First United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church grew out of the inspiration and hard work of John Wesley in England and Francis Asbury and Phillip Otterbein in the United States. It was founded on a blend of personal religion and social services, a warm heart and a reliance on reason, and a wideness of tolerance matched with a sense of discipline.

Methodism places special emphasis on the power of the small group, the role of the laity, the interconnectedness of our churches, and the merging of our personal wills with God's. We are the third largest Christian group in the United States (around nine million) and are fairly evenly distributed throughout the country.

First United Methodist church was founded in 1870 and is literally the first church to be established in Bakersfield. The original location was a the corner of Truxtun and H Streets. 1995 marked FUMC's 125th Anniversary. Leaders and members alike are proud to be part of a church which has been of service to it's community for so many years and look forward to many more years of service to God in an ever changing world.

In 1971 the congregation moved from it's old location to it's present site at Stockdale and Montclair. Original stained glass pieces and other artifacts and furnishings came to the new site also and were placed in various locations around the new five-acre campus with care. At the time the land was purchased and the ground broken, the location was on the very edge of town. Now FUMC finds itself in the heart of Bakersfield, a growing church in a rapidly growing community.

First United Methodist Church 4600 Stockdale Highway Bakersfield, California 93309 (805) 325-1267

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