13 Evergreen Road, Lebanon, PA 17042-7422
Phone: (717)273-4832, Fax: (717)273-0132
E-mail: midway_cob@juno.com, Web site: www.midwaycob.net
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Midway's History
While today Midway Church of the Brethren is a relatively contemporary Protestant church, its roots go back to the plainness of Pennsylvania Germans who revered simplicity, equality, democracy and nonconformity. Midway's genesis is tied to the creation of Bucher's meetinghouse in South Lebanon Township in 1871. Later called the Cornwall House, Bucher's was intended as a place to conduct funeral and other services. The Tulpehocken Church of the Brethren and local citizens conceived the idea for the 40-by-60-foot structure and adjacent cemetery. At a council meeting on March 18, 1895, the Tulpehocken Church decided to build a larger meetinghouse near Bucher's meetinghouse, in South Lebanon Township. Tulpehocken dedicated this first Midway church building on October 27, 1895. The 50-by-80-foot Midway meetinghouse, costing $3,850, included a sanctuary with convertible benches for holding love feasts.
Sunday school and church services were held on alternate Sundays at Bucher's and Midway meetinghouses until 1935. Since then, only special services were held at Bucher's, with annual music programs conducted in recent years. With 195 members, Midway broke off from Tulpehocken in 1902 to form its own congregation. The leadership consisted of five laymen -- an elder-in-charge, two ministers and two deacons. Midway took control of Bucher's meetinghouse.
As the first elder-in-charge of Midway, from 1902 to 1906, Christian Bucher presided over a conservative congregation. Preaching and hymn singing were often in German. During worship service, men sat on the right side of the sanctuary, women on the left. Dress was plain. Members were admonished at church council for such behavior as attending public festivals and picnics, being photographed and using cameras, and parking cars on church property.
Early on, Midway began attempts to spread the Gospel, especially in nearby Lebanon. Midway's first revival service in Lebanon was held in March 1903. On the following August 24, the congregation unanimously voted to eventually build a meetinghouse in Lebanon. Also in Lebanon, a Christian Workers Society was organized in 1907 and a Sisters Aid Society in 1909.
On March 23, 1908, the members voted unanimously to buy a church building on South Ninth Street in Lebanon. Services were held every Sunday morning and evening until 1933.
In 1933, it was decided that Lebanon would create its own congregation -- the Lebanon Church of the Brethren. The division -- with 250 members moving to Lebanon and 256 staying at Midway -- was a well-planned and friendly one. It was prompted by the lack of room at Midway for love feast services and business meetings for all members. The change was all for the better, for the less conservative members in Lebanon became free to do things such as installing an electric organ in 1933.
In 1950, the Midway church building was remodeled at a cost of $117,881. A sanctuary seating 420 people was added. The new structure also contained Sunday school classrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, fellowship hall, ladies aid room, baptistry, nursery, and a choir and organ loft. Also in 1950, a new choir director began building up the music ministry. For starters, Arlene S. Keller oversaw the installation of a donated Wurlitzer electric organ in 1951. She created a junior choir in 1955, a group that later spawned The Singing Disciples. In 1956 she started a men's choir, a cherub choir and a youth choir. After 50 years of service as uncompensated choir director, Mrs. Keller resigned in July 2000. Tom Ford, music instructor at New Covenant Christian School, Lebanon, bacame director of music followed by Rachel Bucher in 2004.
In 1962, Midway members began to sense that the church needed the services of a full-time pastor. Sam Wenger had stepped down in 1958, after serving as a strong elder-in-charge for 25 years. Paul Forney had since served as moderator. At the church council meeting of March 13, 1962, the congregation voted 89-43 to create a full-time pastor position. L. John Weaver of Potsdam Church of the Brethren in Ohio was called and began his service on September 1, 1963. John Weaver resigned in 1980 after being called to serve as pastor of Mohrsville Church of the Brethren in Berks County.
W. Hartman Rice, from Blue River Church of the Brethren in Indiana, replaced Weaver, but saw his life and ministry cut short due to death from cancer in 1982.
John A. Harpold, from Richland Church of the Brethren, became pastor in 1983 and served until his retirement in January of 2005.
Charles L. Ilyes was called to the Senior Pastorate beginning in March of 2005.
Carl L. Brubaker was called to the new Associate Pastor position in 2007. Later in 2007, Fred Keller was named as Moderator. Other leadership is provided by lay ministers and the Team of Congregational Elders.
Midway has completed four building projects since 1986. That year, six more Sunday school classrooms were added. Nine more classrooms were constructed in 1995, three administrative offices in 1998, and a fellowship hall with a new kitchen in 2000. The fellowship hall is known as the Family Life Center. Harkening back to its early-twentieth century efforts to spread the Gospel, Midway planted a church for the unchurched in Lebanon in July 1995. Today, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship meets Sunday mornings, in their newly remodeled facilities in downtown Lebanon in the old State Theatre building offering a more contemporary, more casual worship service and ministry.
Midway is still evolving into a modern Protestant church, yet it has retained its relatively conservative, traditional nature by placing strong emphasis on biblical values, love feast, trine immersion baptism, and revival services.
