Groundbreaking services were held on Sunday at the new site of the United Presbyterian Church of Slatington on Route 873 in Washington Township.

Participating in the ceremony were the Rev. Max Conley, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Lehigh; Mrs. Jean Nagle, moderator of the presbytery; and the Rev. David H. Johnson, pastor of the church.

The congregation will build a new church on farmland containing 3.05 acres that was a gift to it from Mr. and Mrs. I. Tom Lengel of Slatington R.3, members of the church. It will be a single-story brick structure with about 6,500 square feet of floor space, a sanctuary that will hold 250 people and an educational wing that will contain offices, classrooms, a kitchen and a fellowship hall.