Bringing home the bacon: York County munis get $2.2M in grants for roads to cop cars

Lineboro congregation to celebrate new church years after original was destroyed by fire

Dan Rainville
The Evening Sun
Lazarus United Church of Christ in Lineboro, Maryland will dedicate its new church building with a special service on Sunday, April 8, at 10 a.m. The original church was built in 1853 and expanded in 1908 but burned down in December 2013. After several years of planning and building, the new church, which is located on the same ground as the original, began holding services earlier this month.

Lazarus United Church of Christ in Lineboro, Maryland, is celebrating its new church building with a special dedication service on Sunday, April 8 at 10 a.m.

The original church building, which was constructed in 1853 and rebuilt in 1908 with a larger seating capacity, burned down in December 2013. After several years of planning and building, the new church, which is located on the same ground as the original, began holding services two weeks ago.

"I was so emotional ... just to give thanks and praise to God for what he has done," Pastor Rodney Gross said. "We had about 218 people here on Sunday and just the emotion that was here — to God be the glory, that’s all I can say."

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For years, the church was shared by two religions, the Evangelical Lutheran and the German Reformed, according to a York Daily Record article from 1993: 

"Looking back at the church's past, one finds the cooperative effort of the two congregations helped to surpass many troubling times. For example, during the Civil War when other unions dissolved, the church held together despite its location on the Mason-Dixon Line and split allegiances in the church.

However, in 1927 a dispute between the two congregations nearly dissolved the church's united front. Up until that time, the two religions alternated their services every other week and shared Sunday School classes. However, the trouble began when the Lutheran fold had a majority of members and insisted on their own weekly worship services and Sunday School, states Harvey Schlichter in his "Two Centuries of Grace and Growth in Manchester" published in 1960.

Members of the Reformed German Church, now known as the United Church of Christ, rebelled against the altered service schedule. The resulting battles nearly uprooted the church."

The Lutheran Church held its last service in 2016, according to a Carroll County Times article

Dedication service

Where: Lazarus United Church of Christ in Lineboro, Maryland

When: 10 a.m., April 8

Notes: Parking and shuttle service will be available at the Lineboro Fire Department, located at 4224 E. Main Street, starting at 9 a.m. A reception luncheon at the fire department will immediately follow the service. All are welcome. For more, call 410-374-1304.