


Who are we?
Worship: 9:30 a.m. on Sundays
Location: 1820 5th Ave. Rock Island, IL 61201
Phone: 309-788-9384
Email: office@tworiversumc.org
Community Meal: 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
We are a part of the United Methodist Church, which is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world. Every United Methodist Church is unique, but the United Methodist Church has long been a place where people can “meet in the middle.” While that is getting more and more difficult in what seems to be a more angry world, we believe kindness, compassion, and the love of Christ can overcome these divisions. One of the most important parts of being a part of Two Rivers Church is that we welcome questions, discussion, creativity, and doubt. “We may not all think alike, but we may all love alike,” is a quotation from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.
Two Rivers United Methodist Church is a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. We believe that loving another person is never a sin, and we advocate for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people into the life, ministry, and leadership of the church.

What to expect if you visit
If you come to worship with us, you’ll find a friendly greeter in the west entrance, which is adjacent to the main parking lot along 5th Avenue. There is an accessible ramp if you park on 19th Street, on the east side of the church. When you come into the sanctuary, you will find a choice between sitting at the round “cafe style” tables in the back, or in the more traditional wooden pews. There is also a balcony with a pretty nice view. You are welcome to some Fair Trade coffee and a snack. Take it to your seat or wait until after worship and sit down to meet some new friends.
We consider our style of worship to be “casual traditional.” We sing mostly traditional hymns accompanied by either organ or piano. Except for the summer, there will be a choir anthem. Special musical offerings will include soloists, the bell choir, and jazz Sundays.
Pastor Robb is passionate, connecting the story of God’s love in Christ with our lives. He is an energetic preacher and seldom stays behind the pulpit. He is deeply seeped in modern scholarship and progressive theology. He usually preaches in series, meaning that blocs of 4-6 sermons are connected and built upon themes and connections.
There is no dress code. You’ll find more t-shirts than ties. Kids are welcome. There is a PrayGround – a special area for kids to sit with coloring books, activities, and some space to spread out. There is also a connected room with a full window and rocking chairs if you want a little extra privacy with little ones. Kids can also grab an activity bag to bring to their seat if they don’t want to be in the Prayground.
During the school year, there is an adult Sunday school class upstairs in Asbury Parlor. There is also a Swahili Sunday School class that meeting in a classroom off the hallway across from the sanctuary. Kids and youth usually go downstairs to Epworth Hall to start Sunday school.

Upcoming events
February 23 – NAACP Community Day Service
At 3:00 p.m. at Grace City Church, which is across the street from Two Rivers, at 1925 5th Avenue. The annual NAACP Religious Affairs Committee Community Day will feature keynote speaker Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, Executive Director of Live Free Illinois.
March 1 – Pizza Day
This is a fundraiser for Two Rivers Youth. Pizzas will be ready for pick-up only on Saturday, March 1, between 3:30-5 p.m. in the fellowship hall of the church. Delivery arrangements can be made, but please tip generously.
March 5 – Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, the a day of reflection and repentance to begins the season of Lent. Our service of Ash Wednesday will once again be at Church of Peace UCC in Rock Island. There will be a pot-luck dinner before the service. The time is TBD.
March 11 – LGBTQ+ Ally Training
Hope Church UMC in Normal, Illinois is hosting a training for those who want to learn more about how to be a better LGBTQ+ ally. The workshop will be live-streamed, and a group will gather at Two Rivers to watch and discuss.
March 13 – CCC/NAACP Community Forum
The Community Cares Conference and the NAACP are co-sponsoring a series of three community listening forums. CLICK HERE for more information.
March 16 – My Anchor Holds leads worship
My Anchor Holds, a fabulous duo from Minneapolis will help us worship this Sunday. Later, they will help with a Family Fun Day at Camp Milan Retreat Center.
March 25 – 3D Night: Dinner, Documentary, and Discussion
We will gather at 6:00 for dinner, then begin a documentary to watch together, with discussion afterwards. The full schedule of 3D Night documentaries will be released shortly.

Current Series
From January 12 through February 23, we will walk with Jesus through the region of Galilee. This is a season of Jesus revealing himself to the world. Like his first disciples, we will follow him from the Jordan River through Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, Bethsaida, and other important places in the Gospel of Luke.

Connect to Two Rivers
There are two regular communications that help you stay updated on all that is going on at Two Rivers Church. The Compass is a paper newsletter that gets mailed every month. There is a pdf version online, and you can download from the archive that goes back to 2022.
There is also a weekly email that includes a sermon recap from the previous Sunday as well as news and information about things that are coming up.

Sermon Archive
You can read a recap of every sermon since Easter 2020. There are also links here to every Worship at Home video that has been posted to Youtube. Click on the Sermons banner above to get to the archive page.

Church History
For over a century, Two Rivers Church was known simply as “First Church,” because it was the first church in the Quad Cities, organized as a house gathering in 1830, and assigned a Methodist circuit pastor in 1833. The current building was dedicated in 1890. Today, Two Rivers Church serves the entire Quad Cities Area.
- 1833: Organized as a mission church, renamed in 1836 as First Methodist Episcopal Church at Spencer cabin
- 1835: The City of Rock Island was established, although it was first known as Stephenson. It was renamed Rock Island in 1841.*
- 1844: Built first church
- 1856: Built second church
- 1889: Built present stone church, dedicating it 1890
- 1939: Changed name to First Methodist Church
- 1964: Bought Camp Milan from Central Illinois Conference for $1
- 2003: The first Saturday meal is served. At first it was served on both Saturday and Sunday. 20 years later, the only Saturdays it misses is when Saturday falls on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- 2008: Merged with Memorial Heights UMC and became Two Rivers United Methodist Church.
- 2013: Two Rivers United Methodist Church Celebrated 180 years!
- 2014: Rev. Robb McCoy begins his ministry at Two Rivers Church.
- 2020: Two Rivers Church shifts to “Worship at Home” videos. The Meal Site however, never stopped functioning. They shrunk their volunteer crew, and converted to “carry out only” for the rest of the pandemic.
- 2023: The people of Two Rivers Church vote overwhelmingly to become a “Reconciling Congregation.” After a six-month process of study, discernment, discussion, and prayer, the church adopts a welcome statement that affirms the inclusion of LGBTQ+ in all aspects of church life and leadership.