The tornadoes of 2011 wrecked some of our building, especially the sanctuary, but we recovered with unity, grace and joy."Mitchell Williams, Pastor of First United Methodist Church Cullman
CULLMAN – Meet Mitchell Williams, pastor of Cullman's First United Methodist Church. He deeply enjoys leading his congregation in the genuine worship of the Lord. He also uses his position in the church to help families in need in every possible way. He thrives by serving alongside other members in ministry to benefit the community as a whole.
Pastor Mitchell grew up in Homewood, Ala. He attended Vanderbilt University for a degree in drama and earned a Masters in Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He has been a United Methodist pastor ever since graduation. He married his wife Jodi 35 years ago. They have two grown sons whom each has a family of his own. Mitchell and Jodi are grandparents to six lively, wonderful grandchildren.
Mitchell has served congregations in Huntsville, Sylacauga, Birmingham and Decatur. He has been the pastor at First United Methodist Church in Cullman for five years.
"First United Methodist was the third Protestant church in Cullman, founded in 1879," he proudly explained. "We have three worship services, one of them ‘contemporary,' though all have folks casually dressed," he smiled. "We are not judgmental and welcome those who have questions, doubts, and hungers."
"We have two of the most trusted preschool programs in the city: Sonshine School and Mom's Day Out," he continued. "We sponsor a large scouting program and host various groups from the community. The tornadoes of 2011 wrecked some of our building, especially the sanctuary, but we recovered with unity, grace and joy. We appreciate serving a great community like Cullman," he said warmly.
However, recovering with unity, grace, and joy is not necessarily easy. Mitchell has had many challenges over the years, but thankfully he continues to give his ministry his all, and, as a result, the church continues to thrive.
"I find that one of the greatest challenges is myself – staying true to and growing in Christ," he said, quite honestly. "There are the challenges of translating the Gospel into lifestyles in Cullman, presenting a winsome call for discipleship (taking into account the many rivals for times and attention), and making sure everyone knows a meaningful and worthwhile place to serve the kingdom of God."
Clearly Pastor Mitchell loves his church and takes his ministry quite seriously. His love for God and devotion to his congregation is akin to a breath of fresh air.
First United Methodist Church is located at 320 3rd St SE, Cullman, AL 35055 and can be reached by calling 256-734-6690.
They have traditional worship each Sunday at 8:45 and 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and contemporary worship at 8:45 a.m. each Sunday in Hearin Hall. Sunday School begins at 10:05 a.m.
For more information, visit CullmanFUMC.com and follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/cullmanfumc.
