A Home at 13th and Hamilton Since 1903
Christ Lutheran Church has stood at the corner of 13th and Hamilton Streets in Allentown since 1903, when members of two downtown Lutheran congregations gathered at the Lincoln School building to start a new mission. They bought the lot, raised a temporary "shanty" for worship, and within months began Sunday services and Sunday school classes. A hundred years later, at their centennial, the congregation recommitted to staying in the city. Today, more than two decades past that pledge, Christ Lutheran continues to share that corner with central-west Allentown.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
Worship at Christ Church is central to the life of the community. The congregation gathers every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., both in person and via livestream on YouTube and Zoom. As an ELCA Lutheran congregation, the service includes baptism, communion, and the congregation's shared profession of faith. Worship is assembly-based, with the people gathered singing, praying, and communing together. The Chancel Choir augments the congregation's singing nearly every week, while the Christabells handbell choir and Immanuel Singers treble ensemble add their voices at various points in the church year. The congregation's singing is led from the organ and piano, with solo instrumentalists and vocalists highlighting services throughout the year.
Each week's service is recorded and added to the YouTube channel, so anyone who missed a Sunday can catch up the same week. Visitors are invited to sign a virtual guestbook.
Music That Has Shaped the Congregation for Generations
Music is woven into the identity of Christ Lutheran. The Chancel Choir is the longest-standing music ensemble in the church, formed just after the congregation's founding in 1903. It sings every Sunday in a range of styles from classic and traditional to gospel and jazz, and rehearses Wednesday evenings at 7:30 from September through May. The choir also serves as the core for the Twelfth Night Festival each year.
The Immanuel Singers is a women's ensemble that sings contemporary praise music roughly once a month. They rehearse for forty-five minutes after worship every other week and have been known to perform pieces such as a medley from Sister Act and to carol at Phoebe Home.
The Christabells ring as many as five octaves of Schulmerich handbells. They rehearse every other Sunday after worship, September through May, and welcome new members of varied experience reading sheet music. Music reading ability is recommended for the Chancel Choir but not required.
Dr. Michael E. Krentz, a deacon, has served as Director of Music and Organist since 2009. He plans worship and leads the congregation's singing from the organ or piano. Before coming to Christ Church, he served for twenty years in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and taught and led chapel music at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for ten years. Andrew Lutz-Long is the Associate Director of Music and Networking. He directs the vocal ensembles, assists in worship leadership, and connects with community partners through facility coordination and the church's digital presence. Outside Christ Church, Andrew serves as College Organist and Adjunct Professor at Muhlenberg College, Artistic Director of the Valley Choral Society, and Director of the Summer Harmony Men's Chorus.
A Building with Room to Spare
Christ Lutheran's facility spans half a block on the northeast corner of 13th and Hamilton Streets. The Chapel, the first permanent structure on the site, was completed in 1905, while the cornerstone of the church sanctuary at the corner reads 1904 and the sanctuary itself was dedicated in 1907. The first substantial renovations came in the 1930s, when the whole plant was refurbished, the pipe organ was expanded into chambers on both sides of the chancel, and the chancel itself was pushed back into the original Chapel auditorium, creating the distinctive Chapel hallway that follows the curve of the chancel wall. The Christian Education building went up in 1936, and over the decades the building has hosted Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, Al-Anon, the Allentown Literacy Center, a Head Start program, Vacation Bible School, and a resource and program center for the McKinley Elementary School.
Today, the building is also offered for event rentals. The Chapel on the main level accommodates up to 48 guests, with an adjacent Lounge that can add 32 more, and a small kitchenette with refrigeration. The lower-level Fellowship Hall seats 90 and includes access to a full kitchen with refrigeration, microwave, oven, stovetop, sinks, and prep surfaces, along with a television. The Gymnasium, also on the lower level, seats 162 and includes a ceiling-mounted screen and projector plus a full sound system. Together, the Fellowship Hall and Gymnasium can host up to 250 guests. All three event spaces are handicap accessible. The parking lot sits directly across Hamilton Street, opposite the front of the building, with easy access to the facility.
The Twelfth Night Festival
Each January, the Twelfth Night Festival transforms Christ Lutheran into a medieval pageant, drawing on the centuries-old tradition of marking the close of the twelve days of Christmas and the coming of Epiphany. The production is modeled on medieval pageants and feasts, and the cast of hundreds is made up of volunteers from the congregation and the wider community, both in costume and behind the scenes. The Christ Church choir is joined by more than two dozen volunteer singers from other congregations and accompanied by a professional chamber orchestra. Local performers, including the William Allen High School Dancers and the City of Bethlehem Bagpipe Band, are part of the pageant. The Twelfth Night Pageant stands as a continuing memorial to Eleanor D. Kramp, whose inspiration and foresight launched the festival.
Now in its 42nd season, the festival features two performance days with two showtimes each. The Twelfth Night team prepares throughout the year and stores costumes in the Chapel Mezzanine area between seasons. Seat reservations open in the fall.
Pastoral Leadership
Christ Lutheran is in a period of pastoral transition following Senior Pastor Woody Maxon's retirement. After a series of interim pastors, worship is currently led on Sundays by a rotating schedule of retired clergy who are members or friends of the congregation. These supply pastors include David Deal, Donna Deal, Elizabeth Haines, Thomas Lichner, Christine Nelson, Peggy Wuertele, and Mark Wimmer. Pastoral care, arranged through the church office, remains available throughout the week.
Lisa Smith has served as secretary for more than fifteen years and now works half-time at Christ Lutheran and half-time at Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Brenda Yonney is the financial secretary. Donna Lahouchuc directs the Christabells handbell choir.
The A-town Bundle: Five Congregations Exploring Shared Ministry
Christ Lutheran is one of five Lutheran congregations in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod's Lehigh Mission District exploring what it would look like to intentionally bundle their ministry resources and staff while keeping their own buildings and site-specific budgets. The five congregations in the A-town Bundle are Christ Lutheran, St. John's, St. Luke's, Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, and St. Timothy, all in Allentown. The process is centered on relationships and mission rather than money, and has so far included a Reveal Gathering, ongoing meetings with a consultant, and an Exploratory Team. Each congregation will eventually vote on whether or not to enter the Bundle.
Neighborhood House and the Allentown Collaborative Ministries
Christ Lutheran is a member of the Allentown Collaborative Ministries, a multi-denominational organization of nearly a dozen Allentown congregations that serves the city through worship, outreach, and mission. Through this collaboration, Christ Lutheran hosts Neighborhood House on Sunday mornings from November through April, providing breakfast and a bag lunch along with a safe indoor space for the unhoused community to refresh, restore, and settle during the day. Volunteers, called "Hosts," prepare and share the meals and spend time with neighbors. A second Neighborhood House site operates on Friday evenings at St. Luke's Lutheran Church on 7th Street. Shellie Fritchman is the Neighborhood House Coordinator at Christ Lutheran.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Faith formation at Christ Lutheran includes a Bible course led by Pastor Richard Mathisen, Interim Pastor at St. Luke's Lutheran in Allentown. Designed for Christian believers, the course walks through the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation, exploring how the pieces fit together and what they say about the most important questions of life. Children's programming includes Kindermusik classes held in the Chapel. A Friday evening Bible Study meets at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom.
What Lutherans at Christ Church Believe
Christ Lutheran states its Lutheran identity in a series of commitments: God's love is unconditionally guaranteed as a promise for life. The Bible is God's Word, the guide for living in the world today. All people are both saints and sinners, imperfect but forgiven. The gospel is unchanging, God's Word revealed in Jesus Christ. The church is always reforming, responding to a changing world. And every person is called to minister in daily life, at work, at home, and at play.
Getting to Christ Lutheran
Christ Lutheran Church sits at 1245 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania 18102. The main office is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Thursday and Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The phone number is (610) 433-4271, and the office email is info@christ-atown.org. The parking lot is directly across Hamilton Street, opposite the front of the building. Worship is at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, in person, on YouTube, and on Zoom. Online giving is available through Simple Church Giving. The Clarion, the congregation's weekly newsletter, is available by email subscription, with recent issues archived for anyone who wants to read along.