You are Welcome to 1stChurchJC!
But there are so many doors!
The United Methodist Church uses this phrase:
"Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors"
And it's really true, in spirit. We know some may interpret locked doors as an unwelcome sign. The bigger picture here is the safety of our children.
During the week we have the excellent Early Learning Center. On Sundays, we have children in several areas of the building. All doors during the week remain locked but this is for safety. There are phones at the entrance on Spring Street and the entrance up the steps from the Pine Street Parking Lot which allow you to signal people on the inside to let you in remotely.
Our church leadership wants to help members and guests know which doors are open and when. In an older building like this, there are doors every where and various ways to get from here to there. But in the interest of child safety, and member safety, many of our doors remained locked.
The diagram below shows in green the standard doors which are unlocked for Wednesday Programs, Sunday Night Programs and many other events and week night meetings. On Sundays the blue labeled and orange labeled door are unlocked at appropriate times for Sunday School and worship. If you have a question about which door to use, please let us know. You can call the church office, check with a staff member, or ask others who attend here.
The green labeled doors on the main street level from Spring Street and up the steps from the Pine Street Parking Lot are almost always unlocked for open events and meetings. At times, the door may be locked but still attended by someone who can let you inside. If you have suggestions to make this door entry identification better let us know. Our church and Early Learning Center use a fingerprint scan security system. Church members can be entered into the system for access when the building is locked. If your fingerprint is not readable, a unique security code can be assigned. We encourage our members to and guests to feel welcome because you are welcome. The occasional inconvenience, although unfortunate, is by far outweighed by the safety and security of our children, your children, your grandchildren and even our seniors adults.
