St. Michael Lutheran Church stands on seven acres in the rolling country between Unionville and Kennett Square in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. Members and neighbors know the congregation for its grounded Lutheran worship, its three choirs and handbell ensemble, and for a remarkable mission that grew out of its Social Ministry Committee in the early 1990s: Luther House, a 256-unit affordable senior housing community in nearby Jennersville that has served more than 800 older adults since opening in 2001. Around that core, the congregation has built a calendar of Bible studies, fellowship gatherings, youth programs, and outreach efforts that stretch from Kennett Square's food cupboards to refugee resettlement through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Worship at 8, 10, and (in Summer) 9:30
The congregation gathers on Sundays for two liturgical services during the program year. Services are held at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, with the 10:00 AM service livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the schedule simplifies to one combined service at 9:30 AM, also livestreamed. Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday, unless a Christmas cantata is scheduled. Greeters, ushers, lectors, and communion servers each follow a written set of instructions to keep the liturgy unhurried and welcoming, with the communion rail wide enough to receive 28 to 30 people at a time. Bulletins are available in advance online.
The worship space is equipped with an audio induction loop assistive listening system; visitors who use hearing aids can switch to the T-coil setting for clearer sound. A staffed nursery is provided following Labor Day through Memorial Day so that parents of infants and toddlers can attend either service. For parents of older children, the 10:00 AM hour is structured so that children begin in the sanctuary with their families, join the Children's Chat, and then head to their classrooms for Sunday School before returning for communion.
First-time visitors will find a congregation that has thought carefully about welcome. Greeters are posted at the entrances thirty minutes before each service to greet members and to identify anyone new. They offer a visitor brochure, a blank name tag, and the chance to meet the pastor before worship. The congregation's welcome statement is explicit: St. Michael welcomes people of every race, culture, faith tradition, nationality, economic background, ability, sexual orientation, gender expression, and LGBTQIA+ identity, and invites all who seek God to share in the life of the church. The church's mission is to be a place of "Sharing Christ's Love, Welcoming All, Strengthening Each Other, and Serving The Community."
A Building Shaped for Hospitality
The seven-acre campus includes a spacious sanctuary, a 300-seat Fellowship Hall with a state-of-the-art kitchen, an educational wing with nine classrooms, a Music Ministry suite, and a large narthex that houses the Archangel Cafe. The building is available for use by members and the wider community through a published Facilities Usage Guideline and request form. The grounds also hold a consecrated Columbarium and Memorial Garden, an outdoor space for prayer and remembrance with seating among the plantings and a section on the back wall of the center wall for memorial plaques commemorating those buried elsewhere.
Luther House: A Senior Housing Mission Born at St. Michael
In the fall of 1993, the Social Ministry Committee of St. Michael Lutheran Church chose affordable senior housing as its primary concern. Two members, Lou Wonderly and Marilyn Forney, brought together a volunteer team that included Bob Mattson, Art Knechtel, Darwin Wika, and Lou Minella to form Lutheran Senior Services of Southern Chester County. With a Longwood Foundation grant of $15,000, an initial Sunday school room for an office, and several years of grant writing and land acquisition, the team secured 18 acres in Jennersville and won HUD 202-Sec 3 funding to build Luther House I. The first residents moved in during 1999 (with construction substantially complete and the project at capacity in November 2001), and three subsequent phases followed: II in 2002, III in 2006, and IV in 2009.
Luther House today is a four-building, 256-unit apartment community for independent seniors over the age of 62, with subsidized rent for low-income residents. It offers food, healthcare, financial, and even pet care services. Over its first twenty-five years more than 800 older adults have called Luther House home, and nearly 275 live there now, with a wait list of almost 200. St. Michael members continue to support the campus through service projects with the youth group and confirmation class, a Holiday Luncheon, and the Stuff the Truck food drive that also benefits Luther House residents. On November 5, 2023, the congregation gathered for a 25th anniversary celebration with the founding volunteers.
Music Ministry: Chancel Choir, Jubilation Ringers, and Children's Choir
Music plays a central role in the worship life of St. Michael. The Chancel Choir, open to adults and high school students, leads the liturgy, psalm, hymns, and a choral anthem at each 10:00 AM service and presents the Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio at the December 13 worship. Rehearsals are held Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 PM and Sundays at 9:00 AM. The Jubilation Ringers, an adult handbell ensemble with a five-octave set of Schulmerich handbells, prepares preludes for holy days throughout the year and welcomes new ringers, with prior music-reading ability helpful but not required.
A Children's Choir for grades 1 through 6 begins October 4, rehearsing Sundays at 11:15 AM, and shares songs in worship on November 1 and November 22 and a Christmas cantata on December 20. The Music Ministry suite houses a Yamaha C5 grand piano, a Rodgers 950 three-manual organ, and a variety of Orff instruments. Donna Beech, who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Catholic University and serves as Interim Music Director, leads the program.
Children, Confirmation, and Youth Group
St. Michael's Sunday School is for children ages 4 through sixth grade and meets during the 10:00 AM service during the school year. Children begin in worship with their families, leave after the Children's Chat for their classrooms, and return to the sanctuary for communion. The 2026-2027 program begins September 13. High school students help serve as classroom teacher assistants, with one hour of community service credit available for each Sunday of service.
Confirmation is a weekly class for students in grades 7 and 8, meeting Sundays from 11:15 AM to 12:00 PM, with the first class of the new year on September 27. The curriculum focuses on Jesus' Parables and Why They Still Matter. The class gathers for service projects, lock-ins, a spring retreat, and a summer trip; priority registration for the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis (June 27 to July 2, 2027) opens in the fall for grades 8-12.
The Youth Group meets monthly on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 PM for fellowship, a shared meal, and faith conversation, with the first meeting of the program year on September 13. The year also includes a car wash, rock climbing at Downingtown Rock Gym, a soup kitchen service day, a pancake breakfast the youth run themselves, a Christmas party with a white elephant exchange, a bake sale, a snowboard or ski trip, a beach retreat, and an end-of-year party. Mario Kast, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from West Chester University and is completing a Master of Education at Drexel, directs the program.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is held each summer for children ages 4 through rising 6th graders. The 2026 program runs July 20 through 24.
Adult Faith Formation
Three ongoing studies anchor the adult education calendar. The Women's Bible Study meets Mondays from 1:00 to 2:30 PM (in person and on Zoom), returning September 14 with a 24-week study of Exodus using the InterVarsity Press LifeGuide "Exodus: Learning to Trust God" by James Reapsome, running through March 2027; class leader Jaymie Lacombe welcomes drop-ins at any level of Bible knowledge. The Men's Bible Study meets Saturdays at 8:00 AM in the conference room and on Zoom, with Steve Lacombe leading the same Exodus study starting September 12.
Adult Faith Formation meets Sundays at 9:00 AM in the Conference Room with Adam Hamilton's DVD study "The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life," covering worship and prayer, study, service, giving, and sharing faith, facilitated by Hank Fisher and Steve Lacombe.
Fellowship Gatherings
The Fellowship Committee hosts a steady rhythm of gatherings for adults and families. Sunday Brunch for Young Families is a monthly early-evening potluck in the Fellowship Hall for families with elementary-age children, with a play area set up for the kids. Lunch Bunch is a monthly Wednesday gathering at noon with a guest speaker; recent guests have included award-winning author Bruce Mowday. Wine and Whatever is an adults-only evening fellowship with wine and appetizers to share. Java and Jesus meets the first Wednesday of each month at 10:00 AM (and on summer Sundays at 10:30 AM) for an informal coffee-and-conversation look at the lectionary readings ahead. Faith & Foam gathers monthly at Braeloch Brewing in Kennett Square for fellowship and a deeper dive into a chosen theological topic.
Stephen Ministries: Confidential One-to-One Care
Stephen Ministry at St. Michael is a team of trained lay members who provide confidential, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and community who are going through a difficult time, whether grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation. The Stephen Ministers at St. Michael are Lori Klein, Steve Lacombe, Karen Lewis, Lanny Lewis, and Rob Furr, with Pastor David attending monthly supervisory sessions; Lanny Lewis and Rob Furr serve as Stephen Leaders. Care receivers may be male or female, and are matched with a Stephen Minister of the same gender; meetings are typically once a week for about an hour.
Social Ministry: Local and Global Outreach
The Social Ministry Committee identifies and supports a wide network of partner agencies and seasonal mission projects. Year-round financial support goes to Good Neighbors (home repair), Kennett Area Community Services, LCH Health and Community Services, the Garage Youth Center, Kennett Area Senior Center, After the Bell, the Chester County Migrant Ministry, the Oxford Neighborhood Services Center, Family Promise of Southern Chester County, Habitat for Humanity of Chester County, Young Moms of Chester County, Good Samaritan Services, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, with international support directed to Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Seasonal projects shape much of the rhythm of the year. Each Lent the congregation responds to a local need through a collection of essential food or clothing items; the 2026 Lenten project supported Share the Love Family Boutique in Oxford, with the congregation providing new underwear, socks, and bras through an Amazon Wish List and monetary donations. Each September the church hosts a Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event, with a 2026 goal of packing 15,000 meals and raising $6,100 to support food-insecure communities worldwide. In October the congregation participates in the Walk to End Alzheimer's at Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park in Wilmington. In November, members fill Thanksgiving dinner bags for KACS at a cost of approximately $35 per bag, with a goal of 200 bags. In December, the congregation provides gift cards for Migrant Ministries of Chester County, and the youth group hosts a pancake breakfast to benefit Family Promise. Throughout the year, the Stuff the Truck food drive keeps the KACS Food Cupboard stocked, with coffee, cereal, pasta sauce, mayonnaise, and ketchup among the most-needed items. Sunday School, confirmation, and youth group also support Luther House through service days that include placing and taking down Christmas lights and a Christmas party.
Stewardship
The congregation's annual Fall Stewardship Campaign launches on the first Sunday of October. Members are invited to prayerfully consider their commitments for the coming year, with a theme that centers on Serving, Connecting, and Giving as a joyful response to God's blessings. Pledges can be made online, and online giving through Vanco is available year-round. During in-person worship, offering plates are placed in the narthex.
Baptism and the Sacraments
St. Michael holds as means of grace the two sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Baptism joins the baptized to Christ and to the Body of Christ, and Pastor David meets with parents (and sponsors when possible) for one baptismal preparation class; baptisms are scheduled at least one month out. The congregation welcomes to the communion table all who seek to follow Jesus Christ, regardless of denominational background, believing in the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine.
Leadership and Staff
Pastor David Grainson was born and raised in Baltimore and earned a degree in psychology from Towson University before entering the seminary for the Roman Catholic priesthood. He was ordained in 1998 and served three years in the Caribbean before discerning a call to marriage and family, leaving the priesthood and earning a master's degree and a New York State license in social work. He worked for thirteen years with youth and families struggling with mental health diagnoses before being rostered in the ELCA in 2014, when he began his first call at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Long Island. He began his call at St. Michael in June 2022.
Donna Beech, the Interim Music Director, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Catholic University of America and B.S. and M.M. degrees from West Chester University. She has served on the faculty of the Music School of Delaware since 1979 and as a collaborative pianist, adjudicator, and lecturer throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Mario Kast directs youth ministry. Lindsay coordinates the nursery, drawing on a background in childcare, Sunday school, youth group, and mission trips through Trinity Lutheran Church in Boulder, Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp, and a family medicine residency and sports medicine fellowship. The church is led in governance by a Church Council chaired by President Rick Huneke, with Vice President Jay Liska, Treasurer Hank Fisher, and Secretary Dan Folmar, alongside members at large Pat Berkwits, Sharon Caffrey, Jaymie Lacombe, Katie Majarian, Don May, Barb Polilli, Michal Rittler, and Mark Swanson. Committees cover Building and Property, Columbarium, Communications, Faith Formation, Fellowship, Finance, Lay Visitors, Luther House, Mutual Ministry, Outreach, Social Ministry, Stephen Ministry, Stewardship, Technology, and Worship and Music.
Columbarium and Memorial Garden
The Columbarium is a consecrated resting place for cremains with 192 niches, each sealed with a polished granite faceplate engraved with the individual's full name and dates, with space for military rank and branch of service. The surrounding Memorial Garden includes a place to sit and reflect and a section on the back wall of the center wall for memorial plaques commemorating those buried elsewhere. Inquiries go to columbarium@stmichaelpa.org.
Inclement Weather and Staying Connected
In case of winter weather cancellations, Pastor David sends a Constant Contact email on Saturday evening, cancellations are posted online, and a recorded message is left on the church answering machine. There is no longer a phone or text cancellation chain. Visitors and members can join the mailing list through a Constant Contact signup, follow the church on Facebook and YouTube, and receive a printed newsletter, St. Michael Happenings, several times a year.
Office and Location
St. Michael is located at 109 East Doe Run Road, Unionville, Pennsylvania 19375, with a mailing address of PO Box 178, Unionville, PA 19375. The church office can be reached at 610-347-1696 or office@stmichaelpa.org. Office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (Tuesday and Thursday by appointment as needed). Pastor David is typically in the office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM; appointments are encouraged.