The Early Years
Montco Bible Fellowship (MBF) was founded by Dr. B. Sam Hart in 1980. It was initiated as a home Bible Study, and grew following a Gospel Crusade held at the Gwynedd-Mercy College, located in Gwynedd Valley, PA, in October 1981. The inclusion of ‘Montco’ in the name of the Fellowship was a shortened form of Montgomery County, the county outside of Philadelphia, where MBF was established.
During those early years, the Fellowship met at the American Legion Hall in Ambler, PA, under the pastoral leadership of Dr. B. Sam Hart, with Associate Pastor Kenneth Gaines. In 1982, several families from the Norristown, PA area were added to the rolls as a result of a merger with Maranatha Christian Assembly.
It was not long before the Fellowship outgrew the facilities at the Legion Hall, so it moved and rented the Annex building from Grace Baptist Church in Ambler. Brothers Tony Hart, Randy Rose, and Clifford Hicks joined the pastoral staff during those years.
MBF remained in Ambler for seven years, during which time the leadership searched for a permanent building. With our prayers and His impeccable timing, the Lord opened a door in Lansdale, PA, giving the Fellowship the opportunity to purchase a vacant mail order warehouse in 1991. With His help, the building was renovated into a three-floor House of Worship, which continues at the current location at 160 E. Main Street, Lansdale PA 19446. We strongly believe that God has placed us in an ideal location, “To make disciples that love God and share His love with the world,” in fulfillment of our Mission Statement, and to serve as God’s lighthouse in the community.
The years of Growth and Expansion
By God’s grace in 1992, Tony Hart, son of founding pastor, Dr. B. Sam Hart, was called by the Lord to pick up the mantle of leadership. As Montco’s new pastor, he and his wife, Sister Carol Hart, faithfully co-labored in both the teaching, music, and outreach ministries, inspiring many others to join them in fulfilling their vision for the active participation of MBF in the Lansdale community.
As an answer to much prayer, Samuel Butler and his wife, Cynthia were introduced to the MBF family in early 1995, when he delivered his first sermon to the Assembly. In the spring of 1995, he was installed as an associate pastor.
Fred Garnes and his wife, Anita joined the fellowship in 1998 and was added to the pastoral staff in October 1998, during the annual Homecoming celebration.
The leadership staff continued to expand over the years and included Darryl King and his wife, Shelia, from 2004 to 2009 and Andrew Hart, and his wife, Renee, from 2009-2013.
In 2011, Tyrus and Angela Barker and their family returned to the Lansdale area from Chicago. The Barkers, who had been members of Montco Bible Fellowship on and off since 1995, returned to the area with employment assignments. In 2011, Pastor Tyrus was installed as MBF’s newest associate pastor.
Ministry Beyond Montgomery County
Montco Bible Fellowship’s growth continued in other ways. The Lord moved the leadership to take the mission of sharing God’s love to the nations as He opened opportunities for us to undertake church-wide international missions’ trips from 2001-2008. Primarily consisting of the MBF Choir, Hands of Praise signing ministry, Praise in Motion Dance ministry, and other members of the congregation, these weeklong missionary journeys included sharing the Gospel and love of Christ in schools, nursing homes, outdoor crusades, and concerts in local assemblies. The countries visited during these missionary journeys included Bahamas and Jamaica, in the West Indies, Uganda, West Africa, and Guyana, South America. There was also a home missionary journey from upstate New York to Atlanta, where the MBF Choir ministered full concerts at various churches along the way.
Home is Where the Heart of Ministry Is
MBF’s missions’ efforts also focused homeward as we embarked on outreach in our local community and surrounding areas. Several of our ministry groups joined hands with area missions & outreach organizations to share the Gospel and love of Christ locally.
MBF planted roots in Philadelphia when on September 14, 2003, we commended Brothers Tom Troutt, Shelton Mercer III, & James Murray to start our first daughter church, Philadelphia Bible Fellowship,
Our local evangelistic outreach continued as we focused on ‘Building God’s Church by Sharing God’s Love,’ with monthly door-to-door sharing the Gospel of Christ to our immediate neighbors. Most recently, we instituted the Summer Water Witness to continue to share God’s love to the immediate community in another tangible way. During the hot summer months, we go to strategic locations around town armed with bottles of cold water along with an invitation to join us for worship on Sundays.
Additionally, the Lord opened a great opportunity for international missions right in our own community. In 2013, He burdened the heart of Sis. Carol Hart to open an English as a Second Language (ESL) School for the many immigrants living in the community, who need to learn English to effectively survive in a new country. This outreach provided a tremendous opportunity to share the love of Christ and Gospel as more than 100 students registered, each school year, from a variety ethnicities, nationalities and religious backgrounds.
Five other churches partnered with MBF to support this effort through providing teachers, financial resources, etc. This joint endeavor has served as a way of joining the Lansdale faith community through the joint mission of sharing the love of Christ in a tangible way to “strangers” in a new country.
Brick and Mortar Stewardship
In 2011 in order to make all three levels of the building accessible to everyone with the Lord’s help an elevator was installed in the building . Additionally, the changes also included the first full-time administrative assistant to handle tasks during the week.
We continue to thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us over the years.We have been blessed with Godly men who have encouraged us in the Lord’s work. We are grateful for the many hands and feet that have made the heavy lifting light, and the long journey for sharing the Gospel and building God’s Kingdom victoriously