About Our Church

SUNDAY SCHEDULE WORSHIP CHILDREN'S CHURCH FELLOWSHIP &  LEARNING 9:30 am 9:45 AM 10:30 AM

Church History

St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church                     St. Matthew was organized by the Rev. Isaac Irvine, then pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church (now Church of the Savior, Lutheran) , June 7, 1891, in Wood’s Hall on Arch Street, with twenty-one charter members, and was served by him in connection with St. John’s  until October 21st of that year.  On  this date the Rev. Leander Goetz assumed charge and for some time served the congregation, dividing his time with St. Luke’s Lutheran. It is interesting to note that these two congregations, together with Redeemer Lutheran, were organized at about the same time.                         The work in St. Matthew grew so rapidly that Rev. Goetz became full-time pastor of St. Matthew’s. On October 1, 1892, the plot at the corner of Pearl and Linn Street was purchased for $1,000 and on July 16. 1893, the cornerstone of  the church was laid. It was dedicated on August 26, 1894.               The Sunday School was organized on July 26, 1891 and it along with the congregation grew so much through the years that in 1935, under the leadership of Dr. Ira S. Sassaman, enlargement and remodeling of  the sanctuary  took place and a large education building was erected.  In later years the education unit was described as ‘a building ahead of  its’ time.’               St. Matthew has enjoyed a fine and illustrious history of serving God in the Newberry community and the church at-large sending forth sons for the ministry and daughters as missionaries and deaconess service.               On June 7, 1991, 100 years of serving God in Newberry  was celebrated. On February 12, 1995, a catastrophic fire destroyed the entire church.     St. Matthew Lutheran Church Now                    As our church was being consumed by flames, people and churches extended God’s loving hand to us, offering places to worship, along with emotional and financial support. We will always remember the communities love which enveloped us. That very evening we gathered in St. John’s United Methodist Church to share our grief and for a time of healing. Because of our mutual need, we decided to continue to worship as a congregation and face together the hard decisions ahead. Our pastor, Rev. Clifford A. Stierle, Jr. was scheduled to retire Easter 1995 but asked to stay on to see us through the process. All Newberry and some other churches offered their facilities. Sanders’ Mortuary became our meeting place for several months and then we accepted Church of the Ascension’s offer of their chapel as our place of worship.                           After months of considering all factors, we voted to rebuild. Newberry is still a unique community and St. Matthew is mostly a neighborhood church, plus situated at the western city limits with no other Lutheran church until Jersey Shore. Our new facility gives us the opportunity to plan for outreach into the next century and new ways to minister  to our community. First floor houses the sanctuary, offices, multi-purpose room, kitchen and lounge. Sunday School, conference room and library are on the second floor and the entire full basement is for future development. The church is air-conditioned and equipped for the handicapped and hearing impaired and the multi-purpose room will allow us to reach out to youth with recreational opportunities.               Please include us in your prayers and share our joy as we share God’s Word and show His love, reaching out in love and ministering to all.