First Christian Church, 120 Columbus St, Wilmington, OH 45177, US

The Wilmington United Methodist church began its life as a group of seven people, meeting in each others homes in 1813. The founder and leader of the class was Rev. William Austin, a circuit rider from the Lebanon area. Within a year the class had grown enough to be designated a congregation and the Wilmington Methodist Episcopal Church became the first church to be organized in the Wilmington area. More on our church's heritage and future... Throughout its history, the Wilmington United Methodist Church has been a mission-oriented body. Led by the Ladies Aid Society, the Women's Home and Foreign Mission Societies, and the Epworth league in it early years, and then the Women's Society and the United Methodist Youth today, the church has reached out to the community and the world. In a history of the church written for its centennial celebration in 1918 it was noted that: "There is no great Christian enterprise on earth, to which Wilmington Methodism does not contribute its prayers and means." That same spirit of charity, outreach, and mission continues to drive The Wilmington United Methodist Church in the 21st century. Our Ministry on Main building houses the Wilmington Benefit Bank which aids the poor of our community. Our members served on the boards and as volunteers for virtually every charity and public service agency in the county. We help to fund more than a dozen helping agencies in Wilmington and Clinton County and we provide more than $ 2000 in financial aid directly to persons in need of emergency help every year. Our ministry does not end in our own community. We send youth and adult mission teams throughout our own country and the world each year. Volunteers from our church have served in hurricane, flood, and earthquake recovery efforts around the world and we provide regular support to missions in Appalachia and Latin America.