New elevator dedicated at Brandonville church

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - At left-center, Bob Fritz, left, and Bishop Christopher deForest stand at the entrance to the new elevator at St. John's Lutheran Church in Brandonville on Sept. 10, 2023.

BRANDONVILLE – A historic church in East Union Township is now more accessible for parishioners and community members.

Members of St. John’s Lutheran Church gathered Sunday afternoon at the church on West Park Avenue to dedicate the new elevator, in memory of the late Jean Keller. She and her family made the project possible.

The elevator now provides access to both floors of the church for those with physical disabilities.

KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL – Bob Fritz, parishioner, shows the new elevator at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Brandonville on Sept. 10, 2023.

Bishop Christopher deForest of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was on hand for the dedication and commended the project’s design, which he said matches the aesthetic of the building.

He described the project as a “gift to the future.”

“We pray [that the elevator] will serve as a way to utilize all of the floors and rooms of our Brandonville Union Sunday School and St. John’s Lutheran Church building,” deForest read in the dedication. “May it be a sign to our community that we welcome all to this place for worship, Sunday School, and times of fellowship.”

The Brandonville church first met in 1875 and the current building on Park Avenue was built in 1886.

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