- St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus is proposing a move to South Whitehall
- The Rev. Joseph Landino said the church is looking to expand after many new parishioners started attending
- Nearby residents are concerned about cars parking on their street
SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Three years ago, right as St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus was trying to build back after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, the parish got a special visit.
An icon called Iveron from Hawaii that consistently streams myrrh was brought to the church by a man who told the pastor, the Rev. Joseph Landino, that when he brings it to small and medium-sized churches, they start a building project soon after.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh, what is he talking about?’ I mean, that wasn't a thought that had crossed my mind."Father Joseph Landino
“I was thinking, ‘Oh, what is he talking about?’" Landino said. "I mean, that wasn't a thought that had crossed my mind.”
Now, St. Paul is looking to expand into a new building in South Whitehall Township.
The church last month proposed a sketch plan to the township Planning Commission for a new church on an 8-acre tract at 670 S. Cedar Crest Blvd.
The parish then would move to that building and sell its current property at 156 E. Main St., Emmaus.
But residents nearby the South Whitehall proposed site said they worry the church would bring more cars to their neighborhood. About 20 nearby residents attended the meeting to express their concerns.
The new church would be about 28,000 square feet. It would be connected to a 20,000-square-foot building that would hold a Sunday school, an office and a fellowship hall.
The property also would have a 1,600-square-foot storage building and a 294-space parking lot.
A miraculous start
Three weeks after the icon visit, one of St. Paul's parishioners donated nine acres to the church and said he would match donations to raise funds for a new building.
Landino said many new parishioners also started attending.
The Orthodox Christian Church is the second-largest Christian church, second to the Catholic church. It is rooted in traditions that came from the time of Jesus Christ and the apostles.
“We try to keep the traditions that have been passed on to us throughout the centuries,” Landino said.
“I've always wanted to build a church," Landino said. "But I didn't think this community was ready, or we just weren't big enough.
“And then after we got the land donated, people started coming, and they've been coming for the last two, three years.”
Landino said the church gets 110-125 parishioners every Sunday, while the current church has 140 seats. Sunday school classroom space also is limited, he said, and there's no opportunity for expansion in the current building.
St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church would move to the South Whitehall location, and the church would sell the building and use the proceeds to fund the project, Landino said.
Traffic concerns
About 20 residents from the neighborhood near the proposed church building came to last month’s Planning Commission meeting to raise concerns about the project’s effect on local traffic.
“We've maintained a neighborhood where people can walk, walk your kids and walk their dogs and play out on the street."South Whitehall resident Don Melber
Many residents said they don't have issues with the church, but wanted to make sure their neighborhood would not get an influx of cars parked on the street.
“In a quiet neighborhood, to have all of our whole area parked up with extra cars would be sort of a burden and take away the concept of the neighborhood as it is so far,” South Whitehall resident Don Melber said.
“We've maintained a neighborhood where people can walk, walk your kids and walk their dogs and play out on the street. It’s important, I think, to everybody here — it’s a big thing we'd like to keep.”
Landino said the church does not plan to hold gatherings except Sundays and a Vesper service Wednesday nights.
The church is working with the PennDOT on a traffic study of the area to see how the entrance to the parking lot should be designed, according to Landino.
“We're going to do the best we can for the community," he said. "And whatever PennDOT and the township advise us to do, we will do.”
The church will come before planners again with a preliminary plan for the development in the coming months.
