History:

Methodism was brought to Metropolis by horseback and a rowboat. A small building was erected in 1853-54 on the corner of Fifth and Ferry Streets to house a budding congregation.

As the membership grew, the original building was moved and a brick, Gothic church building was erected on the same site, in 1892. As the years passed, the church saw a need for a basement, pipe organ, educational building, a new steeple and redecorating.

Methodism grew in Metropolis, reaching out far and near with the Gospel.  Then, on a cold, snowy Sunday morning, tragedy struck.  About 7:00 a.m. on January 11, 1970 the church facility burst into flames and was destroyed, leaving only a smoke-damaged educational building.

The church rallied and, on January 9, 1972, the first service was held in the sanctuary of the new church facility. On January 11, 1981 the building was dedicated.  Eleven years to the day that the old building burned, the indebtedness for the new building was retired and a bond-burning ceremony was held.

The First United Methodist Church facility at Fifth and Ferry Streets has been a lighthouse for passers-by and a haven for those who enter for over one hundred and fifty years. God has richly blessed and used the property and those who gather there for all those years.