Our History

The 107 year history of the Free Methodist Church in Monongahela is intertwined with the work of the Free Methodist Church in Sunnyside and Manoun. In 1901, this work was begun in an upstairs storeroom in Manoun by George Albright, but the building was sold and the young church then began to worship in the old Manoun schoolhouse. As meetings continued, numbers grew and the congregation became an organized society in 1903. The schoolhouse meetings continued for many years with a variety of pastors appointed by the Free Methodist Conference. The church was eventually moved to Sunnyside and met weekly in the schoolhouse.

The congregation obtained its first officially owned Sunnyside building in the early 1940s; from then until 1975, fourteen different pastors were appointed to lead the Sunnyside congregation. In August, 1975, C. William Bailey was appointed as Senior Pastor.

In February, 1976, a God-sent revival blessed the congregation and as a result, the church was filled and at times, overflowing. In February, 1978, after much prayer, searching, renovation and hard work, a former Lutheran church building on Second Street in Monongahela became the “new” worship site known as the Monongahela Free Methodist Church.

Since then, attendance has outgrown the available space and in 2008 a search again began for a larger, more effective worship site. Thankfully, through God’s blessing, our new building was provided and “Journey by Grace Ministries” was established.

We pray this facility will provide various opportunities for spiritual growth, service and evangelistic outreach for years to come.