First United Methodist Church - Sabetha
The Story So Far
The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in Sabetha in a schoolhouse in 1868. Church meetings continued in the schoolhouse until the congregation moved into its first building in 1874. This building was destroyed by fire on April 23, 1902. The congregation’s leaders met that same evening and inaugurated plans to build a new building which was built and dedicated on February 9, 1903. In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the MEC South Church, and the Methodist Protestant Church united to form The Methodist Church. The Methodist Church would later join with the Evangelical United Brethren in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church.
Our congregation has a rich musical history with our chancel choir and our praise band. Our first instrument was a pedal organ. Later, a new organ was built which used air supplied by a pump handle and operated by a boy. This organ was rebuilt and remodeled several times and saw the replacement of the “pump boy” with an electrical motor. The organ was dedicated on November 15, 1909, and still operates today.
The Church School (as Sunday School was once called) began in 1905. Since then, our Sunday School and educational ministries have remained a primary objective for the church. The crown jewel of this ministry has been our Vacation Bible School which opens the opportunity to witness to the children of our community and their families the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Jesus told his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19 – 20 NRSV) To this end, we are in the pursuit of bringing one more person, one more soul to Jesus. To this end, we affiliated with the Global Methodist Church on July 1, 2023. As members of the GMC, we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly.
The Faith We Proclaim
We the people of the Sabetha Methodist Church believe in one God who is manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in God the Father who created everything and everyone.
We believe in Jesus, God the Son, who is God’s Word made flesh and blood, and so he is truly human and truly God. He proved God’s love by willingly dying on the cross to pay our debt of sin and satisfy the wrath of God. He took all of humanity’s sin upon himself including all sins ever committed and all sins yet to have been committed and died. Three days later, he rose victorious over death and the grave, and because he lives, we who believe in him will live also.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who is God’s presence in power in each one of us and throughout creation.
We believe in one Church which is made up of the faithful congregations throughout the world regardless of denomination.
We believe in the communion of saints which are all the people of God of every time and place including heaven who are in relationship with God.
We believe in the forgiveness of sins which is made possible by the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
We believe in our resurrection through Jesus and the true, abundant, and eternal life he brings in this life and in the life to come.
We believe that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation and is the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured.