• The MISSION of Sesser First United Methodist Church is to share God's love and the promise of God's saving grace so all people may become followers of Jesus Christ.
• Our VISION is that Sesser First United Methodist Church will be a vital church, intentionally reaching out to our community with Christ's love and saving grace so people may become followers of Jesus Christ.

As United Methodists:

We believe that Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Through Jesus, we discover what God is really like – a loving God, full of compassion, forgiveness, and grace.

We emphasize the primacy of God’s grace in the life of salvation. We affirm the sacred dignity of each and every human being. We believe that faith must be put into action.

We look to scripture, tradition, experience, and reason as guidelines for our faith, and we understand the Bible to be the primary source and foundation of our Christian witness.

We are a part of a global “connectional church” through which we share in mission and ministry throughout our world.

Church History

The town of Sesser in Franklin County of the state of Illinois was surveyed on the 29^th and 30^th days of June 1905.  As the community was established and continued to grow, the vision of organizing a Methodist Episcopal church was realized.  During the annual conference of the Mt. Vernon district of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Rev Thomas J. Davis was appointed to Sesser, which convened, September 19-24, 1906, in Vandalia, Illinois. This appointment confirmed the establishment of the Sesser Methodist Episcopal Church in 1906.

The trustees of the church met March 17, 1909 to consider purchasing lots on which to construct a church building at the northeast corner of West Florence and State Highway 148.  The first church building was erected in 1909 with the first service meeting in September 1909.

Charter Members were: Mrs. James McCollum, Mrs. H. A. Patterson, a. E. Warren, Mrs. A. E. Warren, John Dugan, Anna Dugan, Mrs. Walter Sulcer, F. A. Dycus, Mrs. F. A. Dycus, Alice Dycus Ray, Effie Dycus Kirkpatrick, Demonia Dycus Crain, Lizzie Thompson.

As we respect and reflect on the vision of those who made it possible for us to gather as a church family in the First United Methodist Church, we are humbled as we ponder, “What is our vision for the Methodist Church in the Sesser Community—what is the legacy we are prayerfully making for those who follow?”

(“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit.” I Cor. 12:4.)

Source: Archives, McKendree College, Local church records.