Main St, PO Box 74 Archbald, Pa. 18403
Sunday Service @9:30 am,
Healing Service on the 3rd Sunday of every month
Coffee Social before and after- Postponed until further notice Though we are a Lutheran church, anyone is welcome at our service. Our Sunday Service starts @ 9:30am, until approximately 10:30am. On the 3rd week of the month, there is a Healing Service in the mass for special blessi
ngs for those with illness / injury, or to carry the blessing with them to those that can not attend. (Returning on Sunday, January 19, 2025)
Our Council meets approximately once every two months. Much like any small family, the St. Luke's congregation is one that always greets one another with open arms and a smile. We look to grow our family and would be delighted to see you this Sunday! Please take a few moments to read our long and storied history below. Luke's has gone through many triumphs and hardships in its existence. As our present congregation matures, we do need new members & avid volunteers to conduct church business, fund raising, and maintenance during these new hard times so that St. Luke's doesn't become just another page in Archbald's history, but once again a leader of the community and our Christian faith therein for the future!
* Our Beginning *
Birth of St. Luke's The year was 1843, and James Archbald and James Clarkson, of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co., had just discovered coal in an area known as White Oak Run, just south of Carbondale, down the Lackawanna River. With this discovery came the birth of the Village of Archbald. Soon, many immigrants, largely of German, Scandinavian, and Irish decent, flocked to the area, looking for work in the mines. Many of them settled in Archbald. In the spring of 1848, shortly after the first buildings were constructed, a missionary named Christian Sans saw a need to organize a congregation and establish a place of worship. With a 26-member congregation, Pr. Sans set out to build a church building. A site was selected near the old White Oak breaker (at the foot of No.5 Hill), but disaster struck when the building was destroyed by fire before it was ever completed. No fire insurance was ever purchased for the church, so the congregation never received a penny to help them rebuild. Nevertheless, the congregation immediately began work on a new building at the same site, and on October 12, 1851, the church was completed and dedicated. On May 3, 1852, the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted a charter to the German Evangelical Congregation of the village of Archbald, County of Luzerne, township of Blakely, and, in essence, St. Luke's was born. The church, built by Pr. Sans and that first congregation, stood for 11 years. It saw a host of pastors come and go. The pastors to serve in that first church were:
Christian Sans (1848-1853), Johann Schwalm (1853-1855), August Angerer (1857-1858), Carl D. Rosenthal (1859-1860), George Schildknecht (1860-1861), Bernard Sickel, who took over on February 10, 1861. As misfortune would have it, Pr. Sickel was the last pastor to serve in that first church. On October 18, 1862 tragedy struck once again when a fire broke out during Sunday school. The building was completely engulfed before there was any chance to save it, and it burnt to the ground. However, a new plot of land was presented to the congregation by the Delaware & Hudson Co. across the Lackawanna River on Main Street (River St. as it was called at that time). Under Pr. Sickel's leadership, construction at the site of the present day church began on January 29, 1863, but completion was delayed due to the Civil War. On April 21, 1864 the land adjacent to the church was purchased from the D & H Co. for $600 as the site for the parsonage. Pr. Sickel left in 1865, before construction of the new church was completed. He was replaced by Pr. John E. Lang in 1866. Lang saw to the completion of the new church and would be the first pastor to serve in it. He served until 1874. George Saul began his service on October 1, 1874 and left two years later on October 1, 1876. During his ministry, the Ladies' Aid Society was organized, on a Sunday afternoon in October, 1875.
* Growth and Development *
1877 marked the beginning of a long period of growth for the community and the church. This growth, fueled by advancements in technology and avenues of employment opportunities, lasted through 1921. The church experienced its most rapid growth during this era. Carl Ackermann had taken over in May of 1877, and he was the first pastor to feel the effects of this growth. Baptismal and Confirmation records during this period indicate that the numbers of those Baptized and Confirmed were unequaled in any other era in history. Various changes and improvements were made to the church building, as well as the form of worship, during this period. In the years 1882-1886, under the leadership and guidance of Pr. S.C. Zettner, the parsonage was built. Other pastors of this era were: Waldemar R.M. Oeser (1886-1889), John C. Rudolph (1889-1894), Ludwig Schabinger (1894-1895), Pr. Franz R Lehmann, who began his service on August 4, 1895. Three months later, yet another misfortune would fall upon the congregation as a cyclone passed through the valley and partially destroyed the church building. The people would once again pull together, and under the leadership of Pr. Lehmann, the present day main entrance to the church was constructed. Also, the Sunday school room was enlarged. Lehmann would leave in June of 1896. Others to follow were Pr. William Luer (1896-1902) and Pr. Otto W. Lauxmann (1903-1906). From 1906 to 1915 the congregation, under the leadership of Pr. Ernst D. Kiefel, inaugurated an extensive renovation and improvement program. During this time, the interior walls were painted and decorated artistically, the present metal ceiling was installed, and the chancel was equipped with a new pulpit. Also, a pipe organ, donated by the Young People's Society, was installed. During 1915 and 1916, under the guidance of Pr. Frederick Gabelmann, a steam heating system was provided for the church and parsonage. The basement was enlarged and the sacristy was added.
* The First Lutheran Liturgy *
Pr. Rudolph Lucas would begin his service on New Year's Day, 1917. Under his leadership from 1917 to 1921 the first Lutheran liturgy was introduced into the services of the congregation. Also, the floors of the nave and chancel were carpeted, and four rooms were added to the parsonage. The congregation sustained a great loss when Pr. Lucas died, on May 31, 1921. Paul J. Engelbert became the new pastor in August of 1921. He would continue the work started by Pr. Lucas. More renovations were made to the interior of the church as well as the exterior. The interior was arranged according to the Lutheran tradition and practice. An altar with reredos was placed in the chancel with a crucifix upon the retable. Paraments and antependia, in the liturgy colors, were purchased for the altar, pulpit and lectern. Memorial stained glass windows were installed. New pews and lanterns were added to the church furnishings, and the organ was equipped with an electric motor. A new roof, a concrete basement floor, and a stucco exterior constituted additional improvements to the church building. Engelbert a new constitution was adopted, making the church Lutheran in faith and practice. The Evangelical Lutheran Hymn Book was introduced in the service, as was use of the English language. Up to this time the services were held entirely in German. Also, the congregation started using duplex envelopes, for the first time, to present their weekly offerings. The church would continue its move towards Lutheranism under the direction of Pr. Levi W. Yiengst. He began his service in 1931. Yiengst would introduce the Common Service Book of the United Lutheran Church in America to the congregation. The full liturgical heritage of the Lutheran Church was now brought to the parish: the church year, liturgical chant, historic vestments, and a standard order for the celebration of the Eucharist. Yiengst also saw to the painting of the parsonage, and a stage was built in the Sunday school room. While ministering to the needs of the congregation, Pr. Yiengst passed on to his eternal reward, on May 17, 1937.
* Our Sister Parish - St. Paul’s*
Pr. E.O. Steigerwalt began his tenure on August 15, 1937. In January of 1939 the parish applied to and was received into the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States. It was also at this time that the parish began a joint ministry with its sister parish, St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Carbondale. For the first time in its history, the parish was now a member of a larger Church body.
* Another Tragedy *
The congregation suffered another set-back on March 7, 1939, when a fire broke out in the boiler room. The fire was extinguished, but not before it did extensive damage to the chancel. Again, renovation and repair was needed. The congregation volunteered to donate their time and services to complete the repairs. The Sunday school room was covered with celotex and new light fixtures were installed. The narthex was enlarged to provide a hallway from the basement to the nave. The church building was enlarged to provide a choir room and sanctuary. The interior of the church was repainted and redecorated, and the floor was recarpeted. An Orgatron was purchased and installed. A Communion rail was placed across the entrance to the sanctuary. Also, the kitchen was enlarged and refinished, and a stoker was installed in the church. The exterior of the church was covered in waterproof cement. The steeple was reshingled and repainted, and a six-foot copper cross was erected on top.
