The end of World War II brought millions of young servicemen back to America to pick up their lives and start new families in new homes with new jobs. With energy never before experienced, American industry expanded to meet peacetime needs. Americans began buying goods not available during the war, which created corporate expansion and millions of new jobs. Growth was taking place everywhere. The baby boom was underway and the rise of America's middleclass was meteoric. And for churches everywhere, a "golden-age" of church growth was taking shape that brought expansion and energy in ways no one could have imagined.
Those who had endured the hard years of the war wanted to return home to peace and prosperity. They wanted a good job, a good marriage, a little family and they wanted to get on with the business of living. The G.I. Bill offered many benefits, including a college education to those willing to do the work necessary. Opportunity for a good life abounded in Waynesboro. The factories worked round the clock and the jobs are generally very good and paid well.

The face of war changed those who had served. They embraced faith as a vital value and joined the church when they returned. The Methodist Church of Waynesboro had reached out in many ways to the men and women in their military service and now that they were back, they brought their energy and talent to church. Of course, the pastors of that time, the Rev. Bart Crites and Rev. Elbert Wilson were kept constantly busy with additional weddings and baptisms as well as caring for their typical pastoral duties.
The enerrgy of those young men and women who had served during the war years was channeled into an incredible array of activities in the community as well as in the churches and synagogues across the United States. Here in Waynesboro, those young men and women began Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops in the Methodist Church. They coached softball, Little League and Midget Football teams. They taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School classes. They chaperoned the Methodist Youth Fellowship outings and organized yearly Sunday School picnics.

The members of the church have also left an important mark on the community. Returning home from the war, the late Max Wynkoop had a dream that Waynesboro's youth would have the best ball fields and teams for their youth. Max used his quiet personality and his passion for this dream to pull together a number of others, including Ray Long, to organize and secure land just east of Clayton Avenue, to create a wonderful place where kids have enjoyed sports for over a half-century. Even though he had no children of his own, he coached Little League teams for decades and had a profound impact on the lives of many youth of the community.
Ardie Winters, now 90 years old, returned from the war with a Purple Heart and just wanted to do whatever he could to help others have a good life in a community that cares. Ardie has served in a wide variety of ways from being a Town Councilman, to making pancakes at the Lion's Club community breakfasts year after year. Many other church members did similar and quiet acts of service to the church and community. They continue to do so as their way of loving God and neighbor.

Christian education has always been an important priority of the congregation. A need to create additional meeting space for educational purposes was met in 1956, when the church built the Educational Building. Constructed and finished in 1957 at a cost of $90,000.00 the building was an impetus to additional growth.
The Church also sponsored a congregation in Cuba and sent their pastor, Rev. L. Elbert Wilson, to help lay the cornerstone. It is our understanding that the church in Cuba has survived for this past 50 years and meets weekly for worship.

The members of the Methodist Church of Waynesboro also had to grow in new directions as the nation also had to expand its understandings of race relations, gender equality and religious diversity. It was not always easy; often not everyone understood their direction of the times or why the nation and the Waynesboro community with it, was experiencing so many, seemingly radical changes. Discussions of these topics were regularly heard in the various classes and at time, from the pulpit. These were the years of the Civil Rights struggle, the feminist movement, the age of Rock 'n' Roll and of course, the television. Each change brought new challenges and new ways of seeing the world. These issues were not always easily addressed, but they were the topics of discussion in the Sanctuary and classroom. Social issues in our day continue to be items of dialogue at Christ Church.

Another change of name occurred in 1968, when the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church. The Methodist Church in Waynesboro was now joined by sister church, Faith United Methodist Church. A name change was necessary and so the church was named, "Christ United Methodist Church" by a congregational vote. Relations between both congregations have always been excellent, together the congregations of Faith United Methodist Church and Christ United Methodist Church have continued to share in ministering to the community in a variety of ways and share many friendships between the two church families.

Of some note is the ministry of Rev. Carl L. Buterbaugh. Carl and Nancy Buterbaugh came to Christ Church under appointment by Bishop Herman Kabenick in 1971. Carl was and is a faithful pastor to the church and community. He holds the record for the longest pastorate in our history, serving from 1971 to 1988. Carl is the Pastor Emeritus at Christ Church, frequently helping out at all times. He and Nancy are beloved by the church family.

In 1990, through the efforts of the Waynesboro Area Fellowship of Churches and the Waynesboro Human Services Agency, Christ Church became the home of the Lunch Place. The Lunch Place serves a hot meal at noontime five days a week throughout the year to anyone and everyone. . Since its first meal was served in 1990, almost 150,000 persons have had a nutritious and appetizing meal through the Lunch Place Ministry. The congregation shares a deep commitment to hosting this ministry and in the past two years, has created a Thursday evening meal, which is shared with the members of the church and community together.

Back in 1988, the church's Council on Ministries adopted "Stewardship" as the theme for the year. During a brainstorming session. John Eier suggested that we weren't being very good stewards of our Educational Building, allowing it to stand vacant for all but 4 hours a week. The possibility of using it as a child care center was raised and a study committee was appointed. In 1989 presentations were made to the church members, recommending that the church move forward and establish a child care center. The membership of the church voted in agreement.

Under the leadership of Rev. Roger H. Mentzer and a team of church members including, Herb Meininger, Dick Shook, Paul Miller, Paige Jenkins, Colleen Middour, Sue Shinn, Linda McLaughlin and Jamie Pearson, the Noah's Ark Child Care Center was brought into being. In September 1990 we opened our doors to six children, Tommy Clark, Autumn Furry, Robin Kline, Laura Rock, Meredith Schellhase and Jeremy Stine. Ms Jamie Pearson has been the founding director and oversees a staff of 20 trained and dedicated child-care workers. Every day, some 76 families take their most precious loved ones to Noah's Ark, secure in knowing that the children are loved, well-cared for and taught Christian values in a clean, wonderful, and safe atmosphere.

The center serves children from the age of six weeks through sixth grade. Our before and after school program serves Fairview Elementary School, St. Andrew's School and Summitview Elementary School. We provide transportation to and from those schools as well as full day care when schools are not in session. Licensed by the Department of Public Welfare, Noah's Ark has an exemplary file of licensing inspections, many of which have no citations for non-compliance with the state regulations.

As we celebrate our 15th anniversary in service through Daycare, Laura is a senior at Waynesboro Senior High and Meredith is a Junior. All the others have graduated and moved out into the world. The two original staff members were Yvonne Yoder and Jamie Pearson. Miss Yvonne is now a teacher at Summitview Elementary School and Miss Jamie is still at Noah's Ark. We are honored by the trust that the parents of the Waynesboro area place in our childcare center and our staff works very hard to keep that trust. A board of laity from Christ Church, led by Susan Calimer, serves to guide and assist the director and her staff in their work. Susan is third generation member of Christ Church and along with her husband Jim, is raising a fourth generation with sons, Zach and Tom.

Waynesboro also has had to deal with the face of evil as the Ku Klux Klan entered the community in the early 1990's. Christ Church's pastor, Rev. Roger Mentzer, contacted the pastors and laity of the area churches to generate a Christian response to hate groups. The church people from all over the area quickly responded by the hundreds to meet this menace. The community met at St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church for prayer and then gathered on the four corners of the town square to proclaim that this community is not about hate mongering. When the KKK returned to Waynesboro shortly afterwards, they found no welcome whatsoever.