MAHANOY CITY - There was a great celebration in Christ Lutheran Church on Sunday as it marked the 150th anniversary of its witness to Jesus Christ in the borough and beyond.
The worship service at 2 p.m. was celebrated by the Rev. Dr. Samuel R. Zeiser, bishop of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, assisted by the Rev. Fred T. Crawford, pastor.
Before the service began, members of The Patriots sang three songs under the direction of Shannon Shughart, followed by a welcome from Crawford.
"Welcome to Christ Lutheran Church's 150th-plus anniversary," Crawford said. "There are three different years that we could have used to celebrate our anniversary. Lutherans first started meeting in 1863 using the Presbyterian church, started building a church in 1864 and got their incorporation from the county in 1865. I thank you for being here. I thank everybody who is part of the process."
He also thanked The Patriots, who sang throughout the service with the church choir, and thanked the musicians who participated.
One of the oldest faith communities in the borough, the church's founding goes back to Civil War times and the time of the incorporation of Mahanoy City as a borough.
The 100th anniversary book states in its history, "Immigrants, who had come to this country from Europe, were also drawn here (Mahanoy City) by the availability of work in mining the veins of anthracite coal. Among those new settlers were folk who had been accustomed to worshiping God in the form and manner of the Lutheran Church and they were drawn together by a desire to make their new home a better place in which to live, by the friendships and sociability to be gained by living and worshiping together as organized Christians."
Because of differences in the German and English Lutherans factions, the two groups split, with the English Lutherans founding St. John's English Lutheran Church in the borough. Mahanoy City also had a third Lutheran Church - Holy Emmanuel Slovak Lutheran Church. Christ Lutheran is the only remaining church of the three. The church has 175 families registered at this time.
"The Children's Anthem" was presented by three girls: Kora Fritz, Brynn Wartman and Ava Kowalchick. The girls sang and clapped in front of the congregation, which applauded when they finished.
Zeiser presented the sermon congratulating the church on its historic milestone.
"A large part of my joy comes from the deep respect I have for the congregations in this region and the role that they have played in the life of the Lutheran Church in North America," said Zeiser, who is a graduate of Jim Thorpe Area High School. "It is clear to me that congregations in this anthracite region have provided leaders in this church that made a difference to the life of the church."
The bishop said that parish members of today have as an important contribution to make as those who founded the church 150 years ago.
"Sisters and brothers in Christ, there is meaningful way, a mindful way, in which your presence here today is every bit as important as the role played by the handful of Lutherans who established this congregation 150 years ago," Zeiser said. "The way that this congregation in partnership with other Lutheran congregations and ecumenical partners throughout the anthracite region have made it possible for thousands and thousands of faithful Christians to gather since that time. This 150th anniversary celebration, from my point of view, has much broader implications for the life of the Church in this region. So I commend you, Christ Church in Mahanoy City, for the way your celebration today has implications across this region."
Zeiser spoke of the struggles and strife within the church when it was formed, but the determination was there to keep it going, to plant the seeds and keep them grow for 150 years.
"The vigor of the life of this congregation 150 years ago is extraordinarily unique. You have inherited a legend. You have inherited something that is particularly special in the history of the Lutheran Church in this part of our synod," he said. "The strife and struggles did not keep this congregation from becoming a healthy part of Mahanoy City."
Also attending the celebration worship service was the Rev. Dr. John Reid, pastor of St. Paul's United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Kevin Gallagher, pastor of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Roman Catholic Church, both of Mahanoy City.
After the worship service, Zeiser and Crawford greeted everyone as they left to attend the reception in the hall beneath the church.