In 1826, the Reverend Thomas Neely organized Jackson's First Methodist Church. Its first house of worship was built in 1831 on the southeast corner of Church and Chester Streets. During the Civil War, Union forces used the church's 1851 edifice as a hospital. In 1870, First Methodist played a major role in organizing the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, which is now known as the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. This sanctuary formally opened on September 6, 1914.