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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

The Constitution. First Amendment

Chapter 2: A Place to Worship

Many of the new settlers who came to the New World desired an opportunity to seek freedom. One of the freedoms they wished to have is freedom of religion, which lead to the creation of meeting houses for Quakers. Over time, we see a growth of congregations in the Wissahickon Valley Region that created a sense of community in the area.

Gwynedd Friends Meeting

1698

Gwynedd Friends Meeting

  • Founded by the original settlers of Gwynedd

  • Held meetings at the homes of John Hugh and John Humphrey

  • Constructed in 1714

  • The third meeting house built in Montgomery County, PA

St John's Lutheran Church

1769

St. John's Lutheran Church

  • Reverend John Frederick Schmidt served as the first pastor of the church

  • Constructed in 1771

  • Property was deeded on June 26, 1773

  • A Sunday school was built in 1840

Orthodox Friends of Gwynedd

1827

Orthodox Friends of Gwynedd

  • ​Founded after the Great 1827 Split between the "Orthodox" and "Hicksite" Quakers

  • Lasted from 1827-1936

  • Burial ground still exists today

Church of the Messiah

1870

Church of the Messiah

  • Before this church was built, people went to the St. Thomas' Church in Whitemarsh

  • First services were held at the old Gwynedd School

  • The wealthy families in the area are the reason the church still exists

Bethlehem Baptist Church

1885

Bethlehem Baptist Church

  • First organized at the home of the Fillman family of Penllyn

  • Constructed in 1906

  • Caesar A. Edwards served as the church's first pastor

  • Relocated to the former Congregation Beth Or

  • China Grace Christian Church currently occupies the building

Emmanuel African Union Methodist Protestant Church

Emmanuel African Union Methodist Protestant Church

  • First organized in Fort Washington before settling in Ambler in the mid 1900s

  • Officially corporated on February 5, 1906

  • Political scientist Martin L. Kilson's father was the church's pastor during the 1930s and 40s

First Presbyterian Church

1891

First Presbyterian Church

  • Constructed in 1892 - John Wanamaker laid the cornerstone of the newly built church

  • Church was renovated and expanded in 1935, and continued to be rebuilt until the 1960s

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

1908

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

  • The parsonage next to the church was designated as a historical landmark in Montgomery County, PA

  • 28 original members met at the Ambler Opera House until the church construction was completed

  • Constructed in 1912-1913

Ambler Church of the Brethren

1922

1720

Boehm's Church

Boehm's Reformed Church

  • Founded by John Phillip Boehm, schoolteacher and founder of the German Reformed Church

  • Originally constructed in 1740

  • Property was deeded on February 8, 1748

1814

Union Methodist Episcopal Church

Union Methodist Episcopal Church

  • ​Property was deeded on September 4, 1813

  • Constructed in 1814

  • During the Great 1827 Split between the "Orthodox" and "Hicksite" Quakers, painter and Quaker minister Edward Hicks frequently preached at this church

  • Rebuilt and rededicated in 1882

1834

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Whitpain)

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Whitpain)

  • First organized on May 24, 1834 with 16 members

  • Property was deeded on July 3, 1834

  • Constructed in 1834

  • The Wissahickon Creek was the place for baptism

  • Burial ground still exists today​, but the church was demolished

1872

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Ambler)

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Ambler)

  • This church was the continuum of the original church in Whitpain

  • A small chapel was built in 1877, making it the first church built in Ambler

  • Rebuilt in 1892

  • Ambler Korean Presbyterian Church currently stands on the former church

First Methodist Episcopal Church

First Methodist Episcopal Church

  • The Methodist Church of Jarrettown organized a mission in Ambler

    Dedicated on February 20, 1887

  • The Knights of Malta occupied this building in the early 20th century

  • The church was relocated and built in 1912 - renamed the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church

1886

St. Anthony's Church

St. Anthony's Church

  • Cornerstone was laid in 1886

  • Catholic families had to walk to Chestnut Hill to attend Sunday mass

1895

Zion Baptist Church

Zion Baptist Church

  • Officially chartered on May 7, 1906 on Woodland Avenue

  • Relocated to its current located on North Street near the Emmanuel AUMP Church in 1919

  • Dr. Richard V. Mattison gave the church $500 for their new construction

1919

St. Helena's Church

St. Helena's Church

  • Father Francis E. Higgins held his first parish mass of 25-30 Catholic families at the home of James McCloskey

  • The church was known as the "Shrine of the Little Flower"

Ambler Church of the Brethren

  • First known as the Upper Dublin German Baptist Church - founded in 1840

  • The church found its home in Ambler in 1922

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