir accompanies worship from a Möller pipe organ. Clergy and worship leaders are robed, and visitors are explicitly told they may wear whatever makes them comfortable; there are no expectations for coat and tie or fancy dress.
The Reverend Mikah Hudson, appointed to Highlands in 2010, preaches most Sundays and leads the pastoral staff. A native of Robertsdale, Alabama, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Birmingham-Southern College and a Master of Divinity from Emory's Candler School of Theology. His ministry is rooted in sacramental theology and traditional liturgy. Services are livestreamed on Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook, and an archive of past services going back to 2016 is available with audio and PDF bulletins. Recent services include Choral Evensongs for Lent, a Hymn Sing Sunday each summer, an All Saints Sunday featuring the Fauré Requiem, and special musical offerings during Advent, Christmas Eve, and Easter, when the Choir is joined by members of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
The Sanctuary, the Tower, and the Bells
Highlands was organized on December 2, 1903, when the Five Points Methodist Episcopal Church, South was officially established with a charter membership of 183 people. The congregation traces its origins to a Sunday School that began meeting on the first of March 1903 in a room rented in Phillip Alosi's Palace Market on what is now the church's site. Robert Munger, who lived across Twentieth Street from the new church and served as the first Sunday School Superintendent, persuaded the Board of Stewards to hire Atlanta architect P. Thornton Marye, the second-place finisher in the design competition, rather than the contest winner, the firm of Wilson and Wendall of Columbia. Marye, who had designed the Atlanta Terminal Station, the Southern Bell Building, and Atlanta's Fox Theatre, gave Highlands its Spanish Renaissance Revival Sanctuary, completed in March 1909. A shortage of funds at completion meant the bell tower was left unfinished; it was built in 1921 around a set of thirteen McShane bells cast in Baltimore and donated anonymously in honor of Bishop James McCoy, the church's first pastor. The McCoy Tower Bells are still rung manually each Sunday before and after worship, for weddings, funerals, and other special occasions. Since a 1995 refurbishment they also sound a Westminster Chime electronically every quarter hour.
The 1920s brought growth that quickly outgrew the sanctuary, and in 1924 a new Church School Building was designed by Bem Price in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, with high ceilings, detailed crown molding, and airy classrooms that drew praise from both the American Institute of Architects and the religious press. In 1950 the chancel of the Sanctuary was literally turned around, extending the building on the eastern wall almost fifty feet and creating the divided choir, central altar, lectern, and pulpit arrangement that remains today. On the south side of the Sanctuary grounds the Columbarium and Prayer Garden offers church members a peaceful final resting place connected to the building in which they were married, baptized, and worshipped.
Music at Highlands
Music sits at the heart of Highlands' worship. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and takes a major leadership role in Sunday worship, singing hymns, anthems, cantatas, psalms, and sacrament responses. Membership in the Choir is open to all following a simple audition with Choirmaster and Organist Rick Phillips; reading music is a plus but not required. The Handbell Choir, directed by Kathy Burdette, rehearses on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. during the school year and rings in worship regularly. Children's Choir meets during Children's Church on alternating Sundays during the school year under the direction of Mary Elizabeth Neal, who also teaches music enrichment for the Child Development Center.
Rick Phillips returned to Highlands in January 2000 after the retirement of Amos Hudson. A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Montevallo, Phillips studied choral conducting privately with Robert Shaw, conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, becoming the youngest singer ever to join that acclaimed ensemble. Twice awarded the Pi Kappa Lambda honor in music, Phillips founded and directed the Birmingham Choral Guild in 1992, frequently working with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra until 2004. Recent musical offerings include Lessons and Carols services each Advent, Choral Evensongs for Lent, organ recitals during Pipes, Pedals, and Pies events, and a Hymn Sing Sunday each summer featuring congregational favorites old and new.
Children, the Atrium, and Youth
Children are loved and celebrated throughout the year. The Children's Sunday School at Highlands follows the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a faith formation program rooted in the Bible, liturgy, and the educational principles of Maria Montessori. Children ages 3 through fifth grade gather in rooms 217, 219, and 220 on the second floor of the Education Building, where they use simple and beautiful materials to absorb the most essential elements of the Christian faith: placing wooden sheep in a sheepfold of the Good Shepherd, setting sculpted apostles around a Last Supper table, or preparing a small altar with the furnishings used for Communion. Children begin in the Atrium at 9:30 a.m., work with their catechists through the first half of worship, and rejoin the congregation following the sermon to partake in Holy Communion and other appropriate worship elements. Reggie Holder, Director of Ministries, is a Catechist in the Atrium, and Lauri Soong serves as Lead Atrium Catechist.
A church nursery for children from birth through age 3 is provided each Sunday morning during both Sunday School and worship. The nursery is located in Room 117 on the first floor of the Education Building and is coordinated by Kristin Harper. A nursery can also be reserved with at least a week's notice for evening programs, Bible studies, council and committee meetings, and other special events.
Children's Ministries at Highlands include weekly Sunday School and Children's Choir, a Vacation Bible School day-camp each July (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., open to children age 4 through rising fifth graders, with youth helpers in sixth grade and older), regular service projects that support the Community Ministries, and an annual Christmas Pageant. Children's Sunday each October celebrates the children of the congregation in worship. Mary Elizabeth Neal, Communication Director and Children's Ministries Coordinator, organizes these programs. Highlands abides by a Safe Sanctuaries policy designed to protect children, youth, vulnerable adults, church staff members, and volunteers associated with the activities of the church.
Youth in sixth through twelfth grades are invited to Sunday School each week for a group discussion lesson with guest teachers in the Youth Room, E206. The Youth Group meets Sundays from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. with programming and a snack supper. The annual Discovery Weekend at Camp Sumatanga places senior high youth in leadership positions to guide middle school students through a process of spiritual growth and discernment, culminating in a Saturday evening Prayer Service in which members of the church family pray over each student individually. The youth group also takes part in the Festival of Three Kings, regularly serves with Grace Klein and other area partners, and serves as youth counselors for Vacation Bible School each summer. Danny Jones, Director of Youth and Compassion Ministries, leads these programs along with Youth Ministries Intern Eliza Penfield, a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and Mercer University who grew up in the Highlands Children's Ministry and Youth Group and has returned to her home congregation in this new role.
Six Mornings a Week at the Fellowship Hall
Long before Sunday School and worship begin, the doors of the Fellowship Hall open for Hospitality Hour, six days a week from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday. Homeless and poor neighbors of the Southside community find a refuge from the streets with breakfast, mail and phone service, needed toiletries, and a compassionate, listening ear. Guests without clean clothes can drop off laundry Tuesday through Saturday during Hospitality Hour and pick it up within three days, often by the next morning. The Community Ministries Hospitality Hour is supported by Highlands United Methodist, Canterbury United Methodist, St. Mark United Methodist, and St. Mary's on the Highlands Episcopal Churches.
Project ID, run out of the same building, helps people without birth certificates or state-issued identification get the credentials they need to function in life. Appointments are made by referral from partner agencies on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 11:00 a.m. to noon. A fully staffed mobile medical unit from Alabama Regional Medical Services provides free monthly medical care and screening on the fourth Thursday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and representatives from Cahaba Medical Care, One Roof, and Recovery Services meet with guests every Wednesday during Hospitality Hour.
The Festival of Three Kings, an event run by local United Methodist Churches for more than thirty years, gives over 750 children associated with Urban Ministries or the Department of Human Resources an opportunity for a memorable Christmas. Highlands is responsible for 100 children each year, with gifts purchased from wish lists and distributed to the children's families on the first or second Saturday in December.
Heart & Hand Sundays and the Backpack Ministry
One Sunday each month, children, youth, and adults gather together during the Sunday School hour for Heart & Hand Sundays, an intergenerational time of service that begins with refreshments and a short devotional suitable for all ages and meets at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Recent projects have included a Non-Perishable Food Drive for the UAB Blazer Pantry, a Diaper Drive for Bundles of Hope in partnership with East Lake UMC, and a Backpack Ministries project that prepares bags of weekend food for local students. The Backpack Ministry aims to pack about 740 bags per month and deliver them to Glen Iris Elementary School, Midfield Elementary School, and Rutledge Middle School. Each bag contains at least twelve items of nonperishable food: macaroni and cheese, canned tuna or chicken, soup, instant grits or oatmeal, nutrigrain bars without nuts, squeezable applesauce, and spaghetti-O's or ravioli. Packing also happens at Midfield Elementary about every three weeks, usually on a Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Adult Christian Formation
Adult Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday morning during the program year. Three classes are offered in the fall. Continued Conversations, led by Rev. Mikah Hudson in Room 209, offers an ongoing space for honest dialogue on faith, culture, and the issues shaping our lives today, reflecting on the lectionary, recent sermons, and timely topics. The Faith and Films Discussion Series, led by Kyle McKinnon in Room 210, treats films that are not traditionally categorized as faith-based as texts for spiritual conversation; the fall series covers All That Heaven Allows (1955), The Straight Story (1999), Perfect Days (2023), and The Life of Chuck (2024). Civic Virtues: Through the Lens of Christ, led by Mark Chambers in Room 204, explores ten core civic virtues from Senator Cory Booker's book STAND: agency, vulnerability, patriotism, truth, humility, community, creativity, perseverance, grace, and vision.
Disciple Bible Study meets on Tuesdays from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Room 204, September through May, journeying through the Old Testament in the fall and the New Testament in winter and spring, finishing around Easter. Lunch is available with weekly reservation, and study manuals are $20 per semester. Education for Ministry (EfM), a four-year distance learning certificate program in theological education offered by the Seminary at Sewanee, meets Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Room 204, September through May.
The Highlands Men's Group gathers once a month for all-you-can-eat pizza and serves the church through projects including regular volunteering at Community Ministries, tutoring, and ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. United Women in Faith meets monthly at the church with programs, fellowship, and outreach, supporting the ministries of the church through missions outreach and educational scholarship programs. The group also hosts an annual Bake Sale at Rushton Park to benefit local missions projects. A bi-monthly College and Young Adult Gathering brings together college students and young adults for a meal, time to catch up, and a short devotional.
Child Development Center
The Highlands Child Development Center, located on the church's campus, is a faith-based ministry for children from 6 weeks through 4 years of age. The center is licensed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tuition is paid by automatic bank draft on the fifth of each month, with a non-refundable deposit at the time of admission and a yearly non-refundable supply fee. The center encourages parental partnership through opportunities such as serving as a Room Parent, sitting on the Parent Council, and serving on the Board. Tours are offered monthly to families interested in enrolling.
A Reconciling Congregation
Highlands United Methodist Church affirms that nothing can separate anyone from the love of God. The Church Council voted on March 25, 2019, to officially join with the Reconciling Ministries Network as a Reconciling Congregation, committing to being a fully inclusive congregation regardless of age, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, family, financial status, nationality, physical or mental ability, or past or future. Highlands practices a non-discriminatory wedding policy and celebrates the love shared by all couples who desire to be united in marriage. The Interfaith Pride Service hosted by Highlands each June welcomes worshipers from across the city, and Highlands regularly participates in the Central Alabama Pride Parade and the Five Points South St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Fellowship and Hospitality
Sunday morning fellowship at Highlands centers on the Third Sunday Potluck, held each month after worship in the Fellowship Hall. Bring a favorite main course, side dish, bread, or dessert to share. During the summer months, the potluck becomes a Third Sunday Cook Out with cook-out favorites provided and sides and desserts brought by the congregation. Family retreats at Camp Sumatanga each January, seasonal parties such as the Halloween Carnival, and Ladies' Coffee Nights at Panera Bread in Vestavia Hills offer other regular opportunities to spend time together.
Getting to Highlands
Highlands is located at 1045 20th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35205-2623, in the heart of Five Points South, immediately behind the Storyteller fountain at the intersection of 20th Street South, 11th Avenue South, and Magnolia Avenue. The phone number is 205-933-8751, with extensions listed in the staff directory. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A gated parking lot for first-time visitors and those with limited mobility is located directly behind the church off Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard; the gate is open for worship services and other church-wide gatherings. Free parking for Sunday services is available at metered spaces on the street and in the Five Points South Parking Deck on Magnolia Avenue. Paid parking is available at Highlands Bar and Grill on 11th Avenue South, and parking is allowed along Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard on Sundays and holidays.
Online giving is available through the church's giving portal, and gifts may also be made by automatic bank draft, by texting GIVE to 205-900-3040, by check, or through memorial and honorarium gifts, stocks, and IRA distributions. The Highlands Methodist Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, supports the church through planned estate gifts and provides approximately ten percent of the annual operating budget.