From a Union Church to 69 Main Street
The history of Christ Lutheran Church of Hellertown stretches back more than a century before the present building opened its doors. In the years following the Civil War, a mixed group of Lutheran and Reformed Christians worshipped together in a Union Church, a common arrangement in Eastern Pennsylvania at the time. On April 14, 1870, John F. Rentzheimer offered a building lot, and fifty-nine people approved a plan to construct a shared house of worship. The cornerstone was laid on July 30 and 31, 1870, and the building was formally dedicated on Whitsunday and Whitmonday, May 28 and 29, 1871.
The Lutheran branch of the Union Church organized formally on July 26, 1870, with T. S. Eisenhart, H. H. Kline, William Apple, Moses Henninger, J. B. Leith, F. L. Reiman, James Wagner, Thomas K. Reichard, and John P. Rentzheimer making up the first Congregation Council. An official charter came in 1874. Two disasters shaped the next decades: on July 17, 1890, a cyclone tore off the steeple, and on April 17, 1896, lightning reduced the building to ash. That tragedy prompted residents to form the Dewey Fire Company. A new brick-and-timber Union Church, built with materials from the land of Tobias Rentzheimer and Thomas Laubach, was dedicated on May 2, 1897, at a cost of $13,254.94. The new bell in the tower, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Rentzheimer, was first tolled for Mrs. Rentzheimer's funeral later that month.
In January 1938, the union arrangement with the Reformed congregation ended when the Lutheran members purchased the property outright. By 1942 the congregation had grown enough to end its parish relationship with Christ Church, Lower Saucon, and Saint Luke's, Old Williams. A new organ arrived in 1946 and a major rebuilding followed in 1952, but the growing town again outgrew the building. On January 20, 1963, the congregation voted unanimously to launch a Building for Tomorrow campaign, with Kenneth Fulmer chairing the effort and Mr. and Mrs. Harrison W. Prosser matching gifts at one dollar for every two given. On the last Sunday after Trinity, November 23, 1969, members said farewell to the old building. Seven days later, on November 30, 1969, the new church at 69 South Main Street was dedicated at a cost of about $470,000, with the Reverend Walter Hamester serving as pastor during the project.
In May 2005, the Love Grows Here campaign funded a new heating and cooling system, an elevator that made the building fully accessible, and an expansion of the Children's Learning Center. Today the congregation is a designated Reconciling in Christ Partner with Reconciling Works, an independent Lutheran organization working with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to ensure the welcome, inclusion, celebration, and advocacy of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
Sunday Morning at 10:00
Worship at Christ Lutheran begins with Adult Christian Education in the church library at 9:00 AM. The Sunday morning topic ranges across theology, scripture, and adult-faith conversations that connect with daily life, and the group meets on Zoom for those joining from home. Sunday worship follows at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary, runs about an hour, and is joined each week on Zoom as well.
Music plays a central role in worship. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM, the Praise Band gathers Thursdays at 7:00 PM, the Chime Choir meets the first and third Mondays at 7:15 PM, and the Youth Choir sings each Sunday at 9:45 AM. Director of Music Steve Wysocki coordinates vocalists and instrumentalists across all four groups, and special offerings are welcome throughout the year.
Children are part of the 10:00 AM service from the start. After the opening songs, the young members head to Sunday School under a team led by Ann Borovies, with programming for children from age 3 through sixth grade. A Nursery Room is staffed throughout the service for infants through kindergarten, overseen by Ursula Merriman.
A Welcome at the Front Door
At Christ Lutheran, the church's open statement declares: "God's love knows no bounds - and neither does our Welcome." People of every race, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are welcomed, and the congregation is committed to racial equality, dignity, compassion, and respect. Sunday morning greeters, led by Lois Apple, greet arriving visitors. Acolytes in grades four through six light and extinguish the candles. Readers, worship assistants, ushers, coffee hour helpers, and audio-visual assistants round out the Sunday morning volunteer corps.
The faith statement behind that welcome is specific: scripture, faith, experience, and reason guide the journey. The Bible is taken seriously, not literally. Every person is created in the divine image, and God is active in every life. The community strives to live the teachings of Jesus and, above all, to love unconditionally. The mission is to know God, grow in faith, and sow the seeds of love with thanksgiving and joy.
Children, Confirmation, and the LOFT
Children's faith formation runs from the cradle through high school. Each May, Communion Class introduces fourth through sixth graders to the meaning of communion in a four-session course that concludes with students baking and serving the sacrament themselves. Confirmation is a 2.5-year program for students in grades six through eight, acting as both the capstone of Christian education and the launch of a personal faith journey. Students help lead worship and Sunday School, decorate the church at Christmas, complete hands-on service projects, and travel together to Bear Creek Camp in Wilkes-Barre for an annual retreat that includes parents and families.
For high schoolers in grades nine through twelve, L.O.F.T. (Living Our Faith Together) meets in the church office on Sunday mornings from 9:45 to 10:30 AM, Labor Day through Memorial Day. Under leaders Sharon Coe, Darlene Bauder, and Carl Wetzel, L.O.F.T. is a relaxed space for teens to share opinions, serve the church, and just be themselves.
Youth and Family Minister Josh Gulotta coordinates these programs and is available Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Family events across the year, from tree lightings to end-of-year cookouts, family hike days, and seasonal gatherings, are designed and led by members of the Faith Formation Team.
The Children's Learning Center
The Children's Learning Center, located in the same building at 69 Main Street, is a Pennsylvania-licensed program that holds Keystone 2 STAR Status. It serves children from six weeks through fourth grade, with hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Classrooms are organized by age and stage: Infants, Toddler 1, Toddler 2, Ready Set Classroom, Preschool-3, Pre-Kindergarten, and School Age. The full-day summer program for school-age children adds weekly field trips, swimming, and other activities.
Morning preschool runs 9:00 AM to noon, with a full-day option, and before- and after-school care is offered for K through fourth graders, including care on early dismissal days.
The Church Garden, the Food Bank, and New Bethany
Outreach at Christ Lutheran is built around long-standing partnerships. The Helping Hands Program organizes the church garden, raising fresh produce for the food bank at New Jerusalem Lutheran Church and for seniors in the Hellertown area between May and October; Angela Drake coordinates volunteers. Weekly food bank donations are collected and delivered, and a produce envelope option in the offering plate allows members to give toward fresh food purchases. On the fourth Wednesday of each month, a team led by Corky Blake volunteers at New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem, preparing and serving lunch to neighbors in need.
The LIFT ministry (Love Is Food Today) coordinates meals for members returning home after hospitalization, for families who have lost a loved one, and for new mothers in the weeks after a baby's arrival. Volunteer Drivers, coordinated by Enid Rank, take church members to medical appointments, grocery runs, and other errands. Eucharistic Ministry brings communion to homebound members.
From Quilting to Pacesetters: Adult Life Together
Christ Lutheran's adult life is full of small groups. The Quilters meet twice a week (Wednesdays from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 PM), hand-stitching twin to king-size quilts for others, accepting custom orders, and selling their work at craft shows throughout the Lehigh Valley. A Prayer Shawl Ministry gifts shawls at baptisms, weddings, times of illness, and times of sympathy; the group meets monthly. Pacesetters hosts social activities for members 65 and over.
Other gatherings include Bunco on the last Friday of the month, the Dinner Club (four dinners each year), Secret Sisters (a year-long prayer and encouragement partner program), GIGGLES (Girls In God Growing Loving Eating Sharing), and a Men's Study. Sunday Breakfast, prepared by volunteers once a month, is another regular point of community gathering.
The Faith Community Nurse
Faith Community Nurse Enid Rank, BSN, RN, offers a distinctive ministry grounded in "the intentional care of the spirit as well as the promotion of Wholistic Health." The Care to Share closet loans donated assistive devices - walkers, canes, sock aids, bed rails, shower chairs, commodes, hearing aid batteries, and ostomy supplies - free of charge to those in need. The nurse also recruits volunteer drivers, coordinates Eucharistic Ministry, and connects members with the wider community of caregivers. Online yoga classes with Jeanette Alosi offer stress relief and well-being for body, mind, and spirit.
Caring for Creation
An Eco Team led by Angela Drake treats care for creation as part of discipleship. The team curates articles on solar panels, regenerative agriculture, sustainable living groups, and tree-planting nonprofits, and tends about seventeen young redbud and scarlet oak trees in the church garden with plans to transplant them along the labyrinth and the Main Street sidewalk. Members are encouraged to plant trees, swap and share gently used items, and engage with local groups dedicated to reducing waste.
A Building Shared with the Neighborhood
Beyond its own ministries, Christ Lutheran hosts several community groups. Alcoholics Anonymous meets in the library every Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 PM; Narcotics Anonymous meets in the library every Monday from 7:00 to 8:30 PM; and a Boy Scouts pack meeting gathers in Fellowship Hall on the third Friday of each month at 7:00 PM. The building, fitted with an elevator during the 2005 renovation, welcomes members and visitors of every mobility level.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, closing for lunch between noon and 1:00 PM. Online giving is available through Vanco, by texting your gift amount to 844-612-6665, or by mailing a check to 69 Main Street, Hellertown, PA 18055. Sunday services stream on Zoom and recordings are available on the church's YouTube channel.
Pastor Phil Spohn has served the congregation since 1996, continuing a pastoral line that stretches back to William Rath, the church's first pastor from 1881 to 1906. Eight sons of the congregation have entered the Christian ministry, a legacy the congregation still celebrates.