Sunday Morning on Greentree Road
West Green Tree Church of the Brethren sits along Greentree Road in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where it has gathered worshipers for more than 150 years. The congregation's motto - "To Know, Love, and Follow Jesus by Serving All" - sets the tone for everything that happens on the property, from the Sunday morning service to the preschool classrooms of Tiny Timbers. Members and visitors are welcomed online and in person each week, with the church's tagline drawn from James 4:8: "Come near to God and He will come near to you."
Sunday is the heart of the week at West Green Tree. Adult Sunday School classes meet at 8:30 a.m., and the Large Group Gathering for worship begins at 9:45 a.m. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and any weather-related changes are posted on the church's Facebook page and broadcast on WJTL, WDAC, and WHP. Weekly email announcements keep regular attenders informed about mid-week changes as well.
What to Expect in Worship
The 9:45 a.m. service is intentionally intergenerational. Children are encouraged to participate, and caring teachers lead them in Bible study, crafts, music, and prayer alongside the rest of the congregation. Adults and youth meet in small groups throughout the morning to develop their faith around topics relevant to their lives.
Worship itself is blended in style. The congregation gives glory to God through music, children's stories, readings, testimony, scripture, prayer, and teaching from the word. Singing is central, with a mix of hymns and praise songs that brings together a wide range of ages and abilities. A typical Sunday includes children's moments, congregational singing, scripture readings, prayer, and a sermon.
Growing in the Word: Sunday School and Junior Church
West Green Tree takes seriously the call to help every age "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Sunday School is offered at 8:30 a.m. for everyone, infants through senior high youth, using a Bible-based curriculum that includes reading, crafts, and music. Adult small groups meet at the same time, and anyone who would like to start a new group is encouraged to visit the Welcome Center or speak with a member of the Nurture Committee.
During the 9:45 a.m. service, children in Pre-K through fifth grade are invited to Junior Church, a gathering designed just for them. Children are dismissed from the Large Group Gathering before the message and guided to a separate space where they can consider what they believe in a setting their own. The church frames this ministry with two verses from Ephesians: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do," and the call for families to bring children up "in the training and instruction of the Lord."
A Worship Arts Ministry for Every Age
Music is woven into the life of West Green Tree. On a typical Sunday morning, between five and fifteen musicians make up the worship team, drawing on piano, keyboard, guitar, drums, and strings. Volunteers range from age 10 to 75 and older, and the team welcomes anyone who would like to play or sing. The Worship Arts Coordinator, Ryan, oversees this ministry.
Beyond Sunday mornings, the music program includes occasional choir opportunities, worship nights, and Hymn Sings, all giving the congregation ways to offer praise through song. The team also runs a weekly Hymn Sing that has become a steady fixture in the church's rhythm of worship.
Youth Ministry at WGT
The youth of West Green Tree are described as "a special part of the WGT church body." Led by Youth Ministries Coordinator David Spayde, the program helps teenagers understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus and how to seek God's will, understand who He truly is, build strong Christian friendships, develop a lasting relationship with the Lord, and put their trust, hope, and faith in Him.
Youth group nights include games, fellowship, teaching, and service opportunities - including helping to lead and encourage the Treehouse Kids. A dedicated team of Christian adults invests in each young person who walks through the door, and the church sees youth ministry as essential to the health of the whole congregation. ("The body is made up of many parts and NONE are replaceable.")
Bible Studies and Small Groups for Women, Men, and More
West Green Tree offers a steady calendar of small groups and Bible studies throughout the week. A Women's Bible Study meets Mondays at 11:00 a.m. in the Prayer Room, and the church's ladies fellowship, known as WWW, brings women together for friendship and growth. "Sisters in Christ" gathers on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the church Library, with a goal of bringing generations of women together to learn, grow, and serve.
Men have their own regular rhythms. A Men's Bible Study meets Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. in the church Pavilion (weather permitting), and "Men in the Woods" provides fellowship activities for guys of all ages. The 3M Bible Study meets Saturday mornings at 7:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, giving early risers a place to dig into Scripture together before the weekend begins.
Tiny Timbers Christian Preschool
For more than 25 years, Tiny Timbers Christian Preschool has shared the love of Christ through education as a ministry of West Green Tree. The program serves children ages 3 and 4 in Elizabethtown and the surrounding community, with a teaching staff that counts it a privilege to work with young children and their families.
Class options include:
- Monday/Wednesday/Friday Pre-K: 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., with an extended day option until 2:30 p.m. (children must be 4 by August 31)
- Tuesday/Thursday Pre-K: 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (children must be 4 by August 31)
- Tuesday/Thursday Preschool: 9:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (children must be 3 by August 31)
All children must meet the age requirement for their class, be fully immunized (exemption forms available upon request), and be fully toilet trained. The preschool's philosophy holds that each child is different, that children should be helped to grow physically, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually, and that learning is an active process best shaped by first-hand experiences. The director, Amy Winters, leads a team of teachers and assistants who describe the program as a place where children feel cared for and loved, and where each family is treated with respect. Parents regularly note the close-knit relationship with staff, the organized communication, and the sound biblical teaching woven through the school day.
Reaching Out: Missions and Community Partners
West Green Tree supports a wide network of local and global ministries as part of its call to serve. The Witness Commission helps members get involved with organizations doing good works in the community and around the world. Partners include Bible2School, which provides Bible instruction to students in the Lititz area; Brethren Disaster Ministries, which provides international relief after natural disasters; Brethren Housing Association, which assists people experiencing homelessness in Harrisburg; Community Place, home of the Elizabethtown Community Cupboard, ECHOS winter shelter, and the Clothing Barn; Cornerstone Youth Center, a safe place for teens in grades 7-12 to reflect on God's word; Hope Within, a community health center for low-income persons in the Lancaster-Lebanon-Dauphin area; REYS, which provides academic help, spiritual direction, and after-school care; Rancho Los Amigos, a YWAM ministry serving abused and neglected children in Juarez, Mexico; a local pregnancy resource center; and COBYS Family Services, affiliated with the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren, which provides Christ-centered care for children and families in need.
Each year, the congregation also gathers for several special events. Tractor Sunday celebrates local farmers with more than 120 tractors displayed on the church grounds. Vacation Bible School is an annual outreach to children in the wider community. The Christmas Day Fellowship Meal brings people together around a shared table, and Fall Fest adds another opportunity for food and fellowship alongside Easter gatherings and the church's observance of Love Feast.
What the Brethren Believe
West Green Tree teaches the historic beliefs of the Church of the Brethren. The congregation confesses one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all. Members affirm that Jesus Christ is God's Son, the church's Savior and Lord, whose life of humble service and peace shows disciples how to live. The Bible is received as God's inspired and trustworthy Word, with the New Testament as the rule of faith and practice. Salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection paid the penalty for sin.
The congregation also holds to distinctive Brethren practices: believer's baptism by trine immersion, the Love Feast with footwashing and communion, anointing with oil, simple living, and marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman. The church is understood as the body of Christ, a priesthood of all believers using their gifts to serve one another. The church also affirms the resurrection of all people - the saved to eternal life with God and the lost to eternal separation from Him.
More Than 150 Years on Greentree Road
West Green Tree Church of the Brethren traces its roots back more than 150 years in Elizabethtown, and the broader Church of the Brethren has a history spanning more than 300 years, beginning in 1708 when eight pietists baptized one another in the Eder River in Germany. Pastor Shawn leads the congregation today, with Ryan serving as Worship Arts Coordinator, David Spayde as Youth Ministries Coordinator, and Amy Winters as Director of Tiny Timbers Christian Preschool. A Prayer Warriors team lifts up the concerns of members and friends, and the church welcomes anyone who would like to join them - online, in the sanctuary, or in one of the many small groups that meet throughout the week.