History | Chester Bethel UMC

The Old Serpentine Church, now a charitable thrift shop!

Now the Thrift Shop; formerly

was Chester Bethel UMC

The 1972 sanctuary, presently used for worship.

Current Church Sanctuary and Preschool Building ( c. 1972)

Two churches on one 16-acre property, plus a large, old cemetery, speak to the long-standing presence of Chester Bethel United Methodist Church in northern Delaware.

Chester Bethel History;
In the Beginning

Chester Bethel Church is the oldest Methodist congregation in continuous service in the state of Delaware. Its name was taken from the locations served by the circuit riding preacher.

In 1776 a Methodist society met at Robert Cloud's home and in 1780 the first Cloud's Chapel was built of logs, originally located south of the cemetery.

A stone church replaced the log chapel in 1799 and, in 1873, was replaced by the Serpentine faced church still north of the cemetery.

For most of its 200 year history, Chester Bethel has been surrounded by farmland, several miles from the city. The old Serpentine Church was used until 1972 when the present modern sanctuary was built and attached to the Fellowship Hall ( now used mostly by our preschool).