In 1870 the Methodists of Bakersfield had no church to worship in, no minister to guide them, and a congregation of 17.  Merely a stop on the Kern River Circuit for the Methodist Society, they wondered how they could survive and grow as Christians in a rowdy town known by miners and cowboys for its saloons and gambling houses.   

God’s grace and strength held the church together through its turbulent first decade.  A permanent minister wasn’t found until 1874.  After only five months of facing the financial problems of church construction and quarrels between committees, he left the ministry.  In 1877 the church incorporated under the name First Methodist Episcopal Church of Bakersfield, only to twice see its church building blown off its foundations by sandstorms.  When fire razed the church in 1903 the congregation rebuilt and the new structure would be one of only two churches to survive the earthquake of 1952.

But despite its traumatic childhood, the Methodist Church in Bakersfield matured through the years, as a succession of ministers presided over baptisms, weddings, funerals and building dedications. 

By 1971, First United Methodist Church had outgrown its downtown location at Truxtun and H, so a new church was built at Stockdale Highway and Montclair, which is our present location today. 

By His grace, we assemble for worship, and in His strength we continue to minister to the needs within our congregation and throughout our community.