About us
Stewartstown Presbyterian Church celebrated 180 years in 2022!
(1842 - 2024)
Discovering Our Rich History of Faith and Service
- In 1839 the Union Church of Mechanicsburg was built at a cost of $1,200 and was used by different denominations in the neighborhood. It was the home of the Presbyterian congregation until 1862. The church was located at the site of the present-day Stewartstown United Methodist Church.
- On March 26, 1842 a meeting was held at the Union Church for the purpose of organizing a Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Stephen Boyer presided and Hugh Fulton acted as a Secretary. Archibald Thompson and David K. Ebaugh were elected Ruling Elders for the new congregation. Hugh Fulton, Edie Patterson, and William Wilson were elected a “Committee To Superintend the Fiscal Concerns” of the church which was organized with seven members.
- During the pastorate of Rev. John Young Cowhick two acres of land were conveyed to the Trustees of the church for the sum of $105. On this ground, the site of our present church, a colonial brick building was erected at a cost of $2,500 in 1862.
- In 1885 the church property was repaired and beautified with a bell tower addition and stained glass windows. In 1896 the building was wrecked by a cyclonic storm. The present church was erected on the foundation of the old building at a cost of $15,000 during 1897 and dedicated on February 8, 1898.
- The church was redecorated and a pipe organ installed in 1924. In 1934 excavation was done to put a social room under the church. The men of the church gave generously of their time and the cash outlay for the project was just $900.
- In 1937 Mr. Walter Shaw gave the church $18,000 in order to erect a manse in memory of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Amos Shaw. The new manse replaced the one purchased by the congregation in 1894 (40 N. Main Street).
- In the fall of 1955 construction was begun for a $47,000 Sunday school addition to the church building. A dedication to finalize this building program took place on June 16, 1957.
- As 1963 approached the time seemed right to make some long-awaited changes to our sanctuary. The long rows of theatre seats were replaced with new church pews from North Carolina, a new grille and panel on the right side of the pulpit, a new grand piano and new electric lights were the large items.
- In the fall of 2004 our congregation celebrated the completion of the new Fellowship Center. It began with a dedication service on October 10 and was followed with a Community Open House on October 23-24. This was followed by a Phase 2 reconstruction of the old social room and the lower floor of the Christian Education wing. The men of the congregation did most of the work for this renovation project.
- As we celebrate our 180th anniversary may we continue to serve the Lord and reach out to those in need of His guidance.
Community Worship
Engage in uplifting community worship centered around the teachings of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reverend Mwat Asedeh has been our Installed Pastor at SPC since March 2024. Pastor Mwat originally hails from Nigeria. He pursued his theological education at the Jos ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS) where he earned a degree in Missions and Evangelism in 2014. Subsequently, he met and married his best friend, Shwindok Achsah. Together they dedicated themselves to their home denomination as they served in various capacities across Nigeria and Gambia. Their service included establishing a new school and a church. After relocating to the United States Mwat completed a Master of Divinity program at Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2022. He then served as Covenant Pastor at Bethany Presbyterian Church in 2023. Mwat is currently pursuing a second master's degree in project management at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Pastor Mwat and his wife Shwindok have been blessed with three wonderful children: Dariah, Dominic Jr., and George.
Ame' and her husband Richard have been attending SPC since 2017. She retired from Johns Hopkins Hospital after 42 years of dedicated service. Ame' (pronounced as Amy) is usually in the church office for several hours on Mondays and Thursdays. She enjoys assisting the Pastor and church folks in many various activities.
Our session consists of 9 members. The session exercises leadership, government, spiritual discernment and discipline and has responsibilities for the life of our congregation as well as our whole church, including ecumenical relationships. Our Session is comprised of a maximum of nine elected members who are ordained as Elders. They each serve a three year term and are divided into three classes according to their term expiration:
- 2025 Carl Barr, Glen Shaw, Jan Mooney.
- 2026 Betty Kreder, Harry Nizer, Chris Swain.
- 2027 Gloria Thompson, Bev Osman, Judy Hamm.
Our B oard of Deacons consists of a maximum of 12 members. The ministry of Deacons is one of compassion, witness and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. They are charged with caring for our members. Our Board of Deacons is comprised of a maximum of twelve elected members who are ordained as Deacons. They each serve a three year term and are divided into three classes according to their term expiration:
- 2025 Judy Conley, Sharyn Granlund, Iris Rey, Jana Shaw.
- 2026 Linda Miller, Jim Quesenberry, Sue Schaeffer, Janet Winters.
- 2027 Sandy Sharnetzka, Martha Streett, Cindy Mullin, Rebecca Cromwell
The Board of Trustees consists a maximum of 9 members. They are our representatives of the church for matters related to buying, selling, and mortgaging real property, accepting and executing deeds as well as holding and defending titles to the same, maintaining and improving all church property and carrying out any other duties as assigned to them by the congregation and/or Session. Our Board of Trustees is comprised of a maximum of twelve elected members. They each serve a three year term and are divided into three classes according to term expiration:
- 2025 Tom Levan, Bill Johnson, Jane Wisniewski.
- 2026 Wayne McElwain, Eric Cromwell, Jay Johannson.
- 2027 Scott Sharnetzka, Roger McElwain, Mark Kirkner.
