Founded in 1857, First UMC was the first Methodist Church in Gainesville, Florida and is the “mother” church of many of the other United Methodist Churches in town. Epworth Hall, built in 1883, was the original site of the East Florida Seminary which would later become the University of Florida. Although many changes have occurred over the years, including adding and subtracting ministries, building renovations, and more, our purpose remains the same, “to exist in the heart of downtown Gainesville to share Christ’s love with open, hearts, open minds and open doors.”
We begin this new year with thankful hearts for a special partnership with the Florida United Methodist Foundation. The Foundation is not only assisting us with logistical aspects of our upcoming capital campaign, including logo design and print materials, but was also able to provide us with a loan to begin construction on our new roofs. Over the last few months, the encouragement and wisdom Foundation President, Ed New, and other Foundation staff have given us has been invaluable. Roofs, windows and more in 2024, is off to great start because of the power of our connectional ministry. We’ve got this because Christ has got us!