Saint John's UCC Lansdale PA

St. John’s has been part of the Lansdale community since 1876, just 4 years after the town was incorporated in 1872. While our beautiful gothic building might cause one to conclude that we are old fashioned or “traditional”, we are deeply committed to keeping our faith fresh and finding new ways to share the life-giving good news of God’s love. Our desire is to honor and learn from our forebears in the faith, even as we look to the future in anticipation of the new things God has yet in store for us.

In keeping with the denomination of which we are a part ~ the United Church of Christ ~ we seek to be extravagant in our greeting of people from all walks of life, no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey.

 

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https://st-johns-ucc.org/  

 

 

We are located at 500 West Main Street (Route 63) in downtown Lansdale at the intersection with Richardson Avenue. There are bright red doors leading to the sanctuary on Main Street, Richardson Avenue, and our front courtyard.

For those with special access needs, there is a glass doorway in the front courtyard with an elevator to the sanctuary, and in our parking lot behind the church is a ramp leading inside the same floor as the sanctuary. The evevator can also take you to our accessible restrooms on the ground floor.  

There are two parking lots on the west side of the church (on both sides of our labyrinth & meditation garden) with a lighted walkway leading to the elevator court and front doors, and another lot on the east side directly across Richardson Avenue from the church. There is also limited street parking. There are a number of parking spaces in the lot at the back of the church designated as ‘handicapped parking’ on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.  

 

 

St. John’s UCC proudly offers an accessible facility to accommodate those with special needs! Special note: If you require the use of our ramp or elevator described below, please note that these entrances are locked once the 10:15 am service begins.

Entering St. John’s

On weekdays, our rear parking lot is set up with several handicapped-only parking spaces. On Sunday mornings, much of the parking lot by the back door ramp is designated as handicapped-only parking to accommodate not only those with special needs but persons who have difficulty walking farther distances. Watch for the special signs directing you where to park along the back of the building. This parking lot can be accessed by turning on to Richardson Ave. from Main Street (Rt. 63) and turning right into the lot.

There is a wide ramp just off the sidewalk that leads into the building. On Sunday mornings before our 10:15 am service, a hospitality team member is there starting about 9:45 am to greet you, open the door for everyone, and to provide assistance if needed. Note: this door is locked once the 10:15 am service begins.

If you enter from the front courtyard or the parking lots on the west side of the building, the lighted sidewalk leads to a glass-enclosed porch and our elevator, which can take you to any floor of the building.

Inside St. John’s

If you enter from the back door ramp entrance there is a short, wide hallway that takes you to our front glass-enclosed porch, which leads into the sanctuary. Just inside the porch is the elevator, which can take you downstairs to our Assembly Hall where we have refreshments and fellowship after worship, and special dinners and events are held. Also on that downstairs level are fully-equipped handicapped-accessible restrooms. The elevator also goes to our 3rd floor where some Montessori school classes meet. Our sanctuary and public areas are air-conditioned for your comfort in the summer and heated for your comfort in the winter.

In the sanctuary, there are several special pews with a ‘cut-out’ sections on the outside aisles to accommodate wheelchairs or walkers and seating for persons with you in the adjacent pew. Please speak with an usher to direct you to one of them.

For your convenience, St. John’s also has some walkers and wheelchairs available should you need them while worshiping with us – please ask an usher for assistance.

Audio Aids

Audio devices are available in the back of the sanctuary if you have difficulty hearing the service. Please ask an usher if you would like to use one during the service. If you are unable to attend worship or heard something in worship you’d like to hear again, a CD of the service can be mailed or held in the office for you – contact the church office. You can also listen to the sermon each week right here on our website – go to the tab “About Us”, then Audio – Sermons. The sermons remain posted on the website for about 9 months.

Visual Aids

Worship bulletins and hymns are available in large print – please ask an usher for this, or they can be found on the table by the center rear door and the front side door to the sanctuary.

St. John’s Health Ministry Team

Should a medical need or an emergency ever arise during worship, we have a dedicated group of nurses & health professionals organized within the congregation to assist anyone in need – our St. John’s health Ministry Team. They also provide services like monthly blood pressure screenings after worship. We also have available a first aid kit and an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) in the Narthex. Our Health Ministry also offers flu shots in the Fall. Please contact an usher if you need assistance and they can summon a member of the Health Ministry team.

Are we missing something that would make St. John’s more accessible? Your suggestions are welcome! Speak with our pastors or someone on church council.  

St. John’s church has been a vital part of downtown Lansdale, Pa. on the same corner since 1876! The information below highlights our history as recorded during our anniversary celebrations and during our various building projects. The first anniversary celebrated at St. John’s was the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the original church building (1878) on May 29th, 1898. There is no record of a 25th anniversary of the founding, which would have been in 1901. We will celebrate 150 years in 2026!

Since then, we have celebrated the anniversary of the founding of the church in January, 1876 every 25 years, starting from our 50th anniversary in 1926. While this tells the basic history of our congregation, within these dates and buildings is found the real mission of St. John’s, spreading the “Good News” of God’s creation and our salvation through Jesus Christ, in our worship and studies since 1876 and continuing on in the future!

St. John’s Was Started as part of The Reformed Church in SE Pa.

With a great wave of German immigrants coming to southeastern Pennsylvania in the late 1700’s to mid-1800’s, many new Reformed and Lutheran churches were formed in the area. Many were formed as “union churches” with separate services for each denomination, and most services were in German until the 1860’s, when some English services also began. All of the area Reformed churches were derived from St. Peter’s church in Hilltown as part of the Tohickon Classis. On May 15, 1874, a committee appointed by the Tohickon Classis came to Lansdale and began holding services from time to time at the recommendation of the first annual meeting of the Tohickon Classis. St. John’s held occasional services in late 1875 under the guidance of Rev. Jacob Kehm at Althouse’s Hall (a public hall for meetings) in Lansdale in the afternoon or evening. On January 30, 1876, a constitution was adopted for St. John’s Reformed Church in Lansdale. On September 25, 1878, St, John’s became part of the Hilltown Charge.

ST. JOHN’S ORIGINAL BUILDING – JUST ACROSS FROM THE CURRENT CHURCH – SE CORNER OF MAIN & RICHARDSON

On October 15, 1876, the cornerstone was laid for the original church building with Rev. Jacob Kehm & Rev. J.L. Dangler of Sellersville officiating. In the forenoon Rev. Kehm preached in German & in the afternoon Rev. Dengler preached in English. The Sunday School held its first service in the church on November 4, 1877. The first worship service in the building was in the evening of December 23, 1877 with Rev. A.B. Koplin preaching in English, and Rev. Rev. S.K. Gross preached the first service in German on December 30, 1877.

Dedication of the church took place starting Saturday, May 25, 1878. Dedicatory and services preparatory to the Holy Communion were on Saturday afternoon conducted by Rev. Dangler in German and Rev. S.M.K. Huber preached in English in the evening with Baptism administered. Sunday morning May 26, 1878, the morning service admitted to membership the first catechetical (confirmation) class of 15 new members. Rev. Dr. E.V. Gerhart of Lancaster preached in English, followed by an afternoon service in German by Rev. Jacob Mechter, with services closed in the evening. Rev. Koplin assisted through the two days of services. Attendance was large both days with the streets in the vicinity crowded with people unable to get in. At a meeting of the Tohickon Classis of 1978 it was recommended to hold services in this church at least once every Sunday.

At a congregational meeting on April 15, 1879 Rev. James Schultz was unanimously elected as the first pastor but he declined the charge due to declining health. On May 18,1879, Rev. H.F. Seiple preached to the congregation, and served Holy Communion on June 15th, and he was unanimously elected pastor on June 30th. Rev. Seiple continued to serve both St. John’s and St. Peter’s Reformed Church in Hilltown until November 26, 1884, when St. John’s was detached from the Hilltown charge. On May 1, 1885, St. John’s became a mission (no longer under the care of another church). On February 22, 1885 a congregational meeting elected Rev. J.J. Rothrock as pastor. (See our History of our Pastors page for more information.)

(Much of the above history comes from a History of St. John’s Reformed Church which was read at the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the church May 29, 1898 and is stored in typewritten form in our church archives.)

Below is a brief history of St. John’s church from 1876 to 1963, written by Rev. Raymond Deily Groff, our Associate Pastor at the time this was written. He researched the history and wrote it as a story for the children of the church at that time, and it still provides a complete summary of how our church was founded and grew during those years.

On Nov. 14, 1971, a new tradition began at St. John’s, displaying a rosebud on the altar honoring children born to our members or extended family of our members. Also in 1971, a new Constitution and By-Laws were adopted, with the official board changed from a Consistory to a Council.

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, our deep desire is to meet you where you are and share God’s love with you.”