Visit · Anniston First United Methodist
Experience worship with us.
We are Generations Together — rooted in grace, growing in faith, leading with hope. We worship twice on a Sunday morning, and the two services are genuinely different from each other. Here is what you need to pick one, and nothing you need to sort out first.
- 8:30
- Acker ChapelTraditional — hymns, the Creed, a sermon
- 10:30
- MultigenerationalHymns and new songs, with children’s church
- Summer
- Common GroundJune and July, out at Camp Lee
What to Expect
Five things that are true of this church, whichever service you pick.
Inclusive Community
You do not need to have it all figured out. Come as you are. Whether you are new to church, returning after time away, or visiting for the first time, you will find a warm and accepting community of all ages and backgrounds.
Engaging, Faithful Preaching
Our pastors preach messages that connect Scripture to real life. We want you to leave with hope, clarity, and a faith you can live out beyond Sunday.
Worship Shaped by Music and the Arts
We believe worship can unite hearts, inspire minds, and draw us closer to God. You will experience musical variety, including cherished hymns and contemporary songs, offered in a way that helps the whole congregation worship together.
A Participatory Worship Experience
Worship at Anniston First invites you to join in, not just watch. You will have space for singing, prayer, reflection, and a sense of shared community.
A Church for Families and for Every Generation
Children and youth are not the church “someday.” They are part of the church today. Families will find a welcoming environment, and you will see people of all ages worshiping together and learning from one another.
Two services
8:30 and 10:30 are not the same hour twice.
They are different rooms, different music, and to some extent different crowds. Neither is the “real” service. Pick the one that sounds like what you are looking for, and if you pick wrong, come to the other one next week.
Sundays, 8:30 a.m.
Acker Chapel
Traditional worship in the chapel. Hymns out of the hymnal, the Apostles’ Creed said together, prayer, Scripture and a sermon. No band, no screens, and nobody asking you to greet six strangers.
- Music: hymns, organ and piano
- Room: the chapel — small, quiet, close
- Who’s there: a tight-knit group that leans older, and anyone who wants worship this way
- Children: welcome in the service; no separate programming at this hour
- Length: about an hour — you’ll be back in your car by 9:30
Sundays, 10:30 a.m.
Multigenerational Worship
Worship in the Sanctuary with every age in one room. Hymns out of the hymnal and songs written in the last few years, often in the same hour. If you came for one and not the other, you will get some of each.
- Music: choir, worship band, handbells, organ and piano
- Room: the Sanctuary — large, and easy to sit at the back
- Who’s there: families, teenagers, single adults, and people in their eighties, together
- Children: nursery for birth through age two, a children’s moment, then children’s church
- Summer: June and July this service moves out to Camp Lee
Come as you are
You can belong here before you feel settled.
Ask honest questions. Build friendships at whatever speed suits you. Take your next step when you are ready to take it, and not before.
If what you are looking for is a church where the tradition runs deep, the future still has hope in it, and nobody is keeping score on you — there is room here, at either hour.
Your first Sunday
What happens at both services, from the car to the last song.
Most of what makes a first visit uncomfortable is not knowing the small things. These are true whichever service you come to.
- You park. The Noble Street spaces run along the front of the building, and there are four lots within a short walk. The maps below mark all of them.
- You come in off Noble Street. Both entrances face Noble. Somebody will be at the door.
- You are handed a bulletin. Everything that is going to happen is printed in it, in order, so you are never guessing what comes next.
- You sit wherever you want. Nobody has saved a seat, nobody is counting, and nobody will move you.
- You sing, or you listen. Both are worship. You are allowed to sit when others stand.
- The plate passes. Letting it go by is a completely normal thing to do, and no one is watching.
- Nobody asks you to stand up. We do not single visitors out. There is a card in the bulletin if you want us to know you came; leaving it blank is a perfectly good answer.
- You leave when it ends — or you stay and talk. Either one is fine, and you can choose on the day.
On the first Sunday of the month, both services share Communion.
In the United Methodist Church the table is open. You do not have to be a member here, or a member anywhere, or have anything sorted out, to come forward. And if you would rather stay in your seat, plenty of people do, for plenty of reasons.
Getting there
Where to park, and which door.
Address
1400 Noble Street
Anniston, AL 36201
Parking
The Noble Street spaces are the shortest walk. The West Lot, the Church Lot, the Court Avenue Lot and the Meals on Wheels Lot are all close by, and the maps below mark each one.
Which door at 8:30
The Acker Chapel entrance faces Noble Street, between 14th and 15th.
Which door at 10:30
The Sanctuary entrance, also on Noble Street.
Accessibility
The building is handicap accessible and we have ADA restrooms. If it would help to know exactly where to come in and where to sit, call the church office before Sunday and we will walk you through it.
If you are running late
Come anyway, to either service. Slip in at the back — it will not be remarked on.
Plan your visit
We look forward to meeting you.
If you are not sure which service suits you, or you would like someone to meet you at the door, call 256-236-5605 or email info@annistonfirst.info.
A real person will answer you, and asking now beats wondering about it in the parking lot.