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Welcome
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 | Church History Founded by German immigrant Ludwig Lindemuth in 1767,
the congregation first worshiped in a log church. Frederick V.
Melsheimer, chaplain to German mercenary troops during the Revolutionary
War and pioneer American entomologist was one of 42 pastors who served.
Henry M. Muhlenberg, "Patriarch" of the Lutheran Church in America,
visited in 1769. A 1770 deed by Jacob Downer, founder of Maytown, placed
the church on a double lot along North Queen Street. The present stone
church, with its Germanic, hexagonal cupola and lovely Georgian portals
was erected in 1804. In 1896, the tower, stained glass windows, and
distinctive red mortar were added. Additions to the building occurred in
1959 and 1988 The brick sidewalk and street lantern date from the 1980's
Custodian to a historic cemetery, and graced by a 1915 Moller pipe
organ, the congregation has served the people of southern Pennsylvania
for 238 years.
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| Some History The Luther Window on the east wall of our sanctuary fashioned by the
Rudy Glass Company of York, Pa., it was installed in the remolded
church in the fall of 1896, and is the third window to occupy the space
in the 1804 wall. The window shows the Great Reformer of Christ's Church
in the sixteenth century dressed in his academic preaching gown and
pointing to the Word of God which he translated into the German language
from the original Hebrew and Greek and made accessible to the common
man. Several copies of the Luther Bible are found in the congregation
archives. |
| Our Beliefs
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Lutherans still celebrate
the Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of
theology and practice espoused by Luther, such as Sola Gratia,
Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura:
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We are saved by the
grace of God alone -- not by anything we do;
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Our salvation is through
faith alone -- we only need to believe that our sins
are forgiven for Christ's sake, who died to redeem us; |
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The Bible is the
only norm of doctrine and life -- the only true standard by
which teachings and doctrines are to be judged. |
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