First United Methodist Church Cuyahoga Falls OH

First United Methodist Church is a community that dreams today for the reality of tomorrow. We hold on to many dreams: dreams for our souls, dreams for our children, dreams for our community, and dreams for our world. We have all kinds of dreamers that dream all kinds of dreams. We dream of faith. We dream of hope. Most of all, we dream of Love. John the Apostle wrote that "God is love," and so First Church is a place where we work to both experience and share God's transforming love, so that we might fulfill our destiny and dream God's dreams.

Our Beliefs

We believe that God is Love

It was out of Love that God created the world. It was out of love that God gave humans free-will to return the love of God and love their neighbors. It was out of love that God sent Jesus Christ into the world in order to unite us to God, to teach us how to live, and ultimately to die and be resurrected to show us the way to eternal life. It was out of love that God sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to draw us back to God, to transform our lives, and to form God's community of love on earth: the Church.

We believe that humans are created in the Image of God.

Humans were created to love like God loves, to love boundlessly, to love self-sacrificially, and to love creatively. But we've all failed. Too often we have let our fears, our insecurities, and our hatreds get in the way of our love for God and for one another. And so all have sinned and fallen short of the glory that God has intended for our lives. Yet where we are weak, God is strong. God sent Jesus Christ, who was himself both fully God and fully Human, into the world to restore God's image of love in humanity, to usher us back into relationship with God, and to teach us the way of peace.

We believe that human life is sacramental.

In Christianity, sacraments are "sacred moments." They are holy times when we come into the presence of God in a special way. Baptism and Communion are the two official sacraments of The United Methodist Church. In baptism, we use water to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we are claimed to be God's beloved children. In communion, we believe that the risen Christ is somehow mysteriously present in simple things like bread and wine, and there, when we gather around his table, we receive our identity as the "Body of Christ, redeemed by his blood."

Even though there are only two sacraments, God can use anything to make a "sacramental" moment. Often these things happen in the form of what we call "spiritual disciplines" - things like prayer, worship, and silent solitude. But any number of things, from the smile of a child, to the warm hands of a grandparent, to the steam rising from a shared pot of late-night coffee can communicate God's love to us. The life of a United Methodist at First Church is a life that looks for and recognizes these sacred moments in all aspects of life.

United Methodists believe that our faith is never a solitary thing.

Our founder, John Wesley, said that there is no such thing as a "holy solitary," someone whose religion is totally private. We believe that our relationship with God has something to say about all of our relationships - relationships with our family members, with our friends, with our community, and our world. That is why we have drafted a list of "Social Principles" which help us think about how God wants us to relate to the wider society.

 

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http://www.firstchurchcf.com/  

 

 

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• Third St. parking is reserved on Sundays for persons not able to walk long distances.

• Church-owned lots: A lot on Third St. with handicapped and visitor parking, two corner lots at Portage Tr. and Third St. and a small lot on Third St. between Portage Tr. and Broad Blvd.

• Taylor Memorial Library lot on the corner of Third St. and Broad Blvd.

• Free parking deck on Second St. between Portage Tr. and Stow Ave. This garage allows you to park and then walk through the church park from Second St. The sidewalk in the park is kept clean and salted all winter.

• The Municipal lot is available on Sunday mornings or in the evenings only.

• Other places: Small businesses and professional offices near the church allow us to use their lots on Sunday mornings, providing we do not block entrances and obey parking rules.  

 

 

 

HISTORY OF FIRST CHURCH

Founded 1830

A regional church serving Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge, Silver Lake, Munroe Falls, Hudson, Bath, Northfield, Norton, Kent, Akron, Fairlawn, Uniontown and Streetsboro

The ministry and outreach of First United Methodist Church reaches local, national and world needs, with support for Christian missions in sixty-one foreign countries as well as aid for people in our own area. We minister to a large geographical region in our area serving people as close as next door, and throughout all of the communities listed above. Preaching has always been an important part of our worship life at First Church. All our clergy strive to communicate contemporary and relevant messages which encourage persons in their faith journey.

We have an outstanding youth ministry, offering three summer camps, choirs, weekly fellowship meetings and social activities. A two year Confirmation program prepares youth for church membership.

Music has always been a vital part of the life and worship of the congregation and we have a rich musical tradition. The first small pipe organ was purchased in 1864 and an interesting note tell us that remodeling in 1885-87 made room for a "chorus choir" of 30 people. Today there are over 300 persons involved in our music program, a four manual pipe organ in the sanctuary and a two manual pipe organ in our chapel.

Sunday School, Sunday Youth Fellowship meetings, Confirmation classes, retreats and camps continue to be a large part of our program ministry. Bible studies are offered each year and many Bible fellowship groups meet regularly in homes.

Missions are an ongoing priority at First Church. We have always believed that God calls us into the world to assist those in need. The community of faith here at First Church feels privileged to be in mission wherever the cry of the needy is heard.

Our Weekday Christian Preschool is part of our Ministry, serving ninety children each year from September through May. The church has been the home for active Scouting programs for over 80 years. A large Al-Anon group meets here regularly, as do CODA, and an Alzheimers Support Group for Caregivers.

First Church is the largest congregation of the eight hundred sixty-five United Methodist Churches in the East Ohio Congerence.

This congregation was founded in 1830 in a school building on the corner of Front Street and Wadsworth Avenue where a Methodist circuit rider would preach. The town "fathers" planned for three churches on the square where the present church building now stands. The town plat was dedicated in 1837, and our congregation's first building was erected in 1840. In 1920, that building was replaced by another on the same site. In 1952 the education building, which still stands as part of our present building, was added. The present sanctuary was built in 1965 and the 1920 building interior has been changed and is kept updated as times demand. A major capital improvement program occurred in 1984-85, creating improvements with the heating system, improvements and changes to the central offices, improved accessibility for the elderly and handicapped, major roof replacements and renovation of the lower level of the education building. Two parking lots were added in 1993. Major improvements and renovations were also completed in the later part of 1987, 1991 and 1997.

We at First United Methodist Church invite all without a church home to unite with us and become an active part of a vital and growing church for Christ!