Saint Paul's United Methodist Church sits on North Meridian Road, just across from Lake Ella in the upper midtown of Tallahassee, Florida's capital city. The congregation has worshipped and served from this location since 1952, when it was planted and quickly grew into a center of faith formation and outreach for the surrounding neighborhood and beyond. In its seven decades, Saint Paul's has become known for a vibrant Sunday School program that serves every age, a thriving music ministry, deep commitments to social justice and creation care, and partnerships with organizations throughout the Big Bend.
The congregation understands itself as "a faithful community of disciples who serve as the heart, hands and feet of Christ so that all people come to know the love of God." The founding members chose the name Saint Paul in honor of the Apostle Paul, the church's namesake missionary, and a charge from Bishop Branscomb at the founding still shapes the congregation's identity: "Never lose your missionary zeal; when you do, change your name!"
The Sanctuary, Sanders Hall, and a Lake Ella Story
Within two years of being formed, the congregation purchased property on Lake Ella and built Sanders Hall, which served as the first worship space. The current sanctuary was completed in 1968 and has been the home of morning worship ever since. Sanders Hall now hosts the Reconciled Contemporary Service, Wednesday night dinners, and many fellowship events. The campus also includes the Carl F. Pierce Memorial Scout House, which arrived on the property in 1988 and continues to support a robust scouting program that has been part of Saint Paul's since 1962.
Sunday Mornings: Three Rhythms of Worship
Sunday is the heart of life at Saint Paul's. Two morning services are held in the sanctuary, at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with a Sunday School hour for all ages from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. woven in between. The 11:00 a.m. service is also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and online worshippers are welcomed into the same congregation that gathers in person. During the summer, the morning schedule shifts to a single combined service at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday School following.
The morning services draw on the long musical tradition of the church. The Chancel Covenant Choir leads the music in the eleven o'clock service each week, presenting cantatas at Christmas and Easter and inviting anyone who would like to sing for those special services to join even without a year-round commitment. The Gate Band, made up of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, violin, banjo, and several vocalists, leads worship periodically in the 8:30 a.m. service with contemporary Christian songs, restyled classic hymns, praise music, and occasional bluegrass.
Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month at all services, and the congregation describes worship itself as the central act of the people of God, a way of remembering who God is and who they are in God, gathering strength and grace at the table for the journey of compassionate service that follows.
Reconciled: Where God's Love Has No Exceptions
At 6:00 p.m. each Sunday, Sanders Hall fills with a different kind of gathering. The Reconciled Contemporary Service is the only Reconciling Ministries United Methodist worship service in Tallahassee, and it celebrates that LGBTQ+ persons are a good expression of God's diverse creation. The community welcomes all races, physical abilities, sexual orientations, nationalities, and ages, and affirms that all are loved by Jesus.
The atmosphere is intentionally casual. People arrive as they are, receive a name tag to help them connect, and find seats in the fellowship hall as the praise band begins the opening song. Each week there is space to sing, share prayer requests and joys and concerns, hear a sermon, and then gather at the United Methodist open table for Holy Communion. The service closes with a prayer, and afterward many in the community walk over to a local restaurant for Sunday Digest, a casual dinner and conversation that builds the relationships formed in worship.
Wednesday Evenings at Saint Paul's
Wednesday night has its own rhythm. A churchwide dinner is served in Sanders Hall from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m., and from there the building hums with overlapping programs for every age. The youth gather for UMYF, the United Methodist Youth Fellowship, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., a time of fellowship, devotionals, and shared joys and concerns in the middle of the week. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade head to Kids@Art from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., a worship arts program of choir, instrument playing, drama, sacred dance and movement, and visual arts. The Youth Choir rehearses from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m., and adults move into a rotating schedule of Bible studies, speaker series, and discussion groups after dinner, with childcare always provided. A long-running Intercessory Prayer Group meets each Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. to pray for requests sent in by the congregation.
A Music Ministry That Spans Generations
Music is woven through nearly every hour of life at Saint Paul's, and the congregation's music leaders take seriously the truth that there is a place for everyone who wants to make a joyful noise. The Chancel Covenant Choir rehearses Tuesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. in the choir room on the lower level of the sanctuary building. No musical training or ability to read music is required; the choir describes itself as a vital support system, a true large small group.
Se'lah, an ensemble of adult singers directed by Cynthia Prescott, rehearses Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and sings a wide range of music from folk and contemporary to multicultural and traditional. Se'lah sings in worship throughout the year, visits other churches to lead worship, presents concerts, and has a history of taking its music on mission trips, identifying a new mission project every few years.
The Youth Choir, led by Director of Music and Worship Arts Gaye Herndon, rehearses Wednesday evenings and regularly leads the congregation in worship at the Sunday morning services. The Handbell Choir rehearses Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, rings during worship many times throughout the year, and welcomes anyone with basic note and rhythm reading skills. Kids@Art brings younger children into the music of the church through choir, drama, dance, and visual arts, and Family & Me Music extends the ministry to the youngest among the congregation and the wider community.
Children and Families: From the Nursery to Fifth Grade
Children's Ministries at Saint Paul's is led by Leslie Scott, Director of Children and Family Ministries, with a vision to mentor children from birth to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ and to help their families become deeply committed Christians. The Sunday morning nursery is open from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for children from infants through age five, located on the lower level of the sanctuary building, with secure access that requires ringing a doorbell. A nursery reservation form is available online for those who would like to plan ahead.
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade attend Sunday School during the 9:45 a.m. hour. Mrs. Jo Ellen Brown, who has taught the K-1 class for more than twenty years, guides young hearts through scripture, science discussion, snack, and craft, helping them learn the Lord's prayer and see wonder in the world around them. Grades two through five dig deeper into the faith stories through discussion, more advanced games, science experiments, and art. Upper elementary children in third grade and above may also serve as acolytes in worship, bringing the light of Christ into the sanctuary each week.
Once a month on a Saturday evening, Saint Paul's hosts Date Night for children from eighteen months through ten years of age, with crafts, games, and playtime so that parents can enjoy an evening out. The Family & Me Music program, taught by a board-certified music therapist, gathers infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their caregivers each Friday morning during the fall for singing, instrument play, signing, and movement, with classes specifically welcoming foster families and families with children receiving early intervention services.
Rooted Youth Ministry
The youth program at Saint Paul's is called Rooted Youth Ministry, drawing on the prayer of Ephesians 3:17-19 that the community may be rooted and established in love and come to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. Under Youth Director Casey Fernandes, Rooted is built around the conviction that non-religious and nominally religious students can become deeply committed Christians when they are welcomed by adults and peers who care about them and their faith development.
Youth meet for Sunday School each week from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., where they are guided through conversations on biblical topics written for them, with free doughnuts to keep things lively. On the second and fourth Sunday evenings of the month, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., they gather for dinner and fellowship. Every Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. they meet for UMYF in a relaxed atmosphere of free time, activities, devotionals, and shared joys and concerns, after the churchwide dinner. Confirmation class is offered each spring for students in sixth grade and above, walking them through the foundations of Christian belief and the meaning of their personal commitment. Each summer the youth take a mission trip, in past years including home repair, wheelchair ramp construction, urban ministry, and Vacation Bible School leadership, and they raise funds throughout the year to support the work.
Adult Sunday School: A Class for Every Season
Adult Sunday School is described as the very heart of the church at Saint Paul's, and the congregation offers close to a dozen different classes on Sunday mornings, each with its own personality, focus, and coffee pot. The Acting on Faith class gathers in Room 309 and explores God's grace in everyday life in a relationship-centered, open conversation format. The Bible Study Class meets in Room 207 as a small, friendly, multi-generational group that reads and discusses Christian literature together with a lively sense of humor. Burleigh Law, named for a missionary who gave his life in the Congo, meets in the Chapel and is one of the oldest classes in the church, made up largely of retired members.
Cheers, Christians Happily Engaged in Enriching Relevant Studies, gathers in Room 327 as a multi-generational group of couples and singles who are willing to question tradition as they figure out how to be Christians in today's world. Coffee & Chat meets in the Parlor, known as Common Grounds, and welcomes many who are new to the community and to the Methodist church. The Ed Wynn Class in Room 310 uses a lecture and discussion format and supports the church's mission programs. The New Beginnings Class in Room 211 includes couples, singles, and single-on-Sunday members from their forties onward, with active engagement in many aspects of church life. New Horizons in Room 301 follows the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience and is known for the three F's: food, fellowship, and fun.
A Place of Welcome in Room 309 is made up largely of parents of children ranging from toddlers to teenagers and beyond. The Seekers Class in Room 300 is a friendly, large group with a wide age range that keeps in touch with a weekly newsletter, enjoys coffee and conversation, and asks visitors to bring their own Bible. In addition, a Tuesday morning Men's Reading Group meets at noon at Ology Northside on Kerry Forest Parkway, working through a variety of books in a time of fellowship and study.
Caring and Support
An active Congregational Care ministry walks alongside members through the seasons of life. Pastors and dedicated lay people offer prayer support, meals for members who have been ill or who are celebrating the birth of a child, home visitation and Eucharist for the homebound, and hospital visitation especially helpful prior to surgical procedures. The Visitation Team visits Saint Paul's shut-ins, providing Holy Communion when requested, prayers, and words of encouragement, while flower arrangers and delivery drivers break down Sunday arrangements into smaller bouquets that are delivered to those who are homebound or in the hospital.
Three support groups meet regularly at the church. Tallahassee Young People, an Alcoholics Anonymous group, meets in Room 300 on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Circle of Support, a group for those experiencing postpartum depression, meets twice per month at 10:00 a.m. in the Parlor. An Alzheimer's Caregiver Support lunch is held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 11:30 a.m.
Missions and Outreach Across the Big Bend and Beyond
Missions are at the very center of who Saint Paul's understands itself to be, and the church supports a remarkable range of partner ministries. The Alzheimer's Project, Inc. was founded by Saint Paul's in 1991 and now serves as an independent organization providing education and training, in-home respite, support groups, counseling, referrals, and the Project Lifesaver program for those with memory disorders and their caregivers in the Big Bend community. Saint Paul's volunteers serve weekly in respite care.
The congregation supports the Big Bend Homeless Coalition through financial gifts and volunteer service, with several Sunday School classes participating in the provision of food at the Hope Community Center. Saint Paul's is part of the Capital Area Justice Ministry, a coalition of AME, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Jewish, Lutheran, Church of God in Christ, Unitarian, and United Methodist congregations launched in 2019 to fight local policies that have codified bias and created generational inequality in Tallahassee. The Kearney Center, ECHO (Emergency Care Help Organization), Elder Care Services, and Manna on Meridian, a partnership ministry with Faith Presbyterian, St. Stephen Lutheran, and the Unitarian Universalist churches that distributes roughly 260 bags of groceries and produce each month, all receive quarterly financial support and active involvement from Saint Paul's members.
On the international front, Saint Paul's supports the New Life Center in Kitwe, Zambia, a ministry of United Methodist missionaries Delbert and Sandy Groves that includes New Life Press, health education, PET Zambia handicap bikes, a learning and computer lab, English instruction, and training in new church construction. The congregation's youth raise funds throughout the year to support a summer mission trip, and Disaster Recovery teams from Saint Paul's have responded to Hurricane Katrina, the Tuscaloosa tornado, flooding in Pensacola and Lake City, and Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle. Seven members have attended Early Response Team training.
The Michael Dobson Justice Impacted Mission advocates for and supports the use of restorative justice in the community, including programs in the local jail and surrounding prisons and support for the families of those who are incarcerated. Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a ministry launched with Saint Paul's financial assistance in 2018, builds bunks for children who do not have a bed of their own and has built more than 220 bunks in its first year. Soul Food distributes food and clothing to the homeless community on the last Saturday of each month and serves a hot evening meal one Saturday each month. The Wesley Foundations at both Florida State University and Florida A&M University receive financial support. Vacation Bible School each summer welcomes children from the wider community and includes a mission project that the children help fund.
Creation Care: The Earth Belongs to God
Creation Care ministry at Saint Paul's grows out of the conviction that the earth belongs to God and that God's people are called to be good stewards of it. Members grow organic vegetables in the Mosaic Garden, which are donated to Manna on Meridian, organize community clean-ups of Lake Ella, and coordinate events such as the Ladybug Jubilee, an EV Expo, and the Blessing of the Animals. The Creation Care team runs a free Silverware Lending Library of up to 150 place settings that can be checked out and returned dirty, helping reduce single-use plastic at church gatherings and community events. Members of the congregation have participated as Christian Observers at the United Nations Annual Climate Conference, advocating for climate justice on the global stage.
What United Methodists Believe
Saint Paul's understands itself as a congregation within The United Methodist Church, a worldwide connection of covenant people whose members promise to uphold the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, and service. United Methodists are described as a diverse community firmly committed to inclusiveness, a biblical people whose faith is guided by Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason, with Scripture of paramount importance. The tradition is mission-oriented and socially conscious, ecumenical in its cooperation with other churches, involved in the struggles of women, people with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minorities for equality in the church, the economy, and society. United Methodism is connectional, with leadership shared across local, regional, and church-wide bodies, and continues a strong evangelical heritage that centers on winning people to Christ.
Getting Connected at Saint Paul's
For those exploring membership, a brief session called Starting Point is generally held on the second Sunday of the month after worship in the side Narthex, offering an opportunity to meet the pastors, hear more about Saint Paul's, and learn about opportunities for growth and service. New members may be received through transfer from another United Methodist church, transfer from another denomination, or profession of faith. Joining members come forward during a worship service, including the online services, and answer three questions about accepting Jesus as personal Savior, living by the teachings of Jesus with the help of God's grace, and supporting the church with prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. The congregation responds with their encouragement, support, and prayers, along with their own recommitment to their own membership promises.
There is a wide and welcoming range of ways to serve at Saint Paul's: acolyte coordinators, the Altar Guild, the Audio Visual Team, communion servers and stewards, lay scripture readers, lay servants, ushers, the facilities maintenance crew, flower arrangers, golf cart drivers who help those who need a lift from the parking area, pew packers, office volunteers, nursery volunteers, and Sunday School teachers and substitutes for every age group. The Communications Coordinator Amy Leach keeps the Weekly Notes newsletter flowing, and the church office, open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., is the place to begin.