History
St. Peter’s Lutheran has been a vibrant and welcoming church for over one hundred years. Initially located in Neffsville, the church moved to its current location in the late 1950s and was renovated in 2006 to its current size.
Interesting Facts:
In the late 1800s, approximately thirty Lutherans lived in Neffsville and were members of Kissel Hill Lutheran Church. Today, that church is known as Salem Lutheran Church.
Ground for a church and cemetery was purchased from Jacob Dornbaugh for $1.00 with a yearly rent of $25.00 for 25 years. The land was located in Neffsville, off Valley Road. The deed was dated April 1, 1871. The original deed is framed and displayed at our main entrance.
On July 11, 1880, the cornerstone for the first St. Peter’s church was laid with our first pastor, Rev. Jacob Peter, officiating at the ceremony.
On June 26, 1881, the completed church was dedicated and the Sunday School was organized with Dr. Elias Witmer as its first superintendent.
The first constitution was adopted in 1884. The following stipulations appear: regular services on each or every other Sunday, weekly prayer meetings, Sunday School, and catechetical lectures. In 1889 St. Peter’s joined with St. Paul’s in Lititz and Salem in Kissel Hill.
By 1904, the Council recommended that a new church be built instead of repairing the original wooden structure. On September 10, 1904, a lot facing Lititz Pike in Neffsville was purchased from Jacob Swarr at a cost of $25 per annum for 20 years. The original “church on the hill” was demolished.
On October 15, 1905, the cornerstone of the new church was laid with St. Peter’s pastor, Jacob Maurer officiating. It was dedicated on July 15, 1906. The “second” St. Peter’s Church is still standing at 2653 Lititz Pike.
On December 16, 1955, the congregation voted to discontinue negotiations with adjoining property owners in Neffsville and relocate. On June 25, 1956 the council authorized a committee to search for a suitable building lot. At a special congregational meeting, two resolutions were passed by a two-thirds majority. (1) that the Church
Council purchase 3.146 acres at the corner of Lititz Pike and Delp Road for no more than $9,000 plus transfer costs and taxes and (2) that we move toward our building program as rapidly as possible. The deed was recorded March 1, 1957.
The Service for the Blessing of Site and Ground Breaking Ceremony was held on April 5, 1959, at 3:00 pm. On June 14th, the Service for the Laying of the Name and Date Stone took place. This included “re-laying” the cornerstone from the original 1880 church on the hill in Neffsville. On February 28, 1960, at morning worship in Neffsville, “The
The Order for Taking Leave of a Church Building took place. At 2:00 pm that same day, the Dedication Service was held at the Lititz Pike and Delp Road location.
Since moving to Lititz Pike and Delp Road, St. Peter’s has undergone two additional building expansion programs. The first expansion was dedicated on May 17, 1987. It included a chapel, a medium-sized fellowship hall, new office space, a small kitchen, and additional restrooms. The second expansion of St. Peter’s included a new sanctuary, chapel, office space, cry room, nursery, conference room, and music room. The dedication for this expansion was on May 7, 2006, under the leadership of Pastor Craig A. Ross.
In Advent 2007, Word of Life Deaf Church relocated to St. Peter’s. Having just expanded our building, we welcomed WOLD into our new space as part of our mission to the community.
St. Peter’s Today:
In 1880, could our church founders have imagined a church whose doors would be open almost every day of the week for services, committee meetings, choir rehearsals, concerts, educational opportunities, social ministry and outreach? We gratefully embrace the initiatives of our founders, humbly celebrate God’s blessings throughout our journey, and look to the future for new opportunities of mission and ministry. No one can predict what the future may hold for St. Peter’s congregation. We pray that St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will continue to be a dynamic force in a busy community while facing the challenges of an ever-changing world.