Hebron Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

610 West West Main Street, Box 736 in Hebron, Ohio 43025-0736

We are currently between pastors.

The church phone 740-928-4066.  Please do not leave a message.  Instead contact Ila Mason at the number below for assistance.

Ila Mason at 740-928-1253.

For questions about our web site or to post an item contact David Dernberger at 740-928-7141 or dernbeds@hughes.net.

Brief History of the Hebron Christian Church

A congregation under the banner of the Disciples Church was organized by the Reverend Timothy J. Newcomb on March 23, 1867.  Their roots were planted at the York Street Church west of Kirkersville where Alexander Campbell had preached.  The congregants met in a small brick building on High Street across the street from what is now the Masonic Temple.

A church building was dedicated on the current site in 1878.  The entrance faced West Main Street.  There were two rows of seats facing the pulpit which was located in the north end of the building.  The building was heated with two coal stoves.  Later when gas was discovered near Hebron, natural gas provided both heat and light.  The original pulpit is still in use.  Church records indicate that by 1879 the building and property was “all paid for.”

Reverend Thomas Madden was our first resident minister.  Besides Hebron he also preached at the Newark and York Street churches.  He and his wife raised a large family in Hebron.  He died in 1919 and is buried in Hebron Cemetery.  His daughters continued to serve the Hebron church until their deaths.          

The first Sunday School was organized around 1890 by William Bebout.  The first organ was purchased for use during Sunday School.  The elders of the church would not allow the organ to be used for worship services.  The Sunday School continues to provide classes every Sunday morning at 9:30am for adults and children. 

The church was incorporated under Ohio law on January 1, 1915.  During the year the building was raised, remodeled and expanded to the present size at a cost of $7,397.  The remodeling was based on the Akron plan and included three classrooms and a balcony that opened into the sanctuary and could be used to accommodate larger crowds.  A baptistery was added to the sanctuary.  Until that time, many were baptized in the Ohio Canal or at Buckeye Lake.  Reverend George Crites wrote that he was “baptized on February 22, 1873 in the canal near the old warehouse just at sundown, thermometer at three degrees below zero, eighteen inches of ice on the canal.”  An elevator was added to the building in 1998 to ease access to the sanctuary and fellowship hall.    

Music has always been an important element in worship.  Early singing was led with the help of a tuning fork.  Later a piano was used in the worship service.  Sometime in the early 1900’s a choir was organized.  A children’s choir was formed in the early 1950’s.  A hand bell choir was added in 1988.  Our first electric organ was purchased in 1942.  The latest instrument was dedicated in 2001.

From the early years the Hebron Christian Church has enjoyed the vibrancy of small groups.  Active Men’s Fellowship, Women’s Missionary Societies and Christian youth groups have all contributed to the growth of the congregation and the spreading of God’s word throughout the community and the world.  The Loyal Women’s Class began in 1913 as The Young Married Women’s Class.  In 1967 there were still nine active charter members.  In 1994 Roma Hammack, the last surviving charter member, died at the age of 102. 

The Hebron Christian Church has helped prepare several for the ministry.  George Crites, O.G. White, D.R. Bebout, Daniel Mayer, Randy Clay, Timothy Mason and Kirk Bruce accepted the Call and went on to serve each in their own way.

The Zoa B. Sellers Memorial Library was dedicated in 1985 thanks to a very generous gift from her estate.  The library contains over 500 volumes including music and video.

Through the years the church has followed the national church as the identity went from Disciples to Church of Christ to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).   Twenty-nine pastors have served the Lord through the Hebron Christian Church over our 140 year history.  Several revivals and evangelistic meetings have added spice to the life of the congregation.  Currently the church has a total membership of 211 and averages close to 100 in worship every Sunday.         

In these 140 years the church has come a long way from the few pioneers who laid the foundation of the Christian Church in Hebron.  We have grown from a small band of believers in the Bible as our creed and have progressed through the years with each generation having the same loyalty and devotion as those who succeeded them.  Today we continue to move forward in Christian service and our search for the unity of Christ’s Church. 

June 13, 2010, David Dernberger                

Copies of the complete history are available on request.  Please note that the history is being updated from the last printing in 1992.  E:mail David Dernberger at dernbeds@hughes.net for a copy.