Sailor's Bethel Methodist Church - Delaware Public Archives

The roots of this congregation can be traced to 1809, when a house of worship was constructed to serve the needs of the many residents of this area who were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. First known as Elzey Moore’s Meeting House, the name of the church was formally changed to Wesley Chapel in 1825. Following the closing of Wesley in 1852, members of the congregation who resided in the vicinity of the seafaring village of Lewisville conducted services in area homes. In 1855 they constructed a church at this location on land purchased from Bayard Moore. The church became known as Sailor’s Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1880 the name of Lewisville was formally changed to Bethel, reflecting the importance of this community institution. The present church was built in 1884, and its name was subsequently abbreviated to Bethel M.E. Church. With the discontinuation of services at St. John’s Methodist Protestant Church in 1902, many of its members joined the Bethel congregation. Their former church was obtained and converted for use as the Community Hall. This site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 2004 the members of the church elected to reclaim the historical name of Sailor’s Bethel Church.