Midway Mennonite Church traces its origins back to 1801. Mennonites had migrated from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia and settled in the areas now known as Columbiana and Mahoning counties in northeastern Ohio. Jacob Oberholtzer, a bishop from eastern Pennsylvania, was the first leader to serve the fledgling group of Mennonites scattered over two counties. Meetings were held in various homes until a small log building was erected on the Oberholtzer farm just north of the present location of the Midway meetinghouse in 1815. This building also served as a school.

Due to long distances between members’ homes, the poor condition of roads, and horse and wagon transportation, additional meetings were established to the southwest in the Leetonia area of Columbiana County and to the northeast near North Lima in Mahoning County. Midway was the name eventually given to the meeting place roughly “midway” between the two other congregations.

In 1869, the log building used as church and school was deemed inadequate and a new meetinghouse was built. This was completed in 1871, and that building is still the sanctuary today, though updated.

As the three congregations grew, each became more autonomous. In 1948, there was a formal acknowledgement of separation of the group into three distinct churches.

Midway, long a member of the Ohio Conference of Mennonite Churches and a part of Mennonite USA, decided over a period of a couple years to leave those relationships and applied to LMC. This change was formally completed in 2024.

Currently, we are without a pastor and our search committee is actively seeking God’s will in finding a pastor. We have several small group meetings monthly for fellowship and activities. Midway also offers Sunday School classes for children and adults. We are sponsoring a Ukrainian refugee family living in Columbiana. A number of our folks participate in a joint effort with others from the community in a bi-monthly outreach with a program known as “God’s Choice,” a gathering for individuals with special needs and their families and caregivers.

We are excited to enter this year of celebration of the 500-year history of our Anabaptist roots. We are planning several special services, as well as static displays.

Our mission statement says it all: “We are a welcoming community nurturing followers of Jesus.”