The History of Penn-Zion’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Lutherans of the Harrison City vicinity had been served as a preaching “mission” for some time prior to any formal attempt to organize a congregation.
In 1887, the Rev. Charles S. Seamon became pastor of the Brush Creek and Adamsburg Lutheran parish. Since Rev. Seamon had parishioners in his church who lived in Harrison City, and Rev. Holloway also had some from Harrison City in his congregation at Denmark Manor, the two pastors cooperated in holding services for these people

Rev. Seamon undertook the initiative and organized the Lutheran congregation in Harrison City, March 13, 1887, just prior to the dissolution of the union church arrangement at Denmark Manor. The organizing congregation numbered fifty persons and assumed the name Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Harrison City. The first administrative council of the church included Michael Holtzer, Lewis W. Gongaware, Michael Portzer, John J. Altman, John H. Kuhns, and William Shuster. In June 1888, Rev. Seamon became the regular pastor of the church.

The initial step to build a church came in April 1887, when a building committee was appointed. The church plot, located on Grant and Walnut Streets in Harrison City, was purchased from H.P. Lauffer. The cornerstone for the church was laid September 24, the building was completed by June 1, 1888, and dedication of the new house of worship followed on June 10. The church, a simple frame building with basement and belfry, was capable of seating three hundred persons. This original structure served the congregation for almost three quarters of a century. For most of its history until 1961 the Zion congregation was involved in a parish relationship with St. John’s at Boquet.

Prior to the erection of the new parsonage at Boquet in 1956 the two churches contributed rental assessments on the Zion parsonage in Harrison City. That congregation acquired the parsonage property, located on the south corner of present Church Street and the Harrison City-Export Road, from H. Albert Lauffer for $2,500 on November 25, 1916. They disposed of the same property to Mary Jane Glass in May 1956.

The pastorate of Dr. William Bauer that covered thirty-one years to both congregations stands as a landmark in ministerial service among the Lutheran churches of Penn Township, as did that of Rev. Hacke for the Reformed churches of the district. The many contributions of Dr. Bauer to the township community were memorialized by Zion parishioners in a beautiful rose window placed in the church during his lifetime.

Because of its restrictive location, Zion church had outlived its usefulness by the early 1960’s. In anticipation of building a new church, the congregation established itself as a corporate body and member of the Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Synod of the Lutheran Church in America in 1964. Meanwhile, in late 1963, the congregation acquired from Gay, Fink, Ehrhardt, and Coniglio families the four properties on which they planned to erect a new church ediface. The congregation called Rev. Walter N. Wissinger in 1965 to become the first full-time pastor.

Groundbreaking for the new church on Pa 130 just west of Harrison City took place November 12, 1967. The modern-styled building, constructed for the parish by C. Myrrel Baldwin was completed in late November, 1968. The first worship service in the new church was held December 22, 1968; dedication services were held January 19, 1969. To compliment the new church, the congregation purchased a brick parsonage for the minister in the Beechwood Park Plan. On March 31, 1971, the Zion congregation sold its former church property in Harrison City to Harrison City Enterprises.

After having served as pastor in both the old and new churches, Rev. Wissinger left the parish in 1971. He was succeeded by Rev. Ralph E. Landefeld, who served only a brief tenure. In March 1973, Zion became officially yoked with the Penn Evengelical Lutheran church. Rev. Robert Marks then began his pastoral services to both churches, after having been interim pastor at the Penn church previous to the yoking of the two churches.

On June 24, 2007, the Rev, Robert J. Marks conducted his last worship services at Penn-Zion’s retiring June 30th. With the approval of Penn-Zion’s council, the Rev. Roger L. Steiner was called to serve as Pastor. Pastor Steiner was installed January 8, 2008. In spring of 2018 Penn-Zion’s and Brush Creek Lutheran Church began a cooperative ministry with Rev. Steiner serving as pastor for both congregations.