Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Murrysville marks 200th anniversary

Patrick Varine, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

May 20—Emmanuel Lutheran Church and Emmanuel Reformed Lutheran Church can trace their beginnings back to the same group of German Lutheran immigrants, some of the first Europeans to settle in the area that would become Murrysville.

Unfortunately, both churches also had to share in the frustration of having their 200th anniversary delayed by the covid pandemic.

Small clusters of families would meet at services conducted by laymen before a congregation was formally organized in 1820. A small log building constructed in 1831 would be a Union Church shared by German Lutheran and German Reformed congregations. Roughly a half-century later in 1884, the Emmanuel Lutheran congregation moved to the top of what is now Roosevelt Avenue in Export.

In 1965, the Emmanuel congregation moved once again, relocating to its current church on Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. And this weekend, parishioners will mark the congregation's 200th anniversary.

"We had a lot of things planned for 2020, and then we just kept pushing it back week after week," said Angela Held, the wife of Pastor Gregory Held, who retired from Emmanuel in 2016. "It was disappointing."

The Helds came to the church nearly three decades ago and strove to continue the mission work of former Pastor Dennis Koch.

"He'd spent six years doing missionary ministry in Japan," Pastor Held said. "His mission work was strong both locally and abroad."

When steel mills were closing in the 1980s, Pastor Held said Emmanuel staff "reached out to workers from here to Homestead."

"We sent tutors to Holy Trinity Church in the North Side, and we donated a washer and dryer as well," Angela Held said.

Interim Pastor Alden Towberman said the Helds "have been really great at making connections with the community."

Those connections helped establish the Murrysville Christian Connection, the thrift store that originally operated out of Emmanuel's clapboard church in Export, before moving down to its current spot on Old William Penn Highway.

The church will mark the 200th (technically, the 203rd) anniversary at its 10:15 a.m. Sunday service, which will include special music and a catered lunch for the congregation afterward.

Towberman said he's excited to carry Emmanuel's message into its third century.

"It's all about Jesus," Towberman said. "It's about experiencing new life through him and being servants to others for him."

Pastor Held agreed.

"We've hung onto 'Emmanuel,' which or course means, 'God with us,' " he said. "That's the heart of the ministries we try to get involved in."

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .