History of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Boyertown, Pennsylvania

This history appeared in Morton Montgomery’s 1908 edition of The History of Berks County, p. 1391.

Surnames: MILLER, YEAGER, WENDT, GROH, BOYER, WEBER

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Boyertown, Pa. The first
record of this congregation is a baptism on the
30th of June, 1811. Whatever historical records may have been kept are
either destroyed of stored somewhere
among the old papers and books of the families of the early secretaries
of the congregation. The church is a daughter
of the historic Falkner Swamp Church in New Hanover, Montgomery county.
It was a part of the once large parish of
which the Swamp congregation was the central church, but which from 1865
to 1887 consisted of these two only.
Since the latter year the Boyertown congregation has been a separate
parish. The pastors that have served the
congregation were: Rev. Jacob Miller, from 1811 to 1829; Rev. Conrad
Miller, 1829-1852; Rev. Nathan Yeager,
1853-1857; Rev. Henry Wendt, 1858-1864; Rev. Abraham H. Groh, 1865;
Rev. Leonard Groh, 1866-1891; Rev.
Charles C. Boyer, 1891-1893; Rev. Adam M. Weber, 1893 to date.

The congregation occupied jointly with the Reformed congregation the
brick church (40×50 feet) on Philadelphia
avenue until 1872. A peaceful and friendly separation of property rights
was made, the Reformed congregation
retaining the old property. The congregation was incorporated April 22,
1871. On August 17th and 18th, 1872, the
new church building of brick, 90×55 feet, on Reading avenue, and costing
$23,000, was dedicated. In 1882, a steeple
172 feet high was erected and a large bell placed in it. In 1893 an
addition of 20×55 feet was erected, to provide more
room for the Sunday-school which occupies the whole basement floor, and
to furnish the space for the large
pipe-organ, pastor’s study, church council and society rooms. In 1898 a
ten-room parsonage was built.

German was the language used in the services up to the last generation,
which has demanded English services, both
being now in use. The congregation is the largest of the Lutheran
denomination in the county, outside of Reading,
numbering over 1,000 members. The Sunday-school is thoroughly equipped
and modern in its methods. It has a
membership of 650. Other organizations of the members do work for the
home church and general benevolence.
This church gave the necessary $1,000 as first payment on the farm
purchased for the Lutheran Orphans’ Home at
Topton, Pennsylvania. [ Supplied by Rev. Adam M. Weber.]

–>