“Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”
Job 8:7
The Church of the Living Christ of Loysville is the outgrowth of a home Bible study which started on May 1, 1981.
On Sunday, August 9, 1981, a group meeting was held at the pavilion adjacent to the former Loysville school house following a picnic lunch. It was then and there that a decision was made to form a congregation with the first worship service to be held August 16, 1981, at a site to be announced during the week. Percy Kegarise was called to be the first Senior Pastor of the congregation. With no facility knowingly available, a barn service was held at 10:30am at the home of John and Grace Book in Blain, with 47 people in attendance. Not only was it the first worship service, but it was the occasion of the first child dedication in the congregation.
On August 19, 1981, the congregation held a Bible study at Madison Grange, and all services were held there through September 13, 1981. After this, the congregation moved to the former Mount Vernon United Brethren in Christ building at Erly which was not being used. On September 17, 1981, the congregation was incorporated under the Nonprofit Corporation Law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as “Church of the Living Christ of Loysville.” Ten acres of land was purchased as a proposed building site with a deed being issued on October 15, 1981.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday evening, September 19, 1984, and on October 4, 1984, excavation began for the construction of the original sanctuary. On June 9, 1985, the congregation held its first worship service in the original sanctuary and on Sunday, October 13, 1985, the facility was formally dedicated to the Lord for His glory.
In 1993, an educational wing was added to the building as children and youth ministries steadily grew. Youth Leader and Associate Pastor positions were also created in 1997 in response to this ongoing growth. In 2010, ground was broken for a new Fellowship Hall and Worship Center. The Fellowship Hall and Children’s Ministry areas were completed that year, and the current Worship Center was completed in 2019. We are so thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness and provision for this body through the various building projects and staff transitions over the years, and we look forward to seeing what He will do next in this congregation!