Atonement Church was organized sometime between 1864 and 1866 and included a Sunday School.  Congregants met in rooms over Frank Ford’s store which was opposite what was once Naaman’s Tea House.  The first church building was erected on its present site in 1866 thanks to the generosity of Thomas Kimber, Jr.

Growth was slow in the early years and it was not until World War I that expansion began.  In 1927 an educational building was constructed to the south of the Sanctuary.  In the 1940’s the Sanctuary was enlarged, our beautiful stained glass windows installed, the front of the building remodeled and Epworth Chapel erected.  The present educational building was completed in 1960.  A different kind of expansion occurred in 2013 with the establishment of our sister church, Hope Community Church at the nearby Montessori School.

Atonement has undergone many repairs, renovations and innovations in the past fifty years in an effort to maintain the building’s integrity, keep pace with the changing times and meet the needs of our community. Our real growth, however has not been one of bricks and mortar but rather the extent to which we have fulfilled a vision begun 158 years ago….to connect with the Claymont Community and beyond. Atonement has worked diligently to meet that commitment. Locally, we maintain a food closet, sponsor a youth group for neighborhood teens and have built close ties to the Knollwood Community through our continuous provision of outreach activities. In addition to hosting an outside church, The Claymont 7th Day Adventist, we have five AA meetings/week, and various outside organizations. Throughout the United States we help support many outreach initiatives AND MINISTRIES, as well as international ONES. Throughout the U.S. and globally, we help support Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army, Chosen People Ministries, Urban Promise Inner-City schools, Door of HOPE Family Center, Ukraine missionary, Gideon’s International and Mercy Ships. Locally, Atonement sponsors many service projects and seasonal activities through the Knollwood Community Center. We are honored to be able to spread the word of the Lord to audiences across our nation and abroad to several countries each Sunday through our Live Streaming efforts. Like those who came before us, we remain vigilant in our quest to live out our vision statement “To Connect the Claymont Community and Beyond to Christ.”