Members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Slatington came together Sunday to celebrate 150 years, hearing from a former pastor and a UCC minister who credits the church with helping her find her calling.

The sermon was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Zeiser, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran congregations in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Zeiser of Allentown, a native of Jim Thorpe, told the gathering, “You are an extraordinary congregation.”

Zeiser said the congregation had “a faith centered in Christ from its first day.”

“The spirit of the members of the earliest congregation was implied in faith,” he said.

Bishop Zeiser challenged congregants, “In 2018, it falls to us to follow a faith that will not be stilled.”

Before his sermon, the bishop called all the youngsters in the audience to the front of the church and conducted what he termed, “Good News 101.”

He then explained to the children his role in the church.

“My responsibility is to love and take care of a lot of congregations just like this one,” he told them, adding that 250 churches are under his jurisdiction.

He also told them why he carries a staff. He likened it to a staff that a shepherd uses to take care of his sheep.

“Wherever I go, I take this with me so the people in the congregation can know I take care of them,” he said.

“I don’t see this as a symbol of authority, but as a symbol of caring,” he said.

The service was conducted by the Rev. Russell F. Haab, who has been pastor at St. John’s since September 2000.

The Rev. Richard Hinkle of Weatherly, who served the Slatington church for 10 years and was the 10th pastor at the church, congratulated the congregation on its anniversary.

He said, “We live in a world that is less open to the Gospel, especially in our time. You’ve been a giving and loving congregation.”

He stressed the congregation must continue on its present course and have a faith “as strong and resilient as it is today.”

Mary Hendricks, a UCC pastor who lives in Altoona, attended the church as a child.

“This is the church I grew up in,” she said.

She said members “gave me a sense of direction in my life.”

“I was a child and you welcomed me,” she said, adding, “If you think as a church body that you are not making a difference in this world, you made a difference in my life.”

She spoke of how the faith she acquired at the church proved invaluable later in life when she became a widow at age 33 and had three children at the time.

Haab read letters from other former church members who were unable to attend.

The congregation sang the hymns “God is Here,” “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” and “The Church’s One Foundation.”