Our History
Founding
The Church of the Mediator was chartered in May 1866 as St. John’s Church, Allentown Furnace and was admitted to the Convention of The Diocese of Pennsylvania. Earlier, in 1862, the Bishop and Board of Missions had commissioned missionary priest Eliphalet Nott Potter to establish a Sunday school in Allentown’s Sixth Ward which would serve a large unchurched population of British heritage who worked in the Iron Works. Among them was Moses Leech, a skilled ironworker, and the first male parishioner.
The first church building was erected beginning in 1866 at Front & Furnace Streets. By the time the building was completed and consecrated in 1869, the congregation had changed its name and incorporated in Lehigh County as The Church of the Mediator.
The church enjoyed a flourishing ministry until declining Panic of 1874 and 1874. During lean years from the mid-1870s through the early 1880s, Mediator remained a parish but shared clergy with Grace Church. By the mid-1880s Mediator was effectively a mission station of Grace, and by 1903 was removed from Diocesan Convention and downgraded from parish to mission.
After a time of complete closure the Rev. James May, missionary priest in Catasauqua, had the old church renovated and restarted the congregation. By the 1911 the property was sold to the growing Ukranian Orthodox community.
of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem and missionary founder of Mediator in Allentown
West End
A remnant of the old church, together with new members began to meet further west, and on April 9, 1912, a Vestry was formed. Our present property was purchased in 1912, and in in 1913 the Rev. Robert Nott Merriman was called as The Church of the Mediator’s rector. During his tenure of 36 years there was continual growth. A parish house with worship space was built. The original building is still in use today as offices, library, common area, and gymnasium.
Arthur Sherman by N. Schneider Manuel
Under the leadership of the Rev. Arthur Sherman, weekly services were begun and membership increased. The present sanctuary was built and dedicated in May 1958. It featured three lancet windows and a large, free-standing, marble altar with a cross etching.
In the 1960s, ministry in the wider community was the touchstone of the next rector, the Rev. David Birney. The Pastoral Institute of the Lehigh Valley and a nursery school were formed, which served the Parish and community for many years. Christian Education was also fully developed at this time.
During the tenure of the Rev. A. Theodore Eastman, in the early 1970s, the initiative of the Associated Parishes began. The ministry enabled Mediator to support St. Elizabeth’s and St. Anne’s with many opportunities for mutual ministry. Today, St. Anne’s is a parish to the west, while St. Elizabeth’s flourished for several years it eventually closed.
Also during this time the Parish Prayer Group began meeting and a prayer chain was formed and still operates today. The Cursillo Movement and the Bethel Bible Series also began.
Ecumenical involvement continued under the leadership of the Rev. A. Malcom McMillan in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The highlight of this time was the establishment of the Covenant Parishes which consisted of Mediator, First Presbyterian, St. Thomas More and St. Timothy’ Evangelical Lutheran Church. A number of ecumenical initiatives came out of this program.
During the tenure of the Rev. R. Bruce Birdsey, we embarked on a Growth and Renewal Program in 1992 which led to the expansion of both the education and music programs of the parish. It also led to a major renovation and repairs to the building. We continued our outreach and during this time sponsored two Vietnamese families. Congregational fellowship were enhanced with our movie group and the men’s breakfast group, both of which continue today.
In 1996 we experienced a devastating fire which affected the sanctuary, Sunday school rooms, and office area. With the support of staff, a legion of volunteers, and our interim cleric, the Very Rev. Robert “Bob” Schenkel, the church was rededicated in October of 1996. A strong base of lay involvement in the parish and the community was developed to welcome a new rector.
A New Millennium
After serving as a supply minister on several occasions during 1998 and 1999, Maria Tjeltveit accepted the call to become the rector of the Church of the Mediator on September 1, 1999.
Over the past twenty years, considerable work was done to strengthen congregational life, including the music program, which had always been of paramount importance in both parish and surrounding community. In 2003, a very talented organist, Clint Miller, was hired to replace our departing choir director, and he and our accomplished choir continue to provide an outstanding music program. Attention was also directed toward increasing lay involvement, deepening spiritual formation through Christian education, and strengthening our pastoral care ministry. New opportunities for fellowship within the parish were formed, among them a book club, dinner groups, a young families group, as well as talent shows and chili suppers.
The reestablishment of our Outreach Commission in 2000 was perhaps an early harbinger of the direction our parish would eventually take. Just for Kids (JFK), a well-established after school activities program for local middle schoolers continued to provide a vital service in our immediate neighborhood. Thanksgiving in July, the August collection of school supplies, the Giving Tree and Adopt-a- Family programs at Christmas, and our Easter Basket In-gathering were among the ways our members could give back to the community.
In the early 2000s, important improvements were made to the structure, including the installation of an elevator and an outdoor ramp, improving our facility’s accessibility.
150 Years Strong
The parish celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of our sanctuary in 2008 and the 150th Anniversary of the Church of the Mediator in 2013. In recognition of those achievements, the parish kicked off a major fundraising campaign called Widening Our Welcome (WOW). This drive made possible an impressive commercial transformation of our basement kitchen, in which we could legally prepare community dinners and host church- sponsored social events.
Thanks to the WOW campaign, our budget was able to fund a part-time assistant pastor or priest associate, and on August 1, 2014, the Rev. Twila Smith became our first full-time missioner. In the fall of that year, we began a cooperative relationship with Grace Church in downtown Allentown, and the Rev. Smith divided her time between the two parishes.
New Things
The Refugee Community Center, possibly the most noteworthy outreach effort ever sponsored by the Mediator, opened its doors in September 2016 in the basement of the Parish House. The Rev. Smith served as the director for the ministry, the goal of which is to provide a gathering place for newly arriving families from places such as Syria, Sudan, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Children receive care and acquire kindergarten readiness skills, while their parents and other adults learn English, seek advice, learn about relevant support services. The center is staffed by volunteers from both inside and outside of Mediator’s congregation. Previously unimaginable friendships have been established, life-changing lessons learned, and delicious community dinners are shared as part of this amazing undertaking.
In 2019, the Rev. Tjeltveit announced her plans to retire in June 2020 and took leave in 2021. The Church of the Mediator continues strong today and together with the Rev. Dale Grandfield, continues to put faith into action.