History

Atonement United Methodist Church was organized sometime between 1864 and 1866 and included a Sunday School.  Congregants met in rooms over Frank Ford’s store which was opposite what was once Naaman’s Tea House.  The first church building was erected on its present site in 1866 thanks to the generosity of Thomas Kimber, Jr.

Growth was slow in the early years and it was not until World War I that expansion began.  In 1927 an educational building was constructed to the south of the Sanctuary.  In the 1940’s the Sanctuary was enlarged, our beautiful stained glass windows installed, the front of the building remodeled and Epworth Chapel erected.  The present educational building was completed in 1960.  A different kind of expansion occurred in 2013 with the establishment of our sister church, Hope Community Church at the nearby Montessori School.

Atonement has undergone many repairs, renovations and innovations in the past fifty years in an effort to maintain the building’s integrity, keep pace with the changing times and meet the needs of our community.  Our real growth, however has not been one of bricks and mortar but rather the extent to which we have fulfilled a vision begun 150 years ago….to connect with the Claymont Community and beyond.  Atonement has worked diligently to meet that commitment.  Locally, we maintain a food closet, provide meals to Emmanuel Dining Room and Urban Promise, sponsor a youth group for neighborhood teens and have built close ties to the Knollwood Community through our continuous provision of outreach activities.  In addition to hosting two outside churches, AA and NA meetings and various outside organizations, we consistently seek our ways to invite the community in.  Throughout the United States we help support 30 outreach initiatives, as well as 12 international ministries.  We are honored to be able to spread the word of the Lord to audiences across our nation and abroad to 50 countries each Sunday through our Live Streaming Initiative.  Like those who came before us, we remain vigilant in our quest to connect to the Claymont Community and beyond to Christ.