Our Story

Our first house of worship was a catfish restaurant! A small group started meeting on Sunday mornings at the old David’s Catfish Restaurant, now the site of CVS at Hwy 31 & 181. We used the cracker baskets for offering plates, and the majority of gifts went to help those in need throughout our community. That heart for serving our community continues today from our church building on Jimmy Faulkner Drive. We are a growing congregation actively searching for ways to share God’s love in our community and beyond. Come and serve with us!

Missions 

From the very beginning, Providence UMC has been a church with a heart for mission. During our very first worship service, the offering was dedicated entirely to meeting needs here on the Eastern Shore, a tradition that reflects our commitment to sharing God’s love through service.

Today, that same passion continues. We partner with ministries in our local community, throughout Alabama, and around the world, believing that faith is lived out through compassion, generosity, and action. In fact, ten percent of our annual budget is dedicated to supporting mission and outreach efforts.

We believe the church is called to be the hands and feet of Christ, and we invite everyone at Providence to be part of making a difference.

Rev. Amy L. Howard

Rev. Amy Howard was ordained an elder in full connection in the North Alabama Conference in 2016 and currently serves as Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa. She has previously served at The Church at Stone River, Springhill Avenue UMC, and Moulton First UMC. 

Amy holds a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education from Martin Methodist College and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Originally from Chesapeake, Virginia, Amy was raised in the United Methodist Church, where her parents remain active members of the same congregation that first nurtured her faith and sense of call.

Her connection to the wider church has been a steady thread throughout her life. From serving in district and conference leadership roles as a middle and high school student, to becoming a certified lay speaker in high school, and to working as a summer intern in the Virginia Conference office during college, supporting the greater connection of United Methodism has long been important to her for the ways it equips us all to serve together. Within the North Alabama Conference, she has served on the District and Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, various District Operational Teams, and as an Associate District Superintendent.

At the heart of Amy’s ministry is a deep love for people and a passion for helping others discover that they belong, that they are seen, valued, and called, and that they are capable of making a difference in the life of the Church and the world. She finds great joy in creating spaces and systems where connection can take root and faith can grow in meaningful ways.

Her greatest honor, and ongoing adventure, is being mom to Cora and Bryson, who make sure life is always joyful, a little loud, and never quite as organized as she might have planned.

Rev. Bob Sweet

Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Bob Sweet serves as pastor emeritus at Providence UMC. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975, earned his “Wings of Gold” as a Navy pilot in 1976, and began a career in the Navy. He retired from the naval service in 1994 and enrolled in seminary at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated magna cum laude in 1997, earning a Master of Divinity. He was ordained an elder in the Alabama-West Florida Conference and has served several churches, including 10 years as pastor of Providence UMC. He and his wife, Rhoda, have three children and four grandchildren.