HISTORY:

St.John’s is in the very heart of the historic part of Easton.  The history of the church parallels the history of the Forks of the Delaware.  Plans for Easton began in 1737 by William Penn.  The first German Lutheran settlers began to occupy the region and were served by missionaries and preachers.  Our records go back to 1740. 

In 1755 German Lutherans and German Reformed shared a log school house for worship.  In 1776 they built a stone church which is still standing in Easton on North Third Street.  In the early 1800’s the Lutheran started a church for African-Americans which later merged with St. John’s.  The congregation continues to be multi-racial and multi-cultural to this day.

The Lutherans laid the cornerstone for their own church building (the present one) in 1830 on the corner of Fourth and Ferry Streets.  A Sunday School facility was added in 1889 over a portion of what was the cemetery, preserving some historic gravestones in the ‘grave cellar’.  On Heritage Day, the ‘grave cellar’ is opened for visitors.

In 1962 as other downtown congregations were moving to the suburbs, the former German speaking congregation, Zion Lutheran Church and St. John’s chose to remain in the city and they reunited. 

St. John’s has a rich history of caring and serving the community.  In 1908, St. John’s hosted a daily kindergarten.  In the ‘60s with reaction to crime in the streets, leaders including those from St. John’s and others from various faiths  (Protestant, Jewish and Catholics) formed ProJeCt.  ProJeCt of Easton continues to get support from St. John’s and utilize the church’s buildings for their outreach work including offices and a food pantry.

In 2008, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church from the College Hill neighborhood of Easton, united with St. John’s to continue the ministry important to Lutherans in the city. 

St. John’s features an Art Gallery that is open on Sundays.  The shows are scheduled for almost two years in advance!