About Us
St. Paul’s is an active and vibrant part of the body of Christ. If you are currently without a church home, we invite you to join in ministry with St. Paul’s and experience God’s love in your life.
Our Ministries
We offer Sunday School classes for all ages and youth programming throughout the year, including Vacation Bible School. Adults fellowship and serve together in a wide variety of settings, from church dinners, exercise classes and a quilter’s club to choir and the Minstrels, our instrumental group.
Our Missions
The Gospel of Matthew says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” As a community of faith, we are called by God to reach out to the wider world and share Christ’s message to all around us. We regularly support the food pantry in Schuylkill Haven, the Pottsville soup kitchen, Bethany Children’s Home and many other missions throughout the region and the world. Around Christmas, we send more than 100 shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and personal-care items to poor children abroad.
God’s City on the Summer Hill
St. Paul’s United Church of Christ traces its roots to 1782, when Lutheran and Reformed congregations met to choose a site and construct a building on the Summer Hill. A second church was built in 1804, and enlarged in 1847. From its origin until 1959, St. Paul’s was a union church, alternating services with its neighboring Lutheran congregation. In December 1958, fire destroyed the old union church, and Lutheran and UCC congregations voted to build individual churches. A service of dedication for the present UCC sanctuary was held in 1960. A building addition was completed in 2009.
Our Vision and Identity
Down through the centuries, this congregation has maintained a rich tradition of worship and service in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Now we’e poised to grow and thrive in the Internet age — we’re eager to provide a spiritual home for all those in need of God’s grace, peace and love.
Membership
Membership at St. Paul’s is open to anybody who has been baptized, confirmed or has made public confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You may be received into fellowship through confirmation, letter of transfer, or profession of faith.
Our Pastor
Greetings from St. Paul’s Summer Hill United Church of Christ. My name is Ken McDowell and I am blessed to be the Pastor of this vibrant and welcoming family of Christ. I serve St. Paul’s part time while I pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Moravian Theological Seminary. This is my third career after spending five years in the Army Airborne Corps of Engineers and 27 years in the industrial gas industry. While my wife Ann, our two daughters, and I have journeyed around the country during my business career, we always found a church just like this one to be the center of our lives and help us grow on our spiritual journeys. We have been active in the many ministries of the church, and now God has called me to move on to the next phase of ordained ministry.
Perhaps you have also been on a long journey, full of questions and looking for a place to grow in your relationship with God. I invite you to join us as we explore our faith and learn where God is leading us in the next chapter of our lives. Together as a community of faith, we walk with one another as we each discern how God is calling us to be the Body of Christ in the world. Please come and join us. I hope to see you on Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Ken
