About St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
-
"Learning and Doing the Work of Jesus"
St. Gabriel's, founded in 1720, is the oldest established church in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Originally Swedish Lutheran, St. Gabriel's had deputies at the convention which elected The Rt. Rev. William White to be the first Bishop of Pennsylvania, and helped to form The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Located in what was once a rural area, we are situated along a major corridor in what is now considered a "northwestern suburb" of Philadelphia, with population, housing and business having grown at a tremendous rate over the past 20 years.
Due to a recent building expansion & renovation, we are blessed with two traditional worship spaces, the 1801 Chapel, listed on the Historic Register, and the 1884 church, as well as classroom and office space and a multi-purpose room with a new commercial kitchen.
St. Gabriel's is a lively parish with parishioners of all ages! Our ministries include:
- Sunday School for all ages, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd/Godly Play for children and Journey to Adulthood for youth
- Youth Activities, including annual trip to Kanuga Youth Conference in North Carolina
- Adult Study Group
"‹- Daughters of the King
- St. Gabriel's Good Shepherd Learning Center (610-385-1933) - Keystone Stars rated Day Care & Pre-School
- Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts
- Recovery Groups - AA (6 meetings/week), Al-Anon
- Supporting and participating in the ministries of Hopewell Love In the Name of Christ, an ecumenical ministry to help people in need in our area. (Office located at St. Gabriel's)
- Providing homemade soup to be distributed at a local food pantry each month
- Providing a weekly Bible Study and service of Holy Eucharist at the senior housing facility located next door (Keystone Villa at Douglassville), as well as a semi-annual Memorial service to remember residents that have passed on
