One of the oldest churches in Utah, First United Methodist Church was founded in Salt Lake City in 1870, just a few short months after the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads were finally joined at Promontory Point on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake. The Reverend A. N. Fisher is credited with having preached the first Methodist sermon in Utah in the Mormon Tabernacle in 1868, at the invitation of LDS Church President Brigham Young. The first Methodist worship services in Salt Lake City were held in an unfinished hay loft over a livery stable on East Second South, between Main and State Street -- less than two blocks from the church’s present location. Then, in late 1871, a site was secured at 33 East Third South and the congregation’s first permanent church home was built. In 1905, the church purchased its present site, located on the southeast corner of Second South and Second East. The historic building which houses First United Methodist Church represents a Victorian Eclectic architectural style designed by Frederick Albert Hale, a prominent Utah architect from 1890 to 1934. The appearance of the FUMC building has remained the same since its completion in 1906. Mr. Hale designed mansions along South Temple, as well as numerous downtown commercial structures, reflecting his strong association with the city’s leading citizens. However, First United Methodist was the only church he designed in Utah. Dispensing with more traditional Gothic design, Mr. Hale designed an interior space that could seat hundreds, while fostering rapport between the minister and his congregation. First United Methodist is the only example of an “auditorium” style design in the state.
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
FUMC not only conducts worship services in English on Sunday morning, but also sponsors a Sunday afternoon service for American Samoan families, conducted in the Samoan language. It holds worship services and weekly Bible Studies in Urdu for Pakistani families, and sponsors a monthly Women’s Preaching Series on Saturday evenings.
FUMC is also the “parent” church of the Tongan United Methodist Church of Salt Lake City, which was organized as a separate Tongan-speaking congregation in West Valley City in 1980, after growing and flourishing as a part of the FUMC family for many years.
During any given week, FUMC is a vibrant gathering place for a variety of community organizations and groups. Since 2005, the Utah Health and Human Rights Project (UHHP) – a non-profit organization that works to promote the health, dignity and self-sufficiency of refugees, who have escaped torture and war to find new lives in America – has used the church for group meetings and fellowship. Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anger Management and other classes and support groups meet at the church. The church is also used by a variety of non-profit organizations for dinners and activities, and the sanctuary is regularly used as a concert and recital venue.
United by a common commitment to love and serve those less fortunate, the congregation of FUMC supports an ambitious outreach program that not only extends to the homeless and hungry in the Salt Lake community, but also reaches out to serve those in need half a world away.
