First German Methodist Church, 1896

520 West Jefferson Street

First German Methodist Church (Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints), 1896

German settlers in Ann Arbor maintained cultural unity through close religious ties formed in their homeland. Their faith was a rock, an unwavering refuge of strength for immigrants in this strange new land. Key to their faith and traditions was the mother tongue, the language of their Bible, catechism, and beloved hymns. So even though Ann Arbor already had a Methodist Church, Germans of that denomination petitioned for one of their own, and a congregation the Erste Deutsche Methodisten Kirche was organized by the Ohio Conference in 1847, with their church building at the southwest corner of Liberty and Division.

Erected in 1896, this was the second building for the congregation. It later changed its name to the West Side Methodist Church with services conducted in English, after early generations of German-speaking members had passed away. Today's West Side Methodists worship in larger quarters on South Seventh Street.

Since 1951 this cheerful little building, an example of simplified Gothic Revival style, has been the home of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Gothic windows and the tower with matching single doors at the base distinguish the building. Careful maintenance seems to assure its continued presence as a neighborhood landmark.