Our History

You will find St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church of Valley Forge located in northeast Tredyffrin Township on the south side of Walker Road between Thomas and Old Eagle School Roads, directly across from MacIntosh Drive. The church building itself was built on a field that used to be part of the Rehobeth Springs Farm.

Our colonial-style church was constructed using the $150,000 earned from the sale of the Philadelphia church building, as well as a $75,000 loan from the Methodist Board of Missions. The 10-acre plot was gifted to us by the Philadelphia Conference Board of Missions and Church Extensions.

Our church has a seating capacity of 300. The Sunday School rooms originally were found in the basement, along with kitchen facilities. In 1968 we added an education wing which provided classroom space for Sunday School. In 1970 we consecrated the new parsonage.

Our congregation moved from Philadelphia to Valley Forge in 1958. The original St. Matthew Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in Philadelphia at 53rd and Chestnut Streets in June 1888. Col. Joseph M. Bennett of Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church donated the land. Later, he gave a very generous amount of his own finances to assist the new congregation.

In November 1888, John F. Keaton and 7 trustees drew up a church charter. The charter was granted by Judge D. Newlin Fell, which is recorded in charter book 13, page 583, in the office for recording deeds in and for the city and county of Philadelphia.

On October 28, 1888, a Sabbath School was arranged in 2 rooms that were rented from Mrs. Kilpatrick at 5152 Chestnut Street. Mr. Frederick Saunders Underhill was the first Sabbath School superintendent and later became the first pastor of the church.

Work on the brand-new church building soon followed, and the cornerstone was laid on June 24, 1890. Thanks to rapid construction, the first church service was held in the finished building on January 25, 1891. At the time, the church was known as St. Matthew's in the Field, which indicates the amount of development in Philadelphia at the time.

The ground for the parsonage was broken on July 2, 1902. The completed parsonage was eventually occupied on April 1, 1903.

The new church began with 22 members. At its peak in 1940, there were 800 members. After the church building was sold in May 1958, membership dropped to 200. The Philadelphia church property was purchased by the White Rock Baptist Church. Their congregation still occupies the building.

The final Sunday at the 53rd and Chestnut Streets Church was on May 18, 1958. We had worshiped at that church for 70 years. The next Sunday, May 25, 1958 our congregation met at the church house, an old farmhouse, on Route 202 with 93 people in attendance. On March 22, 1959, which was Palm Sunday, the meeting place was moved to the Valley Forge School and 126 people attended.

The congregation continued to meet in the school while the new church was being built on Walker Road. The cornerstone was laid on June 5, 1960. The first service in the new building was a candle-lit service on Christmas Eve in 1960. The Consecration service took place on January 8, 1961, and was officiated by Dr. Frederick Brown Harris, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.