Located in the heart of Hershey at 335 East Areba Avenue, Spring Creek Church of the Brethren is known for Sunday worship that pairs traditional hymns with contemporary praise music and for putting the Church of the Brethren's emphasis on peace into practical service. The congregation calls itself a growing family of Christians passionate about living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song, the preaching of God's Word and acts of love.
Sunday at 10:30 in the Sanctuary
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and continues until around 11:30. It takes place in the sanctuary on the second floor, above the welcome center and church offices. The service centers on the pastor's message and brings together traditional hymns accompanied by organ and piano with contemporary worship songs supported by the praise band. Spring Creek calls this blended approach intentional: it seeks an atmosphere of authentic worship while honoring the diverse liturgical backgrounds in the church community.
Refreshments and fellowship begin at 10:15 in the gathering area before the service. A weekly digital service outline identifies the order of worship and the people taking part. Sunday worship can be watched online, and past services are available on YouTube.
A Meetinghouse on Spring Creek
The Church of the Brethren traces its beginning to a small circle of Anabaptist-Pietist believers in Schwarzenau, Germany. In autumn 1708, eight people gathered at the Eder River for baptism, an illegal act at the time. They eventually sought freedom to worship and practice their faith in the British colony of Pennsylvania. The denomination describes itself as one of three historic peace churches and encourages simplicity, action and community in accordance with the New Testament.
The first American congregation was organized in Germantown near Philadelphia. On Christmas Day 1723, six people were baptized in the Wissahickon Creek and America's first Love Feast was observed. Around 1754, George Balsbaugh and George Henry came from Germany and settled on the tract where Spring Creek now stands. The area belonged to Conestoga, then Swatara after a 1772 division, and later Big Swatara after the congregation split around 1798-1800. In those early years, worship gatherings took place in homes rather than a central church building.
Spring Creek was established in its current location in 1848 when a first meetinghouse was built in Derry Township along Spring Creek on land donated by Wendell Henry. The church remained part of Big Swatara until membership reached 450 in 1868, when the congregation became separate. The older portion of the current building dates to 1886. A 1936 renovation was funded largely by Milton S. Hershey, and later additions and renovations came in 1959 and 2006. Before the first professional pastor was hired in 1934, leadership came from free ministers called from among the congregation.
A notable link with Hershey came in 1915, when Annual Conference organizers asked permission to erect a tent on Hershey Park grounds. Milton Hershey responded by building a 4,000-seat convention hall for the denomination's use. The Church of the Brethren returned for its 1924 Annual Conference.
A Faith of Peace, Simplicity and Action
Spring Creek's mission describes Jesus as God in the flesh, come to redeem and renew what is broken and dead. His life shows how to live in whole relationship with God and neighbors; his death pays the price for sin; his resurrection begins renewal; and his ascension and return bring hope of all things being made right and eternal life for those in Christ. The church affirms belief in one God who is a personal Father and who creates, sustains and orders all life. It confesses Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Lord of all life and Savior of the world. The Holy Spirit is understood as transforming believers through guidance and instruction and uniting them with God and one another. The church accepts the Bible as Holy Scripture and divinely inspired Word of God and uses the New Testament as its standard of faith and practice.
These beliefs shape a disciplined and communal life. Members pursue simplicity, personal devotion and non-conformity, exercise truth-telling, honor the sanctity of human life and seek peaceful solutions that lead to forgiveness and reconciliation. They also emphasize moderation, Christian principles in settling disputes, the Christian understanding of marriage and family, faithful worship attendance and stewardship of spiritual gifts and resources.
The church's ordinances include baptism of believers by trine immersion, Communion, Feetwashing, Love Feast, anointing and laying on of hands. Love Feast is gathered twice each year in spring and fall. It recalls Jesus Christ's life, teachings and resurrection through a simple shared meal, fellowship, service and worship in the spirit of the early church's Agape meals.
Learning Across the Generations
At 9:15 a.m. on Sundays, Spring Creek offers Sunday school for all ages. Four adult classes meet in different parts of the building:
- Christians in Action at 9:30 a.m. in Room 406.
- Seekers Class at 9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall room next to the chapel.
- Carpenters Class at 9:15 a.m. in Rooms 400 and 402.
- Overcomers Class at 9:00 a.m. in Room 100 beneath the sanctuary.
Young adults also gather at 9:15 a.m. in the second-floor Education Building and sometimes at a coffee shop.
Children's Sunday school meets from 9:15 to 10:15 in the second-floor Education Wing. Youth Sunday school uses the youth room downstairs from the Fellowship Hall, with middle school and high school students meeting together during the same hour. During worship, children ages four through fourth grade are excused for children's activities during the second half of the service. Vacation Bible School is designed for children ages four through finished fifth grade, with faith, games, music and group activities.
Derry Preschool serves children ages two through five and operates on weekdays in the education wing. Other weekly rhythms include a men's breakfast at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesdays at Funck's Restaurant in Palmyra and a quilting group from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays in Room 400.
Serving Hershey and the Wider World
Service is woven through the church's life. In partnership with Brethren Housing Association, volunteers clean and furnish apartments through the Adopt-an-Apartment project so new families can move into a home. With Brethren Disaster Ministries, teams help rebuild homes destroyed by natural disasters.
The Parsonage Ministry partners with Love INC of Greater Hershey to host families who need a place to stay while loved ones receive medical treatment. The church seeks volunteers for housekeeping and general maintenance. Those interested in children and youth can serve as Sunday school teachers, VBS helpers or chaperones, and a FaithX summer trip combines service with faith growth.
There are also behind-the-scenes roles for people who want to contribute. The prayer chain includes Prayer Champions, and other needs include office help, property maintenance and producing livestreams.
Giving That Reaches the Community
Financial giving is accepted through black boxes in the front and bank entry areas of the sanctuary. Online giving is available through several payment methods, and recurring gifts can be arranged through Stripe. The congregation's giving options also include extra produce from summer gardens, which is dropped off in the lobby and shared.
Material donations reach several community partners. A food bank cart in the main entrance receives food and household items, while a Love INC basket holds personal-care products and single-serve foods. The Brethren Housing Association receives household repair and renovation supplies directly, and Operation Christmas Child collection items are gathered in a lobby box. Merchant gift cards purchased through RaiseRight return a percentage of their value to Spring Creek's outreach ministries, and cards can also be donated to partner ministries.
The giving program includes traditional plastic cards, printable or electronic certificates and reloadable cards. Purchasers receive the full value of a card while the church receives a bonus percentage from the merchant. Financial and material gifts can be arranged through Spring Creek's giving options.
Prayer, Books, Walks and Shared Tables
Beyond worship and classrooms, Spring Creek offers places for prayer, reading and reflection. Its Prayer Labyrinth provides a place to walk, the Little Library offers books to read and a walking path provides a place to experience nature. The mission calls for finding ways to use the church's indoor and outdoor facilities for the good of the neighborhood. Possible uses include space for counselors and healing ministries and gatherings such as a summer peace camp for children.
The wider mission names five connected priorities: understanding and proclaiming Jesus as Lord, sharing the gospel, building relationships with and beyond the congregation, using facilities and technology for ministry, and seeking the healing of the community. In practical terms, Spring Creek wants to listen to the hurts of those nearby, strengthen relationships within the body of Christ through study, prayer and service, and use shared space and technology to extend its message.
Intergenerational and community fellowship includes service projects, meals, movie nights, picnics, campfires and games such as ping pong. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and the church's telephone number is (717) 533-7192.
Growing, Sharing and Serving Connected by Jesus
Spring Creek's vision is to be a church that is growing, sharing and serving connected by Jesus. Growing means deepening understanding of God and obedience to Jesus as Lord; sharing means communicating the Good News and strengthening relationships; serving means committing the church's life and resources to one another, to those seeking healing and wholeness and to the common good.
The result is a church identity shaped by both continuity and change: an 1848 meetinghouse congregation with a sanctuary expanded over generations, blended worship, education for every age and concrete partnerships that extend from Hershey to disaster zones. Spring Creek Church of the Brethren continues to gather each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., rooted in peace, worship and service.