Standing in Lititz for More Than a Century
Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church sits along Petersburg Road in Lititz, a small town in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and from that location it has been a confessional Lutheran presence for more than 120 years. The congregation draws members from Lititz, Lancaster, Manheim, Ephrata, Lebanon, Hershey, and York, and it identifies itself plainly with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the English District. Worship at Mount Calvary is shaped by the historic liturgy, the preaching of the Word, and the regular celebration of the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The congregation's motto sums up its self-understanding in three short words: confessing Christ in Word and Sacrament.
A History That Goes Back to 1904
The first worship service of Mount Calvary took place on Sunday, January 4, 1904, in a rented room on the second floor of 15 1/2 East King Street in Lancaster. The Reverend J. George Borneman, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Columbia, presided over a service attended by seventeen worshipers. The room had been furnished with an organ, lectern, and baptismal font donated by St. Andrew's Church in Pittsburgh, and the altar was a piece of a store counter, with thirty-six newly purchased chairs filling the rest of the space. The Missouri Synod Mission soon purchased the former St. Matthew's Church property on North Anne Street, and many members of that congregation joined the original group.
The Reverend Harry C. Muhly, who later became the first Executive Secretary for Missions and Stewardship in the English District, was installed as the first pastor on August 28, 1904. A constitution was drafted, and Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church was formally organized with twenty-four charter members on September 13, 1904. The congregation outgrew its chapel within a year and a half, and in faith two lots were purchased at the corner of Plum and Clay streets in Lancaster. The new church was completed and dedicated on November 4, 1906, with two educational wings added in 1955 and 1969.
By the late 1980s the Plum and Clay location could no longer accommodate the congregation's growth, and a capital campaign called Venture Forward in Faith led to the purchase of land on Petersburg Road in July 1988. While the new building was under construction, the congregation worshipped in a former auto dealership and later in an empty warehouse across the road. The current church building on Petersburg Road was dedicated on December 5, 1993, and a new educational wing was added on September 7, 2003.
A Renewed Sanctuary and a Memorial Garden
In March 2024, Mount Calvary began a long-anticipated restoration of the sanctuary, a project prompted by the need to replace an aging HVAC system. The work reimagined the worship space and was completed in early 2025, when Bishop Derek W. H. Lohrmann of the English District joined the congregation for the dedication of the renewed sanctuary.
The renovated room was designed to draw worshipers into the heart of the Christian story. The space is now oriented toward the distant places where Christ was born, died, rose, and will return, with the former cross that once graced the front of the sanctuary suspended above the altar, and wooden beams added in a way reminiscent of the cross of Calvary. As worshipers enter, the colors shift from the grays of the narthex to the whites, blues, and golds that the church calls the colors of heaven, an intentional symbol of the gathering of angels and archangels around Word and Sacrament.
The new pulpit, lectern, and altar carry the symbols of Christ and the four evangelists, with St. Peter at the pulpit and St. Paul at the lectern. A kneel rail provides a place to practice the historic confession of coming as a shepherd before the cradle where Christ becomes flesh again in the Supper. Hard surfaces lead to robust congregational singing, and the organ pipes, now in the rear organ loft, lead worshipers forward in praise. The choir area in the left transept supports a music program that the congregation considers an essential part of its liturgical life.
An eight-foot rose window, designed to tell the story of Christ in symbols, anchors the east wall. Reading the window clockwise, it begins with the star of Bethlehem and moves through the shell of baptism, the bronze serpent, the candle of Christ the light, the chalice of the new covenant, the burial shroud, the phoenix of resurrection, the pomegranate of the promised land, and the Lamb upon the throne. Three arches above the chancel recall the crosses of Calvary, and the eight-sided floor beneath the baptismal font recalls the eighth day, the day of Jesus' resurrection and the new creation. Outside, the Memorial Garden, just steps from the sanctuary, holds the names of members who have died in the faith, and the pastor often describes the garden as a small field of seeds planted in hope of the resurrection.
What the Congregation Believes and Teaches
Mount Calvary confesses the historic Christian faith as set forth in the Lutheran Confessions of the 1580 Book of Concord, beginning with the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. The church teaches that the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the creator and redeemer of all that exists. The Son, Jesus Christ, true God and true man in one person, was crucified and raised from the dead for the salvation of all who trust in him. The Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith through God's Word and Sacraments.
The congregation is explicit about the difference between the LCMS and other Lutheran bodies in the area. The LCMS holds that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, that the Lutheran Confessions are a true and faithful exposition of the Scriptures, and that church fellowship requires agreement in all that the Bible teaches. The Lord's Supper is understood as the true body and blood of Christ given in, with, and under the bread and wine, and Holy Baptism is understood as a means of grace that works forgiveness of sins and delivers the new creation. The congregation follows the historic Christian Year, with the colors of the paraments changing through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and the long season of Trinity.
Three Reformation watchwords are taught repeatedly to the congregation: grace alone (sola gratia), faith alone (sola fide), and Christ alone (solus Christus). A sinner is justified by grace alone, through faith alone, for the sake of Christ alone, and that truth is revealed in Scripture alone (sola scriptura). Pastor Christopher Seifferlein often returns to these solas in his preaching, his Bible class, and his newsletter column From the Pastor's Desk, where he has written at length about Luther on education, the sacred gift of life, the resurrection of the body, and the nativity of Christ.
The Divine Service and What to Expect
Worship at Mount Calvary is the historic Divine Service that the majority of Christians have celebrated for nearly two thousand years. The Sunday Divine Service is at 9:00 AM, followed by Adult Bible Class and Sunday School at 10:30 AM. A Tuesday Evening Prayer Service is held at 8:00 PM, and the Wednesday Midweek Divine Service is at 7:00 PM. Holy Communion is celebrated in each Sunday and Wednesday service, and the liturgy walks the congregation through the confession of sins, the Absolution, the readings from Old Testament, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel, the Creed, the Sermon, the prayers of the Church, the consecration of the elements, and the distribution of the Sacrament.
Visitors who are not familiar with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod should know that the way the congregation worships is not new but very old. The pastor wears vestments, the church is decked in paraments that match the colors of the day in the Christian Year, and the readings, chosen long ago in the year 800, walk through the life of Christ and his Church each year. The pastor describes the parish well when he writes, Realize that when you join us, nothing we are doing was invented yesterday.
Holy Communion at Mount Calvary is reserved for members of Mount Calvary and for members of other Missouri Synod congregations who are in fellowship with the pastor. Visitors who are not communicant members of an LCMS congregation are warmly welcomed to be present, to receive a blessing, and to speak with the pastor about joining the fellowship of the congregation. The pastor typically reaches out to first-time visitors to walk through the steps of membership and answer any questions about the Sacrament.
Children are encouraged to be in the Divine Service. The congregation makes a point of inviting families to bring their children, even when they are noisy or squirm, and the pastor has written, Where else would God want His children except in His house? Families with children can also take advantage of the nursery and Sunday School program during the 10:30 AM education hour.
Pastor Christopher Seifferlein and Vicar Michael Usner
Reverend Christopher Mark Seifferlein was installed as pastor of Mount Calvary on November 16, 2019. A 1976 baptism at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Detroit, the Christian nurture of his mother Barbara, the Sunday morning example of his father Russel mouthing the words of the confession of sins, and the encouragement of his grandmother Eileen all marked the early shape of his vocation. After two years of engineering study at Michigan Technological University, he describes those years as his Jonah moment, and he went on to pre-seminary studies at Concordia University in Chicago, four years at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, and a year of study at Westfield House in Cambridge, England, operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. He and his wife Erin were married in the middle of that Cambridge year at Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin.
Pastor Seifferlein served his vicarage at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, and after ordination he served Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stockton, Minnesota, and then Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Adell, Wisconsin, for thirteen years. He and Erin are the parents of six children: Claire, Lillian, Isabel, August, Theodore, and Frederick.
Mount Calvary is also blessed to serve as a training congregation for a future LCMS pastor. Vicar Michael Usner is a student in the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and serves at Mount Calvary under the supervision of Pastor Seifferlein. Vicar Usner shares in preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and visitation as he prepares for ordination, and his reflections appear regularly in the church newsletter under the heading Vicar's Voice. He and his wife Candace are the parents of five children and operate a small business called 5 Talents Media that has supported Mount Calvary's media presence.
Christian Education for Every Age
Christian education at Mount Calvary is built on Martin Luther's conviction that the next generation must be formed in the Word of God. The Adult Bible Class meets on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM and has covered books of the Bible, the Small Catechism, the life of Johann Sebastian Bach, the history of the cross, and the meaning of the historic liturgy. Recent studies have worked through the Penitential Psalms, the Augsburg Confession, the proper use of the sign of the cross, and the Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel. Classes are conversational and open to visitors.
Sunday School is offered during the same 10:30 AM hour for children from Pre-K through 6th grade, and the Youth ministry serves students in grades 7 through 12 with regular meetings, Bible studies, activities, and service events. Acolyte training, in which children in confirmation or of high school age serve in the Divine Service by lighting and extinguishing the candles and assisting with the offering, is one of the most beloved entry points into congregational life.
Confirmation at Mount Calvary is the historic two-to-three-year program of intense study in the Small Catechism and God's Word, leading to first communion. The Confirmation Jump-Start class is for children in 3rd grade and above and meets weekly over Zoom for thirty minutes, with the goal of memorizing parts of each of the six chief parts of Luther's Small Catechism over the course of the year. Vacation Bible School is held on Wednesday evenings in June and is open to all children in the area, with lessons that apply prayer, care for others, and Christian giving to the lives of young people.
A new-member and old-member class, taught by Pastor Seifferlein on Sundays in the summer, walks through the six chief parts of Luther's Small Catechism in twelve lessons. The class is for anyone preparing for membership, returning to the Lutheran faith after time away, or simply wanting to be refreshed in the fundamentals of the Christian life. Childcare is provided, and the classes are audio recorded for those who cannot be present.
Men, Women, Young Adults, and Young Families
The life of the congregation extends well beyond Sunday morning, and four ongoing groups anchor the fellowship of Mount Calvary.
The Men's Bible Study Breakfast meets on the last Saturday of each month at 7:30 AM in the Evangelism Wing. The men enjoy a hearty breakfast cooked by a member (a free-will donation of five dollars is suggested), and then gather around the Word of God. Each month after the class, trustee projects are sometimes available for those who wish to stay and serve. The monthly schedule has also included a Memento Group for men that reads and discusses classic books of the Christian life, beginning with The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith.
The Women of Mount Calvary Bible Study meets on the second Saturday of each month from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM and has worked its way through the Gospel of John and other books of the Bible. All women of the congregation are welcome, no matter their level of previous Bible study, and the class is also connected to the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML). Mite boxes distributed in the narthex support LWML mission projects locally, in the district, and nationwide, with the current zone project going to A Woman's Concern, a pregnancy and parenting resource center in Lancaster.
The Young Adults Group, led by David-Paul Schulze and Noah Kauffman, brings together men and women in their twenties and thirties for fellowship, study, and service. Recent events have included a summer concert at Longs Park in Lancaster, a visit to a Divine Service at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Baltimore, a hike to Chickies Rock along the Susquehanna River, a game at Clipper Magazine Stadium with the Lancaster Barnstormers, an evening of fellowship at The Mad Chef Craft Brewing and Eatery in Lancaster, and a joint bowling afternoon with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of York at Leisure Lanes. The group also gathers after the Wednesday Midweek Divine Service for food and conversation that often turns to theology and apologetics.
The Young Families Group, also called the Church Family Group, meets on the last Saturday of each month from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM for a potluck meal and a discussion-based Bible study. After supper, the children are excused for organized playtime while the adults continue their study. The group is designed for families with young children, for couples, and for singles who want to grow in the Christian life alongside other people in the same season.
In addition, Dining Night Out is held once a month at a restaurant in the Lancaster area, recent choices have included T.J. Rockwell's in Elizabethtown, and the Mom's Meet-Up gathers mothers and young children on the second Friday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 AM for conversation, encouragement, and play. The Propers Choir practices regularly and welcomes singers of every skill level. The Choir introduces hymns and selected works that enhance the Divine Service.
Service Within the Church
Members of Mount Calvary are invited to serve the congregation in many ways. Elders assist the pastor in visitation, worship, and the spiritual care of the congregation, and they also serve as Worship Assistants, leading the prayers of the Church and helping with the distribution of Holy Communion. Ushers hand out bulletins, collect the offering, usher at Communion, and help members and visitors find a seat. Acolytes light and extinguish the candles and assist with the offering. The Altar Guild prepares the altar for Holy Communion and baptisms, maintains the paraments, and changes them according to the seasons of the Church Year.
Greeters welcome members and guests at the door, and the Hospitality Ministry prepares meals for shut-ins, plans funeral lunches, hosts potlucks, and provides refreshments between services. The Choir, the Musicians, the Board of Education, the Board of Social Ministry, the Board of Outreach, the Board of Finance, the Trustees, and the Safe Church Ministry Leader all help carry the day-to-day life of the congregation.
The Care Giving Ministry Team, also called the C.O.R.E. team, visits the homebound members of the congregation, delivers copies of devotions, Bible studies, and Portals of Prayer, and shares in the spiritual and physical care of those who can no longer attend the Divine Service. The Fellowship Ministry welcomes, integrates, and assimilates new members by providing opportunities to serve and to grow in fellowship with the people of God.
Reaching Out in Lancaster County and Beyond
Mount Calvary's Board of Witness and Outreach connects the congregation to local, national, and international mission work. On the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, members of Mount Calvary lead a thirty-minute hymn sing and service for the residents of Neffsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, arriving twenty minutes early to help residents to the solarium and to assist with hymnals. The congregation also collects needed items for the residents of the home, especially at Christmas.
The congregation supports A Woman's Concern, a pregnancy and parenting resource center in Lancaster that provides classes, dedicated support, and material assistance to women, men, and families in need. Mount Calvary is also a long-time supporter of Good Samaritan Services in Ephrata, which restores hope and transforms lives by responding to homelessness and poverty in the Lancaster area. Members regularly donate kitchen trash bags, dish soap, laundry detergent, sandwich bags, aluminum foil, and non-perishable food items.
House of His Creation, which provides a safe place for young women and their children in crisis, is supported through prayer and giving, as is Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries, which has labored for more than fifteen years to proclaim liberty in Christ in the city of Philadelphia. Internationally, Mount Calvary supports Lutherans in Africa, a ministry focused on training African pastors and teachers for the work of Gospel proclamation. Members have also given toward the work of the Reverend James May, the Reverend Nathaniel Jensen, who serves military personnel in Germany, and Lutheran Heritage Foundation, which translates Luther's Small Catechism and other Lutheran materials into languages around the world, including an ongoing project translating five hundred catechisms into Mongolian.
Special Mission Offerings, gathered through yellow envelopes in each member's annual offering box, are designated for a different set of ministries each quarter. Recent mission recipients have included Revive, the Philadelphia Ministry, Slippery Rock, Pittsburgh Area College Ministry, Lutheran Hour Ministries, and Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
The Pennsylvania March for Life
One of the most visible ministries of Mount Calvary is its leadership of the annual gathering of Lutherans at the Pennsylvania March for Life in Harrisburg. Each fall, members of Mount Calvary join with other Lutheran brothers and sisters from across the Commonwealth for a meet-and-greet and full breakfast at the Hilton Harrisburg, before walking together to the Capitol for the rally and the march.
Speakers at recent events have included Dr. Aric Penske, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life, Jill B. Hartman, Executive Director of A Woman's Concern, Scott Licht of Lutherans for Life, Mary Ann Albertini of A Woman's Concern, and Maria Gallager of the PA Pro-Life Federation. Members of Mount Calvary have also traveled to Washington, D.C., for the national March for Life, gathering for Divine Service at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia, before joining the march down Pennsylvania Avenue with LCMS President Reverend Doctor Matthew C. Harrison.
Leadership of the Congregation
The lay leadership of Mount Calvary is shared by the Church Council, the Board of Elders, and the boards that oversee the day-to-day life of the congregation. The Church Council is led by President Jim Esterby and Vice President Nicholas Myers, with Jean Lin chairing the Board of Education, Kip Lynch chairing the Board of Worship, Karen Dowbnia chairing the Board of Social Ministry, Ron Allison chairing the Board of Finance, Nancy Marshall chairing the Board of Outreach, and Evan Geesey chairing the Board of Trustees. The Board of Elders, which serves alongside the pastor in the spiritual care of the congregation, includes Kip Lynch, David-Paul Schulze, David Garber, Kenny Holton, Doug Sylvester, and Ron Stiegler.
Visiting Mount Calvary
Mount Calvary is located at 308 Petersburg Road in Lititz, Pennsylvania, just ten minutes north of downtown Lancaster via Lititz Pike (Route 501). The church is a ten-minute drive from Lancaster, five minutes from Lititz, fifteen minutes from Manheim, twenty minutes from Ephrata, twenty-five to thirty minutes from Lebanon, thirty to thirty-five minutes from Hershey, and thirty to forty minutes from York. The steeple and sanctuary are visible from Petersburg Road, and ample parking, including disability-accessible spaces, is available close to the main entrance. Wide doorways and accessible facilities welcome members and visitors of every ability.
Visitors are warmly received at the Sunday Divine Service at 9:00 AM, the Adult Bible Class and Sunday School at 10:30 AM, the Tuesday Evening Prayer Service at 8:00 PM, and the Wednesday Midweek Divine Service at 7:00 PM. The pastor and the elders make a point of welcoming newcomers, and the pastor typically follows up with first-time visitors to answer any questions about the congregation or the Christian faith. A Funeral Planning Packet is available for members who wish to prepare in advance for a Christian funeral, and the congregation's monthly newsletter, The Beacon, keeps members and friends informed of the life of the parish.
For more than a century, Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church has gathered at the cross of Christ to receive the gifts that Christ himself promises: his Word, his body, and his blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. The congregation continues that work today in the heart of Lancaster County, confessing Christ, teaching the faith, and bearing witness to the hope that is within them.