First United Methodist Church of Lexington, NC

The rich heritage of the Lexington First United Methodist Church dates back to the early 1800’s. Many faithful, dedicated members made this dream come true.

The first church was built on a one-half acre lot, deeds dated 1833 and 1837, at the corner of East First and North Salisbury Streets. The St. Stephens United Methodist Church now occupies this site.

In 1874, the second church was built in the third block of Main Street, now the site of Lanier’s Hardware, at a cost of $5,000. This church was destroyed by fire in 1902. The third church was built on this same site in 1903. In 1924 and 1933, additional Sunday School rooms were added. During this time, the church served the community with a public playground on the back of the lot. In the next block, now our back parking lot, was a "hut", which was used for chicken pie suppers, local civic club meetings, and Boy Scout meetings and activities.

In 1940, the Methodist Protestant Church on South State Street (now a Masonic Lodge) merged with the First Methodist Church, and we became the First Methodist Church.

The fourth and present church was built in 1953-54. The first service was held on May 16, 1955. A major renovation program, including making all facilities accessible to the physically challenged and upgrading restrooms and offices was completed in 2004.