BETHLEHEM, Pa. -– The Bethlehem church that set off one of the city’s most contentious real estate deals of this year when it was created has found a new permanent home by merging with yet another congregation.
Light of Christ, St. John’s Windish and St. Peter’s Lutheran Churches merged in February to become Blessed Trinity Lutheran Church.
Their first act as a congregation was to sell their three former church buildings in a $3.75 million package deal that also included one of the largest undeveloped tracts in South Bethlehem: the block-sized parking lot in front of St. John’s Windish on 4th St.
By overwhelming margins, members voted Sunday to merge with yet another Lutheran congregation in Bethlehem: Rosemont Lutheran Church, located at 1705 W Broad St.
In becoming Blessed Trinity at Rosemont, as the new congregation is known, the church found a permanent building and a pastor. Rosemont got an injection of lifeblood.
The merger frees up the congregation’s proceeds from the buildings’ sale for future use, though church leaders aren’t sure yet how it will be spent.
“We plan to use [the funds] for ministries throughout the city, but we're still in the planning stage of all that,” said Kenda Riley, president of the Blessed Trinity church council.
‘God intervened’
When Blessed Trinity sold its real estate holdings to Lehigh University, the university agreed the congregation could meet for one year at the Northeast Bethlehem campus formerly housing Light of Christ while they looked for a new building.
“Well, the commercial real estate market is very competitive in the city, and there really wasn't anything that met our needs,” Riley said. “We looked at many, many properties and discussed many, many options. And then we turned to looking at other churches that might be looking to increase their congregation.”
With the end of the one-year grace period fast approaching, Blessed Trinity’s real estate agent, Lucy Lennon, put Riley in touch with the Rev. Jack Steltzer, former pastor of Rosemont.
Rosemont, like each of the other congregations which had become part of Blessed Trinity, was facing declining attendance. It had about 30 regular attendees on Sundays, Riley said.
“We decided a year or two ago that we were okay with a seven-year plan where we would take our money and just ride it out for seven years and close with dignity,” said Steltzer, now pastor of the combined congregation.
“[Lennon] said ‘I want you to meet somebody,’ and she came here on a Saturday, brought Kenda [Riley], and that was – God intervened.”
“You never really know what God has in store for you. We're thinking one thing,” said Riley, “and all of a sudden, we have this other church and we have this pastor who's really open to new and adventurous things, so why not try that?”
From there, members of the two congregations got to know each other, paving the way to Sunday’s vote: all 35 voting members of Rosemont approved the merger, along with 97 out of 111 members of the old Blessed Trinity.
“Welcome home,” Riley said after she announced the results.
