History

Our History

Until 1900 the people of Wyndmoor walked to Chestnut Hill to the church of their choice. In 1901 the Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Chestnut Hill began to organize a new congregation. By 1902 the group was organized and the lot at the corner of Willow Grove and Flourtown Avenues was purchased. In 1903 the corner stone was laid and the church was constructed with many of the congregation assisting with the work. The first service was held in 1904, but in 1920 disaster struck. Within two hours the interior of the building was destroyed by fire. The church was rebuilt following the original plans. Many alterations and improvements have been made to the structure through the years with the most recent being the remodeling of a social room on the main floor and the addition of air conditioning.

In 1918 the first parsonage was purchased. That home was at 7831 Flourtown Avenue. In 1928 the house next door at 7829 became the church parsonage until 1961. A home at 528 Wyndmoor Avenue was the parsonage until 2000 at which time the property was sold because most Pastors prefer to own their own homes.

One of the first priorities of the congregation was education of the young children of the neighborhood. The first Sunday School in 1901 had 65 students. Through the years the church has always maintained Sunday School and often Vacation Bible School. One of the more outstanding programs at Grace was the ‘Weekday School’, a program coordinated by the public school system with the children released from the Wyndmoor Elementary School to attend one of two one hour long sessions at Grace. Students from the Lutheran Seminary at Mt. Airy conducted the classes. The innovative program was widely influential in the community and the church at large. The students long remember their hours at Grace Church and the teachers recall fondly their experiences at Grace. The changing situation in the community, the reduction in the enrollment to a small percentage of the children in the schools, forced the closing of the project in 1961.

Pastors of Grace Lutheran Church

The Rev. Gomer C. Rees, Pastor of Christ Church, Chestnut Hill founded the congregation.

1902-1909   The Rev. Edgar J. Heilman

1909-1914   The Rev. Charles Gauger

1914-1919   The Rev. Paul B. Wolper

1919-1924   The Rev. Walter Ruccius, D.D.

1925-1928   The Rev. Dr. O. Frederick Nolde

1928-1961   The Rev. W. Chester Hill

1962-1972   The Rev. George W. Fritch

1972-1975   The Rev. David Hunsberger

1975-1979   The Rev. Robert E. Mitman

1979-1980   The Rev. Lester Fetter, D.D.

1980-1989   The Rev. William A. Shafer

1989-1990   The Rev. Hyacinth Mordey

1990-2001   The Rev. Dr. Bruce T. Davis

2001-2019   The Rev. Carol L. Ficken

Members of the Grace congregation who continued on in Ministry