In 1886 the "Mite Society"
was founded in Elmwood, Ohio(the early name for
the community of Linworth) to respond to the request
of residents for a Sunday School. The next year,
interest had grown for the creation of a church
and a Board of Trustees was formed. Construction
began on a chapel located at 2424 West Granville
Road and it was completed in 1889. The original
name of the church was "Bright. s Chapel Methodist
Episcopal Church". It was part of a five point charge
which included Washington, Bethel, Dublin, Flint,
and Gardner Churches with a total of 332 members.
The pastor. s annual salary from these five congregations
totaled $800 plus $50 for housing.
In 1957 fourteen families took
out second mortgages on their homes to create enough
equity to relocate Linworth Methodist Church to
our former location at 6200 Linworth Road. The original
church building is now a book store. In 1965 the
growth of the congregation required more space.
The sanctuary and the lower level class rooms were
constructed. In 1968 the "Church House" was built
and served as the parsonage until 1989. Remodeling
of the church occured in 1976-77 creating new educational
space and the sanctuary was redesigned to increase
the seating capacity.
In 1988 five class rooms, an office
suite, a new parlor, additional restrooms, and a
small gymnasium were added. By 1996, average worship
attendance was 550 and the classrooms were insufficient
to house the growning number of Sunday School classes.
In 1995 a Building Committee was
re-established and by July of that year it was directed
to investigate the possibility of relocation to
a larger site. A 10 acre parcel of land was purchased
at the corner of Bent Tree Boulevard and Federated
Boulevard. A Ground Breaking Ceremony was held in
October 1996 and the Consecration Service was held
on December 7, 1997 with Bishop Judith Craig preaching.
Planning meetings have already begun to work on
Phase II of the Master Plan. The second phase will
be a Youth and Outreach Center.
