Our Mission & Vision
Our vision and mission is to help connect people to faith and each other.
Through worship, fellowship and outreach efforts, we hope to bring people together on a journey towards Christ. We welcome you wherever you are on your journey, whether it be life-long or moment-by-moment. All are welcome here!
Visitors Q & A
We understand that it can be difficult to visit a new church for the first time. We hope this Q&A will help you feel more comfortable joining us for worship and other church activities!
What should I expect when entering the church for worship?
A greeter, or greeters, will normally greet you at the door. You’ll find people gathered in the Narthex Lobby chatting with friends and visitors. Ten minutes prior to the beginning of the service we have what we call a Hymn Sing, which is an informal chance to sing a few hymns selected by people present. People are still being seated and chatting with neighbors, so don’t be alarmed when you enter the church and hear music – you’re not late.
What should I wear?
We want you to be comfortable. You’ll find most people wearing casual attire. In the summer you’ll find everything from shorts and flip-flops to slacks and casual shirts. In the winter people wear slacks, jeans or even sweats with sweaters, shirts, or sweatshirts.
What is your style of worship?
The style of worship is traditional & casual. To see the current bulletin/schedule of worship – see Worship on the Home Page.
Is there a Sunday School?
Sunday School is normally held during the summer months whenever children are present.
There is a classroom that a parent/guardian can use with instructional materials. We welcome children to the service.
Is there a nursery?
There is a Family Worship room during the service where the service can be seen and heard and where toys are available. We welcome children to the service.
How is Communion served?
In the Methodist Church everyone is invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Currently, during the COVID precautions we are passing out a Fellowship Cup which is a prefilled communion cup with wafer and juice sets.
How do I join the church?
If you’re interested in joining the church, or just finding out more about it, please contact the Pastor at 715-634-3883 or by email at humcpastor1@gmail.com.
Our Church History
In the spring of 1983, conversations and correspondence began between Lloyd Anderson and retired United Methodist Pastor Fay Johnson about starting a Hayward United Methodist Church. Some of that correspondence was with the Church of the Ascension, the Episcopal church on California Avenue in Hayward.
The Episcopal church allowed this new church to meet in their building on Sunday mornings prior to their own hours of worship, a fitting relationship since the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, was a priest of the Church of England in the 17th century, a precursor to the American Episcopal denomination.
Pastor Fay Johnson served as the pastor of the fledgling congregation for that first year until the Wisconsin Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church appointed the Rev. Bill McBride to be its first full-time appointed pastor beginning in July, 1984.
In August of that year, a parsonage was secured and a new location for the church came about. A building on South 27 was rented with two rooms with sufficient space to provide for a sanctuary and Sunday school. Furnishings such as pews, altar, and pulpit were secured by donation from closed churches throughout Wisconsin, some of which furnishings are still in use in the church today. A used organ was also given to the church, having been in the home of a long-time church organist who had recently died. That has since been replaced.
From its humble beginnings, the young congregation continued to grow by word of mouth and ads in the weekly classifieds such as the following from March of 1984: “Your United Methodist friends, worshipping each Sunday at 9 a.m. 212 California, the church with the red door, invite you to visit us! We are a believing people. At the heart of our lives is faith in the good news of God’s transforming love for all, shown in so many ways, but supremely in the life, death and resurrection and living caring presence of Jesus, the Christ.”
In June of 1989, the present United Methodist church building at the intersection of Highway B and Olker Road, just beyond the Lumberjack Bowl, was dedicated. In August of 2002, the addition of a fellowship hall and classroom facility was dedicated, doubling the size of the church. Today, we are better than 120 strong and are a vital part of the worshipping community of Hayward.
Come Share the Warmth.