MIDWAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
REHOBOTH BEACH HISTORY
REHOBOTH PRESBYTERIAN OF MIDWAY
The church by the side of the road, convenient stopping off place along the Lewes to Rehoboth road. It's a town and country church serving a year round parishioners and open to visitors year in and year out.
The church was founded by Presbyterians of the Lewes area where Presbyterians established a congregation in 1691 and 1692 and for many years was a ' mission' for the Lewes Presbyterian Church congregation , however, the Midway congregation considers itself the 'mother' of Westminister Presbyterian Church of Rehoboth. In 1925 the Midway church held services summertime in a Rehoboth theater and from that came Westminster Presbyterian Church, with a full time year round service.
Lewes Presbyterian was alive in 1692. Midway Presbyterian built it's first wood framed church in 1855 with remodeling done several times. The pine pews now in the brick church were built in 1961 by John Freeman and his son Jack. You can remember John Freeman as the father of Ted Freeman, astronaut, killed in a plane crash .
A 1970 homecoming held October 4. Services September Sunday the 6th, held 100 or so worshipers, many summer visitors. The sermon being “Whistling While You Work “ calling for volunteer's with an attitude of joy.
Midway church is small, seats for 200, has a membership of 150 between ages 25 to 55 and older. The Church yard cemetery has graves dated back to 1871 and is near full of Thompson's, Fletchers, Wilson, Lynch, Reed, and Dodd's.
Even if it is small and old, Midway keeps pace with times, has three youth groups, and is ahead of more urban congregation is some ways.
In September 1970 the Rev. S. Royden Piper was Midway's pastor.
Abstract: Wilmington News Journal, Eileen C Spraker, Religion Editor, Saturday,
September 12, 1970. For post in www.delmarhistory.blogspot.com and Facebook.
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I’m Harrison and this is a blog about ‘local’ history. I research topics through many means but mostly I find local newspaper articles from newspaperabstracts.com. Sometimes they are relative to something that is happening now. Sometimes it is just interesting and worth sharing.
