150 Year Journey

When you read the little history book from Bryn Mawr Presbyterian’s 100th Anniversary, Spirit of the Century, it is striking how the vision of our church forebears, decisions made and commitments launched long before most of us were born, have shaped who we are today. Thirteen women and three men chartered a new church in 1873 after meeting for a season in the Temperance Hall. Less than a decade later land was purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $2,500, and the first building was built and dedicated in 1874.

As the decades passed a manse was built to house the pastor, a bigger Sanctuary was erected, and a Sunday School building was added. In reading the history, I am struck by how a vision toward growth influenced every decision. While the significant dates are often linked to buildings, what we know is that more and more people were making a church home: gathering for worship, providing Christian education, supporting one another, and reaching out in service to the local community and across the globe.

In September and October Christian education opportunities will focus on particular church ministry areas. The 150th Vision Committee is evaluating the data collected from its public forums, focus groups and survey to assess where the congregation is feeling called toward deepened engagement and new initiatives. A special Anniversary Weekend is being planned for October 14-15 which will include an intergenerational celebration and homecoming of former staff and members.

Through long years, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church has been a forward-looking missional Christian enterprise. In each generation this congregation has faced the needs of the community with an outlook toward being good stewards of extraordinary resources: human, financial, missional and visionary in the service of the church of Jesus Christ and in recognition of the needs of the community.

Over the course of this summer we will be preparing for a big fall celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of our congregation. A documentarystyle film is being prepared. A visual display will be curated to highlight the church’s history and key moments in our Art Gallery. Special anthems have been commissioned to follow the liturgical seasons of the year.

As we journey through summer toward fall, I hope you will find ways to prepare and engage in celebrating Bryn Mawr’s sesquicentennial! I invite you to be in prayer for this 150-year-old church. Offer prayers of thanksgiving for those saints who started a church in 1873 and for bold decisions of ages past which benefit us today. Offer prayers of intercession for the vitality of the church we cherish today. Offer prayers of petition for clarity about how we might invest ourselves and our abundant resources in the things that will last for generations of Christians to come.