On Ridge Road in Spring City, Pennsylvania, a stone and stucco sanctuary has been drawing worshippers since the late nineteenth century. The congregation that fills it, Brownback's United Church of Christ, traces its origins back to May 19, 1743, when it was formally organized as the First Reformed Church of Coventry. More than 280 years later, the church remains an active parish in Chester County, with a single Sunday morning service of Christ offering the center of its common life and a steady stream of outreach programs flowing out from Fellowship Hall into the surrounding community.
A Heritage Going Back to 1743
The plot of ground on which the church stands was given by Gerhard Brumbach, one of the earliest German settlers in the Vincent area, who came to America in 1683. The name later took on the English form Garrett Brownback, which the congregation now carries. The first pastor, Rev. Lischey, rode horseback on a circuit of sixteen churches, since the small flock had no building of its own. Early worship took place in a log structure, then a stone one, and three more buildings followed on the same plot. The current sanctuary was constructed in 1879 and has since been expanded with a bell tower, Sunday school rooms, a church annex, and the Fellowship Hall, which was added in 1967. Pat Kandler, who has served as organist since 1954, comes from a family with deep roots in the original Brownback family, a quiet living thread between the present congregation and its eighteenth century beginnings.
Sundays at Ten O'Clock
Sunday worship begins at 10 AM and is open to everyone, both in the sanctuary at 640 Ridge Road and online through a YouTube livestream. The service gathers people of different walks of life who come together to sing, pray, listen to scripture, and be sent out to show God's love in the world. Pastor Bill Wisneski crafts each sermon through prayer, with the aim of teaching the scriptures, touching hearts, and connecting the congregation to the eternal word. The Sunday bulletin is available for download so that visitors can follow along or prepare ahead of time. After the service, everyone is invited downstairs to Fellowship Hall for Social Hour, a long-standing tradition of coffee, conversation, and good food.
Worship Play, Donuts, and a Place for the Very Young
Children are woven into the Sunday morning service rather than separated from it. Nursery care for children ages zero through four is available for the full length of the service on the lower level of the building. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade begin in worship with their families and are dismissed after the Word for All Ages to head downstairs to the Worship Play room for a Bible lesson and activities during the school year. Youth in grades seven through twelve are invited every other Sunday to Donuts and Discussion in the Parlor, a room off the Fellowship Hall, where they talk through the morning's theme over a treat. On alternating Sundays the youth remain in the sanctuary for the entire service. A separate ministry called Helping Handz is led by the children and youth themselves, with adult support, to organize service projects that feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and respond to other local needs as they arise.
Music That Has Shaped the Room
Music is a living tradition at Brownback's. Music Director James Harvey has been leading worship around churches since the year 2000 and also performs with his band, Think of 3, at coffeehouses and music festivals across the tri-state area. He and his wife Lynn live in the suburbs of Pottstown. Pat Kandler, the organist, began playing at fifteen years old and has now been at the console for more than seven decades, a span that covers most of the church's modern life. Together, the leadership blends traditional sacred music with contemporary congregational song, supporting a worship style that feels rooted in the long history of the place.
The Pastor and the Wider Team
Lead Pastor Bill Wisneski completed his Master of Divinity at Palmer Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2008. He carries additional training in missional outreach, spiritual formation, leadership, and life coaching, and he oversees the music and worship ministry area of the church. Kaitlin Iezzi serves as Parish Administrator, providing the warm first contact for visitors and members and keeping the office running for the staff and congregation. Larry Simmers serves as Sexton, and Greg Siwik serves as Cemetery Superintendent. Governance is shared with a board of Elders, currently Anne Behe, Bob Keeley, Amy Meravi (who serves as President), Linda Raifsnider, Penny Sallade, and Greg Siwik, and a team of Deacons, Kelly Clark, Adam Deveney, Jennifer Garson, and Nick Procyk, along with Larry and Marian Potts. Ministry areas are led by Lara Faust in Christian Education, Penny Sallade in Hospitality, Linda Raifsnider in Kitchen and Caring, Linda Bauer in Missions, Earl Brungess with Young at Heart, and Greg Siwik on Property, with Bob Keeley supporting the chancel.
Young at Heart: A Monthly Table for Older Adults
On the second Thursday of each month from September through May, the Fellowship Hall fills with forty to seventy-five people for Young at Heart, a lunch gathering open to everyone in the community age fifty-five and older. The afternoon opens with a short devotional from Pastor Bill before the catered luncheon is served, with coffee or tea flowing freely and a table of homemade desserts waiting at the end of the line. The cost is fourteen dollars, payable at the door. After the meal, a program follows that varies in topic from month to month. Registration is taken by phone and asks only for a name and the names of anyone coming along. The fellowship is open to neighbors whether or not they attend Brownback's on Sundays, and many familiar faces return month after month for the company as much as for the food.
Mission Outreach: Feeding, Clothing, and Showing Up
Outreach is woven into the identity of the church and is supported by the Missions ministry area. Brownback's is an active member of Project Outreach and regularly collects food for local food pantries, with additional drives held throughout the year for clothing and other necessities. Members grow and harvest organic vegetables in the church's own Community Garden, with the produce given to local food pantries to supplement what is available on the shelves. The congregation partners with Good Samaritan Services, which provides shelter and services for the homeless, and with the Pottstown Cluster, a network of services for people in need. Financial support also flows to Bethany Children's Home, an organization that provides a safe and nurturing environment for children at risk. Beyond financial partnership, members physically serve in a variety of local organizations throughout the year.
A Prayer Wall for the Congregation and the Community
An online Prayer Wall invites anyone to share needs, offer encouragement, and join together in prayer for the church and the wider community. Submissions can be made publicly or anonymously, and visitors are welcome simply to read and pray through the requests that have already been posted. Private prayer requests can be sent directly to Pastor Bill by email. The wall is treated less as a list of announcements and more as a shared spiritual practice that ties the congregation to neighbors who are sick, grieving, searching, or in need of guidance.
Visiting and Staying Connected
The church office is reachable by phone at 610-495-6788 and by email at office@brownbackschurch.org, and visitors are welcome to stop in before or after Sunday worship. Online giving is available through a secure portal, and the Sunday livestream is hosted on the church's YouTube channel so that members who are traveling, homebound, or simply unable to attend in person can take part in the service. The church maintains an active calendar of community events, free gatherings such as the holiday model train display and free gift wrapping station, and seasonal services including a traditional Christmas Eve service with candlelight and communion. A small cemetery is part of the church's property and is overseen by Cemetery Superintendent Greg Siwik. Through 283 years of continuous ministry, Brownback's remains what it has been since the first Reformed worship on a Chester County hillside in 1743: a congregation that gathers, sends, and serves in the name of Christ.