Sacramento’s First United Methodist Church traces its origins back to the Gold Rush of 1849. Our first house of worship, the Baltimore Chapel, was erected at the corner of 7th and L Streets on a lot donated by John Sutter. During the next 75 years our congregation worshiped in five additional buildings in the downtown area before 1925, when our present structure in Midtown was completed. Later additions to the original building included a classroom annex on the eastern side of the building and a chapel on the corner of 21st and J Streets.

During our 157-year history, 90 individuals have served our church as pastors or associate pastors. With the leadership of our clergy and countless lay people, we have established a long tradition of working to improve the life of our community, our region, our nation, and our world. Over the years we have supported many programs in our community, including the Washington Neighborhood Center, the Sutter Fun Program, the Schizophrenia Society, and Goodwill Industries. Beyond our community we have supported the California Council on Alcohol Problems, the International Christian Youth Exchange, and the Sierra Service Project, as well as national and international relief efforts organized by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Other activities have assisted such programs as the Central Downtown Food Basket, Loaves and Fishes, Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT), Habitat for Humanity, and the Interfaith Service Bureau. All these efforts, and many others, are part of our Wesleyan heritage, which reminds us always that faith is not only personal, but a matter of engagement with the world.

In the 1950s, when so many congregations were establishing themselves in the suburbs, our church made the deliberate decision to remain in the heart of Sacramento. We are committed to living fully as a vibrant church in Midtown, to finding constructive ways of reaching out to the community, and to being a truly welcoming congregation.