Effort United Methodist Church

Effort United Methodist Church Located on Merwinsburg Road, Off of Route 115 in Effort, PA Telephone: (570) 629-1890 Worship Services: Saturday - 5:00 pm Sunday - 8:30 and 11:00am

The Purpose of Effort United Methodist Church is to know, love and serve God as a unified Christian community, inviting others to become deeply committed followers of Jesus Christ.

We are active in caring for the whole person, both spiritually and physically, reaching out in ministry every day of the week! Monday to Friday we minister to children through our Preschool and Day Care Center, and hold a Seekers Bible Study on Monday on site and Home Bible Studies on Tuesday evenings. There is a dynamic Choir meeting for practice every Wednesday and a contemporary Praise Band practicing on various Tuesdays. Every Saturday, our Supplemental Food Resource Center provides food and other necessary items to persons in the West End community from 10 am - 12 pm, including Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for families in need.

The Core Values of Effort United
Methodist Church (EUMC) are:

E: Evangelism -- sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

U: Unity in the Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace.

M: Mission -- supporting and sending servants of Christ into all the world.

C: Community -- caring for the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors.

History adapted from a synopsis written by former Pastor Jack Rule:

Our first Church home was in the Hatmaker house. This lasted only a short while, because, the homeowner ordered an end to revival meetings on her property. So, in 1889, twenty-four men and many women gathered at Wood Hollow near Effort to build a meeting room 16 ft. by 22 ft. that cost $28.66. We met there until cold weather forced us to meet in the Gillespie home. Then in 1891 our first sanctuary was built.

After 104 years of service and seven major building campaigns, we consecrated our present Church Sanctuary and Pavilion on November 18th, 1995. Cost of the Sanctuary was $710,000, and the Pavilion was $40,000. The Fellowship Hall with kitchen were added to the first Sanctuary in 1985 and Wesley Hall was added to our present Sanctuary in 1998. Effort United Methodist Church has been served by 35 Pastors, beginning with Rev. Joseph W. Hudson in 1892 to its present Pastor, Rev. Robin G. Fisher, 2010 – Present.