First Palo Alto UMC is a place where all are welcome – to inquire, pray, question, worship, laugh, shout, and heal by examining their journey of faith. There is no one right way to be in relationship with God. Our community is beloved because all are valued and respected here.
Sunday Worship
Our worship services take place in our beautiful sanctuary, with entries on both Webster Street and Hamilton Avenue. Our services include hymn singing; a sermon of 15 to 20 minutes by our pastor; music by our Chancel Choir or perhaps our chamber music ensemble, Fiume di Musica; a Children’s Moment; shared prayers and concerns; an offering; and beautiful organ music on our historic organ.
Service Time:
10:45 AM
Address:
Get to Know Us
Our History
Read about the history of our congregation and our church. We were founded the same year as the City of Palo Alto.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about our church.
Our Sunday worship service lasts an hour or so, and includes hymn singing, a sermon, a choral anthem, a children’s moment, a collection of donations, shared prayers and concerns, and always, beautiful organ music. We hope you will leave inspired for the week ahead.
We will welcome you! And hand you a program so you can follow along. Sit wherever you like. You will find a hymnal for hymn singing and a Bible in front of you when you sit down. There is an attendance pad on the pew bench, where we hope you’ll share some contact information so we can stay in touch.
We’re pretty casual. But please wear shoes and shirts.
Yes, we serve communion on the first Sunday of the month. We use the intinction method – you select a square of bread and dip it in the cup of juice. We do not restrict communion; you do not need to be a Methodist – or even a Christian – to partake.
The congregation tends to listen to the complete Postlude by our wonderful organist Diane Keller. Then we congregate on the patio outside for Snack n Chat. There is coffee and tea, plus small bites to encourage folks to socialize. This is a good time for visitors to get to know church members, too.
Yes!
On Christmas Eve, we have a 5 p.m. Family Service and 11 p.m. Candlelight Service.
On Easter we have a 6:30 a.m Sunrise Service, in addition to our main 10:45 a.m. service – with the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
We have special services during Holy Week – Palm Sunday to Easter – often with our sister congregations at Wesley, St. Andrews or Aldersgate United Methodist Churches.
Four to six times a year we worship jointly with First Tongan Church of Palo Alto, which has shared our facility for a quarter-century.
We email a weekly e-news blast on Thursdays and publish a monthly newsletter on the first of the month. Contact us and sign-up to receive these communications.
The church has a small parking lot off Byron Street, there is street parking, and there is parking at the Webster/Cowper city garage. (Do not park at 550 Hamilton or you will be towed.)