It was through the men of the Gospel Herald Society, the missionary arm of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church, that the Lord began, in Lebanon Pennsylvania, the local church known today as the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church.  The leader of the work as it began in Lebanon was Horace A. Kauffman. He recorded some of the facts of the beginning work in Lebanon in his diary:

“I was appointed as leader of the new mission that was opened in Lebanon, PA on January 11, 1911. G. M. Reinbold was the preacher at the first two services of the Lebanon work. Services were held nightly in the hall at 781 Cumberland Street. ”

From June 1 to August 27, 1911, tent meetings were conducted, and on September 24, 1911 the first meeting was held at 521 Locust Street, Lebanon. This would be the location of the Church until 1970.

   In 1938 a major milestone for the church was marked, as the work was organized, when those who had been faithful in the work of the Gospel Herald Chapel and who wished to become members were received into membership. The church elected officers, and at the Annual Conference both church and pastor were received as full members of the Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church. The church was incorporated under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania on February 11 of the same year.

   From October 22-29, 1961, the Lebanon church celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a week of special services. At that time Pastor Daniel Ziegler reported on the status of the church: 

“The Golden Anniversary finds a group of 58 faithful members rejoicing in God’s great faithfulness in the past half century and looking forward to continued and greater blessing in the future years, until Christ comes for His church. The Sunday School continues to be active, with 122 enrolled at present and an average attendance in 1961 of 102. The mid-week prayer meeting is faithfully attended. There are also active Women’s Missionary Society and Youth Fellowship programs. Total offerings in the past year exceeded $8,300.00.  Prospects for the future are as bright as God’s promises, as sure as His character and as big as His unlimited power.”

During the time of Pastor Ziegler’s pastorate,the church achieved full self-support for the first time in the congregation’s history.

   In 1965 a 3.8 acre building lot on Mill Road in North Cornwall Township, Lebanon was obtained.  Then, in 1966, Bruce A. Ellingson came to the Lebanon Church to begin an unprecedented 17 year pastorate.  On Sunday, June 7, 1970, a groundbreaking service was held by the Lebanon Church on its 3.8 acre building site south of the city.  The church and parsonage on Locust Street, where God’s Word had been faithfully heralded for nearly 60 years, was sold in August, 1970. The Lebanon Church held services at a location on Maple Street until completion of the new building.  A Dedication of the new facilities was held on March 27 and 28, 1971.  It was also during Pastor Ellingson’s pastorate that the name Bethany was dropped from the Church’s name and the church became the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church.

   Concerning the years he spent as Pastor in Lebanon, Pastor Ellingson shares some memories:

“In thinking of Lebanon, I am always reminded that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; that the faith that Paul saw in Timothy was first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. God has been pleased to work through the families of the Lebanon Church where we know children of the third and fourth generation continuing in the church.”

   In September 1983, Pastor Calvin T. Reed, his wife, Bonnie and their family were welcomed to the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church. Pastor Reed’s ministry in Lebanon has been characterized by excellent biblical teaching and preaching, growth in attendance, expansion of church facilities and the building up of the church programs. A major task was accomplished when the by-laws for the church were written and adopted. Also, committees were formed to oversee the work of the various church programs.

   On January, 18, 1989, a building committee was established to oversee the building of a new sanctuary, additional Sunday School classrooms and church offices.  A groundbreaking celebration service was held on April 14, 1991 and a dedication service was held on April 26, 1992.

   By 1995, it was becoming evident that the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church would need an assistant pastor in order to effectively minister to the needs of the people of the congregation. At a Special Local Conference on June 11, 1995, an election was held, and Pastor LeRoy S. Heller was called to be the first Assistant Pastor of the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church.  Pastor Heller and his wife, Pat, were welcomed to the church on August 1, 1995.

   Concerning his years in Lebanon, Pastor Heller has this to say:

“It has been my unique pleasure to serve the Lord here in the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church as Assistant to Pastor Calvin T. Reed.  The Lord has been pleased to give this body of believers a special sense of commitedness to, appreciation for, and understanding of the Holy Scriptures, which come as the result of consistent expository preaching by the Pastor and solid teaching from our Sunday School staff.  There is also a deep respect for those placed in authority and a sincere affection for one another; thus creating a rich oneness in the body.  Jesus Christ is truly Lord and head of this church.”

   In June of 2003, Timothy J. Bertolet became Pastor of Youth and Young Families at the Lebanon BFC.  When Pastor Bertolet left Lebanon in 2006 to become Senior Pastor at the Pocono Mountain BFC, the Lebanon Church called David E. Brandt to be Assistant Pastor and work alongside Sr. Pastor Calvin T. Reed and Assistant Pastor LeRoy S. Heller.  Pastor Brandt and his wife, Sarah, were welcomed to the Lebanon Church on August 1, 2006.

   In looking at the past, the present and the future of the Lebanon Bible Fellowship Church, Pastor Reed shares the following thoughts:

“1 Samuel 7:12 says, ‘Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.’ We give glory to God for all that He has accomplished through His church. It is His doing and we give Him all the praise. As we look back on the history of the church, it is marked by tremendous change. The church has gone through a great transformation. However, the church’s work is not finished. We have an anticipation for an even more glorious future because He who began a good work in us will perform it till the day of Jesus Christ.“