Zion's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Perry Township stands at 354 Zions Church Road in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. With roots dating to 1759, the congregation is known for weekly Holy Communion, education from nursery through adult study, and service that reaches into Northern Berks County through care, volunteer work, and fresh produce for local pantries.
Perry Township Roots in a Union Church
The church began when a number of Lutheran members withdrew from the exclusively Lutheran Moselem Church and joined Reformed people at Windsor Castle to establish a union church. Their first meeting place was a primitive log house of prayer. Larger buildings followed over time. Planning for the present church began in 1966, the first official service in the new building took place on Thanksgiving Eve in 1969, and the building was dedicated on December 7, 1969.
That long history includes extended pastoral terms under the Rev. Norman Dresher, who served from 1981 to 2004, and the Rev. Vicki Reeser, who served from 2005 to 2013. A succession of interim pastors carried the congregation through later transitions, including the difficult years of the COVID pandemic, when the Rev. Diane LaFauci served as transitional minister. Pastor Stephanie Roth began her call at Zion's in January 2024, bringing a background in social ministry, youth leadership, and Lutheran congregational service.
Zion's pastoral record stretches back to the Rev. Bernhard Michael Hausihl, whose pastorate began at least two years before the first church building. Successive pastors included the Rev. John Knoske, the Rev. Daniel Lehman, the Rev. F. Engel, the Rev. T. T. Yeager, and many others. The succession has sustained a congregation across generations while successive buildings reflected changing needs. Zion's has become a leader among the churches of Northern Berks County, and its history presents the changes in buildings as a marker of continued growth in mission and service.
A Sunday at 354 Zions Church Road
From September through May, Sunday School begins at 9:15 a.m. and worship follows at 10:30 a.m. In June through August, the summer Holy Communion service is at 9:00 a.m., and Sunday School does not meet. Holy Communion is celebrated every week. A nursery is provided during the church service for small children, and visitors and new members are always welcome.
The church office at 354 Zions Church Road is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and the congregation can be reached at 610-562-3112.
Sunday School welcomes children from nursery age through adults. The class structure includes a nursery for ages two to four, Pre-K and kindergarten, grades one and two, grades three and four, grades five and six, a class from seventh grade through high school, and an adult class. This structure allows children to learn in age-specific groups while adults continue their own study.
Zion's worship is organized around God's word and the celebration of the sacraments. The Worship and Music Committee works with the pastor and musical leaders to plan services in accord with the Lutheran tradition and to encourage participation by the congregation. The committee also provides training, materials, and support so that participation can nurture the spiritual lives of the church. The Adult Choir usually offers an anthem during the 10:30 service, giving worship a prominent musical centerpiece. For reflection, the church has also established a labyrinth, a path intended for prayer, contemplation, and personal growth.
Welcome, Faithfulness, and Service
Zion's states its purpose this way: “God's purpose for Zion's is to welcome and empower people to grow in faithfulness and service to his mission through the Gospel.” Its guiding principles spell out a practical pattern for that purpose:
- Jesus is Lord and Savior.
- Honest and open communication.
- Creating and sustaining healthy relationships.
- Sharing faith through daily life.
- Recognizing and encouraging spiritual gifts.
- Perseverance.
The Church Council carries the operational side of that mission. It consists of the pastor and 12 voting members and oversees the congregation's worship life, along with financial and property matters, in accordance with the Word of God and the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The council meets on the second Tuesday of each month.
Learning from Two-Year-Olds to Adults
Christian education is structured to continue at every stage of life. The two-year catechetical program begins in seventh grade, and Confirmation classes meet Sunday mornings at 9:15 in the Gold Room. The same education ministry coordinates Sunday School, pre-Communion training, Vacation Church School, Confirmation, intergenerational events, Christmas programming, and adult Bible study.
Intergenerational work keeps the educational program connected to the life of the congregation. Adults study alongside youth, families have shared events, and students in seventh grade enter a defined two-year course in the Christian faith. The church library supports the same emphasis with books and movies for study, spiritual enrichment, and worship.
Volunteers staff and manage the library. They catalog new books, prepare donated materials for the collection, straighten shelves, remove older or irrelevant titles, and help select books to purchase. Their work gives families and students access to a church resource built for learning and spiritual growth.
Choir, Brass, Bells, and Sanctuary Care
Music is one of the clearest ways to take part in Zion's worship. The Adult Choir rehearses Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. from September through the end of May, welcomes singers ages ten and older, and sings an anthem on most Sundays at 10:30. The church also has Zion's Brass, a Bell Choir, and an Orcheband, giving people with different musical interests ways to serve in the sanctuary.
Behind the scenes, the Altar Guild prepares and protects the chancel, altar, linens, paraments, communion ware, and seasonal flowers. Its members arrange the worship area for regular services, special services, weddings, funerals, and baptisms. The group also prepares Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost displays, maintains baptismal and communion items, and helps with Harvest Home decorations. Its twice-yearly meetings in April and November create a monthly schedule that keeps the sanctuary ready for worship.
Zion's also makes room for fellowship after the 10:30 service. Periodic socials include a covered-dish congregational meal, an Easter egg hunt, a family camp-out, and a Father's Day picnic. A weekly coffee bar is prepared after worship, with fruit and light snacks offered. The Fellowship Committee plans activities for all generations and relies on volunteers for setup, cleanup, coffee, and food.
The Committees That Keep Zion's Running
Beyond the sanctuary, volunteers keep Zion's physical and practical life running. The Property Committee meets monthly to care for the building and grounds, organize lawn mowing and snow removal, plan maintenance, and develop long-range improvements. The committee coordinates volunteers who mow the property and shovel snow from the walks in winter, helping preserve a safe, well-maintained setting for worship and community activity.
The Budget and Finance Committee prepares the annual budget, oversees investments, insurance, and banking, and manages the congregation's financial affairs with the Church Council. A mail team prepares the monthly newsletter for mailing and hand delivery, while the Library Committee catalogs books and helps members sign out books and movies. These support committees make it possible for worship, education, property care, communication, and stewardship to operate together.
Youth, Scouting, and Camp Connections
Teenagers have a dedicated youth group whose activities and programs are built around the congregation, while families also connect with the wider youth ministry of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. Bear Creek Camp and Conference Center, a ministry of the Northeastern and Southeastern Pennsylvania Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, provides a coed resident summer camp and a year-round conference and environmental center for the synods' youth and families.
Scouting also meets at Zion's. Cub Scout Pack 163 and Scouts BSA Troop 163 meet Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year. The pack welcomes boys and girls in grades kindergarten through five, and the troop serves boys ages 11 through 17. Advancement, community service, outdoor activities, and derby races are part of their regular program. The Quilt Knotters gather from 9 to 11 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays, creating another setting in which members share a skill and spend time together.
The Garden That Feeds Northern Berks
The Northern Berks Community Garden turns Zion's service emphasis into a direct effort to address food insecurity. Established in spring 2014, it grew in response to community members' desire for healthy, locally grown produce. The garden provides fresh vegetables without cost through the established food-pantry system to individuals and families facing food insecurity. No produce is sold. Instead, it is distributed through the Northern Berks Food Pantry, Schuylkill Valley Food Pantry, Friend, Inc., the Keystone Military Families Pantry, and the Hamburg Salvation Army.
In its first season, the garden produced 5,738 pounds of beets, cabbage, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, and turnips. Congregants and community volunteers prepare the soil, plant, and harvest the crops, with a committee overseeing the work. There is no age requirement for garden volunteers, and a committee member is present to provide appropriate supervision. The garden operates from May through November, when work times are shared through Zion's Facebook presence.
Financial support comes from designated gifts, local churches, community organizations, service clubs, and businesses, along with in-kind gifts such as plants, seeds, and tools. A donated shed, dedicated in memory of Donald Smith and Mark Epting, holds many of the garden's tools and equipment. The ministry is self-sustaining and does not draw from Zion's operating budget. Grants from the Synod Witness and Service Team and Thrivent Financial action grants have also supported it. Recipes distributed with the produce help households put the harvest to use.
Meals, Shelter, Veterans, and Neighborly Partnerships
Zion's members extend that concern for neighbors through partnerships with organizations throughout Reading, Hamburg, and Northern Berks. Regular commitments include serving a meal at Opportunity House in Reading on the third Friday of each month and volunteering at the Northern Berks Food Pantry at Hamburg Middle School at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday.
Several other connections address specific needs in the community:
- Family Promise of Berks County brings families without stable housing into a safe overnight setting. Zion's hosts the program for sleep-over nights several weeks each year, with members serving meals and acting as hosts.
- Keystone Military Families in Shoemakersville provides assistance and resources to recent veterans and all veterans.
- Zion's supports the Hamburg Salvation Army's Family Thrift Store and Boutique through clothing donations and volunteering.
- Reading Berks Habitat for Humanity receives furniture donations and volunteer help for home construction and renovation in the area.
- The congregation maintains connections with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service for immigration learning and with the Berks County Medication Drop Box Program for free disposal of unwanted or expired medications.
These partnerships extend the congregation's service beyond its own walls, from meals and food distribution to shelter, veteran support, household needs, and community education. Faith at the Movies creates another link with Northern Berks faith communities. Sponsored by the Reading Berks Conference of Churches and the Northern Berks Ministerium, the gathering takes place at the Hamburg Strand on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m., with a brief faith discussion after the movie.
Walking Beside People and Gathering Across Generations
Congregational Care is another central ministry. A team of members works with the pastor confidentially to accompany people through life issues. Support comes through prayer and individual contact, and a professional consultant advises the team on how it can help. The team's aim is to walk beside people rather than stand apart from them, offering a church-wide form of care for members navigating difficulty.
Zion's also helps members match their abilities with the work of the congregation through its Time and Talents program, directing interests toward committees that can use them. Women of the ELCA provides another avenue for service. This separately incorporated women's organization is financially independent and describes its calling as growing in faith, affirming gifts, supporting one another, engaging in ministry and action, and promoting healing and wholeness in the church, society, and world.
Senior Adults, open to “any adult of any age,” meets on the third Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for card games, board games, and lunch, with participants planning their own activities. Pizza and sandwiches are often ordered for the meal, while members bring fruit, salad, and desserts to share. Monthly donations cover the group's expenses.
On some Thursday mornings during Advent and Lent, Zion's joins Northern Berks congregations for 11:30 worship and a soup lunch. These gatherings, along with the weekly coffee bar and periodic fellowship meals, give the congregation regular opportunities to welcome visitors, strengthen friendships, and share life beyond the Sunday service.
A Pastor Rooted in Social Ministry
Pastor Stephanie Roth grew up in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and spent more than 30 years as a computer programmer analyst before entering ministry. While volunteering at St. Paul's Chapel in New York City after 9/11, she came to understand her call to ministry. She earned a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 2011 and served as Youth Ministry Director at Trinity Lutheran Church in Wernersville.
Her mission work has included drilling fresh water wells in El Salvador and Guatemala, volunteering at an orphanage and an elder-care program, and leading Camp Noah in Rockport, Texas. She also served on the National Youth Gathering staff in Houston. She completed clinical pastoral education at Wellspan in York and a year-long internship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Pottsville before coming to Zion's.
Alongside the pastor, Zion's has an administrative assistant, an organist, a choir director, a brass director, and three cleaning staff members. Electronic giving makes it possible to make a one-time or recurring contribution by checking account, savings account, credit card, or debit card through the church's secure giving.
Zion's identity reaches from its 1759 beginning to a sanctuary dedicated in 1969, but its work remains grounded in the purpose adopted in 2014: welcome people, grow in faithfulness, and serve God's mission through the Gospel. Sunday worship, learning across generations, music, care, food access, fellowship, and hands-on work all form part of that continuing ministry in Perry Township.