ST. JOHN'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

149 S. 9th Street
Reading, PA 19602
610.376.0318

History:

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St. John’s United Church of Christ was originally founded as St. John’s Reformed Church. It was the third Reformed congregation in the city of Reading. In 1864, the St. John’s Sunday School opened in an old schoolhouse on Franklin Street between Eighth and Ninth streets.

In 1871, St. John’s officially formed a congregation with 15 members. In August 1876, they laid down the cornerstone of the new structure that houses the church and Sunday School. By 1889 the Sunday School numbered 500 and the congregation 525. The church acquired an organ in 1893 for $3,500 that was manufactured by Samuel Bohler. They also have windows that are of stained glass from the 1800s.

In 1905, St. John’s congregation numbered 543 members and its Sunday school 490 members. The church continued successfully and built an annex for classroom and office space in the 1960s on the church’s northeast corner. They also acquired a house north of the church that served as the former pastor’s house. Today, the church stands with a beautiful solid appearance.

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Congregation/Space:

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While the congregation has about 125 members, only 30-35 members attend services regularly. In November 2017, the congregation announced that St. John’s would be closing its doors after August 2018. Recently, they decided to donate the church to the 9th Street Mennonite congregation based in Ephrata. The building is in fair condition considering its age. The roof was replaced around 2016 and the boilers were replaced in early 2019, after the St. John’s congregation left.

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Programs:

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Based on our assessment we could not complete the interview survey since St. John’s congregation no longer operates. We did try to get as much information from a former Board Trustee for St. John’s who currently manages the church until it is fully handed over to the 9th Street Mennonite congregation. We did get to do an observational survey for the main church and annex.