St. John’s Lutheran Church is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, having organized in 1873.

The 150th anniversary celebration is a living, ongoing process. Planning began in late 2022, and events began in early 2023.

The next event, planned for March 18, is a free movie day at the Roxy Theatre, 2004 Main St., Northampton. Congregation members and friends are invited to attend. Doors open 1 p.m. The movie, a family-friendly film titled “The Star,” will begin 1:30 p.m. The theater concession stand will be open.

The 150th celebration includes five Sons of the Congregation sermons. These sermons will be delivered by ministers who grew up in St. John’s Lutheran Church. The first sermon will be during the March 26 church service and delivered by the Rev. David Newhart.

Other Sons of the Congregation sermons will be delivered by the Revs. Carey Miller, Jody Neifert, Donald Simmons and Cody Danner. Those dates will be announced as they approach.

The main anniversary events will take place May 21. Synod Bishop Christopher DeForest will give the sermon during that day’s service. A luncheon for congregants and family will follow noon-2 p.m. at Coplay Saengerbund, 205 S. Fifth St. DeForest is the main speaker there as well.

The luncheon is a ticketed event. Contact Britt Yenser at 475-243-4301 or brittyenser@gmail.com for more information and to request tickets.

Coplay Borough was incorporated in 1869, four years before the church formed.

At that time, the borough had a couple hundred residents. Third Street, the future location of St. John’s - built in 1881-82 - bordered the west of town. Beyond was all farming fields and more land being cleared for agriculture.

As the borough grew from a hundred or so residents to several thousand today, the borough expanded, so the church moved to its new location.

The congregation was organized May 22, 1873, during the first major economic depression in the United States. The congregation and borough struggled with some residents forced to beg for food. There was a concern the church might dissolve because of the economic turmoil and challenges.

Inspired resolve and perseverance reigned among the congregation. Church leaders felt they had shepherded the church through the economic calamity.

The Lutheran church was built and dedicated Nov. 12, 1882. At that time, as the Depression raged on, St. John’s Lutheran was an important gathering place for congregants and Coplay residents providing support and sustenance, both material and spiritual.

St. John’s Lutheran then became a hub of the community. It remained that way until the Industrial Revolution stimulated the immigration wave at the turn of the 20th century that brought Germans, Austrian-Hungarians, Irish, Polish and Ukrainians, who arrived to work in the growing cement mills, silk mills, local iron works and other nearby budding factories.

The burgeoning early-20th-century immigrant population was predominantly Roman Catholic. They built St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in 1917, and the Catholic-influenced Coplay Saengerbund opened the same year. The Catholic population grew in numbers, dwarfing the Lutheran congregation. The Lutheran congregation grew, stabilized and was successful in its mission, which continues today.

In 1998, a celebration was held to mark St. John’s Lutheran Church’s 125 years.

St. John’s has since continued to flourish. A new pastor, the Rev. Timothy D. Boyer, was installed in 1997 after the untimely early passing of beloved Pastor Don A. Elefante.

Past church council presidents are Joyce Long, Samuel Beidleman, Bette MacAdam, Ondrea Neifert, Fred Milander Sr., Stanley Reinhard Jr., Jeffrey Reinhard, Joseph Danner and Gregory Miller.

The foundation of St. John’s ministry is Sunday worship, Sunday school, Confirmations, Bible study, youth group, Vacation Bible School, service to those in need, ecumenical worship, local community outreach, world outreach through the National Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and more activities. To join the church, visit stjohnscoplay.com.

“By the grace of Almighty God, St. John’s will continue our ministry for our Lord Jesus Christ, baptizing, communing, confirming, marrying and burying unto eternal life the Christian faithful, as members live out their lives,” Boyer said. “We welcome all to the congregation’s fellowship at worship and events. May God grant that St. John’s ministry be fruitful for years to come so that all may know the salvation of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”