St. Peter's Lutheran Church sits on Jarvis Avenue in Holyoke, Massachusetts, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that has grown from its 1977 founding into a community known for its lively Sunday School, two weekly services, and a wide-reaching outreach program that feeds and serves the Pioneer Valley. The church's mission statement - a church of compassionate members, continually grounded in faith, devoted to serving Christ and our communities - guides everything from its year-round Sunday School for pre-kindergarten through seventh graders to its mission trips to Honduras and its monthly food collections for area food banks.
Founded in 1977, Built in a Year
The congregation was founded in 1977 by Pastor Robert Villani. Within just over a year, the property on Jarvis Avenue had been purchased and the main sanctuary, offices, and fellowship hall were constructed in 1978. In 2003, the congregation met a new challenge by adding an educational wing to make room for the growing number of children attending Sunday School. At the church's fortieth anniversary, members and friends gathered for a dinner and entertainment that brought together founding Pastor Villani, previous pastors, and the presiding Bishop, Jim Hazelwood; the celebration closed with a burning of the mortgage during the Sunday service.
Pastor Deb Stein
Pastor Debora L. Stein, known to the congregation as Pastor Deb, has served St. Peter's since Sunday, September 17, 2023, and was officially installed as settled pastor on February 4, 2024, in a special afternoon service attended by area pastors, the associate to the bishop, the mayor, her family, and the congregation. Before coming to Holyoke, she served for thirteen years as a pastor in Syracuse and a little over four years in Liverpool, New York. She and her husband Ed, a blended family of two daughters, a daughter and a son, and seven grandchildren, moved to Holyoke to continue their shared journey of faith. Prior to ministry, Pastor Deb served as a Marine and later in the Air Force Reserves, and worked in business and managerial fields. In her free time, she hikes, cycles, explores new places, reads, watches television, and shops.
Two Weekly Services, Livestreamed on Sundays
Worship at St. Peter's happens twice each week. Sunday services begin at 9:30 a.m. and are also livestreamed on Facebook, where recordings remain available for thirty days for those unable to attend in person. A Thursday evening worship is held at 6:30 p.m., with Sarah Wilcox serving as organist. Children attend Sunday school during the 9:30 service, joining the sanctuary first for a blessing or communion before being led to their classrooms by caring adults from the congregation. The first Sunday of each month is designated as Family Worship, when Sunday School takes a break so families can worship together.
Sunday School, First Communion, and Confirmation
St. Peter's Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. and is open to children from pre-kindergarten through seventh grade, with programming on break during July and August. Children are introduced to the fundamentals of the faith, including the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the books of the Bible, and take part in several service projects during the year. Each year, third-grade Sunday School students are recognized during worship and presented with Bibles to support their ongoing faith development. Brian Selgrade, Chair of Christian Education, can be contacted for enrollment information; membership is not required for children to attend.
The church also offers two rites of passage rooted in Lutheran tradition. First Communion classes are typically offered for children in second or third grade, with age flexible based on conversation between the pastor and parents. The two-year Confirmation program is designed for youth in eighth and ninth grade, instructing them in the basics of the faith so that they may personally affirm the promises made at their baptism. Both programs are taught by the pastor.
The SPYs: St. Peter's Youth Society
St. Peter's Youth Society, the SPYs, has been an active part of the congregation since the church began, drawing young people from seventh grade through college age. The SPYs meet roughly once a month and organize service projects and fellowship activities both inside and outside the church. Members serve in many lay roles during worship, including Sunday School teacher, lector, lay server, acolyte, crucifer, and usher. Annual activities have included hosting a Pork Supper, selling food at the Christmas Fair, an overnight sleepover, Christmas caroling to homebound members, selling Super Bowl grinders, and a car wash. The group has also sent youth to the ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Karen Dionne serves as the adult advisor.
Bible Study, Prayers, and Crafts
Midweek rhythms at St. Peter's center on study and prayer. A Bible Study meets on Mondays at 10:30 a.m.; recent studies have moved through books of the Bible, and those interested are asked to call ahead to confirm a meeting. On Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., Pastor Deb leads Prayers with Pastor on Facebook Live, opening the week to anyone who can tune in. Tuesdays bring a Crafts Group that meets from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. during the fall and early winter, offering time for fellowship and shared making.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals
Three pastoral services mark the milestones of congregational and community life. Baptism, one of the two sacraments of the Lutheran Church, is open to anyone of any age and is typically celebrated during worship following a planning meeting with the pastor. Weddings are prepared through three to four sessions that focus both on the ceremony and on building a foundation for married life; couples do not have to be members of St. Peter's to be married there. Funerals are services of resurrection hope filled with prayer, Scripture, and words of hope, and may be held at the church, a funeral home or chapel, a cemetery, or another location chosen by the family. None of these services require membership.
Service Across the Pioneer Valley and Beyond
Mission and outreach sit at the heart of St. Peter's identity. The Outreach Committee and congregation support a wide circle of local, regional, and global causes. Monthly food collections rotate among area food banks including Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke, the Western Mass Food Bank in Hatfield, the Amherst Survival Center, the Family Readiness Center at Westover, the Northampton Survival Center, the Westfield Food Pantry, Parish Cupboard in West Springfield, Lorraine's Soup Kitchen in Chicopee, Neighbors Helping Neighbors in South Hadley, and the Easthampton Food Pantry. Special monthly drives also collect socks for Friends of the Homeless in Springfield and staples for Margaret's Pantry in Holyoke.
The Day of Service and Community gathers cooks, sandwich builders, kit makers, and servers. Volunteers pack Lutheran World Relief Kits that are mailed to Baltimore and then on around the world, and cook meals that feed a hundred. Cooks and servers then take the food to Cathedral in the Night on the streets of Northampton, where the need continues to grow as nearby communities tighten their response to homelessness.
The church participates annually in God's Work, Our Hands, a denomination-wide day of service that has included work at a Habitat for Humanity site, the Holyoke Rows Boathouse, the Soldier's Home in Holyoke, Horizons for Homeless Children, the Homeward Vets warehouse, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church's weekly Veterans Lunch program. Other outreach includes cookie tins delivered to homebound members, Christmas caroling to shut-ins, Jenna's Blessing Bags filled with necessities for those experiencing homelessness, Christmas gifts for the families at the Oak Street Homeless Shelter in Holyoke, toys collected for the Holyoke Police Department's Christmas Toy Distribution, and Finals Survival Boxes filled with snacks and a prayer to college-aged members.
Education is supported through the Jonno Gray Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually to a high school graduate or college student who is a member of St. Peter's. Global outreach includes annual vitamin collections sent with church members on a medical mission trip to Honduras, sewn dresses for village girls on that same trip, and Lenten coin banks that fund ELCA Alternative Gift Campaign purchases such as piglets, fish, chickens, water purifiers, and fruit and vegetable gardens. Monetary donations are directed to Baystate Children's Hospital, Katelyn's Ride (an Alzheimer's walk), ELCA Disaster Response, and EACH medical missions in Honduras and Grenada.
Support for immigrants and refugees has included donating items to assist survivors of hurricanes who have relocated to the area, and giving gift cards through Ascentria Care Alliance to refugee and immigrant students needing computers for schoolwork. The church maintains an ongoing monthly pledge to ELCA Global Giving Initiatives for World Hunger and Disaster Responses, and supports veterans and active service members through Christmas cards, cookie tins, ice cream and pizza parties at the Soldier's Home in Holyoke, and knitted hats for the New England Seafarers Mission.
The Gingerbread Fair and Other Fellowship Traditions
The annual Gingerbread Fair has become a fixture of the congregation's calendar, held each December with hand-crafted gifts, Christmas decorations, baked goods, candy, knit wear, and a children's gingerbread house decorating station. Other fellowship traditions include congregational dinners, a congregational picnic, a spring tag sale, and special seasonal meals such as the spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the General Fund.
Visiting St. Peter's
St. Peter's extends a wide welcome. Members include lifelong Lutherans, those who have come to Christianity from other religious backgrounds, people who never attended church before, and regular attendees who are not official members. Visitors are invited to introduce themselves and sign the visitor's book on their first visit. Dress is entirely optional, and jeans and shorts are common. Following Sunday worship, coffee, light refreshments, and fellowship are offered so newcomers can get to know the congregation. Children three and older are invited to join Sunday School regardless of membership; children of all ages are welcome in the church, and a play area at the back of the fellowship hall is available for restless children, though there is no staffed nursery.
Holy Communion is offered to all baptized Christians who have been prepared through instruction and who believe that Christ's body and blood are truly present in the bread and wine. Gluten-free wafers and glasses of grape juice are available for those who need them.
The building is fully accessible: there are no stairs, designated handicapped parking spots, and curb cuts in the sidewalk. Greeters help with the entrance door. Ample off-street free parking is available, including at major events. The building may be reserved by members and non-members for one-time or recurring events.
Supporting St. Peter's
Funding for St. Peter's ministry comes from individual donations and fundraising activities, processed securely through Vanco Payment Solutions. Members may set up one-time or recurring electronic gifts from a checking or savings account or by credit or debit card, with the option of covering the 2.75 percent processing fee. The church office is open Monday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached at 413-536-3369. Pastoral care is available through Rev. Deborah Stein at the church number or at her cell.