On the south side of Alliance, Ohio, just north of the intersection of South Union Avenue and State Street, Union Avenue United Methodist Church rises in red brick and stained glass, a presence in this small Stark County city for nearly two centuries. The congregation first gathered for worship in 1846, and the building that houses it today went up in 1893, designed by Cleveland architect Sidney R. Badgely in the Modernized Romanesque style. Inside, the Akron Plan interior by Lewis Miller still shapes the Sanctuary, and a 2,304-pipe Schantz organ fills it with sound. Pastor Becky Weamer, the church's 44th pastor and second woman ordained to lead it, often reminds newcomers that the motto on the building is older than any one member: Building Beloved Community.
A Sanctuary with Stained Glass and an Organ that Spans Generations
The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1893 with the assistance of then-Ohio Governor William McKinley, who would soon be president. Construction ran $27,372.54; the stained-glass windows from Flanagan and Biedenweg of Chicago added another $993.02. Two organs have served the sanctuary since the building opened. A Hillgreen-Lane organ, a gift from Andrew Carnegie, was dedicated on April 10, 1902, replaced by a second Hillgreen-Lane instrument in 1948, and finally succeeded in 1998 by the current Schantz three-manual, 40-rank organ. A major educational wing and Fellowship Hall along Hartshorn Street went up in the late 1950s and were dedicated on May 1, 1960, and a new covered north entrance with a ramp and elevator arrived in 2014 to make the building fully accessible.
What Sunday Morning Looks Like
Worship begins at 9:45 AM in the Union Avenue Sanctuary. The service blends traditional hymns and contemporary praise, with the Chancel Choir and Praise Team sharing the music rotation week to week. The bell choir plays monthly and on special days. The congregation prays, sings, reads Scripture, and hears a sermon. Members and regular attenders participate in an offering.
The same service is livestreamed on Facebook Live at facebook.com/uaumc, and a rebroadcast airs at 11:00 AM on WRMU-FM 91.1. From 9:00 to 9:30 AM, coffee, tea, juice, and donuts are served in Fellowship Hall, and Children's Sunday School meets on the third floor for ages 5 through fifth grade. After worship, Adult Sunday School gathers at 11:00 AM. On the third Friday of each month, a different kind of service takes over the back of the sanctuary: Yoga Church, a one-hour gathering of gentle movement, meditation, prayer, and a brief Scripture reflection, led by Kerry Cochran. All levels are welcome, and mats are provided.
Children, Youth, and the Preschool Downstairs
Children stay in the Sanctuary for most of worship, and the church means it. Activity bags for little ones and children's bulletins with puzzles for ages 3 and up sit at the back of the room, and a rocking-chair nook just off the Sanctuary offers a quieter place for parents who need to step out. An unstaffed nursery is available. Near the start of the service, children ages three through fourth grade are invited forward for a Children's Moment.
Sunday School for ages 5 through fifth grade uses the Celebrate Wonder curriculum and is led by background-checked, Safe Sanctuaries-trained volunteers. Parents fill out a brief contact and permission form on the first visit. Youth Group, for grades 6 through 12, meets twice a month under Pastor Becky's leadership with screened adult volunteers, mixing Scripture study, games, and service projects.
Downstairs, Union Avenue Preschool has welcomed children ages 3 through 5 for more than sixty years, licensed by the State of Ohio and accepting payments through Ohio Job & Family Services. Morning preschool runs 9:00 to 11:30 AM, two to five days a week. For families needing before- and after-preschool care, Kid Connection is available weekdays from 7:15 AM through class start and again from 11:30 AM until 5:45 PM, billed at $7 per hour. Director Pam Harlan can be reached at preschool@unionavenueumc.org.
Music at UAUMC
Music is woven into the congregation's identity. The Chancel Choir leads traditional Methodist hymns with the pipe organ and rehearses Thursdays at 7:30 PM. The Praise Team, with singers and a live band, leads contemporary praise and rehearses Tuesdays at 6:00 PM. The Bell Choir adds ring to monthly traditional services and rehearses Thursdays at 6:15 PM. Special music, drama, and dance mark occasions like Christmas Eve.
Small Groups and the Hour on Thursday Mornings
Small groups are the church's quieter engine. The Hour, a long-running Thursday morning gathering at 10 AM on Zoom, brings together members of the church and the wider community to discuss social justice, current events, the church, and the issues in between. Each week stands on its own, so newcomers can drop in any time. United Methodist Men meets the first Sunday of each month from September through June at 8 AM for breakfast and fellowship, coordinating the Apple Dumplings Project each fall, a mid-August Carnation Days in the Park booth, and the free Community Spaghetti Dinners served on the first Tuesday of each month at Christ United Methodist Church downtown. Hearts and Hands Quilters craft and distribute quilts for members experiencing illness or marking milestones.
Mission Work Across Alliance and Beyond
Putting faith into action is a defining rhythm of Union Avenue. The congregation supports the Alliance Community Pantry with volunteers and supplies, the Alliance Emergency Residence for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, Habitat for Humanity with funding and labor, Canton Calvary Mission, the Salvation Army, and a domestic violence shelter, among other local partners. Members volunteer with Meals on Wheels, deliver Thanksgiving meals, ring bells for the Salvation Army at Christmas, pack college care packages for area students during finals, and sew hundreds of hats, mittens, and scarves for community diners each winter.
The church gives 100% of its East Ohio Shared Ministry goal each year, connecting its offerings to United Methodist health and welfare institutions, related colleges, and mission work across the United States and 165 countries. Past support has included UMCOR Hurricane Relief, the United Methodist University Kramer Social Responsibility Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic, the Alliance Area Ulster Project, and a College Student Service Trip each spring.
Visiting Union Avenue
The church sits 0.1 mile north of the intersection of South Union Avenue (SR 183) and State Street (US 62). On Sundays, parking is available all around the building, with accessible spaces on the north side off Union Avenue. The glass north entrance is fully accessible with an automatic door and an elevator that opens directly onto the Sanctuary level. Entrances on the south side off Hartshorn Avenue and the front doors on Union Avenue are also open on Sundays. Weekday visitors should park on the north side and use the accessible north entryway.
There is no dress code; members wear everything from ties to jeans. Greeters hand out bulletins at the Sanctuary door, including large-print bulletins, and a hearing loop is compatible with most hearing aids. Worship guides the question of who belongs with one line on the church's own statement: Christ calls us to treat all equally as God's children, not to distinguish any group of people as worth more or less than any other. We therefore commit to love and affirm people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Theologian Rebecca Weamer, who came to Alliance after pastorates in Crestline and Mansfield, Ohio, and a stretch as youth and young adult pastor at Christ Crossman UMC in Falls Church, Virginia, leads the congregation. Minister of Pastoral Care Rev. Dawn Beamish, a retired Kentucky deacon with a PhD in Intercultural Studies and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, focuses on visitation and pastoral care. Music Director Kim Lewis shapes the sound that fills the 1893 sanctuary week by week.
Online giving is available through the church's secure giving portal, and donations can also be mailed to the church at 1843 South Union Avenue, Alliance, OH 44601.