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Our
Mission Statement
To bring
people to the transforming power of Jesus Christ through
membership in His family and to equip the members for ministry
in the church and the world. |
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| History of
FUMC |
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.