Central Moravian Church - Bethlehem, PA - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

In Bethlehem's downtown section is the Central Moravian Church.

The church is located at the intersection of Main Street and W. Church Street. It is at the south end of the downtown stores and by the Hurd (South) Campus of Moravian College.

The building is currently painted a light yellow, with a peaked roof. A bell tower rises above the roof. The tower has columns supporting a dome. I did not see a bell in the open area, but clock faces are below. A sign is visible at the street level. Large windows are on each side framed with stone-like shapes.

The Central Moravian Church is the oldest church in Bethlehem. The Moravian denomination originates from the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, back in 1457, when Jan Hus (Eng: John Huss) broke from the Roman Catholic Church. Many consider this the first Protestant church, though it predated Luther's break. In the early 1700s, immigrants from the Czech Republic settled here and founded the first Moravian Church in North America - the congregation continues today, here. The first place of worship, the Saal, dates back to 1742, in the Gemeinhouse and is part of the Moravian Museum. Then, the old chapel, was built in 1751 and was the place of worship prior to building the church 1803-1806 when they needed more space. When it was built, it was, at that time, the largest church in Pennsylvania, seating 1200 people.

The congregation is very active, with missions to Nepali and Tansania; participation in Crop Walk for the hungry, and participation in various greeter and music groups.

Source:

Wikipedia (Central Moravian Church):
(visit link)

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 04/16/1803 Age of Church building determined by?: Church website If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 11:00 AM Street address of Church: 73 West Church Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Not listed If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.

2) Please share some comments about your visit.

3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   12/21/2019 oboegary & delaware hiker visited it 02/15/2015 Oscette visited it

View all visits/logs