Birmingham, Asbury United Methodist Church — Photo via Asbury United Methodist Church.

Come one, come all. Join Asbury United Methodist Church on March 17 and 18 for an Open House Weekend to celebrate the grand opening of its new sanctuary.

Asbury United Methodist Church has been serving the greater Birmingham area for 32 years. Led by four enthusiastic pastors, Asbury offers traditional and contemporary worship, along with dynamic programs for adults, families, children and youth.

Birmingham, Asbury United Methodist Church, Birmingham Churches, open house, sanctuary — Asbury United Methodist Church’s new sanctuary under construction. Photo courtesy of Asbury United Methodist Church.

Open House Weekend will be one of Asbury’s biggest events in its history, and you won’t want to miss out! Free and open to the public, the community of Birmingham is welcome to partake in an entire weekend full of Easter egg hunting, carnival games, mission initiatives, worship and a whole lot of fun. Plus, on Sunday, five B’ham food trucks will be setting up shop at the church and you can come buy your favorite lunch.

“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than to invite our community to join us,” said Asbury’s senior pastor, Reverend Doctor Kip Laxon. “Asbury is a growing, thriving church and we’ve outgrown our current space,” said Rev. Laxson. “Our new sanctuary doubles the size of our church, and we will have room for everyone to come and worship, no matter who you are or where you’re from.”

Asbury’s Open House Weekend has a full schedule of fun activities for the whole community to participate in. Here’s a look at the events taking place:

Saturday, March 17, 2018

9:00am – Free Family Pancake Breakfast (Gym/Christian Life Center)
9:45am-12:00pm – #AsburyEggstravaganza (Athletic Fields)
11:00am-1:00pm – Brown Bag (Christian Life Center)
9:00am-3:00pm – Tours of Church/New Sanctuary

The #AsburyEggstravaganza is a wonderful opportunity for kids of all ages – and their parents or family members – to celebrate the Easter season. Enjoy carnival games and rides, lots of youth activities and, of course, an incredible egg hunt with eggs galore!

Don’t forget the main reason to check out Asbury Church’s Open House Weekend – its brand-new sanctuary! In the midst of all of the exciting activities happening throughout the day, be sure to take time to go on a tour of Asbury to discover who they are and if the church is the right fit for you. Tours are available from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Open House Weekend events are set to continue through Sunday, March 18 – and you definitely won’t want to miss out on any of the excitement.

8:30am – Traditional Worship (New Sanctuary)
9:30am – Brown Bag Stuffing (Christian Life Center/Gym)
9:45am – Sunday School for Adults, Youth and Children
11:00am – Traditional Worship (New Sanctuary)
11:00am – The Bridge Contemporary Worship (Gym/Christian Life Center
12:00pm – B’ham Food Trucks Arrive (Soccer Fields)
- B’ham food trucks at the event include:
  - Off the Hook
  - iCantina
  - City Bowls
  - Eugene’s Hot Chicken
  - Dreamcakes
12:00pm-3:00pm – Tours of Church/New Sanctuary

You may be wondering what all this Brown Bag stuffing is about. So here’s some insight:

Brown Bag is one of Asbury’s most impactful mission initiatives. Its purpose: to pack lunches for Birmingham students in need. This will be the seventh year Asbury has served this mission. To date, more than 40,000 students in Birmingham have received lunches to sustain them during spring and fall breaks, when school-provided meals are unavailable. Asbury’s Brown Bag contributions have totaled over $500,000.

“Feeding the hungry is reason enough to participate year after year,” said Missions in Action Committee Member and ORganizer Ralph Ritter, “but we also do it because we have to live for Christ and this is one way we can send the heart of Absury to those who need it most.”

Volunteers participating in the Brown Bag mission initiative will unpack boxes of food, stuff bags and load trucks that will deliver the lunches to area schools.