Where Two Congregations Became One
Faith Immanuel Presbyterian Church grew out of the merger of Faith Presbyterian and Progress Immanuel Presbyterian, two Susquehanna Township congregations whose combined witness now shapes the life of a single body on Colonial Road. The church describes itself as an energetic, traditional Presbyterian congregation that continues to grow in passion and compassion, with a heart for mission and for creating community connections that feed everyone in body, mind, and soul. Members strive, as the congregation's own framing puts it, to be "doers and not hearers of the Word only," drawing on James 1:22 as a working motto.
Part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of Carlisle, Faith Immanuel gathers in a sanctuary whose doors open outward as readily as they welcome members inward. The same building that hosts Sunday worship also opens for Cub Scout ceremonies, a Blessing of the Animals service, a classical music series, and a free Family Festival that draws neighbors onto the grounds each fall.
Worship on Colonial Road
Worship is the heart of the congregation's life together. Each Sunday at 11 a.m., the people of Faith Immanuel gather to praise God, listen for Christ's call, and be renewed by the Spirit for service in the world. Services follow a familiar Presbyterian arc that mixes long-standing tradition with the personality and gifts of the people in the pews.
Scripture-centered preaching anchors the service, with sermons that reflect on what God is saying through the day's readings. Prayer is offered for the community, the world, and one another. Music carries a weight of its own, led by a committed team of musicians and supported by a Steinway concert grand piano and a pipe organ. Communion is celebrated with reverence on the first Sunday of each month, and all baptized Christians are invited to the table, along with those who are seeking Christ's presence in their lives.
Members and visitors alike can take part in the service itself. Lay readers, ushers, choir and handbell ringers, and vocal or instrumental soloists all help shape the morning. Worship is livestreamed on YouTube each Sunday at 11 a.m. for those unable to attend in person, and a recorded service is posted the following week. Printable bulletins are available in advance for both regular Sundays and special services.
A Building That Opens to the Neighborhood
First-time visitors often notice how welcoming the building feels before they ever sit down. There is no dress code and no prerequisites; greeters are ready to help newcomers find their way. A hospitality hour with coffee, tea, and snacks precedes each Sunday service, with continued fellowship afterward.
The campus is fully accessible. A drive-up portico eases entry for those with mobility challenges, and an ADA compliant restroom is available. Sanitized hearing devices, large print hymnals, pew Bibles, and handmade shawls are ready for use during worship. The Order of Service bulletin is printed in a font that is easier to read for those with vision challenges, and texts used in worship are projected as an additional aid.
For families with little ones, a Quiet Room offers a complete view of the sanctuary and audio piped in, with coloring resources for children seated with their parents in the pews. Outside of worship, the church's calendar includes an outdoor service under canopies in fair weather and a Saturday Blessing of the Animals service that has become a fall tradition. Poinsettias, tulips, daffodils, and geraniums decorate the sanctuary at special seasons of the church year.
Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter
The liturgical year shapes the rhythm of the sanctuary. Advent brings a mid-week Blue Christmas service and a Christmas Eve Candlelight service. Lent is marked by Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, and Good Friday, with Easter observed at sunrise by the pond and again in the sanctuary. Through these seasons the building becomes a place of retreat and renewal as well as weekly gathering.
In addition to the main 11 a.m. congregation, the Agape congregation, under the leadership of Pastor Madhu Siwa, meets in the sanctuary each Sunday at 12:45 p.m., extending Faith Immanuel's ministry into a second service that same morning.
The Music Program
Music is doing more than filling the room at Faith Immanuel; it is one of the congregation's most active ministries. The Chancel Choir, drawn from the congregation, sings in different styles throughout the church year from September through early June. The Bells of Faith, a handbell ensemble of ringers of varying experience, performs four or five times a year for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Congregational singing is robust, with members embracing old favorites and learning new ones.
The musical instruments are a particular point of pride. A beautiful pipe organ provides a wide palette of color and sound to enhance worship, and a 9-foot concert Steinway grand piano anchors both services and the Concerts on Colonial series. Special music on a regular basis invites local vocalists and instrumentalists to offer their gifts to the glory of God, and music rehearsals open with a time of reading and meditating on Scripture, praying for the world and the church, and reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the music being prepared.
The program is led by Dr. Brad Hull, a pianist and educator whose career has spanned classical performance, college teaching, association management, and nonprofit consulting. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Leadership and a Master of Music in piano, and has performed across the east coast, including touring with the Washington Ballet and appearing at the Kennedy Center.
Concerts on Colonial
Faith Immanuel's concert series, Concerts on Colonial, is a gift the church offers to the wider Harrisburg community. Founded in 2019 as the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Memorial Music Series, the program was created to reach the broadest possible segment of the community by offering unique, educational, and community building arts and classical music programs, free and open to the public. The sanctuary, the pipe organ, the Steinway, and the church's hospitality open the church's doors to neighbors and potential new members alike.
Recent and upcoming programs reflect the series' range. The Yu&I duo of YuEun Gemma Kim and Ines Thomé has performed chamber music across the United States. Silver, Wood and Ivory, the flute and piano duo of Tracy Diet and Cindy Wittenberg, brings a "two-person orchestra" of flutes, recorders, and piano. The Hershey Handbell Ensemble, an auditioned community group under Artistic Director Dr. Shawn Gingrich, has returned for seasonal performances. Past seasons have welcomed Grammy winner Jason Vieaux, the Susquehanna Chorale with the Vintage Brass Quintet, trumpeter John Maurer, the Fry Street Quartet, and the Mendelssohn Piano Trio.
Mission a Month and a Network of Partners
Faith Immanuel lives out its faith through a Mission Committee that runs a Mission a Month program, introduced in 2023, which directs church funds and hands-on service toward local and wider causes. Each month of the year is paired with a specific nonprofit partner, and members are invited to give of their wish lists, their dollars, or their time. The January partner is Church World Service; February brings HanNA's Pantry Souper Bowl of Caring; March is One Great Hour of Sharing; April's Easter offering supports Downtown Daily Bread; May is the Lebanon Valley Veterans Hospital; June is Krislund Camp; July is the Christ Lutheran Church Dental and Medical Clinic; August supports Fox's Wash 'n' Go Clean Clothes Initiative; September is the Central Dauphin School District NutriPacks Program; October is the Humane Society of Central PA; November is Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child; and December is the Christmas offering.
The Mission Committee additionally supports a wider network of organizations with funding or with regular volunteers. These include Bethesda Mission, Caitlin's Smiles, Central PA Food Bank, Christian Churches United and HELP Ministries, the CROP Walk, Community Aid, Delta House, Downtown Daily Bread, HanNA's Pantry, Hospice of Central Pennsylvania, the Humane Society of Central PA, Krislund Camp, the Lebanon VA Medical Center, Meals on Wheels, One Great Hour of Sharing, Paxton Ministries, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Samaritan's Purse.
Two longstanding volunteer commitments anchor this work. Two groups of members have served meals at the Downtown Daily Bread soup kitchen on designated Mondays and Tuesdays for many years. Five members of the congregation volunteer weekly to deliver meals through Meals on Wheels, bringing well-balanced meals to seniors who qualify because of physical, mental, or emotional disability, or because they lack a caregiver able to provide meals on a regular basis. Local charities supported include Delta Community, Lend-A-Hand, Perry County Food Bank, and the Thomas Holtzman Adopt-A-Family Food Bank.
Learning Together
Faith formation at Faith Immanuel happens in several overlapping rhythms. Sunday School meets weekly from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Zarfoss Library, using the Feasting on the Word lectionary-based curriculum under the leadership of the Rev. Ruth Hope Woodlen and Mike Legg. A Weekly Lunch and Learn with Pastor Caroline meets at noon on Tuesdays, gathering around the lectionary with members bringing their own lunch. A monthly Lunch and Learn follows worship on the first Sunday of each month, with the same lectionary-based study.
Two named scholarships encourage continuing education among the congregation's youth and young adults. The S.K. Zarfoss Memorial Book Scholarship, established through the generosity of Mrs. Gweneth Zarfoss, helps students cover the cost of textbooks, online textbooks, e-books, and bundled materials for college and advanced degree courses. The Lee Robert Webb Scholarship, drawn from the Robert Webb Memorial Education Fund, supports a student pursuing a college education, going on a mission trip, or planning a charitable funding project. Bob Webb was a dedicated Christian leader whose vision was to plant the seed of lifelong learning in Faith Immanuel's youth.
Community Days on Colonial
Each fall, Faith Immanuel opens its grounds for Community Days on Colonial, a free Family Festival hosted with Cub Scout Pack 256. Free food, children's books, and family-friendly activities draw neighbors, friends, and families from across the area for a Saturday morning of fun that doubles as an open invitation to the wider community.
The church also partners with area scouting, and the Boy Scouts have held their Blue and Gold ceremony at Faith Immanuel. The building itself is available to rent for community events, weddings, and funerals under a published set of regulations and a building use application process overseen by the Buildings and Property Committee.
Leadership and Governance
The Rev. Caroline Vickery serves as Pastor of Faith Immanuel, having first served the congregation as temporary supply pastor before officially accepting the permanent call on January 1, 2026. Her commissioning service was a joyful occasion marked by a strong turnout and a gift of a blue and purple stole for the seasons of Advent and Lent. She came to Faith Immanuel after serving the Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro since 2022, and throughout her ministry has served congregations in Glens Falls, New York; Columbus and Newark, Ohio; Lexington, Nebraska; and Delmont, Pennsylvania. Her guiding motto, drawn from her theology and heart for ministry, is "Everyone is a child of God and deserves to be treated that way."
The staff supporting her work includes Dr. Brad Hull as Music Director, Heather Ruoss as Financial Secretary and Office Administrator, and Sam Shallcross as Sound Engineer, a lifelong member of the former Progress-Immanuel congregation who handles audio for in-person and livestreamed services and special events.
The Session, the body of ruling elders moderated by the pastor, guides Faith Immanuel's spiritual life and governs the church. Nine ruling elders serve three-year terms. The Session includes elders responsible for Finance and Stewardship, Clerk of Session, Nurture, Personnel, Worship, Congregational Life, the Treasurer, Building and Property, Outreach, Mission, and Nominating. The Board of Deacons carries out the ministry of compassion, witness, and service set forth in Scripture and the Book of Order.
The work of the Session is carried forward by a network of committees: Mission, Worship, Buildings and Property, Congregational Life, Nurture, Outreach, Personnel, and Stewardship and Finance. Each committee is chaired by a member of the congregation and is open to new participants who want to help shape the church's life.
Getting Involved
Anyone wanting to get to know Faith Immanuel is welcome to drop by on a Sunday morning. The hospitality hour before worship is a relaxed way to meet people over a cup of coffee. Sunday School runs before worship at 9:30 a.m., and the Lunch and Learns offer weekday entry points into the Bible study life of the congregation. Those who want to support the church's mission work can give online or volunteer with one of the Mission a Month partner organizations. Concerts on Colonial and Community Days on Colonial are free and open to all, whether or not the attendee is part of the church.