Our Story

...a small group of imperfect people began what has become the First United Methodist Church of Auburndale. We began in a tent in 1921, because there was no building for us yet. We moved from the tent into the first brick school building in Auburndale off of what is now Main street. Those early members of this community worked together to make a building where they could gather. The people would gather for worship and then have picnics on the shore of Lake Ariana. Pastoral leadership was shared among many, some of which were locals who had grown up in and around this church community. As the community grew the church bought land on the shore of Lake Ariana and built a new worship space. The older church is still used as a worship space today, and we are grateful to share our story with Spirit Life Ministries in downtown Auburndale. We have built up and renovated our current property a few times since we broke ground in 1969. 

Over these 102 years our congregation has waxed and waned, but always worked with an eye toward our community. We have sponsored and given space to AA meetings, Little League Teams, Soccer teams, community meals, Fifth Quarter gatherings, and Girl Scout troops. We have provided volunteers to the high school and middle school athletics programs.  Seen or unseen, this congregation continues to embody God's love in and around this community. 

We continue to live into our legacy of love by being deeply rooted in this community and doing the justice work God has called us to in Polk County and beyond. We are advocating for affordable housing, criminal justice reform and more through our P.E.A.C.E. (Polk Ecumenical Action Council for Empowerment) ministry. We are offering mercy for food insecure families and organizing people for climate and environmental justice work in our community. We have always been a passionate group of people who join together the work we do connecting with God (personal piety) and the application of mercy and justice within our community (social holiness).