Acker Chapel · Anniston First United Methodist
Hymns, the Creed,
and a sermon.
Sundays at 8:30.
If the worship you grew up with is the worship you’ve been missing, Acker Chapel is where you’ll find it.
- When
- Sundays, 8:30 a.m.
- Where
- Acker Chapel1400 Noble Street, Anniston
- How long
- About an hourYou’ll be back in your car by 9:30
- What it is
- Traditional worshipHymns, the Apostles’ Creed, Scripture, a sermon
What this service is
Traditional, in the plain sense of the word.
That word gets used loosely, so here is what we actually mean by it.
We sing hymns — the ones with verses and a hymnal in the pew rack. We say the Apostles’ Creed together, the same words the church has been saying for centuries. We pray, we read Scripture, and we hear a sermon. There is no band, no screens, and no one asking you to turn and greet six strangers.
It is quiet, it is early, and it is over before most of the day gets going. For a lot of folks, that is exactly the point.
The hour, in order
What actually happens, start to finish.
You walk in and someone hands you a bulletin. Everything that is going to happen is printed in it, in order, so you are never guessing what comes next.
- We gather. Music plays, people find their seats, and the room settles.
- We sing. Hymn numbers are printed in the bulletin; the hymnals are in the pew in front of you.
- We pray and say the Lord’s Prayer together. The words are printed.
- We say the Apostles’ Creed. Also printed. Nobody is checking whether you say it from memory — or whether you say it at all.
- We read Scripture.
- We hear a sermon.
- We take up an offering. The plate will pass by you. Letting it pass is a completely normal thing to do, and no one is watching.
- We are sent out, with a final hymn and a blessing.
On the first Sunday of the month, we 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, that is a real option too — plenty of people do, for plenty of reasons.
The honest answers
The questions people ask themselves in the parking lot.
Is this a small group of people who all already know each other?
Yes. We are not going to pretend otherwise — the folks who worship in Acker Chapel have been sitting near each other for a long time, and a lot of them are the reason this church has kept its doors open.
Here is the part that matters for you: a group that close notices a new face immediately, and what that mostly looks like is somebody saying good morning and meaning it. If you would rather slip in and slip out, you can do that too. Both are fine.
Is everyone older than me?
Probably some of them. This service leans older, and we would rather tell you that than have you walk in surprised. But traditional worship is not an age — it is a preference, and plenty of people find their way here because it is the way they want to worship, not the year they were born. If that is you, you belong in the room.
What do people wear?
Whatever gets you here. You will see some suits and some jeans, and nobody has ever been turned away over a collar.
Will I have to stand up and introduce myself?
No. We do not do that.
What if I do not know the hymns, or the Creed, or when to stand?
The bulletin tells you almost everything, and for the rest, just follow the person in front of you — which is what all of us did the first time. You are allowed to sit when others stand, and you are allowed to listen instead of sing.
What if it has been a long time since I have been in a church?
Then you will be in good company.
Do I need to be a member? Will someone follow up with me?
No, and only if you want us to. There is a card in the bulletin if you would like to hear from us. If you leave it blank, that is your answer and we will respect it.
Is there anything for my kids?
There is no children’s programming at 8:30 — children stay with you in the service, and they are genuinely welcome there. This is a room full of people who raised children in these pews and are not bothered by the sound of one. If your family would rather have children’s ministry, our 10:30 Multigenerational service is the better fit, and we would be glad to see you there instead.
Getting there
Where to park, and which door.
Address
1400 Noble Street
Anniston, AL 36201
Closest parking
The Noble Street spaces run along the front of the chapel — those 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 map below marks each one.
Which door
The chapel entrance faces Noble Street, between 14th and 15th. It is marked on the map below.
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.
Come a few minutes early if you would like to get your bearings. Come at 8:31 if that is what the morning allowed. Either way, there is a seat.
Who you’ll meet
Two pastors, one service.
Rev. Tammy H. Jackson
Senior PastorTammy has led Anniston First since 2020 and preaches most Sundays in Acker Chapel. She grew up just down the road in Glencoe, and served churches in Cherokee County, Gadsden and Albertville before coming here.
More about Tammy
Before her appointment here, Tammy served the Ebenezer and Hebron congregations in Cherokee County as a licensed local pastor while completing her seminary education at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. She was Associate Pastor at Gadsden First United Methodist Church, lead pastor of Hewett Memorial in Albertville, and pastor of Hope of Albertville, a merger of two United Methodist congregations. She then spent three years as Executive Director of the Family Success Center of Etowah County.
For six years she was Candidacy Coordinator and Local Pastor Registrar for the Mountain Lakes District, walking with people discerning a call to ministry. She teaches Christian Education and mentors at the North Alabama Conference’s annual Licensing School, and serves as vice-chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Her husband, Joseph, was her high school sweetheart; they have been married almost twenty-eight years. Joseph is a facility technician with AT&T here in Calhoun County. They have two grown sons, Andrew — married to Bethanie — and Ryan, and a granddaughter, Elizabeth. Tammy and Joseph cycle, on road and mountain, and share their house with a cat named Itty Bitty and an old, beloved dog named Shadow.
Rev. Kyle Bryan
Executive PastorKyle came to Anniston First as an associate pastor in 2017. In 2022 he stepped away to work on a homeless shelter project with United Way of East Central Alabama, came back part-time in 2025, and returned full-time in 2026. He preaches here occasionally.
Sundays at 8:30 in Acker Chapel.
You don’t have to have it figured out to walk through the door.
Questions before Sunday? 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.