First Church Lexington Begins 225TH Anniversary
First United Methodist Church, Lexington, began its year-long 225th Anniversary of serving Christ “west of the mountains” with a Heritage Sunday on September 22, 2013. Founded in 1789, FUMC was the first Methodist Church west of the Allegheny Mountains, one of the first 100 Methodist churches in America, and the scene of Bishop Francis Asbury’s last sermon in Kentucky.
The services recognized its fifty year members as well as those with longer memberships, an annual event. Presiding clergy wore commemorative
stoles bearing a custom 225th Anniversary logo.
Some of the events through the next year will include opening the Bicentennial Time Capsule, filling a new time capsule, a service recognizing the dozen churches and missions started by First Church, and a service honoring those individuals called into ministry and lay service from its pews over the centuries, including five of its ministers later elected bishops.
First Church has been designated as a United Methodist Heritage Site by the General Commission on Archives & History and selected by the Kentucky Historical Society to receive a historic highway marker recognizing its role in establishing Methodist in Kentucky.