PHILADELPHIA — The people at Philadelphia United Methodist Church have proven many times over the years they’re not afraid to pitch in on a task. Over a lifetime of attending the church, Ron Arthur has seen this.
It’s a willingness, a friendliness of the people in those pews. “No matter what was needed, someone was always willing to step forward,” Arthur said.
That spirit of willingness has drawn the congregation to another step in its journey to minister to the community surrounding its building: joining with Mt. Comfort Church.
Effective Jan. 1, Philadelphia United Methodist Church will officially become the Philadelphia campus of Mt. Comfort Church.
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“I think it’s going to cause the church in Philadelphia to grow because of the resources, the input, the energy” that will come from Mt. Comfort, Arthur said. Both “are going to really gain from this merger,” he said.
Even before Jan. 1, changes will become noticeable. A Mt. Comfort team will lead worship at the Philadelphia site starting Nov. 29, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The long-term plan is for services to continue in Philadelphia’s building that faces U.S. 40, in the community of the same name less than a mile west of Greenfield’s city limits.
“I am excited at the wonderful possibilities that lay ahead as we become one with Mt. Comfort,” Philadelphia member Kathy Lee said in a message to the Daily Reporter. “Philadelphia is eager to build on the energy that Mt. Comfort brings, and we look forward to growing God’s kingdom by engaging both communities. It will be one church in two locations! We look forward to the adventures that lay ahead!”
Both churches approved the move Sept. 30, with members of both congregations attending a charge conference for their respective churches at Mt. Comfort Church. Philadelphia’s congregation sat in one section of seats and approved joining with Mt. Comfort Church. Mt. Comfort Church people sat in another section and also approved becoming one church. No one made a “no” vote, and after the two votes, the room burst into applause.
The Rev. Brad Miller, pastor of Philadelphia United Methodist Church, affirmed his congregation after the votes and said there is a “long, strong, incredible history” at both churches. Miller had been serving the church part time; he is also pastor of Indianapolis Otterbein United Methodist Church.
The merge is the latest in several to take place between United Methodist congregations in Hancock County. Fortville United Methodist Church and Gateway Community Church joined as Gateway Community Church Fortville this summer. And Mt. Comfort Church itself is already a merge of two congregations, formed when Mt. Comfort United Methodist Church and Movie Theater Church came together in the summer of 2019.
The Rev. Ethan Maple, pastor of Mt. Comfort Church, said Miller had been talking with the Philadelphia congregation — which had 25-30 attending before the spring quarantine — about visioning. Miller, Maple said, had pointed out potential benefits of having another church walk with Philadelphia into the future.
The Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright, conference superintendent in Indiana’s Central District, met with Miller and Maple. The pastors formed an exploratory team of members from both congregations, and with a lot of buy-in from both sides, the process moved quickly.
As they met and prayed, “It became very clear that God was at work in all of this,” Fulbright said to the churches gathered Sept. 30, in the meetings she led where they cast their votes. “I am so excited for Hancock County — for the ways in which the witness of Jesus Christ is being expanded.”
Philadelphia members welcomed Mt. Comfort people to an open house Sept. 27. Maple said he’s been impressed by how willingly they’ve embraced upcoming changes that include losing the church name.
They’ve been “amazingly accepting … that they are going to be changing so much,” he said, “yet matching that with an enthusiasm and excitement for what God has for them in the future.”
Each church brings benefits to the merger, Maple said. Mt. Comfort Church brings resources and people; it will “seed” the Philadelphia site with 20-30 more people, Maple said. Philadelphia United Methodist Church is in a great location in a residential area, he added, near the convergence of three school districts: Southern Hancock, Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon. The site and the people already there — who over the years have welcomed the community to trunk or treats, turkey noodle dinners and other events — offer opportunities for building relationships and reaching out to the church’s neighbors.
“It’s a win for everyone,” he said. “It’s a win for the Kingdom (of God), a win for the congregations, a win for the community.”
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Philadelphia United Methodist Church and Mt. Comfort Church are in the process of merging. They will work together on two upcoming events at the Philadelphia church.
-A Trunk ‘n’ Treat is set for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at the church, 2265 W. U.S. 40, Greenfield. It’s presented in partnership with Royal Neighbors of America #1397.
-A carry-out turkey noodle dinner is set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13, also at 2265 W. U.S. 40. The menu includes turkey and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw and choice of dessert (apple pie, pumpkin pie or chocolate cake). The cost of the meal is $8. To pre-order meals, visit mtcomfortchurch.com, scroll to the Turkey Noodle Dinner box, and click on "Click Here to Pre-Order." Or call 317-462-5782; this number is also the way to place day-of orders. Walk-in orders will also be accepted. This is also presented in partnership with Royal Neighbors of America #1397.
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1835: Methodists organize a class at Philadelphia around this time.
1850: A Sunday School starts.
1850s: Philadelphia Methodist Episcopal Church’s building is dedicated.
1879: The church shifts from the Greenfield Circuit to a newly formed Philadelphia Circuit, which also included Eden, Curry’s Chapel and Sugar Creek churches. The Rev. William Anderson was the church’s pastor at this time, one of more than 50 men and women who have served as pastor of the church through the years.
1906: The building is moved forward onto a full basement foundation and remodeled.
1965: A parsonage east of the church becomes an educational unit, and a new parsonage is built west of the church.
1968: The church’s name changes to Philadelphia United Methodist Church, amid that year’s denominational merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.
1979: The church breaks ground May 20 for a new educational building, which is completed in June 1980.
1981: Hancock County Historical Society raises money to have the old church building moved to Riley Park, where it becomes Chapel in the Park and houses the historical society’s collections. Several churches have rented the building to have services there through the years. One church that had its early services in the building later took the name Park Chapel Christian Church.
1993: A $310,000 sanctuary is dedicated Feb. 28, featuring stained-glass windows from the previous building that was moved.
2020: Philadelphia United Methodist Church votes to join with Mt. Comfort Church.
Sources: J.H. Binford’s History of Hancock County, Indiana; philadelphia-umc.org; Daily Reporter archives
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