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Immerse Yourself in History

Inspired by people who made beautiful decisions and served from their hearts, we are a friendly welcoming place that wants to keep alive the spiritual history of the chapel.

Boehm’s Chapel has events throughout the year that offer family fun and educational experiences for all. Special events include a Midnight Christmas service, Heritage Sunday, weddings, private tours, special services with historical actors, cemetery tours, and even music recitals or small concertos.

Upcoming Events

JUNE 23, 2024

Join Us for Heritage Sunday!

Methodist circuit riders will be the topic when the Boehm’s Chapel Society holds its annual Heritage Sunday service on June 23. The Rev. Joe DiPaolo, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, PA, will deliver the lecture at 4 p.m. in historic Boehm’s Chapel. Rev. DiPaolo has studied Methodist history in America extensively, has served on the Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, and edited its annual journal. He has published papers and books on Methodist history.

Martin Boehm, who founded the United Brethren in Christ denomination with Phillip Otterbein, welcomed Methodist circuit riders to his farm that sits below the Chapel. It was at the home of Martin and his wife, Eva, that the first Boehm’s Church Class met in 1775 before the Chapel was built in 1791.

The most famous of the circuit riders to seek refuge at the Boehm homestead was Francis Asbury, one of the first two bishops sent by John Wesley to the colonies to govern the growing Methodist denomination. Asbury preached Martin Boehm’s funeral service in 1812 in the Chapel. He was also joined for five years on his travels by Martin’s son, Henry.

Two circuit riders are buried just outside the walls of the Chapel.

Preceding the service, the Chapel Society will hold its annual business meeting starting at 3 p.m.

Recent Events

Chapel Roof Replacement

We have a new roof for the Chapel! Praise the Lord!

Work was almost completed on the new cedar shake roof during the week of March 18, 2024. We are waiting on one last shipment of shingles. Thank you for your contributions and prayers toward this important project to protect and preserve this wonderful historic Chapel.

The Society would like to thank Peter McCord for his drone video of the roof work at the Chapel!

Read more about how we secured funding for the new roof.

December 24, 2023 at 10:00 pm

Christmas Eve Service

The Boehm’s Chapel Society joined with the Boehm’s and Colemanville United Methodist Churches for a beautiful and meaningful Christmas Eve candlelight service in the Chapel. This was the first Christmas Eve service for the Boehm’s-Colemanville circuit.

May the Spirit of Christmas stay with you through the New Year!

December 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm

Vespers Service

The Boehm’s Chapel Society held their annual Vespers service for friends and family to come together and experience the true meaning of the season.

The program was “Lessons and Carols” with the reading of scriptures and the singing of seasonal hymns. Our special guest this year was Joanne Swords Wang, bringing us beautiful harp music and leading our singing on the keyboard.

November 17, 2023

We Need Your ExtraGive for Our Roof!!

Thank you for your support on November 17 when we partnered with ExtraGive to be part of Lancaster County’s community-wide celebration of giving. We raised $3,520 from 24 givers for the replacement of the cedar shake roof on Boehm’s Chapel. Maintaining the roof is the Chapel’s biggest maintenance challenge as it sits prominently on the hill, exposed to the wind, rain, snow and sun.

The estimate to replace the roof is at least $60,000. A square for a new roof will cost $3,000. A square covers 100 sq ft of roof. You can split that cost by donating half of a square, a quarter square, or any amount that we can toward the replacement of the roof. Anyone donating $500 or $1,000 will receive a Society Life Membership.
Raising funds for a new roof will require a lot of prayer and effort. We appreciate your help to keep the legacy of Boehm’s Historic Chapel alive.

Brother DiPaolo in period garb in the Chapel

Even though it rained all day, we have a great time making apple butter! The gang started getting ready at 11 pm the night before, and then at 2 am they starting making the apple butter. It needs to be stirred constantly so it doesn’t burn over the wood fire, and we had a great crew of stirrers! The Chapel and the Tying Shed were open for visitors to come in from the rain and check out the beautiful buildings. Boehm’s UMC Church had lots of food and unique items for sale, and wonderful music in the sanctuary.

All proceeds from the apple butter are going to help fund the roof replacement. There may still be some apple butter available! Contact us for information.

Check out the Gallery page for more photos from the day.

Heritage Sunday at the Chapel - June 25

The Boehm’s Chapel Society held its annual Heritage Sunday event on Sunday, June 25, 2023 in the historic Boehm’s Chapel.

A worship service started at 4 p.m. A Society business meeting was held at 3 p.m.

Dale Mylin, a Society board member and a member of Byerland Mennonite Church where Martin Boehm was the pastor and bishop, brought us a message titled: “Keeping your hand to the plow: On being an influencer.” Following the worship service, Jeff and Sue Frey who own the Boehm family homestead, offered a hayride to the farm. It was a special opportunity to see the Chapel from a different perspective.

Placing Flags for Memorial Day

Dennis Myers, a life member of the Chapel Society, and his daughter, Beth Railing place American flags on the graves of military veterans at the cemetery near Boehm’s Chapel. Mr. Myers served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. His family does this every Memorial Day at Boehm’s, plus covers two other cemeteries.

Strasburg Historical Society Meets at the Chapel

The Strasburg Historical Society met at the Chapel on May 15, 2023. Marv Adams, Boehm’s Chapel Society President spoke on the influence of Martin Boehm on early Methodism, and on other denominations he founded or influenced. Also covered was the history of the Chapel and the restoration that brought it back to how it appeared in 1791 when it opened as the first church in PA built for Methodist worship.

The Strasburg Historical Society owns the first church built for Methodist worship in Strasburg. It is currently a private residence.

Meet Boehms UMC's New Pastor!

Boehm’s United Methodist Church will get a new pastor in July and the church will become part of a two-charge circuit.

The Rev. Manuel “Manny” Paz Cruz will fill pulpits at Boehm’s UMC and Colemanville UMC as the two churches are joined in a circuit.

The Rev. Joan Trout, who has been at Boehm’s for six years, is retiring. We thank her for her dedicated service to the Chapel Society over the past few years!

Plan your visit!

Contact us to schedule a time to explore the rich history of the chapel.