Two Sunday Services on Philadelphia Drive
Shiloh Church UCC meets at 5300 Philadelphia Drive on the west side of Dayton, where it has stood in one form or another since 1853. The congregation, affiliated with the United Church of Christ through the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association (SONKA) of the Heartland Conference, gathers around the motto "Living the Word by Serving the World." Two Sunday services give the week its rhythm: the GodSpeak contemporary service at 9:00 a.m. and the Blended service at 10:40 a.m. Both are livestreamed on YouTube so members and friends can worship from home.
The 9:00 a.m. GodSpeak service is built for families, with upbeat music and an engaging sermon aimed at all ages. The 10:40 a.m. Blended service weaves traditional hymns with contemporary music and has been the main Sunday gathering of the congregation for generations. Between the two services, the Sanctuary Choir rehearses at 10:00 a.m., and on most third Sundays the morning closes with a fellowship luncheon at noon.
An Open and Affirming Covenant
Shiloh has formally declared itself an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. The covenant states that the church welcomes and celebrates diversity, "recogniz[ing] that we do not have to be or believe alike in order to accomplish God's will on earth." Persons of the LGBTQ community are named among those welcomed and celebrated. This posture shapes everything from how newcomers are greeted on Sunday morning to how the Deacons and Health Ministry reach out into the neighborhood.
The congregation also affirms a long covenant with one another: to seek and respond to the Word and Will of God, to walk together in the ways of the Lord, and to share prayers, time, talent and financial resources so that the church remains "an ever more vital body of Christians." A Statement of Faith follows the Judeo-Christian tradition, affirming God as Creator, Jesus Christ as teacher and Savior, and the Holy Spirit as guide and comforter, with a clear commitment to "the service of love as seen in the example of Jesus Christ."
A Sanctuary Reborn After the 1978 Fire
The church's building history is part of its identity. Shiloh was founded in 1853 as Shiloh Springs Christian Church, and its first building stood across Philadelphia Drive where the cemetery is now. In 1914 a new building replaced the original on that same site. The present building was erected in stages between 1955 and 1959. A major arson fire in 1978 led to what the congregation describes as a "Phoenix-like re-birth," reshaping the interior and bringing in the 55-rank Möller pipe organ that anchors worship today.
The sanctuary is known for its remarkable acoustics, and the church has long used that gift to host a wide variety of music and arts events alongside its regular worship. The Möller organ, the Voices in Bronze handbell choir, and the Sanctuary Choir all share that resonant space.
The Front Porch and the Saturday Farmers' Market
One of the most distinctive ministries at Shiloh is the Front Porch Ministry, launched in 2008 by SONKA-licensed minister and Shiloh member Jim Eller. Each week during the warmer months, church members set up a gazebo at the Shiloh Farmers' Market in the parking lot and offer a simple, neighborly presence to shoppers who might never otherwise step inside a church. The farmers' market runs on the second and fourth Saturdays from June through September, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Front Porch volunteers hand out bottled water and accept a rotating list of recyclable items, including empty prescription containers (with labels removed), eyeglasses, batteries, pop can tabs, and worn American flags for proper disposal. They also collect non-perishable food for the church's food pantry. The point is presence more than programming - smiling faces, a listening ear, and an open door to the wider community.
Missions: From a Local Pantry to Oaxaca and Beyond
Shiloh's missions program is built around the conviction that faith must show up in the neighborhood. Locally, the church runs the Shiloh Food Pantry out of Omega Hall on most fourth Saturdays of the month (9:00 a.m. to noon). Doors open at 9:00, but people begin lining up as early as 7:30. On a typical distribution day, about 50 clients come through to collect food for roughly 150 people, choosing from shelves stocked by volunteers who pick up meat, produce and bread from the FoodBank of Dayton and a local bakery.
In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the pantry collected over 4,000 pounds of food from the FoodBank and served 148 households. About 20 volunteers - both church and community members - help clients sign in, select food and carry boxes to cars. The pantry is one piece of a much wider local effort that also supports Northmont FISH and Agape Food Pantry with food, funds and volunteers.
Other local partnerships include:
- Volunteer workdays and monthly meal preparation at the House of Bread soup kitchen.
- Yearly sponsorship of a house repair and rebuild through Rebuilding Together Dayton, with skilled supervision and volunteers from the congregation.
- School-supply drives and volunteer support for neighborhood Valerie Elementary School.
- A yearly charity golf outing and auction that raises money for local service organizations.
- Hygiene-item collections and financial support for St. Vincent de Paul Shelter Services, Homefull, and the Samaritan Homeless Clinic.
- Hosting the Dayton-area CROP Hunger Walk each year, which raises funds for local, national and international hunger relief.
- An annual Advent Tree with socks, hats, mittens, blankets and scarves for House of Bread clients, a Thanksgiving Food Collection for Agape and the Shiloh pantry, and Advent donations toward at least one Heifer International Ark of animals.
Financial support also flows to the Artemis Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence, Easter Seals Goodwill Adult Daycare, For Love of Children, Hospice of Dayton, the Ronald McDonald House, Shriners Children's of Ohio at Dayton Children's, and the YWCA Shelter Services. Nationally and internationally, Shiloh has sent mission teams to places of chronic need and disaster through the Appalachia Service Project, sponsors the Trigo y Miel Project in Oaxaca, Mexico, and contributes to the American Red Cross, Church World Service Blanket Sunday, One Great Hour of Sharing, the International Rescue Committee, and Doctors without Borders, including specific support for people affected by the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and recent hurricanes.
Christian Education and the Children's Wing
The Christian Education Committee organizes Sunday School, Children's Church and the nursery, and it is one of the busiest committees in the church. Its goal is "to bring Joy through God's Word by encouraging participation and interaction in the life of the church between the youth and adults." Sunday School meets alongside worship, and during the Blended service Pastor Jay often invites children forward for a brief chat before the Children's Church helpers take them into the Children's Education wing for their own lesson.
Throughout the year the committee hosts family-friendly events including an Easter breakfast with the Bunny, a Valentine's Day of Love Breakfast, Vacation Bible School, a Halloween breakfast and party, and Breakfast with Santa. A scholarship fund, administered by Youth Ministries Director Karyn Sleppy, supports students in the congregation as they move through their education.
Music Across the Week
Music is woven into the life of Shiloh from Sunday morning into the middle of the week. Music Director Mark Barnhill leads the program, with Assistant Music Director and Organist Victor Kovacs, Jr. at the Möller. In addition to the Sunday morning schedule, the Voices in Bronze handbell choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 7:00, the Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00, and the GodSpeak band rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00. The acoustics of the sanctuary make the building a sought-after venue for visiting choirs, ensembles and arts events.
Health Ministry and Grief Recovery
The Deacons lead Shiloh's Health Ministry, and one of its most distinctive offerings is a series of Grief Recovery Institute programs. Led by a certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist, the program serves adults grieving any kind of loss and also works with children who are suffering loss. Wellness screenings and Ask-a-Doc sessions - led by a board-certified Family Medicine physician - are offered on the second Sunday of the month around worship times and in conjunction with the Front Porch Ministry, the Farmers' Market and the Shiloh Food Pantry on the fourth Saturday.
First-Time Visitors at Shiloh
Visitors are encouraged to come as they are. The dress code is simply whatever is comfortable. The church offers two Sunday worship options: the contemporary GodSpeak service at 9:00 a.m. (about 40 to 45 minutes) and the Blended service at 10:40 a.m. (about an hour, occasionally longer for special services like the Black History celebration). Communion, when offered, is open to all who wish to receive it.
Parking is available around the point at the front of the building and in the lot on the Macy Street side. Door 1 on Macy Street is the accessible entrance and is also used most often for special events. Doors 1, 2 and 4 are all open for Sunday services. Door 2 leads directly into the narthex next to the sanctuary, Door 4 leads into the gallery, and the office door is Door 3. Bathrooms sit along a hallway off Door 1. The main floor of the building is accessible, with additional areas reachable by lifts.
Visitors will find a Welcome Table in the narthex, often called "the green table," with bulletins, sign-up sheets and flyers. Ushers and members wearing name tags are glad to help. No one is singled out during the service, but the Growth Committee works hard to notice newcomers and welcome them personally. The church is supported by its staff, including Senior Pastor Jay McMillen, Music Director Mark Barnhill, Assistant Music Director and Organist Victor Kovacs, Jr., Youth Ministries Director Karyn Sleppy, and Media Director Thomas Beck.
Getting Involved and Giving
For those who want to participate, the church lists four ways: volunteering with one of the many mission projects, giving financially or through donated items, praying for the mission and its teams, and sharing the work with friends and family. Offerings are collected at every service, and online giving is available through a secure portal. The church also welcomes inquiries about using its building for outside events.
Office hours run Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The phone number for the church office is 937-277-8953. Weekly bulletins and The Connection newsletter are posted online so members and friends can follow along with the calendar, recent sermons and upcoming events from anywhere.