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Summary

Churches

503 Brunswick Street

Brunswick: 100 Years of Memories

BRUNSWICK CHURCH OF GOD

The Brunswick Church of God initially began when a group of Christian believers started meeting in their homes for Bible Study and prayer. As their numbers grew, they held their meetings on the third floor of the Redmen's Hall, now the Potomac Foundation Building, on Potomac Street. About 1925 land was purchased at 503 Brunswick Street, where first services were held in a tent. Later a tabernacle was built there, and after a fourweek revival, led by Rev. John H. Gonso and Rev. S. A. Kipe, the Church of God was organized on September 27, 1926 with 53 charter members. The Sunday School followed on October 3,1926 with 50 members. Rev. Kipe laid the cornerstone for the bethel at 3:30 PM on Sunday, November 14, 1926, and the dedication was held on February 26, 1927. The building was later brick-cased, and a Fellowship Hall was added to the back of the church in 1987, the 60th anniversary of the dedication. The church is one of 22 in the Maryland and Virginia Conference, which is one of 15 comprising the Churches of God, General Conference. The denomination was founded in Harrisburg in 1825 under the direction of John Winebrenner. Administrative offices are in Findlay, Ohio. The conference operates Findlay College and Winebrenner Seminary. Mission work is located in India, Bangladesh, Haiti and in New Mexico with the Navajo Indians. The Brunswick church supports Bimal and Annie Tudo as missionaries in Khanjanpur. Pastors who have served since its beginning are Rev. George E. Masser, S. A. Kipe, William Herpich, Charles Miles, John Myers, Cronise Barr, Clair Ebersole, Gerald Carbaugh, Harold Beck, Frank True, and James Keyser, the present pastor. Several members of the church have entered the ministry: (1) Preston Lucas; (2) his son, Army Lt. Col. Thomas Lucas; (3) Air Force Major Wayne Gosnell; and (4) James Painter. One of the church fund-raisers, which the older citizens of the Brunswick community will remember, was the annual apple butter boilings held each fall. Mr. and Mrs. John Moore were the organizers of the event held from 1930 to 1968. The apple butter sales and homemade ice cream festivals helped pay for the church building.

W-Bertha Best Haller