First English Lutheran Church of Sharpsburg closes its doors after 134 years

Easter Sunday was bittersweet for the Rev. Tricia Schneck, the interim pastor at First English Lutheran Church in Sharpsburg.

Schneck presided over the final service at the borough institution, which first opened its doors in 1887.

“It is very sad because this is a close congregation, and they have always liked to be together,” Schneck said. “We have loyal people that showed up every week from across the region.”

The parish, which sits perched above the busy borough corridor at 125 N. Main St., consumes a substantial portion of the block with its cavernous red brick building.

The current site was built in 1910 to replace the original wooden building, which opened 134 years ago with 21 charter members.

The interior is cozy but awe-inspiring with a steep pitched roof, wooden pews and spectacular floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows. On holidays and other special days, the church was decorated with glass lanterns hung from shepherd hooks.

Some of those things will live on at other borough sites.

The processional cross, for example, went to Roots of Faith, a ministry along Main Street.

“We invited many groups in to take something so that the church will remain here in a way,” said church council President Marilyn Okonak.

The massive church has twice proved impenetrable, withstanding major flooding events in the borough’s history — the second-floor sanctuary has a plaque to mark where water rose to 46 feet during the St. Patrick’s Day flood of 1936. Decades later, Hurricane Ivan in 2004 left the social hall ravaged with water damage.

“There is a long and storied history of this congregation,” Schneck said. “They have been steadfast partners through floods and community challenges.

“When flood waters inundated our homes and roads, the incredibly generous congregants opened their doors and started the coffee pot and prepared hot meals.”

Schneck came to First English about two years ago to guide the parish while they sought a permanent leader. Her primary church is Trinity Lutheran in Verona.

The congregation, which as recently as 15 years ago boasted a robust enrollment of hundreds, had dwindled to fewer than 20 people each week. Still, Okonak said the foundation was strong.

“We drew loyal parishioners from Bellevue, Tarentum, Cheswick and Blawnox,” said Okonak, a member of the church for all of her 70-plus years. “They are dedicated and they come every week.

“I think, like everywhere, we could’ve held on, but covid-19 and the related closures did us in quicker.”

Schneck and Okonak said the primary mission of the church over the years was community outreach. It was well-known for offering a free monthly breakfast called the Our House Diner.

With menus that included blueberry waffles and a Lutheran Smile — two eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast — the breakfasts touted a “warm space, hot food and good people.”

“It was our gift to the community,” Okonak said. “We were shrinking in size, but we wanted to do this.”

The congregation’s motto, “Come as you are,” extended to people from across the Lower Valley.

On any given week, there were worshippers in their typical Sunday best and guests in jeans, shorts and T-shirts.

There was a chalkboard prayer wall erected on the church lawn where passersby could jot blessing requests.

At its core, Schneck said the church enjoyed “good worship, good preaching, good fellowship and good service.”

“We wanted people from all spans of backgrounds to sit and drink coffee and talk,” Okonak said. “We wanted to be a gathering point.”