Who We Are
Avon United Methodist Church exists to help people love God, love others and serve the world,
starting right here in the western suburbs of Cleveland.
Welcome!
"What great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
-1 John 3:1
God loves us in an amazing way. At Avon United Methodist Church, it's our mission to help you connect with this loving God. Through worship, bible studies, service opportunities and more, we are continually growing as a faith family. Join us on Sunday morning to experience the warmth of our faith and the strength of our community. Everyone is welcome, just as you are, to worship with us.
What does Worship look like?
Though our services each have their own style, we worship through song, scripture reading, prayer and teaching at each. We observe Holy Communion on Family Sundays.
Contemporary Worship Service
(9am) draws us in with modern worship music and instruments, and a bit more of a casual feel. This service is popular with people of all ages.
Traditional Worship Service
(10:30am) has your favorite hymns, and we also hear from our chancel choir and hand bell choir regularly. This service is popular with many who have grown up in the church.
Marks of Discipleship
As a church, we take being disciples of Jesus seriously. We are called by God to be faithful and to be growing. We strive to live out these disciplines together, as a faith community under Jesus.
A Follower of Jesus at Avon UMC...
...Worships Regularly
...Prays Often
...Reads Scripture Consistently
...Participates in Faith-Forming Community
...Serves the Church
...Loves their Neighbors
...Gives to the Mission
What time is church, and what should I wear?
Worship services are every Sunday, at 9am (Contemporary) and 10:30am (Traditional). We also Live Stream our indoor worship services (we worship outdoors, under our pavilion, at 9am from Memorial Day through Labor Day), and the stream starts about 10 minutes before each service.
We invite you to come as you are to all of our events. You will find people wearing everything from jeans to suits on Sundays, but you are not obliged to "dress up" in any special way for our services. We would just love to see you here.
What about my kids?
Children of all ages are always welcome in our worship services. In addition, we offer Sunday School classes through 5th grade each Sunday. Our Nursery service (for children up to age 2) is also available, and there is a quiet room in the West Hall if you need to leave the service with your littlest one(s).
On Family Sundays (typically 1st Sunday of the month), we celebrate Communion, and we invite you to worship with your school-aged children in big church.
Who is the pastor?
Pastor Micah Holland began serving our congregation July 1st, 2015. He is married to Jessica and they have two children. Originally from Minnesota, he did his undergraduate schooling in Indiana, his graduate work in Ohio, and he has served as a pastor in Ohio ever since.
Click here to learn more about Pastor Micah and all of our church staff.
As we approached Easter in 2024, we couldn't help but notice that our world is filled with division and tension, even though this is not what God desires for us. The Bible says, in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, "May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way." This is only one of hundreds of mentions of peace in the Old and New Testaments, and we would love to offer our community a symbol of God's Peace this Easter.
All 500 crosses were taken on Palm Sunday, March 24, 300 more were taken the weekend of April 20/21. The crosses are free (limit 2, please), and we hope they will bring our neighbors a renewed sense of peace and calm in their hearts at all times and in all ways.
(In 2020, during the pandemic, we did something similar with Hope Crosses. Scroll down to see more about that project.)
A Brief History of Avon UMC
In 1820, a group of sixteen people, seven men and nine women, gathered to discuss opening a Methodist Episcopal church in the area. Funds were scarce, but with dedication to their faith, strong wills and a desire in their hearts they organized a church class in this region, then called Xuema (Zuma).
After Lorain county was formed in 1822, this area was renamed "Avon Township" by petition in 1824, and officially organized (with a Post Office established) in 1825. The small township became a Village in the year 1917, and by 1961 it had grown into a City.
The first gathering place for Worship Services and Sunday School was a log schoolhouse. In 1826, a large block meeting house was built to serve all denominations in the area, and the first Methodist Episcopal Church building was constructed in 1834 on North Ridge Rd (now Detroit Rd). By 1853, it was apparent that a larger space was necessary, and a new building was constructed at the same location in 1855. This church was solidly built, and survived until January 1910 when it was destroyed by fire.
Weekly church meetings continued in the Woodsmen of the World Hall, on the second floor of a building on the corner of Detroit Road and Route 611 (there was a meat market and a Post Office on the first floor). The cornerstone for the new church was laid on July 24, 1910, and the building was dedicated in January 8, 1911, a year to the day after the fire.
With continued growth, there was a need to move to a new location again in the mid-1900s. The church broke ground in November 1964, the cornerstone was laid in March and the steeple raised in July of 1965, and the first Worship Service took place at 37711 Detroit Rd (our current location) on November 7, 1965. In 1967, the Barn was moved to its current location and dedicated, and the Pavilion was built in 1976. Worshipers continue to meet here each Sunday, and we welcome you to join us, just as we have for the past 200+ years.
Our 200th Anniversary
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we celebrated the 200th Anniversary of Avon United Methodist Church, which makes Avon UMC the oldest church in our community! Check out this video of some of our Senior Saints opening the time capsule and reminiscing about what it feels like to be rooted so deeply in this faith community.
Sharing Hope With Our Neighbors
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a group from Avon UMC got together to build and distribute Hope Crosses to our community, led by our pastor Micah Holland. These crosses signify that we look to Jesus for our Hope in hard times and always, and we wanted to extend that hope to our neighbors as well. We were able to distribute more than 3,000 crosses from April through September 2020, and we also gave out a few the next Easter. Thank you to Pastor Micah and the teams who made this happen!
