St. John's Lutheran Church
Who We Are
We, the members of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fogelsville, desiring to be blessed together with Word and Sacrament and to become more perfectly the Body of Christ in the world, do hereby commit ourselves to a mission that involves: increasingly creative and meaningful worship; developing additional opportunities for Christian Education; intentional witnessing to our congregation and community; Christ-centered social ministries and; promoting a more effective stewardship program which helps people to become better aware of what we have to offer and where we have needs.
(September-May)
10:30 AM Worship
(June-August)
9:30 AM Worship
Founded in 1834
Our History
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church had its origin in the High German Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church which was founded in 1834. A considerable number of houses had been built in Fogelsville, with a consequent increase in population. These people had a church membership elsewhere, chiefly in Trexlertown, Ziegel’s and Jordan congregations, and it was natural that they should want a church of their own. Thus in 1834 the sentiment crystallized in a meeting held in the public house of George Guth. Here it was decided to build a new church.
The cornerstone was laid on May 9, 1835. The services were conducted by The Revs. Joseph Dubbs and Isaac Roeller, who also preached the sermons. The “Proclamation” was read by The Rev. George Wartman. The Rev. Dubbs and The Rev. Wartman were pastors of the Union Church, Neffs.
Dedicatory services were held on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 1835, forenoon and afternoon. The Revs. Joshua Yeager and Isaac Roeller preached the first day, and The Revs. G. G. Herman and Gottlieb Yeager had charge of the services on Sunday.
On November 22, The Rev. Isaac Roeller was elected pastor of the Lutheran congregation. The first Lutheran Communion of which there is any record was held on May 17, 1837; forty-seven communing. At the same time seventeen persons were confirmed.
The Rev. Isaac Roeller, the first Lutheran pastor, served for fifteen years (1835-1850) and was succeeded by The Rev. Jeremiah Schindel who served for eight years (1850-1858). The Rev. E. H. M. Sell served for the three years following The Rev. Schindel. The Rev. Owen Leopold served for the next forty-seven years (1861-1904). Upon The Rev. Owen Leopold’s death in 1904, his son The Rev. Elmer O. Leopold served as pastor until 1908.
It was under the able leadership of Pastor Owen Leopold that the majority of the Lutheran congregation withdrew from the Union Church and built their own place of worship. Records indicate that a subscription was solicited and the sentiments of the congregation expressed by the fact that the subscriptions contained nearly all of the Lutheran members. On Whitsunday 1874 the cornerstone of the present St. John’s Evangelical Church was laid. The record is not clear as to the date of the dedication, but from all indications it must have taken place sometime in 1875.
Many changes took place in the physical aspects of the building from that early date. Gas lights were installed, and new space heaters were added on two occasions. A new heating plant was installed in 1924. In 1930 a new pipe organ was purchased. During this time different renovations were made to the basement for added Sunday School rooms. In 1938 a major project of roof repair and tower repair was carried out. At the same time, the Ladies Aid Society, which had been organized in 1903, stated that they would like to have the church remodeled and beautified and they would assume the responsibility of paying the interest on the borrowed money. A major remodeling program was completed in 1940 at the cost of about $20,000. It ended with the Ladies Aid Society not only paying for the interest but also a large part of the principle. All of this took place under the able leadership of The Rev. John F. Keller, who served as pastor for thirty years (1908-1939).
During the war years very little could be done in reducing the debt or remodeling, but after the war the congregation flourished and once more became debt free. The first parish-owned parsonage was built in 1948, under the leadership of The Rev. Robert A. Laubach, who was pastor from 1939 until 1953.
Through the years many attempts had been made to provide individual class rooms for the pupils of the Sunday School. This was accomplished in a meager way. However, the rooms served double purposes, making it impossible for the children to have rooms they could call their own. Proposals were advanced to provide new social and educational facilities. The congregation approved the project in October 1964. Work was started on the project early in 1965 and the new addition to the Church was dedicated on September 26, 1965. This expansion was done during the pastorate of The Rev. Robert C. Schiebel.
The Rev. Schiebel served as pastor of the four church Fogelsville Lutheran Parish for twelve years (1953-1966). When the Parish was divided in two, The Rev. Schiebel elected to remain with the Ziegels-Weisenberg Parish. The Rev. Thomas A. Berg was called to serve the new Fogelsville-Morganland Parish. He served from 1966 to 1969.
In 1970, St. John’s elected to become a single church parish and The Rev. Robert L. George accepted their call to be the pastor on August 1, 1970. He served until 1984, when The Rev. Christopher N. Hershman was called to be pastor (1984-1992).
The succeeding years saw a number of physical improvements to the church building, with the installation of air conditioning and an elevator. It also saw a number of pastors serving as shepherd to the congregation. The Rev. Sherwood L. Dieter served as interim pastor in 1994. The Rev. John P. Fritch was called to serve from 1994- 2001, and The Rev. David D. Long served from 2002-2006. The Rev. Richard H. Stough served as interim pastor from 1992-1994, and again from 2001- 2002. The Rev. Stanley R. Trout served as interim pastor from 2006-2007.
The Rev. MaryAnn Hamm served from 2007-2011, and was in place as Pastor as St. John’s celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2009. The church pipe organ underwent extensive repairs in 2010 which integrated a digital interface with recording capabilities. Pastor Andrew Carlsson served as intentional interim pastor from 2011-2012.
We welcomed Pastor Trout back as interim pastor until The Rev. Nelson Quiñones took office as our new full-time pastor in June 2013. A few short years afterwards we began a restoration project that saw repairs to the bell tower and stained-glass windows. The project was completed in 2016. The church has continued many of its annual events such as the Cinnamon Bun Bake Sale, Halloween Hot Dog Stand, and Community Tree Lighting. We have also seen the addition of newer events such as the Basket Social and Community Free Dinners and more. The members of St. John’s continue to remain active and involved as we look towards the future.
In November 2023, St. John’s Lutheran Church dedicated the 1883 Martin Luther statue (originally from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Allentown) as a symbol of Lutheran heritage in North America and the mighty fortress that is our God. To commemorate St. John’s 150 years of ministry at our current church building, a plaque will be placed at the newly acquired statue and will be dedicated later in 2024.
