BE THE CHURCH: Show God's Love, Share His Word, Serve All People
On Bardstown Road in southeast Louisville, Fern Creek United Methodist Church lives out a simple mission statement that reads like a working plan rather than a slogan. The church calls it BE THE CHURCH, with three pillars underneath: Show God's Love, Share His Word, and Serve All People. Everything from the Sunday schedule to the outreach calendar flows out of those three phrases.
Fern Creek UMC describes itself as a "multi-generational, cross-cultural family of Christ followers," and the Sunday schedule shows what that means in practice. A blended English-language service at 10:30 AM sits alongside a Spanish-language service in the afternoon, and the church's outreach arms - Street Reach and Open Table - take the congregation into the streets of Louisville several days a week to feed and befriend people who are houseless.
A Blended Sunday Morning
Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:15 AM, and at 10:30 AM the main worship service fills the sanctuary. The music is intentionally mixed: contemporary songs you would hear on Christian radio woven together with traditional hymns, led by a worship leader and the chancel choir. Sunday worship services are recorded each week and posted on the church's YouTube channel for those who want to watch or revisit a service.
Most Sundays include a children's sermon, when children are invited to the front of the sanctuary for a brief message prepared just for them. After that, preschoolers and elementary-aged children may leave for Children's Worship, a parallel gathering with Bible-based stories and activities. Infants and toddlers through age two are cared for in the nursery throughout Sunday School and worship hours.
Global Latin Worship: A Cross-Cultural Service
At 1:30 PM on Sundays, the same campus hosts Global Latin Worship, a Spanish-language service that grew out of a ministry founded by Ismael Whittaker and his son Daniel. The congregation draws Hispanic believers from multiple nationalities who want to worship together and serve their community in the name of Jesus. English speakers are welcome too. The service is described as "spirit-filled" and open to anyone who wants to join.
Bible Study for the Global Latin community meets every Wednesday at 7:00 PM. Recent recorded messages include "La batalla por tu mente" (The battle for your mind) and "Una esperanza cuando el mundo tiene miedo" (A hope when the world is afraid), reflecting topics the congregation walks through together. The Global Latin Healthcare Team, started with a United Methodist Kentucky Conference Good Samaritan grant, helps Spanish-speaking neighbors navigate the healthcare system and connect with resources, and a Hispanic Health and Resource Fair has widened that bridge into the wider community.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministries
Fern Creek UMC takes seriously its charge to invest in the lives of young people. Children's Ministry, directed by Desiree Weingarten since August 2022, includes age-graded Sunday School classes through fifth grade, a Children's Worship option during the 10:30 service, the nursery for infants and toddlers, the annual Easter Egg Hunt, a Harvest Festival, and Vacation Bible School.
The youth ministry, called UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship), welcomes students in grades 6 through 12. The youth meet Wednesday nights at 6:00 PM for games, devotions, prayer exercises, and outings like laser tag and roller skating, and on Sunday mornings at 9:15 AM for a small-group Bible study series. Mission trips, concerts, and park visits round out the year. Adult Ministry completes the family side of the church through Sunday School classes for all stages of life and special activities planned through the year.
Music that Has Stood the Test of Time
Music is one of the oldest living traditions at Fern Creek UMC. Pam Jacobs has been singing in the chancel choir since 1971 and now directs it. Pianist and keyboardist Sherri Massengale, who has played for over fifty years and also directs handbells, praise bands, and ensembles, anchors the music program alongside Worship Leader Rose Farquhar. The Praise and Worship team is led by members of the Weingarten family, and the choir continues to draw multigenerational volunteers - choir director Jacobs notes that both her husband Ron and her daughter Rhonda sing with her each Sunday. Those interested in joining the choir do not need to read music, just a willingness to learn.
Hands Reaching Out: Street Reach and Open Table
Two flagship ministries tie Fern Creek UMC to the wider Louisville community. FCUMC Street Reach exists to serve the houseless people of Metro Louisville. Members of the team are out almost every day of the week, distributing water, clothing, food, tents, and other necessities, and they collaborate with a network of sister outreach groups in the city.
Open Table is a free community meal held every Tuesday night from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in the Beulah activities building, run jointly with Beulah Presbyterian and Southeast Christian Church. Fern Creek UMC and Beulah Presbyterian provide the meal on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, Southeast Christian Church covers the second and fourth, and the rare fifth Tuesday is shared by all three churches. Volunteers arrive at 4:30 PM to set up, serve, clean up, and - just as importantly - sit and eat with the people who come.
The church also belongs to the Fern Creek/Highview United Ministries, a coalition of fifteen area churches that coordinates volunteer and financial support for community needs. Other ongoing projects include Vacation Bible School, Operation Christmas Child, Stephen Ministry, Drive-Thru Prayer, the WaterStep program, Prison Ministry, and partnership with the UofL Wesley Foundation.
Quilters, Cardmakers, Scouts, and Small Groups
Beyond the larger ministries, a remarkable variety of smaller groups keep the congregation connected through the week. The Quilters and Prayer Shawl Makers combine crochet, knitting, and quilting with prayers for people in the community who need comfort and healing. The Cardmakers meet one Saturday a month to craft handmade greeting cards together. United Women of Faith offers a fellowship focused on spiritual growth and global mission, while United Methodist Men gathers for breakfast on the fourth Saturday of each month at 8:30 AM and pitches in on projects around the church and community.
Cub Scout Pack 56 and Boy Scout Troop 56 have been part of the church's life for many years, with about 25 Cub Scouts and 23 Boy Scouts active at last count and a steadily growing roster. All scouting leaders are trained in the United Methodist Church's Safe Sanctuaries policy.
Beliefs: Scripture, Reason, Tradition, and Experience
The congregation's core beliefs follow the Wesleyan quadrilateral of Scripture, Reason, Tradition, and Experience. The church confesses faith in one triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and in Jesus Christ as truly God and truly human, eternal Word made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified and risen, who will return as judge and savior. The Holy Spirit is described as the one who leads people into the Church's fellowship, comforts and empowers believers, and guides them into all truth.
The Bible is received as the rule and guide for faith and practice "so far as it is necessary for our salvation." The church recognizes two sacraments ordained by Christ - Baptism and the Lord's Supper - practiced as means of grace, with Baptism offered to both adults and children of believing parents. The church also affirms historic Methodist teachings on free will, the necessity of the new birth, justification by faith, sanctification, and the resurrection of the dead and final judgment. As the statement puts it, "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love."
Pastor John Street and the Staff
Senior Pastor John Street was appointed to Fern Creek UMC in 2023, arriving after eight previous pastorates with his wife Lorie. Street is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Asbury Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity, and he is candid that his years working in state mental health shaped his call to pastoral ministry. He frames the church as a place for people to belong and get involved in works of mercy and kindness and social justice.
Minister to Students Darryl Glass has been on staff at Fern Creek UMC since 2002. A retired high school basketball coach and teacher influenced by the writings of Thomas Merton, Glass dreams of graduating "Sermon on the Mount teenagers" whose lives are shaped by love, kindness, and compassion. Rounding out the team are Global Latin Minister Ismael Whittaker, a Cuban-born pastor who served as superintendent of the eastern district of the Assemblies of God in Cuba before joining the United Methodist Church in the United States; Chancel Choir Director Pam Jacobs; Director of Children's Ministry Desiree Weingarten, a former Air Force member who grew up in the church; Worship Leader Rose Farquhar, a retired Air Force officer active in prison ministry and the Street Reach team; and Pianist Sherri Massengale.
Visiting Fern Creek UMC
The church is located at 6727 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40291, with a mailing address of PO Box 91316, Louisville, KY 40291-0316. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM, and the phone is 502-239-8405. The general email is info@ferncreekumc.org. Dress is described as "diverse," ranging from business and business-casual to jeans; visitors are invited to wear whatever feels appropriate for worship. Sunday mornings bring Sunday School at 9:15 AM, the main blended service at 10:30 AM, and the Global Latin Service at 1:30 PM. Worship services are recorded and posted on the church's YouTube channel, and giving is accepted online through the church's giving options or by mailing a check to the P.O. box.