SHAMOKIN - In his homily to the faithful of Trinity Lutheran Church, the Rev. Robert Driesen, bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, spoke about two kinds of shepherds, the good ones and the bad ones.
"The good shepherds are the ones that will lay down their lives for their flock," Driesen said. "The bad shepherds are like hired hands, only in it for the money."
It was that theme that echoed through Sunday's service in celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Sunbury Street church's founding.
Sunday's service used Psalm 23, which starts "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want," as the recurring idea.
In the Gospel, Driesen recalled how Jesus said "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me."
"There are so many wolves in our lives in different guises," Driesen said. "It could be the late night call from a teen in trouble, the loss of a job or some terrible disease. When something like that happens, we want to take off for greener pastures."
Driesen asked the congregation to recall what is said in Psalm 23, "The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures."
"Jesus has been the good shepherd for Trinity Lutheran Church for 175 years, for the thousands that have been baptized here, the tens of thousands that have worshiped here and those that have grieved over the loss of a loved one or struggled with something," the bishop said.
Following the service, an anniversary dinner was held at Masser's Restaurant, Paxinos.
The church's first services were held in 1840 at the Central School House, located where the old vacant Washington School building now stands on Sunbury Street. During that time, several different denominations were meeting there and the founding fathers of the church felt an individual house of worship should be started for those of the Lutheran faith.
William and Reuben Fegley, leading businessmen in Shamokin, along with members of another church appealed to the Rev. John P. Shindel, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Sunbury, to come to Shamokin and lead them. Pastor Shindel accepted and added Shamokin to the list of churches he would pastor. His dynamic personality and his preaching drew large crowds at each of the services in Shamokin. The first church was named Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Shamokintown.
In 1861, land was purchased on Sunbury Street to build a new church. Plans were completed for the new building and in the summer of 1865. Ground was broken at the location where the church stands today, 46 E. Sunbury Street.