At 3025 Church Road in Lafayette Hill, St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America whose story reaches back to 1752. It is known for a 10 a.m. Sunday worship life that feels traditional without feeling formal, for a churchyard tied to the Battle of Barren Hill, and for ministries that extend from a weekday nursery school and Sunday school through youth, music, education, prayer, and meals served to people staying at Hope Lodge. The congregation's mission is to share the life, love, and joy of Jesus Christ with all people.
Sunday Worship at Ten, With Room for Everyone
Every Sunday at 10 a.m., people may join worship in the sanctuary or through the congregation's Facebook livestream. Visitors do not need to be members to attend. The service uses a fairly traditional worship style, but the environment is intentionally relaxed for people of all ages. Questions and open discussion are welcome as the congregation grows in faith together.
Music is a substantial part of the service, with the St. Peter's Choir and the Soul on Fire praise band sharing songs and praise. That combination gives the congregation a worship setting that is orderly without feeling rigid. It also reflects one of St. Peter's four principal areas of ministry: Fellowship, Worship and Music, Service, and Children, Youth, and Family Ministries.
Snacks and fellowship begin at 9:15 a.m. and continue after the service. For those unable to attend in person, the congregation continues to share Holy Communion during online worship. Past services are also available in the worship service archive.
Holy Communion at the Front of the Sanctuary
Holy Communion is part of each Sunday service when the pastor leads worship. Communion is shared at the front of the sanctuary, while individual communion cups are available for anyone who prefers to remain in the pew. Bread may be brought by those who need it. All who believe in the presence of the Lord are welcome at the table, and the church shares Communion together during online worship as well.
Children who have not yet received First Communion may come forward for a blessing. Baptisms take place during a regular Sunday service, with pews reserved for the family's guests. Fellowship Hall, which also serves as the nursery school gym, is equipped with a kitchen and bathrooms and can be rented for a reception. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America advises that First Communion be offered around fifth grade or whenever a parent feels appropriate, so St. Peter's offers preparation workshops as needed for families preparing for that milestone.
Sunday School, Confirmation, and the Weekday Nursery School
Sunday School is held alongside the 10 a.m. worship when volunteer leaders are available. Two groups serve the children: Pre-K through second grade and third through sixth grade. Lessons center on the Gospel reading for the day and include a children's book, questions for discussion, coloring or other activities, and a game when time allows. Volunteers provide roughly one Sunday of teaching each month so that classes can continue each week.
Families who want young children to remain with them during worship have two practical options. A first-aid and CPR-certified teacher watches children in the toddler room from 9:50 to 11:00 a.m. The toddler room is on the middle level, next to the elevator. For children who may become restless, Busy Bags in the narthex contain coloring pages, crayons, puzzles, and mazes. The chapel also carries the worship service through a speaker, giving parents a place to step out with a child and still hear the service. A Keurig is available there as well.
Confirmation at St. Peter's is a two-year catechism program taught by Pastor Jonathan Suloff for students in seventh grade or above. Classes meet for 30 minutes before the 10 a.m. worship every other Sunday. The program connects biblical teaching and the church's Christian education with the Confirmation promises made by families at baptism.
The Weekday Nursery School is governed by a director with assistance from an advisory board, while the Congregational Council appoints the director and advisory board and approves major policies. Christian principles are emphasized as children learn to live and work together. The daily pattern closely follows kindergarten programs in the area, with informal assessments in January or February and parent-teacher conferences in March. Parents are encouraged to participate in the classroom, although involvement is not required.
Music, Youth, and Family Life
St. Peter's has several avenues for musical participation. The main choir sings regularly, and the Soul on Fire praise band leads contemporary worship songs. Other opportunities include the Early Music Singers, Bell's Angels handbell group, Men's Quartet, children's choir, and Everybody's Choir. Musicians also serve as worship leaders, so music is woven through the congregation's life rather than confined to a single performance.
The annual Boar's Head Festival is one of the church's most distinctive traditions. It is a medieval retelling of Christmas presented with a full choir and orchestra. The Cameron Highland Pipe Band marches in ceremoniously, Beefeaters keep watch, and the program includes a live Nativity and medieval dancing. Another annual family tradition is Fastnacht, featuring fried dough coated with cinnamon and sugar and served in Fellowship Hall.
SPY, St. Peter's Youth Group, serves students in grades 7 through 12. It meets twice each month to plan activities and fundraisers while keeping the focus on Lutheran faith and relationships with one another. The group has a dedicated room on the church's middle level with comfortable furniture, games, and a television. Its activities have included Parents Night Out, Easter treats, and hoagie sales. Family life at St. Peter's also includes Vacation Bible School, an Easter egg hunt, a church picnic, movie and karaoke nights, and seasonal gatherings for children.
The Vine: Prayer as Shared Care
The Vine is St. Peter's relational caring ministry, centered on the conviction that prayer is not solitary. The church family prays together every Sunday, and a daily devotional offers Bible-based praise for people who want to continue that practice throughout the week. Volunteers stay in contact with people on the weekly prayer list, offering support and learning what assistance would be useful.
Prayer teams can be made up of one person or several and may meet at the church, in a home, or in another comfortable setting. Another part of The Vine is Eucharistic ministry for people who cannot attend church for any reason; when desired, they can receive Communion during a visit. Together, these ministries emphasize encouragement, connection, and the sharing of God's grace in worship and daily life.
Meals at Hope Lodge and Care Close to Home
Hope Lodge is a residential place for individuals and families who travel to the Philadelphia area for cancer treatment. St. Peter's supports it with recurring dinners that begin with a full meal and extend into personal connection with the people staying there. Volunteers contribute ingredients in advance, cook and serve the meal, clean up afterward, and simply spend time with residents. This work turns hospitality at the table into a direct form of care for people undergoing treatment far from home.
The congregation's community reach also includes an annual art show benefiting the Comprehensive Learning Center and families in St. Peter's autism community. The creative fellowship group known as Pocket Hug Rocks paints stones to support Hope Lodge and the prayer shawl ministry, while also providing fellowship through shared art. These projects combine practical donation with time spent together and welcome people who want to contribute without needing a specialized skill.
Rooted at Barren Hill: A Church Since 1752
St. Peter's has been present in Lafayette Hill since 1752 and identifies Henry Muhlenberg as its founder. Before the first church building, the congregation gathered for worship in the home of William Dewees. A church building was erected in 1761, three years after Leonard Streeper donated the ground for what became the church cemetery. The building occupied by St. Peter's today is the congregation's third church building.
The location became part of the Revolutionary War narrative in May 1778. Lafayette's force included about 2,200 Continental Army soldiers, 600 Pennsylvania militiamen, and 50 Oneida warriors when it encountered a British contingent headquartered near Philadelphia. Surrounded during the Battle of Barren Hill, most of the colonial force escaped toward Matson's Ford. A smaller group, including Oneida fighters, fought a delaying action around the original church building and cemetery, giving the main force time to withdraw.
The St. Peter's Cemetery preserves the consequences of that battle. It was once known as the Streeper Burying Ground, and Leonard Streeper's deed for the land is dated March 14, 1758. Continental Army veterans including Bernhardt Beaver, George Christman, Leonard Culp, Philip Lare, and George Keiger are buried there. Several Oneida scouts who fought with Lafayette's force are also buried in the churchyard. Only one has been identified by name, Thomas Sinavis. Four are believed to have been reburied together beneath an iron railing, with arrowhead-shaped stones replacing earlier markers.
A pyramid-shaped marble marker stands in front of the church. It was erected along Ridge Pike in the 1890s to identify the place where Lafayette camped on the night of May 18, 1778, then moved to its present position in the 1980s. The church has also commemorated Lafayette's return to the Philadelphia area in 1825. Its annual Independence Day bell ringing, public readings of the Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and connection to the cemetery continue that historical identity.
What St. Peter's Believes and How Belonging Works
St. Peter's states that all people are created by God and that Christ has made everyone one. Its welcome extends without regard to what might cause exclusion or discrimination outside the congregation. The church participates in the Reconciling in Christ program, affirms the worth of every person as a unique individual created by God, and shares the grace, love, and mercy of God in Christ through worship, service, and life. As an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, its mission is to share the life, love, and joy of Jesus Christ with all people.
Joining the congregation is centered on a meeting with the pastor and church office. The family can learn about St. Peter's, ask questions, discuss interests, and be connected with appropriate groups and ministries. After that meeting, the congregation welcomes the family into worship. Participation in many ministries is also open to people who are not members.
Sharing Talents, Treasures, and Service
St. Peter's offers many ways to contribute, including Communications, Social Ministry, Christian Education, Stewardship, Worship and Music, Evangelism, Mutual Ministry, the Cemetery Committee, Security and Safety, Property, Prayer Ministry, the Altar Guild, and the Fellowship Team. The group connected with The Vine handles prayer teams and caring outreach, while SPY gives teenagers a distinct way to organize activities and raise funds.
Financial support can be made as a one-time gift or as recurring weekly or monthly donations through the church's online giving. Donations may also be mailed to St. Peter's at 3025 Church Road. Appreciated securities or property can be arranged through the Stewardship Chairperson. At its center, St. Peter's remains a Lafayette Hill congregation built around shared worship, open welcome, learning across generations, music, prayer, and service to neighbors near and far, carrying its mission from 1752 into the life of its church community today.