625 Hamilton Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301

650.323.6167
fax 650.323.3923

info@firstpaloalto.com

The History of The First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto

Senior Ministers Photo Wall

SeniorPastorsWallA150113.jpgOur Senior Pastors

The permanent display of photos of all of our Senior Ministers, 1894-present, is up again. Now it is on the hall wall across from Pat’s Place on the lower level.

A huge thank you to Ken Shafer who attached it to the wall and to whoever collected all the pictures in the first place.

I’m sure collecting them was associated with our centennial in 1994 and it must have been a huge project.



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Our Architectural History

FUMCPAexterior.jpgSince the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto was founded in 1894, we've not only been an integral part of the Palo Alto community, but we've also had a significant architectural history.

Toby Williams has written a comprehensive account of the many buildings that have served as our church over the last 100+ years, including the story behind our present sanctuary. She'a also unearthed many photos showing what we've looked like over the past century.

Read all about our architectural history



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Visit by the King of Tonga

The First Tongan United Methodist Church shares our facility.

Tonga is a nation made up of over 170 islands in the South Pacific. Many Tongans have emigrated to the United States and many of them live in the Bay Area. For many years King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, along with other Tongan dignitaries, would worship at our church and meet his subjects.

These photos are from his visit in August 2001. You'll notice that the ground and and chancel is covered with handmade Tapa cloths.

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Presidential Booksigning

On January 30, 2001 former President Jimmy Carter came to the church for a booksigning. Approximately 1500 people were present at this two hour event to get President Carter to autograph a copy of his new book An Hour Before Daylight

The booksigning was hosted by our church and was sponsored by Kepler's Bookstore in Menlo Park.

These pictures of President Carter were taken by FUMCPA member Joe Heim.

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Next Sunday
Join us for worship at 10:45 am or our Upstream worship at 8:45 am. Pastor Laurie will preach at both services. This will be the first sermon in the monthly Naked Spirituality series.

Can't make it to Church? Watch the live worship webcast. Join us online at 10:45 am

January 29, 2011 - The Gift of Boldness - The Rev. Michael Love (audio)
Listen to Pastor Michael's January 29th sermon.

Starts Sunday - Ready for a Fresh Start in the New Year?
Starting February 5th we'll begin a once a month worship and small group focus based on the book Naked Spirituality. Learn more here.

January 22, 2012 - The Gift of Commitment - The Rev. Laurie McHugh (Audio)
Listen to Pastor Laurie's January 22nd sermon.

Scholarships Available for UM Undergrad Students
Undergrads, apply for one of the United Methodist Scholarships. Don't delay. You have to apply by March 1.

Apply online here

Deeper Calling - Young Adults Retreat
March 16th to 18th we'll be sharing in a joint young adult retreat with a few other local churches. Join us as we focus on our need to go deeper in our relationship with God and with others.

Opportunity to Serve
We're looking for a Volunteer Coordinator for First Church to help us identify and recruit people to serve in a variety of positions that are essential to our ministry. Lear more here.

January 15, 2011 - The Gift of Prayer - The Rev. Michael Love (audio)
Listen to Pastor Michael's January 15th sermon.