First Wayne Street is located in the heart of downtown Fort Wayne.
The church is in close proximity to everything that makes downtown Fort Wayne so exciting and vibrant: the Rivergreenway, the Barr Street Farmer’s Market, summer festivals, cultural events, and dining. Yet folks come from all over the greater Fort Wayne area to experience meaningful worship, beautiful music and the Spirit of Christ that is found at First Wayne Street.
We are First Wayne Street United Methodist Church!
Church building
The church was built in the early 1970s, and the first service in the sanctuary at 300 E. Wayne St. was on February 11, 1973.
The building’s design features four bronze bells, faceted stained glass windows, and a magnificent organ, built by Rudolph Von Beckerath of Hamburg, Germany.
Bell tower
First Wayne Street’s Cross Carillon Bell Tower is located at the entrance to our sanctuary, and houses four bronze bells. These four bells were cast by the Petit and Fritsen Bell Foundry in Aarie-Rixtel, Holland, and were shipped by them to the I.T. Verdin Company, which checked the tuning of the bells and supervised their installation. The bells were installed in a manner known as “European peal,” which was new to northeastern Indiana in 1972, when the bells were dedicated. Combined, the four bells weigh 2,280 pounds.
Stained-glass windows
The stained glass windows at First Wayne Street were designed by the Willet Studios of Philadelphia. All of the windows were created by using a technique (new at the time) which harmonizes well with the more contemporary styles of church architecture. Brilliantly colored glass, usually an inch thick but sometimes up to two inches thick for special effects, is cut to the desired size, then the inner surfaces of certain pieces are chipped or faceted to enhance the design, adding a jewel-like quality. When all of the pieces of glass are finished and in position, a matrix of epoxy resin is poured around the pieces, holding them in place and forming a structural unit of great strength.