Want to talk to a pastor? Click here to learn more about our pastoral and program ministries team. Our pastors would be glad to meet with you over food or coffee, pray with you over the phone, connect you with other resources, discuss all of life’s hardest questions with you, celebrate a joy with you, and so on. It’s pretty much all fair game.
Contact Information
Address: 7753 1st Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35206
Phone: (205) 836-3201 – Church Office
Email: elumccomm@gmail.com – East Lake UMC Communications
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastLakeUMC – Make sure to “like” us to stay in the loop!
Announcements: In addition to checking Facebook, you can also subscribe to our Chimes newsletter and other email lists by reaching out to the email address above.
Directions and Hours
Our parking lot is at the corner of 78th Street and 2nd Avenue (at the back of the building that the GPS usually takes you to, across from the old Village Market). If you’re by the giant bell tower, you’re at the right place!
Our Church Office building is the smaller building in that lot, closest to the playground. It is where we give out snack bags. Knock on the glass double doors of that building if you have something to drop off, something to pick up, something to ask, or someone to meet up with! Our Church Office is open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
Our main building is the larger building in that lot, the one with the bell tower. It is where most of our worship services, events, and programs take place. It also houses our Recovery Drop-in Center. Most people come and go through the glass double doors on the parking lot side. They lead you into our Welcome Area where we usually have greeters or our security guard to help you find your way. There is a handicap accessible entrance to the right of those double doors. If you take the ramp entrance, the Meeting Room is directly across the hall, and the Welcome Area as well as the Drop-in Center are down the hall to the left.
Our Downstairs Diner, Thrift Store, and Fellowship Hall/Wesley Hall are on the bottom floor of the main building. For events (Halloween Carnival, Christmas Party, etc.) and Bell Tower Players productions in the Fellowship Hall/Wesley Hall, you can enter the glass double doors described above and an usher will show you the way downstairs from there. You can best access the Diner and Thrift Store when they are open by going to the left side of the main building, going down the stairs outside, and entering that door. If you need an elevator to get downstairs, you can enter the main building as described above, and a greeter or security guard in the glass door area can point you to it.
What to Expect on Your First Visit/FAQs
Whether you have been devoted to a church your whole life or still aren’t sure what Christianity is all about, we’re excited that you’re considering exploring what it means to be a part of the body of Christ, of the United Methodist Church, and of this congregation and community in Eastern Birmingham. You are welcome here!
Perhaps you’re wondering about some of the below questions. However, if you have a question or concern that isn’t touched upon here, please reach out and we’ll be glad to get you all set.
What about worship? Although our church family embraces an enormous web of people who are involved in various programs outside of worship, a group of people gather in each of our Sunday morning services each week. You can learn more about why we worship, what we do at worship and what our two different worship services look like here, and discern which one you’d like to explore first! Our 9am service is also livestreamed on Facebook if you’d like to tune in digitally or look at past recordings first. In both services, we seek to provide meaningful opportunities for everyone to connect with God. Both services are filled with wonderful people, and both services are relatively laid back.
Where do I go? You can enter the main building’s glass double doors or the handicap entrance (described above) for each service. At 9am, there will be an usher handing out bulletins in that Welcome Area who can direct you to the Sanctuary. At 11am, most people gather in the Welcome Area as we wait for the band to finish rehearsing and can walk with you to the Chapel when it’s time to start worship.
What about kids? Although children are always welcome to participate in worship, our Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries, along with other adult volunteers, provides childcare and thoughtful activites for young people of all ages during both services. The usher and other congregants can show you where to find our Director. You can find more information about our Director here, and learn more about our other programs for children and youth here.
What do I wear? People come to worship in all different kinds of clothing, though our 11am service tends to be more casual. Some people will be in dress clothes, some people will be in jeans, and some people will be in a t-shirt and athletic pants. We encourage you to come in whatever clothes that you find comfortable and appropriate, and assure you that you will be accepted and there is no expectation of certain clothes for you to wear. Face masks are not required, but you are welcome to wear one if it makes you more comfortable.
What are y’all like? You’ll find soon upon arriving that our church family offers radical hospitality and welcome to ALL people. We are passionate about closely connecting with God, each other, and our neighbors. We uplift, support, and carry each other throughout life’s journeys. Many people in our church family live just down the street and some people drive over an hour to get to church. We are made up of diverse faith backgrounds, life stages, races, socio-economic situations, political affiliations, sexualities and gender identities, and so on. While you can learn more about what it means to be United Methodist here, it is not a requirement to be a member of the United Methodist Church to fully engage in this family of faith. Click here for more discussion about who we are and what we believe.
Will people know that I’m a visitor? Since we are such a close family and our worship services are not giant crowds, people will probably notice that they have not seen you before. However, this simply means people will be more likely to introduce themselves. You will not be put on the spot, asked to stand up, or forced to take part in anything if you’re just checking things out. We generally offer visitors a small welcome gift like a journal or a pen along with a handout with more information about our church, although it is totally fine if you pass on them.
What else do y’all do? Sunday morning worship services are just the very beginning of what East Lake UMC is all about. You’ll see in our humorously long announcement time right before worship that there are numerous avenues for people to engage in faith, grace, and love here. If you’re interested in getting plugged in beyond worship, we invite you to reach out to a pastor or staff member here. You can learn more about how we support the East Lake community under the “Serve,” “Community,” and “Give” tabs on our website. You can learn more about discipleship offerings and other spiritual ministries under the “Study” and “Community” tabs.
What do I do when I’m ready to go deeper? Perhaps after you’ve visited with us several times, you’re ready for more. Once we’ve seen you around a few times, we may ask you if you’d like to fill out a quick survey from us to see more about what you’re looking for and connect you with specific ministries that may be meaningful to you. You can also contact Rev. Sally Allocca at smcallocca@gmail.com to talk about getting started in these specific ministries, or to talk about potentially becoming a member. We don’t view church membership as the “finish line” or a destination, but as the beginning of a lifelong journey, and a beautiful way to commit to and take part in what God is doing in and around East Lake UMC. You can also share your contact information with elumccomm@gmail.com to get on our emailing and texting/calling lists and subscribe to our Chimes newsletter.