About Us:

The first Methodist service in the Crete area was conducted by a circuit rider in 1836. Later the same year, another circuit rider organized the first Methodist class meeting in the Thorn Grove area of Crete Township. In 1841, the two groups joined to form a Methodist congregation. They met in the Crete schoolhouse in the winter and in the open air in warm weather.

Dyantha and Willard Wood, the founders of the village, donated the land on which a church was built in 1851. With labor and materials donated by members, along with $1,500 given for the project, the church was built. Farmers hauled the stone and lumber while other members did the masonry and carpentry.

The original sanctuary, with changes, relocation and additions has been used continually from February, 1852 until May, 1999. It was the oldest in the Northern Illinois Conference in continuous use. Over the years, thousands of lives have been touched by the ministry of Crete United Methodist Church.

In the 1950's, the church tripled the size of its building with the addition of the Fellowship Hall and the Education Wing. In May, 1999 our new sanctuary was built which added 5500 square feet to the the church plant. The new addition also includes a large Narthex, a kitchenette and a church library.

It is the people of the past, the people of the present, and the people of the future that make Crete United Methodist Church into something special; something special for all time!