Founded in 1965, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church is located at 150 Elm St. Emmaus, PA 18049. Our weekly Eucharist is held at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings, with Sunday School for children, followed by coffee hour.
St. Margaret’s History
- The Rev. Packard Okie was rector when the church on Keystone and Elm was built. The hallmark of his ministry was regularly- almost monthly- visiting all members’ homes. We moved from 4th Street where Raymond James is now located. Before that St Margaret’s was a storefront near the current Buss Paint location.
- The men studying and preparing for ordination at Lehigh came by trolley to conduct services. They were called “the Leonard Hall Boys” and included The Rev Cliff Carr, retired, and The Rev James Gill, recently deceased.
- The storefront St. Margaret’s was heated by a pot-bellied stove. St. Margaret’s first Treasurer Robert Sponeybarger once showed the annual budget for the first year for just over $100, most of that money was for coal for the stove.
- The Rev Iris Peterson was also raised up from the congregation for ordination.
Timeline
- 1965 – St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church was founded in the Borough of Emmaus
- 1965 – July 13, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church of Emmaus, Pennsylvania was incorporated
- 1971 – November 14, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church was consecrated by Frederick John Warnecke, Bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem
- 1936-1976 Rev. Packard Okie
- Interim Pastor Rev. Joe Leo
- 1978 – 1984 Rev. Richard Cluett
- 1984 Assistant Pastor Rev. Jane Teter
- 1985 – 1989 Rev. John Mickey
- 1989 – 2010 Rev. Canon Lexa Shallcross
- Assistant Pastor Rev. Betsy Diely
- Memorial Garden was built under Margot Bradbury, Senior Warden at the time
- 2000 Addition was built by Lamb Company overseen by Dave Hornung, Junior Warden at the time, creating office space, elevator, and chapel
- 2004 Labyrinth was constructed. The idea for the labyrinth was introduced by The Rev Elizabeth Haynes when she was an intern at St. Margaret’s. It was installed when Sally West was Senior Warden and championed by The Rev. Besty Diely and Kathy Leber.
- 2017 (July) – 2021 (Sept) Rev. Jane Bender, Priest-in-Charge
- 2018 – 2021 Assistant Pastor Rev. Canon Laura Thomas Howell, Obl S.B.
- 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic struck the world. In-person worship ceased from March 15, 2020, until July 4, 2021. With the guidance of the Director of Music, Julius Sarkozy, St. Margaret’s began offering pre-recorded virtual worship service. Once St. Margaret’s reopened, they also began live-streaming Sunday service.
- 2021 (Sept) – Rev. Canon Laura Thomas Howell, Obl. S.B., Priest-in-Charge
St. Margaret’s Mission Statement: The St. Margaret’s Church family welcomes all people, reaches out to the community, and grows as we share our life in Christ.
Contributions to St. Margaret’s historical records were made by Rev. Lexa Shallcross and Rev. Richard Cluett. We are thankful for their support!
