St. Paul’s United Methodist Church & Wesley Foundation stands at 250 East College Avenue in State College, Pennsylvania, where a historic Methodist congregation and a Penn State student ministry share the same campus. Its defining identity is “A Reconciling Congregation,” expressed through hospitality, relationships, discipleship, justice, and service.
A Reconciling Congregation on College Avenue
St. Paul’s mission is to form faithful followers of Jesus Christ for the transformation of State College and the world. Its vision is to be followers of Jesus who meet others, make real relationships, and move into new expressions of love and service.
As a Reconciling Congregation, the church celebrates God’s gift of diversity and values wholeness made possible in community. It welcomes and affirms people of every gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, education, family structure, economic status, immigration status, marital status, and social status, among other differences. It acknowledges profound social, economic, and political inequities and commits itself to justice and solidarity with people who are marginalized or oppressed.
A faithful follower, in St. Paul’s understanding, strives to be MET by God and to MEET others through radical hospitality and sharing a faith story; to be MADE through personal devotions, weekly worship, Bible study, and small groups; to MAKE relationships without agenda or condition; to be MOVED by the Holy Spirit toward love; and to MOVE into consistent acts of love, service, and generous giving.
Sunday Worship at 9:00 and 10:30
- At 9:00 a.m., the church holds an in-person Worship Service of Word and Table in the sanctuary.
- At 10:30 a.m., worship is hybrid, with an in-person service and a YouTube livestream.
- For children, worship materials are available at the rear of the sanctuary and in the balcony elevator lobby. Infant care for newborns through two-year-olds is available in the Christian Education Center during the 9:00 service.
- Accessibility includes a step-free entrance from Calder Way, an elevator to all floors, hearing devices from ushers upon request, and a climate-controlled sanctuary.
Parking for Sunday Worship
The church parking lot behind the Education Center is available on weekends and evenings and is reached by taking Calder Way to Locust Lane. Sunday morning parking reserved for expectant or new mothers is located on Calder Way between the Wesley and church buildings. Reserved visitor spaces are also on Calder Way, while reserved accessible parking is on McAllister Street between Calder Way and College Avenue.
Metered parking is available on the street and in the McAllister Street Parking Deck. State College enforces municipal parking meters Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; the meters, including those in the deck, are free all day Sunday. On weekdays, St. Paul’s parking lot is rented from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so church visitors use the street or deck. Quarters for reimbursement of meter costs are available in the church office.
From a One-Room Church to a Restored Sanctuary
St. Paul’s roots reach to a Methodist Episcopal congregation at Centre Furnace, first mentioned in 1869 and then part of Half Moon Charge. After iron-ore smelting ended and residents moved away, members debated whether to build in Lemont or in the growing college town. Churches rose in both places: St. Paul’s was dedicated in 1888, and Mt. Nittany United Methodist Church followed in 1889.
A 75-by-175-foot lot at College Avenue and McAllister Street was purchased from John Hamilton. The first rectangular building cost $3,500 and featured a red-and-white striped steeple roof. Its hot-air furnace, pull-chain coal-oil lamps, and one-step entrance stone contrast sharply with the church’s later facilities. That stone remains at the base of the tower as the only surviving vestige of the original building. Sunday School began immediately, with six classes meeting in the single room and a Drop In class for college students and visitors.
By 1904, the congregation needed more space. A decision to build was made in 1909, ground was broken in 1910, and a $45,000 church was dedicated in 1912. Major renovations in 1985 improved the sanctuary, added an atrium on the Calder Way facade, installed an elevator serving all levels, and created a second-floor administrative suite.
A fire destroyed the sanctuary on November 13, 1987. The gymnasium, administrative suite, and Asbury Room survived with extensive smoke and water damage. Two days later, the congregation gathered for a Service of Resurrection at Schwab Auditorium and then held a prayer service in Calder Alley near the damaged church. In January 1988, members voted to rebuild within the surviving exterior stone walls. While reconstruction continued, worship was held in the Wesley Foundation with the choir and congregation on metal folding chairs. The new structure was dedicated on February 11, 1990.
The Organ, Chimes, Harp, and Tower
Music shaped the church’s construction from its earliest years. Dr. Fred Lewis Pattee raised $3,000 for an Estey pipe organ, water motor, and installation; the organ was dedicated in memory of Professor Benjamin Gill. A three-manual Moller organ replaced it in 1933 for $6,000. Its additions included 21 bells, a harp with 49 bars, 26 ranks of pipes, and more than 50 stops.
The Dobson pipe organ in the tower was installed in 1990. It has two manual keyboards, a 32-note pedalboard, and 1,543 pipes, and weighs about 8,400 pounds. Its oak case uses red for fire and earth, blue for the heavens, green for ordinary time when people labor toward the Kingdom of God, and gold leaf for glorious light.
Wesley Penn State and Abba Java
College students have long been part of St. Paul’s life. In 1920, more than 700 students named Methodist as their church preference. Student work officially began that August with classes, an orchestra, and Friday evening socials. A Foundation addition was dedicated in 1922, and the Wesley Foundation building was dedicated in 1957.
Wesley Penn State offers Bible studies, mission opportunities, and other activities each semester. Its mission is to offer Jesus Christ to the Penn State community, train and equip disciples, and serve in mission. Rev. Sarah Coker Voigt directs the ministry and Abba Java Coffeehouse.
Abba Java, at Locust Lane and Calder Way, is a student-only space offering free organic coffee, tea, snacks, Wi-Fi, and room to meet or study.
Children, Families, and SPYF
Children’s Ministry Director Liz McMillan leads programs that use active learning to help children experience and apply the Bible in a safe, loving setting, with families encouraged to continue faith development at home. Sunday School classes for three-year-olds through high school seniors meet at 9:00 a.m. during the school year in the Christian Education Center. Children’s worship materials are provided for both worship services, and infant care is offered during the 9:00 service.
Children also participate in choir, a summer musical camp, and United Methodist summer camps sponsored by the Susquehanna Conference. Service and mission projects are built into the children’s programs, with recipients including UMCOR, Centre Volunteers in Medicine, and Park Forest Day Nursery.
St. Paul’s Youth Fellowship, or SPYF, gathers students in grades 6 through 12 on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Games, jokes, snacks, casual conversation, and discussion about God in the world create a setting for youth to grow in relationship with God and one another. Senior Pastor Rev. Greg Milinovich serves as the listed contact for SPYF.
Music Without Auditions
The Music Ministry provides music for worship through a wide variety of styles and ensembles while nurturing spiritual growth and fellowship. No auditions or previous experience are required. The Chancel Choir rehearses Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. in the sanctuary under Russell Bloom. The Carillon Handbells rehearse Tuesdays from September through May, also from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m., in the Asbury Room.
The Children’s Choir, open to grades K through 6, rehearses Sundays from 10:00 to 10:20 a.m. in Room 103 of the Education Center. Joanna Carlson coordinates children’s music and directs the choir. A summer musical camp adds another setting for children to explore music and creativity together.
Care, Troop 31, and United Methodist Women
Care Ministries seeks to nurture the body of Christ through emotional, spiritual, physical, mental, and social wellness. Its stated areas include prayer and healing, hospital and home visitation, health education, screenings and fairs, advocacy, mental-health awareness, and interventions. The ministry emphasizes collaboration and service grounded in faith. It does not provide medical care, diagnostic screenings, home health care, invasive procedures, or services requiring a licensed health professional. Renae Schunk directs the ministry and its volunteer network.
St. Paul’s helped bring Scouting to the community in 1912, when Professor M. W. Eddy organized the first troop. Troop 31 remains the oldest Scout troop in State College and the second oldest continuously chartered unit in the Juniata Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Women’s service also has a long history. The Women’s Society of Christian Service formed in 1940, and United Methodist Women took shape when the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Churches united in 1970. St. Paul’s United Methodist Women has nine circles offering study and service.
Food, Shoes, Warm Clothes, and Financial Help
Local outreach begins with Alternative Christmas, through which a gift supports a ministry or organization and is accompanied by a card for the recipient. On the first Sunday of each month, nonperishable Food Bank donations can be left at the College Avenue and Calder Way entrances. Requested exclusions include baby food or formula, expired or opened products, alcohol, and over-the-counter medications.
- Centre Volunteers in Medicine provides medical and dental care, case management, and medications at no cost to qualified uninsured and under-insured residents. St. Paul’s supports it with time, talent, and financial contributions.
- The Good Samaritan Fund provides confidential assistance with needs such as utilities, rent, and security deposits when other community resources are unavailable or exhausted.
- Interfaith Human Services assists with basic needs, furniture and appliance recycling, and the Centre County Fuel Bank. St. Paul’s was a founding sponsor and continues financial and volunteer support.
- Out of the Cold Centre County provides people experiencing homelessness a place to get out of the elements, shower, find community, and connect with resources. St. Paul’s assists with volunteers.
- The Shoe Bank gives new shoes to children up to age 18 whose parents or guardians receive public assistance. It operates Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to noon in Room 203 of the Wesley Building and distributes about 500 pairs annually.
- Wesley’s Closet provides free gently used coats, gloves, scarves, and hats, along with new underwear and socks in sizes from infants through adults. Clean winter clothing and new undergarments are accepted throughout the year.
- Park Forest Preschool provides a free preschool for low-income children ages two through five, and St. Paul’s supports a scholarship. The church also supports RISE, an effort to place diverse children’s books in elementary libraries and preschools and provide diversity curriculum grants.
Mission Central, the Neighborhood Center, and Global Connections
St. Paul’s supports Mission Central, the Susquehanna Conference’s mission warehouse affiliate, through volunteers and donations. Mission Central supplies disaster relief, humanitarian goods, and logistical services to church and social-service agencies. Donations and volunteer efforts also support the Neighborhood Center’s after-school programs, summer leadership camps, and tutoring, as well as residential programming at United Methodist Home for Children in Mechanicsburg.
The church’s mission life also includes Nicaragua and Rwanda, joining its local and regional commitments in a broad expression of service.
Four Ways to Give
St. Paul’s accepts gifts through Venmo or its mobile app, the offering plates or church office drop-off, online giving through St. Paul’s Hub, and mailed checks. Mobile giving uses the instruction to text SPUMCWF to 77977, while St. Paul’s giving brings together all four paths of generosity. These forms of giving support the relational mission the church describes: following Jesus, meeting others, sharing faith, and serving State College and the world.