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Ministries Children About FUMC Welcome Other Pages
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A History of First Church (The following excerpt contains thumbnail versions of photographs. To see an enlarged version of the picture, simply click on it. When you are finished, click on the "Back" button in your browser.) The beginning of Methodism in Madison coincides with the beginning of Madison itself. Records show that when the foundation was laid for Madison as Wisconsin’s new capitol, there were only four family dwellings and two or three lodging houses, each with its own barroom. In November, 1837, it was in one of these barrooms that Rev. Salmon Stebbins, circuit rider of the Methodist Church, preached the first sermon in the capitol city of Wisconsin. By March, 1838, a log barn "church" was completed and Rev. Samuel Pillsbury preached his first sermon to 36 Capitol workmen and four families while several hundred Native Americans stood outside and listened. A great need was
felt for a church building, and a lot at East Mifflin and North Pinckney
Streets was purchased. Methodism grew rapidly, and in 1863 the Methodist Episcopal Church Building Association made plans to build a $50,000 church. It wasn't until 1872 that the land on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and East Dayton Street was purchased for $5000. Rev. P.S. Mather reported, "I stood on the walls of the foundation from seven to ten hours a day superintending the work, acting as master builder by day and studying my sermons by night." The cornerstone was laid on September 29,1873, but the stone was not marked, and it was impossible to tell just which stone it was.
During this time the church had active programs for youth and young adults, including a Baraca program for boys, and a Bethany program for girls. The programs included church school, social functions, and service aspects. The groups thrived and grew, thanks to the dedicated efforts of their teachers, until the beginning of World War I, when most of the young men enrolled in the military. The Bethany group continued to meet for over 50 years. The programs of First church grew to a point that additional space became necessary. After several years of planning, the Oxford addition was built in 1924, costing $140,000. This addition still houses the first floor Parlor, Library, and Prayer Room, and classrooms on the second and third floors. During the Great Depression it was feared the building would be lost because the church had difficulty paying the mortgage. However, First Wisconsin National Bank forgave $1 of the mortgage for each $1 paid, and much of the building was rented to the state government. By 1945, the debt had been decreased from $140,000 to $30,000. In 1953 the interior of the sanctuary was redecorated and extensive repair was made to the exterior. Some of the sandstone had to be replaced, and one of the stones being turned was hollow. The unmarked cornerstone had been found! In the late
1950's enthusiasm was high in the church and the church membership was
rapidly growing. As a Nationally, a merger between the Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church occurred in 1968. Since a church of each denomination was located on the same city block, a merger seemed warranted. However, the majority of the E.U.B. members transferred their membership to Trousdale (now Trinity) Church. The E.U.B. property was purchased for $90,000; another $10,000 was spent to demolish the building and grade the land for a new development by First United Methodist Church. At about the same time, the Board of Trustees was informed by the city building inspector that the old stone church structure was unsafe, and they were denied the option of repairing it. An ambitious financial campaign was begun in 1970 to obtain funds to reduce indebtedness on various properties held by the church and to complete payment for the land on which a new sanctuary could be constructed. In January 1973, a church conference approved the building project for a new sanctuary. The decision to rebuild immediately was given a resounding endorsement when a financial building crusade in the spring of 1973 raised the necessary funds. On February 2, 1975, the new sanctuary was consecrated. The completed building project provided not only a sanctuary, but additional offices, classrooms, and a chapel in the lower level. A few of the stained glass windows from the old sanctuary were renovated and can be seen in our present chapel. In 1987 First United Methodist Church celebrated its sesquicentennial---150 proud years of Christian presence in downtown Madison. Through a special financial campaign, the debt was paid off and building improvements were made.
Throughout our history First Church has helped Methodism grow in the Madison community. We were instrumental in the development of Methodist Hospital (now Meriter-Capitol), Meriter Retirement Center, Meriter Terraces, and Meriter Health Center. First Church has assisted ten other United Methodist congregations in getting established in the Madison community, oftentimes offering volunteers, financial assistance, and, in some cases, a dedication service for those joining the newly formed congregation. This congregation has a long history of outreach. In the early 1950's our congregation adopted a Romanian refugee family and helped them get established in the Madison community. The end of the Vietnam War brought opportunities to serve two families of refugee boat people. It was in the 1960's that Margaret Brancel, a member of First Church, and her husband, Fred, felt called to become Methodist missionaries. They served in Angola, Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe. In 1971 the First United Methodist Preschool and Kindergarten was founded. It was created as an outreach ministry in downtown Madison, providing high-quality child care to families of varied economic and cultural backgrounds. A modest Food Pantry program began in 1986 to meet the needs of those in our area. It began with a few grocery bags in the church office and has grown to an office, a store area, and a part-time paid Director. In 1984 the Hispanic United Methodist Church was created. It was comprised of people from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries and was housed in our building until 1996.
©2003 First
United Methodist Church |
