Lehighton's Zion United Church of Christ is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its sanctuary this year, and perhaps more importantly, the continuing history of the congregation.

Ken Leffler, church secretary and Zion UCC history buff, has collected a wealth of knowledge on the remarkable building, and its notable patrons."This is amazing even nowadays," Leffler said, glancing across the pews at the high ceiling and stained glass as he walked through the sanctuary. "Can you imagine what it was like when it first opened?"The church congregation officially came together in 1873 as the Zion Reformed Church, predominantly populated by Germans. Meat magnate Joseph Obert was a member, and eventually elder, of the church. By 1876, the cornerstone of the original building was installed, marking the completion of the congregation's first home.By 1914, it was decided that an extension for the church was necessary, as the congregation had blossomed beyond the capacity of the original building. A home that was located in place of the sanctuary had to be moved to begin construction. In 1915, the cornerstone was laid, but the structure was not dedicated until Palm Sunday, April 1, 1917.Zion UCC held a special rededication ceremony on April 2, marking 100 years for the sanctuary."We broke it into periods of 25 years. We took the original call to worship from 1917, and we modified it a little bit for 2017. The liturgist would go every 25 years, and they would talk about who the pastor was at that time, as well as popular trends in the secular world. We tried to find hymns that were appropriate to each age, and we performed those."Surprisingly, very little has actually changed - glance at a photo of the stained glass behind the lectern from 1917, and it would look as if it were taken yesterday."It's basically looked like this since 1917. The interior of the sanctuary is basically the same," Leffler said.Of course, upkeep like this is a costly affair."It's huge, and of course everything that goes with it is huge, all the repair bills. We had the stonework re-pointed and cleaned, the stained-glass windows strengthened and protected," Leffler said, also pointing out that the clock in the church's tower had cost nearly a quarter-million dollars in repairs.Back in the day, churches were the epicenter of a community. You went there for services, of course, but also to socialize, volunteer, learn and build community connections. Leffler mentioned that it was pivotal for local politicians to make a church appearance."This, right here, was the church to be at," Leffler said, indicating Zion UCC.In fact, the church was, and is, such a community hallmark that it maintains arguably more accurate records of townspeople from nearly a century and a half ago.Two commemorative stone boards in the room that leads to the sanctuary bear a list of churchgoers who contributed at least $1 for each year of their life as a donation. Leffler's great-uncle is listed on the board to the right of the entrance. Other familiar family names can be found all over the boards."The money they collected from this was used to help pay off the debt for the sanctuary," Leffler said.But as beautiful, historical, and awe-inspiring as the sanctuary may be, Leffler emphasizes that the real thing to celebrate is the congregation."We didn't want to focus on the building so much, but the ministry that's come out of the building over the past 100 years," Leffler said. "We wanted to focus not so much on the stone and mortar, but what this building has meant to people. Think of all the people that were married here, who had their children baptized here."