About Us

Who Are We?

Lonoke First UMC is a congregation of persons of all ages who are being called by God to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to form Christian disciples in the Wesleyan tradition. Our vision is to "Bring them in. Build them up. Send them out."

Bring Them In

We believe that God created all persons to be in a loving, grace-filled relationship with Him. It is our goal to invite, welcome and include as many persons from our community as we can into God's Church. Our desire is to introduce persons to Jesus Christ in positive ways in the hope that they will begin to follow Him in daily discipleship. We welcome persons of all ages into the fellowship of the Church through baptism, confirmation and church membership. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to receive Holy Communion when it is served.

Build Them Up

We believe that every follower of Christ is called to grow in the grace of God and fulfill a personal mission in life. To this end, we offer as many opportunities as possible to persons of all ages to grow in mind, body, heart and spirit. We seek to "equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:6) so that each one may discover and nurture the spiritual gifts God has given them through the Holy Spirit. Through passionate worship and intentional Christian education we allow God to inspire and build faithful, effective Chrsitian disicples.

Send Them Out

We believe that God's ultimate purpose for the Church is to be His living presence in the world - His hands, feet and mouth, if you will. Jesus said to his first followers, "I have chosen you and appointed you, that you should bear much fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15: ). On the one hand, the fruit of the Spirit is not only love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:20 ), which are the inner characteristics of each Christian that we call personal holiness. On the other hand, the fruit of the Spirit is to do justice, work for peace, uplift the oppressed, proclaim good new to the poor and comfort the weak, which in our Wesleyan tradition is called "social holiness." Our most effective ministry is not accomplished within the walls of the local church, but out in the community where people live their daily lives. The Church is called to build the Kingdom of God within the kingdoms of the world.

We Invite You to Join Us In This Work!

Wherever you are in your relationship to God, you are welcome here, and you are invited to join in the work God has called us to do. You don't have to be a member of our congregation to participate ijn worship, Holy Communion, educational events or ongoing age-level ministries. Our goal is to assist everyone in finding and fulfilling their call to know, love and serve God.

A Brief History of our Congregation

First United Methodist Church of Lonoke has roots in the work of traveling preachers who held services in brush arbors and log houses in the territory as early as 1840.

According to church history, the first church organized in Lonoke County was the Methodist Church, which was moved to the new city of Lonoke in 1870. A two story frame building was constructed at the corner of Center and Academy Streets. The lower floor of the structure was the Methodist Church and the upper floor of the Masonic Lodge. The church had separate doors for men and women.

The present location of the church was purchased in 1889 and a new brick building was constructed. The distinctive feature was the church steeple, 104 feet high. At the time, the steeple was the highest landmark in Lonoke County.

The steeple tower housed a large bell which was purchased at the St. Louis World’s Fair. The bell was transported by steamboat to Des Arc, then by ox-drawn cart to Lonoke. The bell is still in use by the church today.

The sanctuary was built at a cost of $6,500. The congregation was $600 short, so a unique idea was proposed to raise the money. The well-known Robinson brothers, Ed (the poet and orator) and Joe (the educator and political leader) would have a debate. Admission fees to hear the great debate paid off the church with $50 left over.

Eagle Methodist Church was organized in 1931 and served by Lonoke pastors. This congregation continued until 1968 when it merged with the Lonoke Methodist Church.

Growth in the church created the need for remodeling and additions in 1941, 1956, and construction of a large educational building in 1967. Throughout all the reconstruction, the original 1889 cornerstone remains intact.

Today the church serves the community with a variety of services and programs.

The Contemporary Worship Service begins at 8:50 a.m., Sunday School at 9:30 a.m., and the Traditional Worship Service begins at 10:30 a.m. Other activities include Women's Fellowship Circle, United Methodist Men (UMM) and United Methodist Youth (UMY). The Rev. Larry Martineau is pastor.