Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church

Our Pastors

Then Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me." John 7:16

Over the years, Salem has benefited from the work of nearly two dozen pastors. Their pastorates varied dramatically in time and scope. Some were builders; others were forced to spend their days working to reconcile communities torn by war, poverty, and dissension and devastating illnesses such as the influenza epidemic of 1918.

They ranged from Pastor A.D. Pons, who spent less than a year at Salem , before illness forced his resignation in 1877, to Pastor John W. Hanks who served vigorously for 36 years before retiring in 1989.

Although their tenure varied, each carried the common task of nurturing the seeds of faith planted in 1850. Unfortunately, many of the church's early pastors left little in the way of written record regarding their day-to-day work at Salem .

For the most part, Salem 's early pastors are remembered for the building programs initiated or completed during their pastorates. Pastor Michael Yester, who oversaw the organization of the church in 1850 and stayed on for two years, is recognized for launching the congregation, of his successor, Pastor J. N. Burket, who served for approximately one year, we know very little.

Synod histories tell us pastors often found themselves ministering to more than one congregation. Pastor Charles Hersh, who served Salem from 1853 through 1856, also served the congregation at St. James Lutheran Church several miles north, in the Saltsburg area.

A 1950 history, compiled for Salem 's l00th anniversary notes that Hersh's successor, Pastor Aaron Yetter, who served from 1856 through 1866, had the difficult job of holding the parish together while a financial depression and later a civil war tore the nation and the church community apart. Although it offers no specifics, the account of Pastor Yetter's work hints at the kind of turmoil that shook many faith communities to their foundations. "The divided sentiment among the members of the congregation often made the work of the pastor quite embarrassing, but Rev. Yetter handled the situation in Salem and in St. James Churches in such a manner that there was no serious trouble," the 1950 history notes.

Yetter's successor, the Rev. J.D. English, who served from 1866 through July 1868, was on hand to oversee work when church members gathered to place the cornerstone for their new church on June 24, 1868 .

The Rev. V.B. Christy began his pastorate in the shell of the new church in October 1868. Christy, who served for seven and a half years, oversaw completion of the building in January 1870. Church history also notes that church membership, which had fallen to less than 100 in the years prior to his pastorate, grew to 150 under his stewardship.

Toward the end of Christy's pastorate, the church once again realigned. Salem and St. James were split and Salem was united with St. John's Manor, the Lutheran congregation that then worshipped at the union church at Denmark Manor in Penn Township . In a few short years, St. John's opted to leave the union church at Denmark Manor. In 1889, after much debate, the congregation relocated to Boquet.

The Rev. C.L. Holloway ministered to Salem and St. John's Boquet for five years, from 1886 through 1891.

Although the two congregations did not share clergy after that, the connection between Salem and St. John's would be renewed 100 years later when St. John's closed its Boquet church and merged with Salem in 1996. A relationship that had begun nearly 200 years earlier when Delmont residents looked to Denmark Manor to fulfill their need for worship in a Lutheran community of faith had come full circle with the merger.

Back in the 19th century, Pastor Holloway managed to minister to the needs of the two congregations and build in both locations. In addition to overseeing the construction of St. John's Boquet, Holloway presided over the installation of the stain glass windows at Salem and the construction of the Parish House.

Pastor Philip Doerr, who served Salem after Holloway's departure, remained with the parish from 1891 through 1897. His successor, Pastor R.G. Rosenbaum, who served from 1897 through 1902, was on hand for the church's 5Oth anniversary celebration. During Rosenbaum's pastorate, George Wilson, a local marble cutter donated the baptismal font that remains in use today.

Pastor Ludwig Beisecker, who succeeded Rosenbaum, served from 1902 through 1907.

Pastor C.E. Dozer, who served the parish from 1908 through 1912, oversaw major renovations to the church, culminating in a rededication service shortly before his departure in July 1912.

His successor, Pastor C.K. Spiggle served Salem from 1912 through 1921, providing guidance throughout World War I and the influenza epidemic that devastated the nation in 1918.

The Pastor H. Reed Shepfer, who served from 1922 to 1925, was on hand when electricity was installed in the church. His successors included Pastor F.C. Snyder, 1925-36; Pastor R.C. Lauffenberger, 1936-44; Pastor K.N. Schott, 1944-48 and Pastor R.F. Parker, 1948-52.

Parker's successor, Pastor John W. Hanks, began what would become the church's longest pastorate on January 1, 1953 . During his pastorate, the postwar baby boom came home to Salem . The parish grew quickly.

The church's hand bell choirs were launched under Hanks' pastorate in 1960 and saw scores of Salem youngsters pass through the program over the years.

In 1961, Salem moved to accommodate its growing parish and launched a fundraising campaign for a new education building. In 1963, Pastor Hanks placed the cornerstone for Newhouse Hall, a two story educational building that would house the church's Sunday School program and a variety of community programs over the years.

Following Hanks' retirement in 1989, Salem called Pastor Frederick Heitzenroder. Pastor Heitzenroder began his work at Salem in January 1990.

Ten years later as Salem celebrated 150 years of faith and service, Pastor Heitzenroder continued to serve the people of Salem . He retired on January 2, 2011. 

Pastor Robert Marks took over as Interim Pastor while the Call Committee searched for Pastor Heitzenroder's replacement.

Pastor Arthur Patterson, who previously served St. John's , Boquet, served as assistant to the pastor in the merged parish that is Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church .

Pastor Heitzenroder, who studied history as an undergraduate at Thiel College, got a close look at the demands of history when he arrived in Delmont.

By 1990, Salem 's historic 1870 edifice was beginning to show its age. A major fundraising effort was launched and renovations were begun, culminating in a rededication of the second-story worship space on September 26, 1993 .

A second phase of the renovation program culminated in the replacement of Salem 's steeple in January 1995. The new structure replaced the original steeple, which was destroyed by lightning 80 years earlier.

History came calling again, when Pastor Heitzenroder was called to administer to the parish at St. John's Boquet, which found itself without benefit of clerical leadership following the death of Pastor Robert Mayer in November 1993.

Pastor Heitzenroder, and later Pastor Patterson, worked and prayed with members of St. John's as they struggled to decide where the future would lead them. Eventually, the congregation, which had struggled with dwindling membership for some time, voted to merge with Salem .

On November 3, 1996, members of St. John's and Salem gathered with their pastors and the Rev. Dr. Donald McCoid, Bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod for a final service at Boquet.

Back at Salem, the demands of modern technology were again catching up with the parish's 1870 building. Major renovations were launched to update the church's heating and electrical systems. A new lift, providing handicapped access to the second floor, was installed. (The project also entailed a major renovation of the first floor social room, which was rededicated on Ascension Day, June 1, 2000, as the St. John's Social Room.) Over the last 55 years there have been just five pastors who have served Salem , but during that same period there has been but one organist, Naomi Jean (Silvis) Painter. Jean has been our organist for over a third of the congregation's history. Music has been an integral part of Salem 's ministry and history.