For more than 150 years, Sellersburg United Methodist Church has been a steady presence on North New Albany Street in Sellersburg, Indiana, a small town just north of Louisville across the Ohio River in Clark County. The congregation describes itself as a beacon of faith grounded in Jesus Christ while continually reaching toward new ways of sharing God's love. That blend of long history and forward-looking mission shapes everything from its Sunday worship to its outreach partnerships in Jeffersonville and beyond.
Loving God and Loving Neighbor
The church's mission statement is concise and direct: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Its vision is to become a community of disciples who "Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, and Lead Courageously." Members are called to follow Jesus by serving the least, the lost, and the marginalized, and to support one another and the ministries of the church through prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
The relationship between loving God and loving neighbor is not a side topic here; it is the central theme. The church takes seriously Jesus' answer in Matthew 22 when he was asked which commandment is greatest. Rather than quoting one of the Ten Commandments, Jesus named two - love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself - and said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on them. Sellersburg UMC teaches that these two commands carry equal weight and that one cannot be separated from the other.
The congregation is openly inclusive. It welcomes single adults, married couples, families, and those who live alone. It describes itself as a safe space where questions are encouraged and where people search for answers together rather than being made to feel small for asking.
A Wesleyan Way of Reading Scripture
Sellersburg UMC describes its theological approach as Wesleyan: biblically based, and using reason, experience, and tradition alongside scripture to understand and apply the Bible. This is not offered as a way of diminishing scripture, the church says, but of acknowledging honestly that everyone interprets what they read. Difficult passages and disagreements are handled through study, prayer, worship, and shared experience rather than by silencing questions.
The congregation points to the 2025 to 2028 revision of the United Methodist Church's Social Principles as the most up-to-date expression of denominational teaching. The 2024 revision removed all language of prohibition and oppression of LGBTQ+ people from both the Social Principles and the denomination's Book of Discipline, and the church describes itself as having moved toward being a fully welcoming and inclusive church.
A Building That Just Turned One Hundred
The current sanctuary building marked its 100th anniversary in 2025. An education wing was added at the back in the 1950s. With that kind of age, the church acknowledges that accessibility was not a top priority when the structure was first designed, and work to improve access has been ongoing ever since.
For visitors who need to know how to get in, the front door has stairs between the sidewalk and the sanctuary level. The side door offers a long ramp leading to the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall, and is the most accessible entrance for those using wheelchairs or who cannot manage stairs. The back door has a ramp down to the basement level, though it may not work for every wheelchair. There are three sets of internal stairs between the upstairs sanctuary and the downstairs classrooms. The two sanctuary-level restrooms both have large stalls suitable for wheelchairs; the two basement restrooms are smaller.
Parking is behind the church. Penn Avenue leads to the lot, and the entrance to the building is on the south side between the school and the church. The Fellowship Hall and dining room are at the top of the ramp.
Sunday Morning: Worship, Sunday School, and Children
Sunday mornings at Sellersburg UMC unfold in two main rhythms. Adult Sunday School runs from 9:00 to 10:00 am. The upstairs class, taught by retired pastor Rev. Dr. Gary Scharr, meets in a room partitioned off at the back of the Fellowship Hall on the same level as the sanctuary, making it especially suited to anyone with mobility issues. The class works through one book of the Bible at a time, exploring its major stories and themes. The downstairs class, taught by Janet Werle, who serves as the church's Governing Board Chair and District Lay Leader, meets in Room 2 in the basement and uses video-based study series that move through themes across different parts of scripture. Because the basement is not fully accessible, anyone needing step-free access should plan on the upstairs class.
Worship begins at 10:15 am. A Hospitality Team member greets visitors at the entrance, and early arrivals can join others in Fellowship Hall for coffee and conversation before the service. During worship, Children's Time with Pastor John happens within the first 10 to 15 minutes, after which children Preschool through 5th grade are invited down to Junior Church for an instructional and engaging lesson of their own. Junior Church runs from 10:15 to 11:15 am.
Children are always welcome to stay with their parents in the sanctuary if that feels right for the family. Nursery care is provided in Room 9 by a paid adult staff worker during the Sunday School hour and is also available during worship.
Communion is open to everyone, including children. The congregation uses gluten- and dairy-free bread and grape juice so that those with dietary restrictions can fully participate. On the first Sunday of each month, the children remain in their downstairs classroom until just before communion is served at the close of the service, so that they too can join the table.
First-Time Visitors
Visiting a new church can be intimidating, especially an older one, and the church is upfront about that. Hospitality team members are stationed at the door to greet newcomers and answer questions. The advice to first-time guests is simple: come a little early, join others for coffee in Fellowship Hall, and let someone show you around. A virtual tour video is offered so that people who want to see the building before they come can do so.
What to wear is left up to the visitor, and there is no dress code. Parking is in the lot behind the building off Penn Avenue, and the most accessible entrance is the side door with the long ramp.
Learning Together Throughout the Week
Beyond Sunday School, the church offers several weekday and Saturday studies. A Friday Morning Bible Study led by Pastor John meets most Fridays at 10:00 am in Room 2 in the basement. The class moves between topical video studies and book-by-book Bible studies, and visitors are welcome any week. The easiest way to reach the classroom is through the rear door off the main parking lot.
The Men's Prayer Group gathers every Saturday morning in Fellowship Hall. Breakfast is served at 8:30 am, followed by a time of sharing prayer concerns, fellowship, and conversation about current faith issues and the Bible. All men are welcome.
Fellowship Groups for Every Season of Life
Several ongoing groups give the congregation ways to stay connected beyond Sunday morning.
Young at Heart is a monthly pitch-in lunch for seniors and anyone else who would like to stop by. They meet the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 am in Fellowship Hall. A main dish and drinks are provided, and after the meal the group often stays to assemble snack bags for Exit 0, a homeless ministry in Jeffersonville.
United Women of Faith meets every second Friday at noon in Fellowship Hall, occasionally at a local restaurant. Each gathering usually includes a presentation related to local missions or to women and children, and the group also hosts special events and fundraisers like the Literal Fashion Show to support mission projects locally and around the world. All women are invited.
The Prayer Quilt Ministry usually gathers one Monday a month in Fellowship Hall. Volunteers help with simple tasks such as threading prayer ties, cutting fabric, and fringing fleece, and donations of fabric, thread, scissors, or tablecloths are welcome. The finished quilts and prayer squares are given to people in need of prayer, regardless of whether they attend Sellersburg UMC, as a tangible reminder of God's love and the care of the congregation.
Reaching Out: Exit 0, the Silver Creek Food Pantry, and Beyond
Sellersburg UMC takes seriously the call to feed the hungry and walk alongside those on the margins. Several long-standing partnerships make that concrete.
Exit 0 is a homeless ministry based in Jeffersonville, near where Exit 0 of I-65 used to be. Exit 0 provides Sunday meals, showers, laundry, worship, and other services for people without housing. The church supports Exit 0 in two main ways. First, the Young at Heart senior luncheon collects supplies and assembles simple snack bags that Exit 0 can hand out: gallon-size bags filled with items like a pop-top can of meat, a granola bar, a bottle of water, a Pop Tart, a Slim Jim, a snack variety bag, peanut butter or cheese crackers, a fruit cup, hard candy, and a pair of socks. Second, on every fifth Sunday of the year, the Missions Team gathers volunteers to cook more than 100 simple meals, which are then delivered to Exit 0 in the afternoon. Volunteers usually stay to help serve, and about half of the meals are boxed for delivery around the community by Exit 0 volunteers to those who cannot make it to the center.
The Silver Creek Food Pantry serves children and families in the Silver Creek School District. Sellersburg UMC does not operate its own food pantry, but a shopping cart in the church entryway collects donations year-round, with pastas and toiletries such as deodorant being the most requested items. Each November, the church holds a special fundraiser to provide complete Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for families. In February, the annual Souper Bowl soup contest and canned soup drive send both cash and groceries to the pantry.
SOAR Ministry is a faith-based organization where women who were sexually abused as children can find hope and healing through Jesus Christ. Sellersburg UMC partners with and supports SOAR's work.
Angel Tree brings Christmas giving into the sanctuary each November. Angels displayed in the sanctuary represent children and youth who need help during the Christmas season. Volunteers take an angel, purchase the clothing items listed on the back (typically costing between $50 and $75 per child), and return the gifts by the last Sunday in November so that they can be distributed in early December.
UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is supported through a special offering each year, usually in March. UMCOR provides disaster response, refugee and migrant support, environmental sustainability work, and food security training around the world, and has responded to tornadoes and flooding in Indiana in recent years. One Sunday a year, the offering covers UMCOR's overhead and salaries, which means 100 percent of every other dollar donated throughout the year goes directly to those in need.
A Life of Prayer
Prayer is foundational at Sellersburg UMC. The church offers two dedicated spaces for quiet reflection: an outdoor Prayer Garden behind the church office, accessible at any time, and a Prayer Room in the church basement available whenever the building is open. Both are open to individuals or small groups.
The Prayer Quilt Ministry is one of the most tangible expressions of the congregation's prayer life. Each quilt carries hand-tied knots made while the group prays for the recipient, and the finished blanket is delivered as a physical reminder that someone is being held in prayer. Anyone may request a quilt for someone else, regardless of whether they attend Sellersburg UMC; the recipient must be willing to accept the gift.
Anyone can also submit a prayer request through the church's online form, and the request is added to the prayer group's regular time of intercession. The congregation also points members toward the practice of praying without ceasing throughout the day and offers a simple breath prayer as one way to begin: breathe in a name for God such as "Gracious and Loving God," and breathe out a request such as "Grant me peace." For those unsure what to say, the church encourages the Lord's Prayer as a starting place.
The Upper Room daily devotional, available in printed form in standard and large print near the church entrances and by email, is one of the resources the congregation uses to build a daily habit of prayer and reflection.
Special Events Through the Year
Several annual events have become community traditions at Sellersburg UMC.
The BBQ Pork Dinner is the church's signature fundraiser. Diners can eat in, carry out, or use a drive-through, and a bake sale runs alongside. The meal includes a choice of sides such as baked beans, potato salad, or coleslaw, plus cookies and a drink. Cash, card, Google Pay, and Apple Pay are all accepted.
Souper Bowl Sunday in early February turns the fellowship hall into a soup-tasting arena. Members bring a crock pot of their favorite soup, and attendees vote for their favorite with cash donations. All proceeds, plus donated cans of soup, go to the Silver Creek Food Pantry.
Vacation Bible School runs for five evenings each summer, designed for children from Pre-K through 5th grade. Generous gifts cover all costs, so attendance is free. The week is filled with games, Bible stories, crafts, and food, all built around themes of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, faith, hope, and love.
Trunk or Treat on Halloween afternoon turns the parking lot into a community fall festival, with decorated trunks, carnival games, candy, and baked goods open to children and families from across Sellersburg.
Christmas at Sellersburg UMC begins with a church decorating day in late November, followed by a Cookie Exchange, a Christmas Concert featuring Tony Goforth's tenor voice, a family cookie-decorating afternoon, and Pastor John's Christmas Open House, where the centerpiece is a multi-room Christmas Shelf display started by his wife Jennifer's grandmother in 1962. Christmas Eve worship at 7:00 pm is designed for the whole family and ends with the candlelit singing of "Silent Night."
Holy Week includes Palm Sunday, a Good Friday service at 7:00 pm led jointly with other area United Methodist churches, and Easter Sunday with an Easter Egg hunt at 9:45 am and worship at 10:15 am.
Standing Against Racism
Sellersburg UMC has made anti-racism work a visible part of its ministry. The church maintains a collection of online resources including book recommendations, articles, videos, and links to denominational tools from the United Methodist Church's racial justice initiatives, Discipleship Ministries' anti-racist discipleship work, and other organizations working to help congregations understand and dismantle racism in their own lives and communities. The church connects this effort directly to the United Methodist membership vows, particularly the promise to "accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves."
Giving and Membership
Giving is available online through a secure giving platform powered by Stripe, with options to give once or set up a recurring gift by credit or debit card, checking account, or text message. The church covers all transaction fees so that 100 percent of each gift goes to ministry. Memorial gifts and planned gifts through wills and estate plans are also welcomed, and the Governing Board works with the family of the deceased to direct memorial funds to a project or ministry that honors the loved one's memory.
Becoming a member of Sellersburg UMC involves meeting with the pastor, affirming the four United Methodist membership vows, and being received before the congregation during worship. Those transferring from another United Methodist church can do so through a written process between pastors, while those coming from another tradition or being baptized for the first time go through a more conversational process. Infant baptism and adult baptism are both celebrated, and baptism is never repeated. Young people around the age of 12 or older may enter the Confirmation process and, after preparation, confirm for themselves the vows made on their behalf at baptism.
Ministry Leaders
The pastoral team is led by Rev. John Demaree. Collin Daily serves as Music Minister, with Lea Linsley as Accompanist. Brenda Croucher leads Junior Church, and Donna Moore coordinates the nursery. Peggy Sayer serves as Visitation Minister, reaching out to members and friends who cannot easily attend in person.
Sellersburg United Methodist Church is an active, inclusive, and outward-facing congregation that has spent 150 years asking the same question its members still ask today: who is my neighbor, and how can I love them well?