First United Methodist Church has stood on Stover Street in Fort Collins, Colorado, since 1867, when it became the first church of any denomination established in what was then a young railroad town. More than a century and a half later, the congregation continues to anchor a wide network of worship, education, music, and outreach ministries that reach across the city and far beyond it. The church describes itself as fully inclusive and grace-filled, gathering people around the teachings of Jesus expressed in four words: love, acceptance, justice, and hope.

The First Church in Fort Collins

First United Methodist Church was not just the first Methodist church in Fort Collins; it was the first church of any kind. The congregation was organized in 1867, only three years after Colorado achieved statehood, and the institution grew alongside the town. Members and staff often speak of the church as a place where tradition and renewal meet, describing a community that holds onto stained glass windows and a pipe organ while also working actively on housing justice, food access, and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ neighbors. The congregation describes itself as intergenerational, with members who have worshipped here for more than fifty years and more than fifty elementary-aged children currently enrolled in Sunday school.

The church is led by its members through a council, board of trustees, finance committee, and staff-parish relations committee, with two co-conveners heading each of two large ministry circles. The congregation belongs to the United Methodist tradition, and it shows the marks of that tradition alongside its own local character: open communion, baptism for people of any age, covenant membership, and a commitment to small-group formation and service.

Two Sunday Mornings, One Open Table

Worship happens twice on Sunday mornings, at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., in the church's main sanctuary. The two services follow the same basic pattern and differ very little from one another, allowing worshippers to pick the time that fits their week. Both services include a children's message, an offering, congregational singing from the hymnal or hymnal supplements, music led by the Sanctuary Choir, and a sermon preached by one of the pastors. Words to the congregational songs and spoken responses appear on screens for those who do not read music, and printed hymnals are available for those who do. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month at both services, and the church teaches that everyone is welcome at the table, regardless of age, background, or membership.

Music is a particular point of pride. The Sanctuary Choir is accompanied by what the congregation calls a magnificent pipe organ, along with piano and a variety of other instruments that vary with the season and theme of worship. The Director of Music and Arts, Dr. Nathan Payant, leads the choral program, and Dr. Joel Bacon serves as Organist and Artist in Residence. Karen Stoody, who served as organist from 2003 until her retirement in 2021, holds the title of Organist Emeritus. The hymn-singing tradition is broad: the congregation regularly sings across musical styles while keeping the historic organ at the center of the service.

For those who cannot attend in person, the 9:00 a.m. service is livestreamed on Vimeo, and recordings of past services (along with Celebration of Life services and special events) are posted on the church's video page. A bulletin PDF accompanies each week's service online.

Children, Youth, and the Next Generation

First Church places a heavy emphasis on the formation of children and teenagers, and the children's ministry team describes the work as combining the influence of home and church under what is called the Orange strategy. During both Sunday services, children in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited forward for a children's message from the Director of Children and Family Ministries, Barb Grauberger, before being excused to Sunday school. Youth in grades six through twelve meet in the education wing basement for their own Sunday school classes during both services.

Nursery care is provided for children under the age of three during both morning services. Acolytes, third through fifth graders, carry the Christ light into the sanctuary at the start of worship, and a children's choir directed by Carly Neumann with pianist Faythe Payant offers another way for young singers to take part.

The youth ministry, called First Youth, gathers students in grades six through twelve into a community that the church describes as inclusive, diverse, and active. On Sunday evenings from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the youth group meets in the youth basement for dinner, games, and devotion. Each summer the group travels on mission trips, including a high school and college trip and a separate experience for graduating fifth and sixth graders at Buckhorn Camp. Youth Sunday is celebrated each year on a designated Sunday, when the students themselves lead worship. The youth ministry is led by Director Brayden Bishop and Assistant Director Victoria Burkett.

Early Childhood Education on the Church Campus

First Church operates two early childhood programs that have served Fort Collins families for decades. The Co-op Preschool, founded in 1965, provides a play-based program for young children in a parent-cooperative model, with parents assisting in the classroom. The program is staffed by teachers with an average of more than twenty years of experience in early childhood education. It is directed by Ali Gessler.

Parent's Day Out has run on the campus for forty years, providing part-time care for children from age one (and walking) through four. The program allows parents a few hours each week while children grow in mind and body. Catherine Pawlikowski and Lea Gibbens serve as directors.

Both programs sit alongside the church's Sunday morning nursery and form a continuum of care for the youngest members of the surrounding community.

Faith Formation for Adults

Adults at First Church have several Sunday school classes to choose from. At 8:00 a.m., the Second Stagers class meets in the Conference Room. At 9:00 a.m., the Serendipity class gathers in the Village Commons and the Upper Room class meets in Room 235. At 10:30 a.m., the Open Hearts class gathers in the Village Commons.

During the week, the Pack and Unpack scripture study meets on Mondays at 12:00 p.m. in the Parlor, with a Zoom option. Pack and Unpack revisits the passage preached the previous Sunday and unpacks its context and meaning. The church also runs an Exploring First Church gathering for people new to Methodism or to the congregation, and a Little Tables dinner group program that rotates small gatherings of six to eight people through three shared meals.

Other regular gatherings include a Centering Prayer group, a Mostly Millennial group, a Parenting Group, a Songs for Life group, a Weekday Morning Devotion, and an Exploring Together class. Outdoor and indoor pickleball leagues, a birding group, a hiking group, a travel group, and a summer golf group give members additional ways to build friendships outside the sanctuary. United Women in Faith, formerly United Methodist Women, anchors much of the women's ministry work at the church.

Music That Fills the Sanctuary

Music ministry at First Church goes well beyond Sunday morning. Dr. Nathan Payant leads the Sanctuary Choir, the Handbell Choir, and the Church Orchestra, and he encourages youth to explore their own musical gifts. The church's music program has produced recordings that have traveled as far as Austria, and the Sanctuary Choir has collaborated with the Colorado State University choirs and the Laudamus Chamber Chorale for tour send-off performances.

Dr. Joel Bacon, the Organist and Artist in Residence, holds the Stewart and Sheron Golden Chair of Organ and Liturgical Studies and the Fr. Don Willette Chair of Catholic Studies at Colorado State University. A concert organist and musicologist, Bacon has performed throughout Europe and North America, broadcast on Austrian Radio and Public Radio International, and premiered works by the composer Herman Berlinski. He directs an annual summer course for young organists and has led Pipe Organ Encounters for the American Guild of Organists.

The children's choir program rounds out the musical life of the congregation, giving children a place to sing alongside adult ensembles.

Caring for One Another

Congregational care is organized under a Care circle coordinated by Rev. Jamielee Demske. The church operates a Card Ministry that sends notes to people in difficult seasons, a Care Closet that lends medical equipment Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and a Prayer Chain for ongoing prayer needs. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls for people dealing with health or other concerns, with monthly Knit-Ins on the second Saturday of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Parlor.

Worship CDs are mailed to homebound members who cannot attend in person, and a Flower Delivery team takes smaller bouquets from Sunday arrangements to people in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and homes. The Faith Community Nurse, Scothia Orr, provides free consultations and organizes monthly blood pressure clinics. The Okay Chorale, an informal singing group for people with memory loss and their caregivers, meets on the first and third Thursdays from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Parlor.

The church's Columbarium provides a place for the deposit of cremains and includes a Remembrance Wall. Funeral receptions are hosted by a volunteer team. Grief Books from Stephen Ministries are sent to families during the first year after the loss of a loved one. The church also trains a Sunday Worship Care Team prepared to assist with medical or emotional emergencies during services.

Walking With Our Neighbors

First Church's community outreach extends from the immediate neighborhood of Old Town Fort Collins to places as far away as Kenya and the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Kids' Closet provides gently used clothing in sizes from newborn through sixteen to community members at no charge, open on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Volunteers with the Food Bank for Larimer County serve on a regular rotation, and during the summer the fellowship hall hosts a fresh produce stand whose proceeds and unsold food are donated back to the Food Bank.

The church partners with Habitat for Humanity, sends teams to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota each August, sponsors Rainbow Swim (an LGBTQIA+ swim night at City Park Pool every Monday evening between Memorial Day and Labor Day), and helps staff the Samaritan House evening meal at Catholic Charities on the third Monday of every month. The Days for Girls team assembles menstrual health kits for distribution to girls in developing countries, and the Kenya Clean Water project raises funds for safe water access.

Locally, the church has supported Putnam Elementary for seventeen years with volunteers and supplies, provides volunteers for Faith Family Hospitality (a network of twenty-two Fort Collins congregations that host families experiencing homelessness), works with ISAAC (the Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition) on immigrant accompaniment and winter gear drives, and supports Neighbor to Neighbor. The Green Team focuses on environmental sustainability at the church and in the wider community, and Scouting is chartered through the church.

The congregation calls this work carrying the love, acceptance, justice, and hope of God into the world, and each Sunday a different ministry is invited to carry the light from the altar out into the surrounding community.

The Safe Parking Pilot

In an effort to address Fort Collins's housing crisis, First Church is working through a one-year Safe Parking pilot that would allow up to seven vehicles to park overnight on the church lot, alternating months with another partner site. Guests would apply in advance, pass a background check, and provide proof of registration and insurance. Overnight stays would be defined as 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., with a leave-no-trace expectation. The seven parking spaces would face the sanctuary and be marked with individual signs, each equipped with electrical outlets for use on cold nights and a discreetly fenced restroom and washing station with keypad access. Security cameras would be monitored overnight by Catholic Charities staff, and every guest would have access to case management and partner day sites. The pilot is a partnership with Catholic Charities and the Family Housing Network.

The Building and the Welcome

The church building sits at 1005 Stover Street and includes a large sanctuary, education wing, youth basement, parlor, Village Commons, conference room, fellowship hall, and a library. Parking is available on every side of the building, with the main lots located by the south entrance. The Welcome Center sits at the intersection of the two main hallways, next to the entrance to the sanctuary, and greeters and ushers welcome visitors as they arrive. Ushers can help with special seating needs such as wheelchair or hearing assistance.

Building hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The phone number is (970) 482-2436. Online giving is available through Subsplash.

Leadership

The pastoral team is led by Lead Pastor Rev. Bradley Laurvick, a sociologist of religion and practical theologian who holds a Master of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology and serves on the steering committee for Leadership Fort Collins. Rev. Jamielee Demske serves as Pastor of Congregational Engagement, having previously been a Congregational Resource Minister for the Montana East District and Associate Pastor at Washington Park UMC in Denver.

The Director of Music and Arts is Dr. Nathan Payant, who also directs the Concert Choir at Colorado State University and conducts the Laudamus Chamber Chorale. Dr. Joel Bacon, Organist and Artist in Residence, holds the Stewart and Sheron Golden Chair of Organ and Liturgical Studies at Colorado State University. The Director of Children and Family Ministries is Barb Grauberger. The Director of Youth Ministries is Brayden Bishop, with Victoria Burkett as Assistant Director. Ali Gessler directs the Co-op Preschool, while Catherine Pawlikowski and Lea Gibbens direct Parent's Day Out. Missy Taylor serves as Director of Communications and Marketing, Deepali Sahasrabudhe as Director of Business Operations, and Henry Reyna as Facilities Manager.

The church council, board of trustees, finance committee, and staff-parish relations committee are chaired by elected lay leaders and meet alongside the pastors to guide the life of the congregation.

Becoming Part of First Church

Those interested in joining the congregation are invited to make sacred commitments to God and the church and to pledge to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Membership forms are available online. Baptisms are open to anyone who wishes to celebrate new life in God's love, regardless of membership or attendance history; a pastor will walk families and individuals through the liturgy in advance. Weddings, funeral receptions, and columbarium inurnments can all be arranged through the church office.

The congregation's four words, love, acceptance, justice, and hope, sit beneath everything else the church does, from the hymns sung on Sunday mornings to the meals served at the Food Bank to the seven parking spaces that may soon hold neighbors who have no other safe place to sleep.