First UMC has a heritage dating back to the late 1820's or early 1830's. Folklore has it that during this period the first Methodist settlers in this area gathered in the home of Jeremiah Murry, the founder of Murrysville, as did the Presbyterians. In 1832, the circuit rider Rev. Jacob Miller held services in Murrysville on the Northern Pike (Old Wm. Penn Highway) as noted in his papers. This being the earliest recording of a congregation in Murrysville, we take 1832 as the founding year for our church.  

        Prior to 1836 construction on a meetinghouse was started on land owned by Jeremiah Murry's son, General James Murry. In the minutes of the Braddock's Field Circuit of 1836 it was resolved "that the meetinghouse in Murrysville, now commenced, be finished and that Brother Joseph Wright, the preacher in charge be appointed to obtain a deed for said meetinghouse." This deed, in which James Murry and his wife Priscilla donate land to the Methodist Episcopal Church of Murrysville, signed December 3, 1836, can be found in Deed Book 23 Page 424. A larger building constructed in 1868 on the same property, served until 1911. The building is now Dean’s Barbershop which is west of the First Commonwealth Bank.  

     Murrysville was part of a Methodist circuit that at times included as many as seven other churches; notably Sardis, Delmont, and Mamont. Sardis and Murrysville continued as a two-point charge or circuit well in to the twentieth century while the others closed their doors. 

     A new church, part of our current structure, was completed in 1913 at a cost of $10,000 that featured a Moeller pipe organ partially funded by Andrew Carnegie. The parsonage next door, built by the Sardis congregation, (on the site of the present education building) burned in 1923; all congregational records were lost. The parsonage was rebuilt by Sardis the following year, and the Murrysville Methodist Episcopal Church grew and prospered even through the depression of the 1930s. 

     By the mid-1950’s, the Murrysville area was experiencing a significant population increase, due to the construction of several corporate research facilities nearby. To provide needed worship and education space, members of the congregation literally turned the church around. The sanctuary, which had faced east, was now a much larger, longer sanctuary, facing north. 

     In 1959 the Murrysville church became a “one point charge,” with its own pastor. A weekday kindergarten program opened in 1960 which led the congregation to expand its educational facilities; a large addition was built in 1965, on the site of the old parsonage. A new parsonage on Marjorie Drive was purchased in 1968. 

        The tradition of church members building together has continued through the years. Renovation of the chapel and creation of needlepoint kneelers and paraments have added to the beauty of the church. A new organ was underwritten by the congregation within a 3 month period in 1985. 

         In March 1998 the church doubled its acreage by acquiring from the Presbyterian Church 0.925 acres of wooded hillside immediately north of the church’s educational wing and upper parking lot. On December 26, 2000, the church expanded to the West by purchasing from the Murrysville Fire Company 0.59 acres of land on which sat the former Murrysville Post Office. The former post office, known now as the Church Annex, was renovated primarily by church volunteers in the summer of 2003 for use by the early morning contemporary worship service as well as for other church functions. The debt was paid off in the spring of 2005.  Now this facility is used primarily for youth activities. 

        The ministry of the church has grown along with its physical plant. The kindergarten program is now The First United Methodist Preschool. The church now has a staff of nine who oversee ministries to children, youth, and adults seven days a week involving them in worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission opportunities.

      The latest renovation/building project has involved making the church's main entryways handicap accessible, modernizing entryways, upgrading restrooms, installing a multimedia/sound system, elevator, and air conditioning to the main sanctuary. These renovations cost approximately $450,000. 

        2007 was the church’s 175^th Anniversary. We can look back and recount building after building project, a story of continual progress. But, the real story of 1st UMC’s history is not about building but about people – people who have connected to Jesus Christ. People who have celebrated births, baptized babies, people who have grown, served, and worshipped together in the love of Jesus Christ. Our history is one of consistently proclaiming God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. A history that we are still actively writing today.