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We make disciples through worship, various small groups and teams as we learn about Jesus.

We make a difference in Seward and beyond by following Jesus’ example and serving like Jesus.

Rooted in Love: A History of the Seward United Methodist Church

The Seward United Methodist Church celebrated 150 years of ministry in September 2017. With roots dating to 1867, the church continues to be rooted in love, learning from our past, serving in the present and growing into the future.

The Methodist Church

The Methodist Church congregation formed in Seward in the summer of 1867 as the community itself was beginning to take shape. The first Methodist Church was a brick building at the corner of Third Street and Jackson Avenue. It was dedicated on Dec. 29, 1874, by Bishop Andrews. By 1878, it was the home church for 184 Methodists in Seward County.

The first building was torn down in 1889 and replaced with a new one that same year. It opened its doors and was dedicated on June 1, 1890. The debt for this building was paid in full by October 1899.

As early as 1905, the church ladies were raising money to supplement the budget by hosting a fair and chicken supper. This rich tradition continues today as the United Women in Faith host their annual Four Seasons Bazaar to raise money for missions.

A parsonage was built north of the church in 1910. It was home to 15 pastors and their families over the course of 52 years. It also provided space for Sunday School classrooms from 1962 to 1969.

By 1924, the church had added a pipe organ, a northern wing, kitchen and dining room in the basement and a new heating system.

Milestone celebrations

Members commemorated the 60th anniversary of the church in 1934 with a month-long celebration in December. The congregation built a friendship with the Evangelical United Brethren church, meeting together for prayer and Sunday evening worship, as well as participating in a countywide Sunday School organization.

Several estate gifts were bequeathed to the church in the 1950s to fund the church carillon bells and a grand piano.

In 1954, the congregation celebrated 80 years in the Methodist Church. By 1955, membership had grown to 550.

Repair or Replace

Discussion began in 1958 on whether to repair and expand the deteriorating brick church or build new. A vote in January 1959 resulted in maintaining the existing building with minimal repairs. In September of that year, members voted to purchase a half block of land on Jackson Street between Columbia Avenue and First Street, as the location for a new church building. The land was purchased in October for $24,500, and a fund was started in 1962 for the cost of constructing a new church.

Plans for the new church came together in 1963 with an approximate cost of $280,000. The half-block of Jackson Street property was sold and a new site purchased for $28,500 at the corner of Fifth Street and Northern Heights Drive.

Churches merge

Meanwhile, as the Methodist Church was flourishing, the United Brethren Church and the Evangelical Church found themselves growing in Seward, too. On Nov. 16, 1946, the two merged to become the Evangelical United Brethren Church at the corner of Sixth and Bradford Streets. While the building still stands, it is now Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church.

The EUBC celebrated its 85th anniversary on Nov. 3, 1951, and on Nov. 27, 1967, the EUBC and the Methodist Church began planning their union, which had been under discussion at both the local and national levels for many years. The two congregations officially came under one pastor on June 1, 1968, and a service was to be held at each church building, one early in the morning and one later in the day.

Seward United Methodist Church

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new home of the now-combined United Methodist Church of Seward was held on June 23, 1968, and the first Sunday service in the new church building was held on Sept. 21, 1969. Closing services were held at both of the old buildings before the congregation processed into the new sanctuary.

The former Methodist church property was purchased by the City of Seward and torn down. The former E.U.B building was sold to the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church.

By 1974, the membership had grown to more than 800 congregants.

In 2001, the church purchased property to the south for potential future expansion – a project that came to fruition in 2023.

The Seward United Methodist Foundation incorporated on April 11, 2006, to provide a way for trust donations to be held and their earnings used to benefit the church, missions and improvements to the church property.

Membership sits around 700, and members voted in 2015 to add an associate pastor in addition to the lead pastor.

“With deep gratitude to God for a generous past, our future beckons.”

(Source: The History of the United Methodist Church – 150 Years of Service, September 2017)