Forest Presbyterian Church - Middletown, DE - Presbyterian Churches on Waymarking.com

Taken from the website:

Presbyterians began meeting in 1700 in Odessa, Delaware.
A congregation was organized in 1708 and a church named “Drayer’s or Drawyers” was organized in 1711– one mile north of Odessa.
A group of Drawyers members formed a new church in 1750 in a forest just north of Middletown, which became known as Forest Presbyterian Church.
The brick building on Main Street was erected in 1850-51 (second oldest church in Middletown) and remodeled in 1868-1870, 1882, and again in 2016. Our building still stands strong nearly 170 years later.
The Town added the tower in 1882, and then in 1906 they added the clock with a bell that strikes every hour. The Town of Middletown continues to maintain the clock.
8 stained glass windows were restored in 2000 with community support. These windows enhance the beauty of the sanctuary.
In 2015, the Forest Session (the ruling elders) voted to take a new path. The church lacked a full-time minister, its membership had declined, and the church building needed many major repairs.
The New Castle Presbytery (an organization of 51 churches in Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland) assessed the situation and voted to take control of the church in 2015 and invest in the growing Middletown community.
Church on Main was born with the intention of creating a new worshipping community in the MOT area
Numerous repairs and additions were completed in 2016-17, including:
Building trusses were repaired
Exterior masonry repaired
New electrical wiring installed
Fellowship hall and entry way have been remodeled
New bathrooms were added.
A handicap ramp was installed.
Sanctuary ceiling was repaired
Sanctuary was repainted
During June 2019, Church on Main became the first and only church in Middletown to fly an LGBTQ+ Pride Flag. In July of 2019, we made public who we already were and became the only church in Middletown with a public statement affirming LGBTQ+ people.
In January 2020, we became the first and only church in Middletown to fly the #BlackLivesMatter flag.
In August 2020, the #BlackLivesMatter & LGBTQ Pride Flags were torn down, burned, and displayed on a street sign a mile away. This was detailed in WDEL, The Middletown Transcript, and The News Journal.
Following an outpouring of support from our local community, Church on Main received multiple new flag donations, and we continue to be the only church & building in Middletown to fly both flags!

The plaque says, "Forest Presbyterian
Church
44 West Main Street
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1850"

Presbyterian Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA) Status: Active House of Worship Address: 44 W. Main St, Middletown DE 19709 Date Built: 1850 Architect: Unknown Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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