Three Centuries on the Hill
St. Joseph's Hill Evangelical Lutheran Church stands on Koch Road in Pike Township, in the country between Boyertown and Oley, Pennsylvania. Its congregation traces its roots to 1731, when John Casper Stoever began holding services in the Oley area, making the parish one of the oldest Lutheran bodies in eastern Berks County.
A log church followed in 1747, then a stone building in 1786, and a third structure in 1854, with the steeple added in 1886 and electricity following in 1921. A 1953 remodel added a parish education building half a mile north of the present church, which became the home of the partner United Church of Christ. In 1785 the Lutherans had invited a former German Reformed group to share the facilities, beginning a partnership that would last nearly two hundred years. The two "Hill" congregations discussed separating for more than twenty-five years before voting to dissolve the union on January 11, 1981, with St. John's UCC remaining in the old building and paying St. Joseph's $104,416 as its share of equity. St. Joseph's congregation purchased a four-acre site on Koch Road in 1979, broke ground on the present building on May 23, 1982, held its leave-taking service in the old sanctuary on December 19, 1982, and dedicated the completed sanctuary on April 24, 1983.
Sunday School at Eight, Worship at Nine
Sunday mornings at St. Joseph's Hill begin at 8:00 AM with Sunday school for anyone from kindergarten through adult. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade work in one classroom using Spark materials. The catechism class, a senior high class, and an adult class also meet from 8:00 to 8:45 AM, and coffee and conversation fill the time between Sunday school and worship.
Worship service begins at 9:00 AM every Sunday. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of the month. A sign-language interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing is usually on site on the third Sunday. A worship committee readies the nave throughout the church year, sets up for communion, decorates for the seasons, and orders the supplies Sunday mornings require.
Catechism for Young Lives
St. Joseph's runs a two-year catechism program, called CAT, for youth who have entered seventh grade, designed to prepare them for Confirmation: the moment when young people declare publicly that the faith first promised at their baptism has now become their own. The program centers on weekly video lessons that students watch on their own time and complete with a written quiz. Those who can make Sunday class bring their quizzes for a deeper conversation; those who can't print theirs and return it to the pastor. Topics walk through central Lutheran teachings: Law and Gospel, the Theology of the Cross, Luther's Seal, the formation of the canon, the major Gospels, and confession and forgiveness, before students stand before the congregation for Confirmation.
Pastor Rich's Bible Study Online
Bible study at St. Joseph's meets online. Pastor Rich opens a Google Meet at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays for a weekly walk through a book of the Bible, with a YouTube archive posted afterward for those who can't join live. The format keeps the conversation accessible to anyone with an internet connection, including members who are traveling, homebound, or simply prefer to learn on their own schedule.
St. Joseph's Day Care
The church has run St. Joseph's Day Care on its grounds since 1993, a non-profit, Christian-centered preschool that partners with parents in the early education of the whole child. Director Robin Schmale, herself a childhood member of the Hill Church, leads a staff with three decades of experience behind her; she joined the center in 2014 after graduate work at West Chester and Arcadia. A daycare committee guides the program's monthly activities, fundraising, child-care questions, and grant pursuits, weaving the preschool into the wider life of the parish.
Three Choirs, a Lifetime Calling
Music has been part of St. Joseph's identity since long before Marcia Kurtz took the baton, but hers is a story that begins in third grade with the founding of a junior choir at the church. After college singing at Kutztown State and a career teaching in the Boyertown School District, she returned to St. Joseph's to sing with the Senior Choir. In the early 1980s she began directing the Junior Choir, then took up the Senior Choir and reorganized the Bethlehem Choir. The three ensembles continue to serve as music ministers for the congregation, supported by organist Carol Barton.
An Open Door for Every Visitor
St. Joseph's is built for accessibility. The building has no stairs to climb, and visitors with mobility restrictions or small children are invited to use the closest spots in the large lot on the premises. The dress ranges from suits and ties to jeans and sneakers; Jesus, after all, never wore a tie. Greeters meet each visitor at the door, answer questions about the service, point the way to the sanctuary, fellowship area, and restrooms, and introduce newcomers to the pastor after the closing hymn.
Reaching Out from the Hill
A Social Ministry committee extends Christian compassion through food drives, blood drives, and similar community events, including the church's participation in the Souper Bowl of Caring. A fellowship committee organizes gatherings that strengthen the church's life together, the Stewardship committee helps members understand their calling to share time, talents, and resources, and an Evangelism committee takes seriously the Great Commission to spread the Good News by visiting prospective members. St. Joseph's also partners with the other congregations of the Oley Cluster, planning joint events such as the Lenten Bread, Bowl and Bible series. Through its Christian Education committee, the congregation keeps its longstanding commitment to the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Arizona.