The brethren of the Grantham community met for worship and fellowship in private homes, including the present Missionary Home, as early as 1835, more than thirty-five years before the Brethren in Christ had any church buildings. The Grantham Sunday School opened in the S.R. Smith factory building in 1909, three years before the Messiah Bible School Chapel was dedicated in January 1912.
With this provision of an adequate chapel, both the congregation and the Sunday School moved to the college campus, beginning a cooperative use of college and church facilities that has continued to the present, including the church-chapel, dedicated September 1961, and the office and fellowship extension, dedicated in 1974. From the beginning of congregational life in Grantham, religious education and youth ministries were a vital part of the life of the church; the Sunday School, established 1909; the Young People's Christian Society; 1912; the Summer Bible Schools; 1929; and the Grantham Youth Conferences; 1933.
More recently the Board of Christian Education has offered Christ's Crusaders, Bible Clubs, the Pioneer Girls, and the Christian Service Brigade. To these might be added the Coral Ridge Program for Evangelism and the Small Group Bible Studies.
Because of the important part music played in the life of Messiah College, the Grantham congregation enjoyed above average choral and congregational singing. Choral groups and quartets from the college and youth choirs from the congregation contributed richly to the worship programs. An organ was provided in the former chapel in 1949, but no adult choir was established until facilities from them and the organ were furnished in 1961. The present pipe organ was dedicated in 1973. L. Nelson Wingert, Ronald Miller, Ron Long, and Karen Durbin have served as Ministers of Music. The organists have been Frances A. Smith, Dorothy Schrag, Renee Winn, and Lois Paine.
A strong missionary emphasis has contributed to the congregation's establishing of the following extension Sunday Schools and churches; Redland, Ranaville, Iron Springs, Morning Hour, Mt. Holly Springs, Williams Grove, and Dillsburg. In addition to personnel having served in these neighboring communities, more than fifty members of the congregation have entered home and overseas mission assignments.
Congregational recognition by the Brethren in Christ General Conference came with the creation of the Grantham District in 1912. In 1958, Grantham became a church in the new Grantham District. It is currently part of the Susquehanna Conference. Rev. Kenneth Letner was the resident Bishop.
After years of rotating ministries by clergymen from the congregation and the college faculty, pastoral care was provided with the appointment of Dr. C.N. Hostetter, Jr. as the first pastor in 1936. Succeeding pastors have been Jesse F. Lady, Albert H. Engle, Arthur L. Musser, Leroy B. Walters, Paul Hostetler, Merle Brubaker, and Robert Ives, who retired after 30 years of ministry in 2001. Associate pastors over the years have been David Zercher, Chris Weinhold, David Hall, Curtis Byers and Steve Lane. Recently, the congregation has been served by Dr. Terry L. Brensinger, Mary Jane Davis, and Lynda Gephart, Pauline Allison, and a host of student interns and pastors-in-residence.
