At 4024 Caruth Boulevard, at the corner of Caruth and Preston just south of Northwest Highway in Dallas, University Park United Methodist Church has reflected God’s love in the Dallas community for 80 years. The church is known for two traditional Sunday services, ministries that extend from children to adults age 55 and older, an indoor play space for families, and mission partnerships that put faith into action. Its central commitment is to embody the love of Jesus for the good of the community.
University Park UMC, or UPUMC, is a United Methodist church with a broad idea of welcome. Its vision describes a community in which people will know and be known, feed and be fed, challenge and be challenged, and love and be loved. That vision shapes the sanctuary, classrooms, music rooms, family spaces, care teams, and outreach ministries that make up the life of the church.
Two Traditional Sunday Services on Caruth Boulevard
Most Sundays, UPUMC offers two morning worship services in the sanctuary:
- 8:45 AM: Traditional worship with Holy Communion.
- 11:00 AM: Traditional worship in the sanctuary and online, with Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month.
Both services are traditional and liturgical, Bible-centered through scripture, sermon, and music. Pastors, worship staff, and church members participate in the services, which include music, scripture reading, prayer, and proclamation. Each lasts approximately one hour. Coffee and a period of fellowship follow the morning services in the Gathering Area, giving worshipers and visitors an easy way to meet one another before and after the service.
The building has entrances at all four corners and along its sides. Three parking areas serve Sunday and weekday visits. One is along Caruth Boulevard on the south side of the church, and another is a lot with an entrance on Pickwick Avenue on the east side. Additional parking and a covered, accessible entrance are on the north side, with that lot’s entrance off Preston Road. Accessible parking spaces are available in each area.
There is no dress code for Sunday worship. Most people wear business or business casual clothing, but the church emphasizes that feeling comfortable matters more. Children and youth are welcome in worship, and activity folders are placed at the sanctuary entrances to help younger children participate.
Rooted in Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience
UPUMC describes its approach to faith through the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Scripture is primary and holds authority for Christian faith and practice. Tradition includes both the wider church and United Methodist heritage. Reason allows the church to welcome science, philosophy, and thoughtful inquiry as partners in faith. Experience recognizes that God is continually revealing new things to people.
This approach supports the church’s commitment to critical thinking and diverse perspectives. UPUMC says it hopes people will find a church that welcomes questions, doubts, and opinions while exploring the largest questions of life and faith. It welcomes people regardless of race, sex, gender identity, class, sexual orientation, or any other distinction that might otherwise exclude someone from Christian fellowship. Its statement is direct: the church belongs to God, and its doors and hearts are open to all.
John Wesley’s words capture the spirit of that welcome: “Though we may not think alike, we may love alike.” The church’s goal is not sameness, but a community where difference can coexist with mutual love and where each person is treated as the individual God has made.
Children at the Heart of Sunday Morning
UPUMC Kids teaches children that Jesus is with them at all times and that God always loves them. Five keystones shape the ministry: scripture, community, prayer, worship, and service. Children are taught to see themselves and others as lavishly loved members of God’s family, to recognize their own uniqueness, and to understand what it means to belong to a community of faith.
Sunday morning activities are divided by age:
- Infants through age 4: Childcare is available from 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM in the church’s children’s wing.
- Pre-K: Children gather in the Children’s Chapel at 9:45 AM for Bible activities, music, sing-alongs, and a Sunday school lesson.
- Kindergarten through third grade: Children begin in the Children’s Chapel with a Bible lesson, music, and community-building activities, then move into age-specific classrooms for discussion and activities.
- Fourth and fifth grades: Tweens begin with community building in the Children’s Chapel and then move to the Youth Center for Bible study and discussion.
Teachers check children in when they arrive and release them only to a parent or guardian at the end of the hour. Parents must remain on the church grounds while children participate in Sunday school or childcare. The church asks families to bring a water bottle and snack for children in care.
Children are also encouraged to remain with their families during worship. The 11 AM service includes a Children’s Message except on first-Sunday Holy Communion services, and activity folders help children engage with the service. For families who need to worship without their child, reservations are not required for Sunday morning childcare.
The Arches: Play, Connection, and Belonging
The Arches is a free indoor play space for children from toddler age through 10 years. It is located near the Children’s Chapel and includes separate areas for younger and older children. Comfortable seating allows parents, grandparents, and other caregivers to talk, build relationships, and watch children explore. The church describes every child as a gift from God and every family as deserving a place to belong.
Parents or guardians complete a one-time registration for each child before visiting. Name tags for the child and adult are printed at the entrance kiosks. The play space has no dedicated staff member, so adults must supervise children throughout the play area, hallways, and restrooms. Shoes must be removed, and food, gum, and drinks, including water, are not allowed inside the play area.
Just past the Children’s Chapel are a family restroom with a changing table, separate men’s and women’s rooms, and a water fountain. Free guest Wi-Fi is available without a password. The outdoor playground is open to the community when The Weekday School is not in session. Story times, play dates, and other family gatherings are also held there, and private parties can be reserved on Saturdays.
From the Youth Center to Young Adulthood
UPUMC Youth blends fellowship, discipleship, and missions for students in grades 6 through 12. Every Sunday at 9:45 AM, youth meet in the upstairs Youth Center for worship, biblical teaching, music, and lively conversation. They then join the congregation for the 11 AM sanctuary service.
Sunday afternoons continue with a youth lunch at noon and fellowship from 2 to 3 PM. The lunch begins in the Youth Center and moves to a nearby dining spot, creating time for students to build friendships beyond church. The ministry also offers youth worship, Bible study, fellowship, and service opportunities during the week.
Confirmation is a year-long program primarily for sixth graders, although people of other ages are welcome. It studies the history of Christianity and United Methodist beliefs and practices while giving students space to ask questions about the Bible, creed, disciples, Jesus, and contemporary issues. The year also includes community service, a retreat, and a visit to another worshiping community.
Young Adult Ministry welcomes college students and young professionals through shared meals, conversation, service, and Bible study. Its Sunday gathering begins at 10 AM and examines books of the Bible and their relevance to faith. Rev. Colin Craft, Minister of Youth and Families, leads both youth and young adult connections.
Adult Learning That Meets People Where They Are
Adult Sunday school classes meet from 9:45 to 10:45 AM and are organized partly by life stage. Lessons mix Bible study with discussion, current events, guest speakers, service, and fellowship:
- John Wesley: A relaxed, discussion-based class primarily for adults in their twenties and thirties, including singles and couples, that connects scripture with books, current events, and daily life.
- Mosaic: A community for couples and singles primarily in their thirties through fifties, with an emphasis on teaching, missions, prayer, and service.
- New Beginnings and Revelations: A group of professional couples and singles in their forties and fifties who share teaching, host speakers, build relationships, and participate in outreach.
- Sisters of Susanna: A multigenerational, primarily women’s class that combines teacher-led lessons, occasional guest speakers, discussion, and shared meals.
- Collage: A friendly class for couples and singles age 70 and older that combines scripture-based lessons, lectures, and lively discussion.
- New Life: A group for couples and singles age 60 and older that emphasizes study, outreach, fellowship, and support during later-life transitions.
- Seekers: A multigenerational class focused on faith, relationships with God and neighbors, and support among class members.
The Forever Beginning ministry gathers adults age 55 and older around shared wisdom, learning, and service. Its School of Essential Wisdom meets at 11 AM each Thursday from August through May in the Parlor. Each month centers on a different topic with an engaging guest speaker. The ministry also publishes Words to the Wise, a monthly letter with messages, short essays, memoirs, and events, and produces a podcast featuring conversations with adults from UPUMC about enduring values and truths. A Sunday evening Bible study convenes at 4 PM.
United Women in Faith provides another avenue for study and service. Its circles focus on Scripture, spiritual growth, fellowship, and mission. The organization supports Meals on Wheels, Methodist Hospital Auxiliary and Golden Cross, Project Transformation reading programs, Dallas Bethlehem Center, C.C. Young Retirement Community, Open Door Preschool, scholarships, Vacation Bible School, Wesley-Rankin, and women’s programs throughout the world.
The Fiske Miles Library holds thousands of titles, ranging from biblical reference resources to popular fiction. It supports study for Sunday school, small groups, and individual readers. Small groups also meet regularly at church, in homes, or other locations to build friendships, discuss Scripture, pray, and serve together.
Care Connect: Love in Practical Forms
Care Connect coordinates the church’s response to people during illness, recovery, grief, transitions, celebrations, and other needs. Trained volunteers and a defined care process help the congregation offer support in concrete ways. The ministries include:
- Prayer Ministry: A prayer team lifts up needs and connects people with additional support when appropriate.
- Card Writing: Volunteers send handwritten notes of encouragement, sympathy, celebration, and appreciation.
- Homebound Visitation: Volunteers offer friendship, prayer, and encouragement to people who cannot attend because of illness, age, or mobility challenges.
- Hospital, Rehabilitation, and Skilled Nursing Visitation: Trained volunteers provide presence, prayer, Communion, and encouragement during healing and recovery.
- Meal Ministry: Home-cooked meals are prepared and delivered during illness, recovery, grief, the arrival of a baby, and other life events.
- Transportation: Volunteers drive people to medical appointments so transportation does not become a barrier to care.
- Grief Support: Prayer, compassionate support, practical help, and continuing connection surround people and families from the time of a loss through the weeks and months that follow.
- Joys and Celebrations: Congregational care extends to meaningful milestones through personal outreach, prayer, and congratulations.
The church’s definition of care includes the practical as well as the spiritual. A prepared meal, a ride to an appointment, a handwritten card, or a visit can become a tangible expression of Christ’s love. Care Connect also helps people participate in care as well as receive it, making service a shared part of church life.
Support and recovery groups add another layer to this ministry. A combined open Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon meeting meets every Tuesday at 6 PM in Room 101 and through Zoom. UPUMC also hosts a virtual grief support group and maintains mental health resources for children, youth, families, and adults, including educational materials, helplines, counseling options, and professional support organizations.
Choirs, Organ Music, and the Labyrinth
The UPUMC Music Ministry seeks to express God’s grace and love through the performing arts. Minister of Worship Mark Pope directs the adult choirs, which are accompanied by organist and Associate Minister of Worship Dr. Elise Choi. Their repertoire ranges from Renaissance and Baroque music to Classical and Modern works. The choirs are communities as well as ensembles, with social activities that help singers form relationships and deepen their spiritual lives.
The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:45 PM in Room 201. Overtones Handbells rehearse from 6 to 7 PM in the sanctuary, and Chamber Singers meet on selected Sundays. The Music Ministry also gathers for fellowship and music on Wednesdays from 7 to 8 PM. UPUMC Children’s Choir welcomes children to share songs in worship three or four times each year, with no previous experience required.
Spiritual growth at UPUMC includes spiritual direction and the deliberate practice of walking the labyrinth. The church partners with trained spiritual director Tracy DePue, whose work follows nearly three decades in full-time music ministry and includes training from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Spiritual direction is described as prayerful companionship that helps a person become more aware of God amid life experience and more open to God’s will.
The labyrinth in the Activity Center is open to the public and is used for prayer and walking meditation. Its three stages are releasing distractions, receiving at the center, and returning along the same path. Those who walk are invited to quiet the mind, become aware of the breath, allow the body to find its pace, and approach the walk with an open mind and heart.
Wesley Chapel, Columbarium, and Life Events
The Wesley Chapel is a flexible sacred space that can seat 80 to 100 people with individual seating or tables. It is used for prayer services, Sunday school classes, memorial and funeral services, small groups, worship, and presentations. Decorative stained glass commissioned in 2025 fills the room with natural light. Artist Guy Kemper worked with the church’s interior design team on designs involving water, light, hope, and Christian symbols that converge around imagery of the cross and the thorns of the resurrection. Audio and visual equipment make the chapel useful for larger presentations, and a direct connection to Fellowship Hall allows transitions between intimate and larger gatherings.
Outside, the Columbarium and Memorial Garden provide 245 niches near the main entrance. Each niche holds two urns and has an engraved granite plaque that can include names, dates, and a personal message. A fountain, benches, prayer elements, and a stained-glass wall create a setting for remembrance and reflection. The columbarium is open 24 hours a day and can be entered from the covered south-side entrance or through the adjacent Wesley Chapel, which is also available for memorial services.
UPUMC recognizes baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the two sacraments in which Christ participated. Baptism represents new life and forgiveness of sin, and it may occur at any age. At University Park UMC, both infants and adults are baptized through sprinkling.
The church also hosts weddings in its sanctuary and chapel and supports funeral and memorial services. Funerals and memorial services can be arranged with guidance centered on Christ, faith, and the life being honored. The Weekday School, the Children’s Chapel, the library, the play space, and the worship areas together allow many parts of congregational life to occur in one connected church community.
Mission Partnerships Near and Far
UPUMC’s mission movement puts love for God and neighbors into action through four core partners, each involving members and staff directly. The church also supports specialty missions, including Austin Street Center, Lydia Patterson Institute, Share the Light, and UMCOR.
Christ’s Foundry: Bread, Food, and Learning
Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Mission makes disciples of Jesus Christ by helping children, youth, and families, with particular attention to immigrant neighbors. Its work promotes educational, relational, physical, and spiritual wholeness. UPUMC partners by distributing bread and bakery goods, providing meals, and supporting music and educational opportunities.
Each Saturday, volunteers pick up bread and baked goods from two partner stores at 9 AM and deliver them to Christ’s Foundry for distribution by 10 AM. On the first Tuesday of each month, volunteers sort food and prepare family bags for the food pantry from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Christ’s Foundry also welcomes volunteer piano and guitar teachers for beginner youth lessons on Wednesdays.
Operación Abrigo: Building Homes in Juarez
Operación Abrigo is an ecumenical ministry serving people in Juarez, Mexico. Since 1993, it has started churches, constructed thousands of cinder-block homes for families in need, and operated a medical clinic, dental clinic, and community center that serves hundreds of meals each month.
UPUMC’s partnership centers on mission trips dedicated to building homes, collecting medical supplies, and donating shoes. The work connects the Dallas church with families in another country through practical service and shared resources.
Project Transformation: Learning, Leadership, and Community
Project Transformation meets academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of children, equips young adults for leadership, and helps churches connect with their communities. UPUMC supports the ministry by reading one-on-one with children, providing meals for summer staff members, and taking part in other activities. Volunteers help children build relationships with caring adults while strengthening their learning.
Wesley-Rankin: Homework, Clubs, and Family Support
Wesley-Rankin Community Center offers an after-school program with activities and homework support for children and youth. Students can choose semester interest clubs that have included violin, debate, coding, basketball, and photography. UPUMC volunteers provide classroom support, lead clubs, and build relationships with students on Mondays through Thursdays from 3 to 6 PM.
The partnership also includes Brighter Bites, which distributes large pallets of produce and grocery items to families. Volunteers assemble grocery bags on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 PM. Wesley-Rankin’s Scholars Program collaborates with June Shelton School on reading and writing for students with learning differences. Tutors serve Mondays through Thursdays from 2:30 to 4 PM and Saturdays from 9 AM to noon, using multisensory structured language instruction and auditory discrimination and memory training. Initial training is required before tutoring begins.
One Church, Many Ways to Serve
University Park UMC is served by Rev. Dr. Joe Stobaugh as senior pastor and Rev. Emma Williams as executive pastor. Ellie Ford leads children and families, Rev. Colin Craft leads youth and families, Mark Pope leads worship, and Dr. Elise Choi serves as organist and associate minister of worship. Mary Jo McCurley directs Forever Beginning, and Christy Baker oversees connections and hospitality. Diane Brooks, Pam Bush, Janet Bustin, and Brooke Messer lead Care Connect teams.
Congregational governance uses a One Board model. The Church Council includes 17 lay members serving staggered three-year terms and combines the work of finance, pastor-parish relations, trustees, lay leadership, and youth representatives. Its meetings are open to all who wish to attend.
Volunteer service runs through the same range of ministries described throughout the church: worship, music, children, youth, adult education, care, library work, United Women in Faith, and mission partnerships. Financial support for that work is available through secure online giving, while the church’s foundation also offers scholarship awards, memorial and honorarium gifts, and a gift acceptance policy.
Taken together, UPUMC’s Sunday rhythm, lifelong learning, family spaces, music ministry, care teams, and mission partnerships form one community centered on its mission. At University Park United Methodist Church, being known and loving others are not separate ideas; they describe the church’s life in Dallas and the work it carries into the wider world.