First United Methodist Church - round rock - Round Rock (TX)

5 /5 Jeff Highnote: Went for a. Elevation of life service. Church members and staff were readily available, amazingly friendly and very helpful to all who attended.

5 /5 Ethan: My friends had their wedding here. All of the church staff I encountered were friendly and were so helpful. After the wedding, their reception was held in another one of their buildings where the men from the congregation were the servers. From my perspective, you could see Christs love and a servants heart through their actions. It didnt seem like a job to these men/congregation, more like a mission. After the reception was over and wedding pictures were taken. I came back to help tear things down. This church had already taken down 90% of the decorations and washed the cups, plates, and other washables, which they didnt have to since they were rented from another vendor. AMAZING From one EPC member to yall... Thank You.

5 /5 Elizabeth Fry: I go to a couple of Bible Study groups there. They are very welcoming eventhough I am not part of their church.

5 /5 David Oefinger: This church is home to the southernmost congregation of the newly developed Horizon Conference of the United Methodist Church. It is a missional church that works in local community, state, national and international programs to further the teachings of Christ. The congregation supports local mission programs like Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Congregants participate in annual build-a-bed projects that construct beds for children in the community who otherwise have no bed of their own in which to sleep. The beds are built on site at the church and participating church membership then delivers them to needy families in the community. As a participant in UMCOR, members of the church participate in projects to help rebuild and revitalize areas hard hit by natural disasters, like tornados, hurricanes and flooding. Participating members are trained and are approved UMCOR volunteers. The church also contributes to local charities like the Round Rock Serving Center and other active groups that support children, youth and adult programs. Internationally, the church supports missionary projects in Sierra Leone that helps to educate and train new pastors and ministers to serve within the impoverished nation. It also is a major and significant contributor to the One Million Wells Project that has engineered and developed efficient and economical ways to drill water wells in some of the poorest regions of the world. And through its Mission Panama project, the church offers medical and dental treatments for the people of Panama each year. The church offers great fellowship and mission work opportunities through the United Methodist Men and Women’s Fellowship for Missions organizations. First Church Quilters design and create beautiful quilts that are presented at different times of the year to sick and bedridden children at Dell’s Children’s Hospital. And Sierra Leone missionaries are supported through periodic “Wheelbarrow Collections” held each year by the UMM. The churchs Stephen Ministers work with special needs members who are suffering serious illness, the loss of loved ones, and those who are suffering the pains of divorce. The church has outstanding children and youth programs. Youth programs allow the opportunity for young adults to participate in mission projects within the state and nation. Young married adults are offered the opportunity to participate in marriage encounter programs. Other church members work with the pastors and deacon to visit the sick in hospitals, or those confined to retirement or nursing facilities. There are more than ample opportunities for members to expand their knowledge of the Bible and scripture through education programs that are offered in small group settings. These programs are offered on campus, and throughout the area in private member homes that open their doors to the membership community in efforts to spread the word of Christ. And, of course, there are Sunday School gatherings for children, youth and adults each Sunday on the church campus. Bible focused and Christ centered, the church is inclusive of all those who wish to develop or further a meaningful relationship with Christ. It’s greeters and Andrew Ministers welcome church goers at the doors and in the Narthex each Sunday morning to create a welcoming atmosphere. The church offers three services on Sunday mornings: Traditional Worship at 8:30 a.m. (informal) and 11:00 a.m. (formal) in the Sanctuary, and the 9:40 a.m. Crossroads Contemporary Worship in the Family Life Center (FLC). Young families with children and youth often prefer the Crossroads Contemporary Worship. The church’s three pastors and deacon work diligently to present meaningful sermon series. They are supported in their efforts by formal and informal choirs, handbell and flute programs, an orchestra and the popular Crossroads Band. To capture a full view of the church and its many meaningful activities, visitors and new residents to the area are encouraged to plan on attending more than just one or two services. You will not be disappointed.

2 /5 Wes Singleton: I’m not here to leave a mean-spirited review or full of negativity. I’ll just say this church wasn’t for me. I’m new to the area & looking for an affirming congregation with a late (11 AM-ish) worship service. I made the assumption that since it is a Methodist church that it would be, but in all I reviewed on their site, it doesn’t seem to be. In fairness, I should’ve reviewed their website first before visiting - that’s on me. And I’m very aware that this issue has caused considerable division in the Methodist church, but not here to debate that. I arrived a few minutes late due to the rain, again my responsibility. The campus & main sanctuary, to their credit, is lovely. A contemporary stone design. Aside from their website, I could also tell this wasn’t an affirming congregation within a few minutes of arriving. I’ve been in church most of life to some degree and often just have a “sense” of things. How could I tell? 1) lack of diversity & inclusive signage. 99% of the congregation was Caucasian families or older white couples. 2) I know I was late, but not one person inside or outside the building said one word to me. Not. One. Word. Not anything at all - that may be a first for the churches I’ve visited/been at over the years. Nothing from the ushers/greeters milling in the lobby - more on that in a second. 3) Lack of direction in the service itself. I arrived during opening prayer & some of the greeters (I assume this was the case) had wheelbarrows for some special offering they were taking (even after they mentioned them I still wasn’t quite sure of their true purpose). Also, while they spoke of emphasis on the Bible and there was a Bible reading, the sermon that morning wasn’t really a sermon but the senior staff promoting a church-wide initiative. I mean no ill will by this comment, but this almost seemed like a Baptist church I grew up in. While this wasn’t for me, and no one spoke to me at all, I still wish them well & many blessings. Just didn’t seem diverse, inclusive or welcoming. Lovely sanctuary though.