Our Purpose
Come to Hastings First United Methodist Church, and you will likely hear our ‘littles’ reciting our mission statement:

Look up, Build Up, Reach Out and Invite In.

We are glad you are here!

Our focus is:

To Look Up – to God who is our source

To Build Up – one another in faith and strengthen one another in service to Christ

To Reach Out – to our community, serving others, especially those in need

To Invite In – so that lives may be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through each of us.

At Hastings First United Methodist Church, we strive to personify the United Methodist vision of Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors. Always challenged to learn and grow, we seek, aspire and pray to do ministry as Christ showed us ministry, by loving God and loving our neighbors. Our heart’s desire is to love as Christ loved, to show compassion as Christ showed compassion, to show mercy as Christ showed mercy and to show grace as Christ showed grace.

Our History

Our church has grown with the community of Hastings from it’s inception. In April and May of 1871, a group of English settlers arrived in what would come to be known as Hastings, Nebraska. Initially, a small group of people met in homes with the Reverend Thompson preaching the Gospel. By September, 1872, the Methodist Church was organized, and in 1874, we built the first church in Hastings. Since then, we have grown, relocated and remodeled over time, but are still closely tied with our community. Currently, we reside in the heart of Hastings at 614 N Hastings Avenue and serve people from all walks of life. As United Methodists, we are united in ministry to each other, to our community and to our world. Here at Hastings First United Methodist Church, we live as a family, we serve our community through local mission work and are blessed to have international mission ties in Costa Rica.

In our family, we will…

love and accept one another
ROM 14:1, ROM 15:7, 1 PET 1:22, 1 JOHN 4:7

pray for one another
PHIL 1:3-4, 1 TIM 2:1, HEB 13:7, JAMES 5:16

tell the truth to each other
EPH 4:25, COL 3:9, 1 PET 2:1, 1 PET 3:10

be kind to one another
ZECH 7:9, COL 3:12, 1 THESS 5:15

bring joy to each other
PROV 15:30, PROV 17:22, PROV 23:25, PHM 1:7

serve one another
ACTS 20:35, JAMES 1:27, 1 PET 4:10, 1 PET 5:5

be patient with each other
1 COR 12:12-25, EPH 4:2, COL 3:13, JAMES 1:19-20

comfort one another
2 COR 1:3-7, GAL 6:2, 2 THESS 2:16-17

forgive one another
LUKE 6:36-37, LUKE 17:3-4, COL 3:13, 1 PET 3:9

be generous with each other
PROV 22:9, ACTS 2:42-47, 1 TIM 6:17-19, 1 PET 4:9

honor each other
MARK 9:35, ROM 12:10, PHIL 2:3, 1 PET 2:17