Our Church History

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The official history of Moscow First United Methodist church begins on December 21, 1876 as the Methodist Episcopal Church when seven people organized the first church. In those early years they met in a small school house. Rev. Milton S. Anderson was the first pastor. In 1880 they rented a meeting hall on the corner of 4th and Main and three years later began the construction of the first church building at 6th and Jefferson, which was completed in 1887 for a bit over $2000. 

By 1902 the congregation had outgrown that building and began construction of a new building at 3rd and Adams. Made of basalt mined on nearby Paradise Ridge it took two years to complete for a cost of $35,000. Installed in the clock tower were a Seth Thomas clock and a five foot bell. The clock and the bell are still in use, though an electrical mechanism to run it was added a number of years later. By 1921 there was need for yet more space, including for Sunday School classes and a kitchen. More basalt from Paradise Ridge was used. Thirty some years later, still more space was needed and so the third addition, known as the Education Wing, began. The revision ran into funding and other problems and took seven years to be completed. This addition was done without the original basalt and so is obviously different from the outside.

Over the years, as will happen with a living church, needs changed, the building experienced wear and tear, and so various remodeling projects have taken place. The most recent remodels took place under the pastorate of Rev. Bill Green and began with the creation of a music room from a former Sunday School room, moved on to a complete remodel of the sanctuary, Epworth Hall, and the kitchen. The most recent remodels have focused on the 1932 addition and energy efficiency with replacement of the old single pane windows and other additional insulation to make the rooms more comfortable.

While it is easier to track the history of a church through its building, of greater importance are the people and the programs of the church. Music has long been important and of particular note was the founding of the first hand bell choir in 1990 with two octaves of bells purchased in memory of Nancy Jackson who was killed in a climbing accident in the Himalayas. Under the leadership of music director, Tom Crossler, more bells and then hand chimes have been added until the church currently owns 5 complete octaves of both bells and chimes. It has two adult, one youth, and one children's bell choir.

The education program of the church has long been key to its mission, starting with the first Sunday School organized in 1877 and continuing to this day. Sunday School, youth group, and in the last six years or so a Tween's group for children grade 3-5. Adult classes and Bible studies have also met, and in recent years the church has begun to establish small groups for study, fellowship, and service.

Missions have been another hallmark of Moscow First United Methodist Church. During the 1980's they sponsored a Cambodian family escaping war in their native land. Many international students from a wide variety of countries have found welcome and support at the church. At present that includes four students from Africa and one from South Korea. Africa Month has become a tradition as the church both learns about Africa, celebrates our connection to Africa University (www.africau.edu) and the Jamaa Letu Orphanages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (www.umcmission.org) raising money to support both a girl and a boy at Jamma Letu and to help support Africa University.

In addition, Moscow First United Methodist Church is proud to be a host church for Family Promise of the Palouse. (familypromisepalouse.org)

The United Methodist Church traces its roots back to the life and ministry of John and Charles Wesley, Anglican priests in 18th century England. Though neither left the Anglican Church, they began a movement to reform that church which eventually became its own denomination and spread to the United States where it split from the Anglican Church in their lifetime. For more information on the history of the denomination go to umc.org.

Church Mission

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The First United Methodist Church of Moscow, Idaho takes as our mission to be the body of Jesus Christ, ministering to a community that draws strength from its diversity. Our mission centers on the worship of God expressed through varied forms of prayer, preaching, music, and ritual.

Beliefs

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As United Methodist Christians we share some basic Christian beliefs with churches of various backgrounds and add a few touches of our own.

The Trinity: We believe that God is known and understood in three ways or forms. The traditional wording is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity can also be described as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. While we know God in these three ways God is still one. The essence of the trinity is that God is relational.

Father/Creator: God is the creator of the world and all that is in it; God rules over all and above all God is love.

Jesus Christ: Jesus was fully human and fully divine. This paradox teaches us that the man Jesus shared our humanity from birth to death, and that Jesus was also God's only begotten Child. Jesus was God's truest self expression and came among us to show us the depth of God's love for us, bring us forgiveness for our sins and the opportunity for eternal life.

Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is God with us now as the Spirit has been operative in the world from creation on. The Spirit comforts, convicts, and inspires us.

Salvation: The Greek root of the word salvation means wholeness or health. Salvation is both our eternal destiny after our bodies die and it is the wholeness with which we can live life here on earth. Such wholeness depends on God's presence among us.
Our forebear in the faith, John Wesley, taught us to think about salvation with four special phrases:

Prevenient Grace: This is the grace that goes before, God loving us and searching for us before we even begin to think about God. It is the pathway into the house of God's salvation.

Justifying Grace: This is God's gift to us which assures us of forgiveness, making it "just-as-if-I'd –never-sinned." It is the doorway into the house of God's salvation.

Sanctifying Grace: Salvation is not a one time experience but rather a process by which we become more and more like God. This is living in the house of salvation.

Perfection in Love: This does not mean freedom from physical, mental, or emotional flaws, whether those might be a bum leg or forgetting to do an errand. Rather as we live in God's house we begin to love more and more as God loves. The emphasis here is more on the process than on the end.

Guidelines for Faith:
There are many things which guide our faith. As United Methodists we look in particular at four things to help us understand God and grow in our relationship with God.

Scripture: is the primary source of our faith. The 66 books of the Old and New Testament contain all that is necessary for salvation. We believe that Scripture is best interpreted in the believing community.

Tradition: the wisdom of those who have gone before us, though not 100% true for our day, is another useful guide in our faith.

Experience: our individual experiences of God 's grace and the cumulative experiences of our lives which give each person a unique and valued insight into faith.

Reason: God gave us minds and expects us to use them and to think through not only what the Bible tells us in light of the world in which we live but also how to live out that faith.

All holiness is social holiness: As United Methodists we believe that our faith is to be lived out in the community of the world and in the local communities in which we find ourselves. Faith is what we do every bit as much as what we say or believe.

Worship: Gathering together with other Christians to pray, sing, and praise God is an important expression of our faith and avenue for growth. At Moscow First United Methodist Church worship is both casual and informal, traditional and contemporary, reflective and passionate. You will find people here in suits and dresses, and in t-shirts and jeans. You will hear classical, gospel, jazz, and light rock music. You will hear our pipe organ, the piano, and banjo and guitar.

Sacraments: We observe two sacraments in which Jesus himself participated. Baptism is the primary sacrament of initiation into the church, offered once in a lifetime to people of any age. We typically baptize with sprinkling, though other methods are options on discussion with the pastor. Holy Communion is the sacrament of nurture in which bread and juice are eaten recalling Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. We usually celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of the month, and/or the first Sunday of a liturgical season (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost) as well as on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Christmas Eve. Normally we use intinction in which a small piece of bread is dipped into a common cup of grape juice, with a gluten free option available. Consistent with United Methodist tradition, at Moscow First United Methodist, one need not be a member to participate in either of these sacraments.
More information can be found at umc.org under the Our Faith link.

Read more: Beliefs