The First Church of Millsboro has been a beacon of light for 90 years.
Many years ago, a Seventh-day Adventist church from Dover, Delaware sponsored a tent effort featuring an Elder Sceeny as the speaker. Howard Street, better known as "Uncle Patty" attended the meetings as did Catherine Norwood's Parents.
After the tent meetings, regular meetings were held among friends and relatives in the community. 'Uncle Patty' became his own evangelist as he shared his spiritual messages with community friends and relatives. He was never without some type of tract as he shared his spiritual messages at every opportunity.
On October 13, 1934, the Millsboro Church met in the home of Burton Street to officially join the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Officiating at the meeting were Conference President W. C. Moffett, Elder A. J. Evelyn, acting as secretary, and Elder R. C. Crawford, the Conference Missionary Secretary.
The 14 Charter Members were: Emery Wilson Norwood, Sarah Catherine Norwood, Mary Ellen Norwood, Carlos Edward Street, Howard Street, Burton Street, Clara Street, John Franklin Street, Ruth Evelyn Street, Mildred Street, Clara Jackson, Leon Street, Myrtle Street, and Verneace Jackson.
On September 1, 1934, the church members and friends witnessed a baptism in the Indian River. Land was donated by Burton Street to be used to erect the new church; and on Sunday, September 13, 1939, the Millsboro Church held its dedication service. They were joined in cele- bration by their sister churches in Milford and Dover, Delaware. ,·
Millsboro became aware of its responsibility toward Christian education and made plans to build a room adjacent to the original church for the education of its children.
Elder Nelson Bliss, who organized the Salisbury and Cambridge, Maryland churches, donated $500 toward the purchase of blocks for the new school which Thomas Burton helped to build. Teachers at the school included Mildred Jones, Eileen Wright, Alice Powell, Louise Mosby, Catherine Peterson, Frances Bliss, Corine Smith, Lucille Davis and Ruth Evelyn Street.
A total of 226 people were baptized through the services of the Pastors of our former years:
A. J. Evelyn, 1934 to 1937
William Cheatham, 1938 to 1945
Ercell I. Watson, 1945 to 1949
L. W. Brantley, 1949 to 1951
Alonzo Wagner; 1951 to 1954
Nelson Bliss, 1954 to 1960
John E. Collins, 1960 to 1964
J. Franklin Street, 1964 to 1974
Samuel Boynton, 1974 to 1977
Peter Campbell, 1977 to 1979
John Wright, 1979 to 1982
Alvin LA Count; William Ervin, 1983 to 1988
Carl Hinds, 1988 to 1991
Rudyard Lord, 1991 to 1997
Pastors in the 2000s:
Oliver Cheatham, 1997 to 2002
Earl Blackwell, 8/2002 to 9/2002
A.R. Jones, 9/2002 to 2003
Colby Matlock Sr.: 10/2003 to 8/2010
R. Vincent Dehm, 10/2010 to 10/2012
Stephen Boyce, Sr., 11/2012 to 01/2021
Christopher Kady, 03/2021 to 01/2023
David Thorpe, Jr, 03/2023 to 01/2025
Lance Moncrieffe, 03/2025 to current.