EASTON, Pa. — Greater Shiloh Church celebrated its 120th anniversary Sunday with a special worship service.
It capped off a string of events and observances to mark the anniversary, starting with a “history night” on Wednesday.
Hundreds of worshipers nearly filled the sanctuary Sunday, as members of the church’s Stroudsburg outpost joined the Easton congregation.
Among the visitors were U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. — both running for re-election this fall.
Guest pastor Goeffrey Golden, best known for winning the seventh season of the BET gospel competition series “Sunday Best,” delivered Sunday’s sermon.
At the start of his remarks, Golden ran through a list of milestones that Greater Shiloh predates: the launch of the Ford Model T, the first Pennsylvania election in which women could vote, the founding of the NAACP, and the adoption of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
“Through it all, a house called Shiloh has stood,” he said. “There's something about this house that is especially powerful, and that is your ability not only to navigate much change, but to also change yourselves.”
The congregation, founded as Shiloh Baptist Church in 1904, dates to before the Great Migration began in earnest, when Black employees of Bethlehem Steel arriving in the Lehigh Valley created a church community of their own.
Over the decades, Senior Pastor Phillip Davis said, Greater Shiloh has survived and thrived through powerful faith and a community of mutual support.
He pointed to one of the congregation’s more recent challenges as an example: in 1993, an arsonist set fire to the church and destroyed much of the sanctuary. For months afterward, worshipers met in a nearby park while working to repair the building.
“Each time there was adversity that came up against the church, the church responded in faith with vision to continue to expand and build.”Senior Pastor Phillip Davis, Greater Shiloh Church in Easton
“There's a resilience and a courage in these individuals to start something and stay with it,” Davis said. “Each time there was adversity that came up against the church, the church responded in faith with vision to continue to expand and build.”
Greater Shiloh’s current projects, including plans to build 100 units of affordable housing on church-owned land, will deepen its legacy even further, he said.
