A West End Church with Open Doors
In the West End of Allentown, on North 19th Street, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer has lived out a simple motto for a century: "A community in Christ for the world... a community for you." Founded in 1925 and part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) within the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, the congregation describes itself as "a family that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work." All are welcome, the church says, "with their whole selves, which includes one's race, ethnic background, past wrongdoing, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, and legal status." Questions and doubts are welcome too.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
Sunday worship with Holy Communion begins at 10:15 a.m. and is streamed on YouTube for those who cannot be present. Music has been central to worship at Redeemer for generations: organist Dianne Kareha carries on a long tradition of music in the congregation, and a choir supports congregational singing. Visitors arriving by car can park around 19th and Washington Streets; accessible parking is available across from the church.
Faith Formation for Every Age
On the first and third Sundays of each month, the Education Ministry gathers children ages 3 through sixth grade for Sunday School from 9:15 to 10:05 a.m., running September through May. Registration forms are available from the church office. Since 2016, Redeemer has partnered with Muhlenberg Elementary School through an Adopt-a-Classroom program, assembling homework kits for kindergartners and giving each child a book on Dr. Seuss Day. The education ministry describes its goal as helping people "learn about the world God has created and how to find meaning and purpose through God's will in our lives."
Rolling Up Sleeves in the Neighborhood
Mission work is woven into the life of the congregation. Redeemer hosts meals through the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank - Allentown's only daily food bank, located on North 14th Street - and partners with Daybreak Ministries to reach those experiencing homelessness. Members build relationships with local elementary schools, provide spiritual care in times of loss, advocate for the civil rights of marginalized communities, and care for seniors and homebound individuals.
The congregation also connects with several wider ministries. Allentown Collaborative Ministries brings together nearly a dozen local congregations for shared worship and mission. The Lehigh Conference of Churches serves people facing homelessness, hunger, and mental health challenges across the Lehigh Valley. Ripple Community nurtures connections across social boundaries. Family Promise of Lehigh Valley helps homeless families find sustainable housing. The Kindness Project supplies clothing, shoes, car seats, and beds to foster families. Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania find a meeting place at Redeemer. And each summer, the church points families toward Bear Creek Camp, where people of all ages "explore, celebrate, and grow in relationship with God, nature, and community."
What This Church Believes
The church holds that God's grace, an unfathomable love, is available to all people as a gift through Jesus Christ. God is understood as creator, giver of life, source of wholeness and healing and forgiveness, champion of the poor and oppressed, and the power of new life and resurrection. All people are created in God's image. Jesus, the church teaches, lived among us, demonstrated God's love for all, was crucified, and was raised again in new wholeness. Through grace received by faith, all people can be made whole in Christ and set free to love and serve others, especially the vulnerable. Drawing on Martin Luther's understanding, Redeemer teaches that faith is not about intellectually agreeing to a set of beliefs but about living in a trusting relationship with God in response to God's grace.
A Hundred Years on North 19th Street
In mission since 1925, Redeemer Lutheran has served Allentown's West End for a full century. The congregation's first pastor, the Rev. Gomer S. Rees, began his call on June 1, 1926, and over the decades the church has been shaped by a long procession of pastors, ministers of education, visitation pastors, interns, and deaconesses - including the Rev. Dr. Ronald C. Yergey, who served from 1984 to 2005, and the Rev. Donna T. Deal, who led from 2007 to 2019. The current pastor, the Rev. Cynthia Rader Geyer, began her call in 2023 and presides at worship while overseeing the congregation's mission work. Church secretaries have kept the office running from Jean Bartholomew in 1953 through Lisa Smith today.
Getting Connected
First-time visitors are welcome at the 10:15 a.m. Sunday service, with Holy Communion offered each week. Sunday School meets on the first and third Sundays at 9:15 a.m. for children ages 3 through sixth grade, and members and visitors gather for a time of fellowship after worship, often with treats baked or bought by member volunteers. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and can be reached at (610) 434-1291 or admin@redeemerallentown.org. Those who wish to support the congregation's ministry can give online.