An ELCA Congregation on South 17th Avenue in Coatesville
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd has been serving Coatesville from its home on South 17th Avenue for more than fifty years. Part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, the congregation is known in the area for its two very different Sunday worship styles, a thriving music program anchored by organ and handbells, and a steady stream of community-facing ministries such as a blessings box food pantry, a summer community garden, and monthly public breakfasts. A newer initiative called the Love Revolution has been gathering the church around themes of radical welcome and care for neighbors.
Two Sunday Services, Two Different Shapes
Sunday morning at Good Shepherd revolves around two services, and visitors can attend either or both.
At 9 a.m., L.I.F.T. Family Worship fills the sanctuary with a thirty-minute interactive gathering designed for the whole household. Bible stories, prayer, and singing all move at a pace that lets young children participate alongside adults. L.I.F.T. takes a break during the summer months and returns each year on the third Sunday of September.
At 10 a.m., the Traditional Worship service gathers the congregation around the patterns many Lutherans know best: praise, hymns, prayer, the reading and preaching of the Word, and Holy Communion. Music plays a central role, with the choir, bell choir, and soloists often lifting up the liturgy. Communion is celebrated regularly, and visitors who wish to receive are welcome; the congregation teaches that Christ is truly present in the sacrament, in a mystery that words only point toward.
Holy Communion is also at the heart of the church's year. Newcomers who would like to share in communion for the first time are invited to a First Communion class, where students learn what communion is, why it is received each week, and bake their own bread before receiving on Easter Sunday.
What Lutherans Believe Here
The congregation teaches that God is Triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the creator, restorer, and sustainer of all things. Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit is understood to be at work calling, gathering, enlightening, and sanctifying the whole Christian church.
Faith, in this Lutheran understanding, is the relationship the Holy Spirit creates, opening people to a life of bold trust in God and joyful, generous service to neighbors. The congregation accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, holding that the story of God's steadfast love and mercy in Jesus is the heart and center of what Scripture has to say.
About Martin Luther himself, the church offers a simple story: in 1517 the German theologian posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of Wittenberg University, hoping the church would reform its preaching and practice to be more consistent with the Bible. The Reformation that followed shaped the Lutheran tradition that still rests today on grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone.
Becoming Lutheran is presented as a journey rather than a requirement. Anyone may worship at Good Shepherd without becoming a member. Those curious about formally joining are invited to explore, ask questions, and decide on their own terms.
Learning for Every Age
Education is a major strand of the church's life, layered from childhood through adulthood.
Weekly Bible study is open to anyone who wants to dig deeper, and periodic book studies take on novels or theology for a season at a time. A newer study series titled the Human Sexuality Reconsideration and Social Statement Class meets for five Monday evenings, working through the study guide produced by the ELCA task force that is reconsidering portions of the 2009 social statement; no pre-reading is required.
The J.O.I. program meets once a month, usually on a Thursday evening with a light supper, and offers a rotating menu of lectures, films, crafts, and service projects. Past gatherings have included making spring planters, a game night with home-cooked soup, a carpool to a documentary about veterans and PTSD, and a cooking night to feed the Coatesville Red Raiders football team before an away game.
For youth, the church runs a Confirmation class that culminates on Pentecost Sunday, when young people affirm their baptism in the presence of the congregation. A youth group gathers on the third Sunday evening of each month for grades 6 and up, with Bible study, games, snacks, and community service. Special gatherings - lock-ins, pool parties, and other events - round out the year. The congregation is also sending a delegation to the ELCA National Youth Gathering in Minneapolis in the summer of 2027, with fundraising efforts such as Basket Bingo, a Mother's Day Plant Sale, and a Murder Mystery Dinner underwriting the trip.
Music education is treated as formation in its own right. The vocal choir and handbell choir each meet weekly. Children's choir and Music Sunday, when choirs and soloists lead the service together, give younger singers a place at the center of worship.
A Music Ministry Built on a Half-Century of Lutheran Liturgy
Few aspects of the church's identity are as rooted as its music. Donna Fesmire directs the choir and bell choir and serves as organist, with forty years of experience leading music in Lutheran and other church settings and a degree from Westminster Choir College. She describes her work as a gift to be used for the praise and glory of God.
Al Spots, the second organist, has been playing in Lutheran churches for more than fifty years, drawn by the liturgy and the hymns. A West Chester University alumnus, he joins the team each week to accompany worship. Together with Dr. Erin Kauppila, the Youth Music Director and longtime Director of Instrumental Music at Oxford Area High School, the music team shapes services that often feature choir, bells, brass, and soloists together on major feast days such as Easter and Christmas Eve.
Serving Coatesville and the Surrounding Neighborhood
The congregation's outreach work takes several forms.
The blessings box ministry works to combat local hunger by keeping a small pantry stocked with non-perishable food that neighbors in need can access quietly and without paperwork. Members also collect needed items for local non-profits and charities, and in the summer they tend a community garden that produces fresh produce to share.
Twice a year or more, the church hosts a Red Cross blood drive on its property, scheduling donors through the American Red Cross. Periodic Wellness Day events bring pharmacy students into the fellowship hall after worship to offer medication reconciliation, blood pressure screening, education about stroke and heart failure, and safe disposal of old pills. Monthly Saturday breakfasts, open to anyone in the community, fill the fellowship hall with eggs made to order, omelets, home fries, fruit, and conversation.
Through it all, the Love Revolution initiative, launched in a worship service one summer, is helping the congregation frame its outward life around themes rooted in Jesus' ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbor, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, and nonviolence in the face of injustice.
The Hall: Weddings, Funeral Luncheons, and Community Events
Next door to the sanctuary at 109 South 17th Avenue, the church's social hall is a flexible space that the congregation opens up to the wider Coatesville community. The hall seats up to two hundred guests and can be divided for smaller gatherings. A commercial kitchen supports catering for larger events, and the venue does allow the serving of beer and wine with the proper authorizations and insurance.
The hall has hosted weddings, receptions, birthday parties, funeral luncheons, and a wide range of community events. Pricing varies by event type, with discounts available for community events and church members. Booking and pricing information is handled through the church office.
Leadership and Pastoral Care
The Reverend Joey Klinger became pastor of Good Shepherd in September 2024, after previously serving Redemption Lutheran Church in Northeast Philadelphia. Pastor Joey lives in Coatesville with his husband Mark, their dog, and two cats, and his interests outside the parish include baking, running, community theater, and video games.
Sandy Haines has been a member of the congregation for many years and has served as Parish Administrator for over seven years, keeping the office running and ministries supplied. Donna Fesmire directs the choir and bell choir, Al Spots serves as organist, Dr. Erin Kauppila directs youth music, and Arnetta Nixon-Forman serves as sexton. A Church Council, elected each year from the congregation, oversees the various committees and the budget, keeping the ministries strong.
Visiting Good Shepherd
The church sits in a residential stretch of Coatesville with ample parking around the building. The main entrance is under the large portico in the upper lot. Once inside, the sanctuary is to the left, along with restrooms; the church offices are to the right; and the Fellowship Hall is further down the hall.
Worship is held every Sunday, with L.I.F.T. Family Worship at 9 a.m. and Traditional Worship at 10 a.m. Visitors who cannot attend in person can join the digital worship offered on the church's Facebook page. Those who want to talk further can reach out to Pastor Joey directly, or simply stop by on a Sunday morning and introduce themselves.
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. New members are welcomed each year at a reception after worship, where questions can be asked, the congregation's life explored, and a decision made about formally joining, all at the visitor's own pace.