Dear Church Family,
The next couple of Sundays, March 2nd and 9th, mark a transition point in the life of our church. Tomorrow morning, March 2nd, we will hold the last of our Traditional, Altar-Umoja, and The Source Worship Services on our West Campus for this season. Beginning Sunday, March 9th, all worship and Sunday School will begin meeting downtown. Sunday School will meet from 9:45-10:45 a.m. (with a gathering time beginning at 9:30 a.m.) and Worship will be at 11:00 a.m.
If you need transportation to our Downtown Campus beginning March 9th, please fill out the form found here. If you are able to drive, please e-mail Susie Horr at shorr@fmhouston.com.
I respect and value the choices that everyone is weighing for their church participation as we enter this next season. I sincerely hope that everyone who is worshiping on our West Campus will make the transition with us Downtown for this next season. We have been one church with two campuses for many years and our Downtown members are so excited to welcome everyone who has been worshiping on our West Campus to join together Downtown in this next season.
If you are thinking about leaving First Methodist for another congregation, I want to share an invitation with you – try joining us Downtown for the six Sundays of Lent through at least Easter on April 20th. Traffic is much lighter on Sundays than people realize and parking for the church is free! I believe you will love being a part this time in the history of our church. If after seven weeks you don’t love it or it doesn’t work for you, just let us know and we will help you find the perfect next place.
I know there are many questions, so I have prepared an FAQ which you will find below. Please know that you all are all a valued part of our church family. Even though we are navigating difficult changes, I am so grateful to be living these days with you. I look forward to seeing y’all as we worship our risen Savior tomorrow.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Lance
Rev. Lance Richards
Senior Pastor
lrichards@fmhouston.com
FAQ ABOUT OUR UPCOMING TRANSITION
Why are we bringing Sunday morning ministries from West Campus to our Downtown Campus beginning March 9th?
We had to cut $700,000 in expenses out of our 2025 budget. This level of reduction without an increase in tithes and offerings will not allow for us to operate on two campuses on Sunday mornings in this season.
What will happen to Sunday School classes meeting on West Campus after this Sunday?
A classroom will be provided for every class that had been meeting on our West Campus Downtown beginning March 9th.
Where will The Source meet after this Sunday?
Those who have been worshiping as a part of The Source will be a part of the 11:00 a.m. service Downtown. Anthony Rogers will provide some of the musical leadership for that service along with our choir. There will be a come and go gathering time on Sundays after worship especially for those who have been a part of The Source. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the fellowship.
Where will Altar-Umoja worship?
Altar-Umoja will join with the whole church for worship in the Downtown Sanctuary on March 9th and on first Sundays and will worship on the 2nd floor Downtown on the other Sundays.
When will the new modern service be launched Downtown?
A launch team will be assembled for the new modern worship service which will begin meeting after Easter. Anyone who is interested in being a part of a new service is welcome and encouraged to be a part of the team. We will be recruiting people to be a part of the launch team after Spring Break, so watch your e-news and Sunday morning announcements.
What will happen to our West Campus after March 2nd?
Though Sunday morning ministries are moving Downtown for a season, our West Campus will still be open! Westchase Neighborhood School and the Quillian Memorial Center will continue normal operations and the Food Pantry will still be open. Our whole congregation will mobilize to be engaged in mission on our West Campus. Our Innovation and Optimization Team is hard at work developing plans to generate revenue through the rental of our facilities while bringing as many people to our campus as possible. If as many people as possible stay engaged at First Methodist during this upcoming season, we will be able to cover our fixed expenses on West Campus and build toward sustainable ministries in the future.
When will worship be relaunched on our West Campus?
Our Strategic Plan calls for worship to be relaunched on our West Campus within two years pending the needed human and financial resources for the effort.
We do hope to return Sunday morning ministries to West Campus in a sustainable way at the earliest possible date, but this will be only be possible if we maintain as many members as possible who are currently a part of our West Campus and increase revenue through tithes and offerings and the rental of our facilities. It will take all of us working together to achieve this goal.
We do have some exciting news to share. We are working with Chapelwood UMC to bring their Spanish-language worshipping community, Iglesia Generaciones, to our Westchase Campus. Our preliminary plan is for them to launch in September with a couple of preview services between now and then, one of which is planned for Easter Sunday. This partnership may accelerate a relaunch of a First Methodist worship service on our West Campus.
Again, what is possible in the future will be determined by how many who are currently worshipping on West Campus stay engaged in our First Methodist community after our transition Downtown.