Our Congregation
Celebrating 203 Years of Ministry: 1817-2020
"Out of the Past, Into the Future"
The Brunswick Methodist Church — the oldest church in Medina county and the second oldest in the Western Reserve — was founded in 1817. In that same year the Reverend Jacob Ward, a Methodist minister "of considerable influence and power," relocated to the Brunswick community from Pittsfield, Massachusetts along with his widowed sister, Rhoda Stowe, and her two sons John and Daniel. As soon as he arrived Rev. Ward organized the first class of the Methodist Episcopal Church consisting then of 13 members. Initially worship services were held in private homes with Ward's own home serving as a home-away-from-home for many itinerant Methodist clergy (known as "circuit riders") and also as the headquarters of Methodism in the entire area for 22 years. Ward Hall at Baldwin Wallace University was dedicated in memory of Jacob Ward.
In 1872 members of the church put the finishing touches on a building that is today known as our Ward Chapel. In 1968 the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to become the current United Methodist Church denomination. Ground was broken in 1976 for the East Wing or Education Wing and in 2002 our congregation carried the light from the Ward Chapel into the newly-built sanctuary.
In 1872 members of the church put the finishing touches on a building that is today known as our Ward Chapel. In 1968 the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to become the current United Methodist Church denomination. Ground was broken in 1976 for the East Wing or Education Wing and in 2002 our congregation carried the light from the Ward Chapel into the newly-built sanctuary.
