Church History

The first Baptists in Moreland Township became members of what was long known as the “Little Muncy Baptist Church,” later as the Madison Church, which is thought to have been organized on September 27, 1817. The Moreland Baptists formally separated from the Madison Church and organized the Moreland Baptist Church on July 2, 1846. They worshiped for a number of years in the Union House. They erected their first church in 1853 where the present church stands. Apparently, it was too small to accommodate its worshipers and a new, larger church was built on the same location and dedicated on January 21, 1883. It was this larger church that caught fire and burned to the ground on February 13, 1932. The fire was caused by a malfunction of the wood furnace. The County School Institute was being held in the church sanctuary that day. Everyone got out safely, but the building and contents were destroyed. The Muncy Fire Company got stuck in the mud trying to get to the fire and had to turn back. Eleven months later on January 15, 1933, a new church was dedicated, and that structure still stands today. In 1953 the last of the horse barns were torn down to build the parsonage. A Sunday School wing was added in 1957 on the far end of the church and with that the first indoor bathrooms. In 1982 a portico was added to the front entrance in memory of Jesse Snyder and in 1995 a new sanctuary and fellowship hall along with extensive renovations to the interior were dedicated to the glory of God. Today, as it has from its beginnings, Moreland Baptist Church remains a beacon of light in Moreland Township as the congregation continues to remain true to their love of Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved,  through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9)