First United Methodist Church appears intimidating from the outside, as it towers over the homes at the edge of historic downtown Fargo. Once I ventured inside, I was greeted by friendly faces who smiled and said, "hello!" like we were old friends. I was served coffee and a soft cinnamon roll on the main floor of the massive building, and as I ate my snack, I wandered around the room, looking at the photos, relics, and informational signs displayed behind glass. Wow, this church has history! According to one of the signs I read, the bell in the bell tower was the first Protestant church bell to ring in the Dakota Territory, in 1880. According to the bulletin I picked up and the sign on the corner of 1st Avenue South and 9th Street South, First United Methodist Church offers a contemporary service at 9:30 (with a band!), and a traditional service at 11:00. Noticing that it was 9:33, I headed upstairs to the second floor to check out the contemporary service. There was a ton of energy in that room! Oh, by the way, the band is awesome. They also have Sunday School during this time. I took a peek on the way in, and the rooms looked bright, cheery, and modern. I would recommend First United Methodist Church to anyone in the downtown Fargo area. It seems like the kind of place that anyone could be part of. I look forward to a return visit to these friendly faces in the historic downtown church.