From Firehouse to a Century on Vernon Valley Road
St. Paul's Lutheran Church has gathered at 120 Vernon Valley Road in East Northport since 1914, when Lutheran families on Long Island grew tired of traveling to St. Peter's in Huntington Station for worship. A century later the congregation remains rooted in the same neighborhood, known for its traditional worship, its music program, and a wide campus whose doors stay open long past Sunday morning. The church belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and gathers under the Metropolitan New York Synod.
In the early months of 1914, East Northport was a place of flat, open farms, dirt roads, and a few scattered houses. On February 13 of that year, a small group of women met in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Richter with a single desire: to start a Lutheran church close to home. The men joined them four weeks later, and on March 15 ninety-six people crowded into the East Northport Firehouse for the first worship service, led by Pastor Dr. Hugo Hoffman from St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Brooklyn. The new congregation took its name in gratitude to its sister church across the Sound. That first offering of $5.84 was the seed of a body of generosity that continues.
Within weeks the men drafted a constitution, the congregation was incorporated under New York's Religious Corporation Law, and the Rev. George Schorling was called as the first pastor at a salary of $60 a month, half of which the Synod was asked to cover. The congregation continued to worship at the firehouse while it grew, paying $8 a month for the use of the space.
A Sanctuary Shaped by Light
By the middle of the twentieth century the church had its own building, and over time the sanctuary and narthex came to hold remarkable works of glass. The faceted glass windows of the sanctuary were designed by Benoit D. Gilsoul, a Belgian artist born in 1913 who emigrated to the United States in 1959 on a Belgian government grant. Gilsoul created sculptures and stained glass for churches and synagogues across the country until his death in the year 2000, including a bronze sculpture of "Christ in the City" that faces Madison Square Garden. At St. Paul's his designs were cast in thick faceted glass by Helmut Schardt in his East Northport workshop, the glass struck after casting so light would refract through it. Schardt worked with Gilsoul for more than forty years.
The chapel windows follow a much older craft: painted glass fired in a kiln and joined with lead came in the manner of medieval European churches. The same technique was used for the newer windows in the Historian's Room.
Sundays at 8:30 and 10:30
St. Paul's gathers for worship twice on Sunday morning, at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. The 10:30 service includes a special message for children near the beginning of worship, after which young ones are invited to "Jump In" to Sunday School while adults remain in the sanctuary. Children are also welcome to stay with their families in the pews if that is more comfortable. Worship itself is traditional and blended, lifted by the pipe organ, piano, and other instrumental ensembles. Visitors will find a mixed crowd on any given Sunday: jeans and button-downs, dresses and heels, suits and ties. The church's own advice is to wear whatever helps one feel ready to engage in worship. Seating is open, and arriving a few minutes before the service gives time to pick a spot.
The entrance, the narthex, and the sanctuary are fully handicap accessible, with elevator access to all floors. Wheelchairs and walkers can be made available on request by calling or emailing the office ahead of time. Parking is straightforward: a small lot with handicap spaces sits beside the building, and there is additional parking across the street on the wider campus. The 10:30 service is livestreamed on the St. Paul's Video Ministry YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person, and recordings are posted for later viewing.
Children, Confirmation, and the Stories That Form Them
Christian education at St. Paul's is built around story. Three programs form the spine of children's ministry, each named for a stage of a journey: Jump In for ages 3 (potty-trained) through fourth grade, Sail for fifth graders preparing for First Communion, and Navigate for students in sixth through eighth grade in the three-year confirmation program. Children of all ages meet together in Jump In, with different adults guiding the stories through the year, a game or experiment each week, and music woven throughout. Fifth graders attend Jump In during the fall and transition into Sail classes in early winter to prepare for First Communion. Confirmation, also known as Affirmation of Baptism, is the three-year journey through sixth, seventh, and eighth grade in which students study both Old and New Testament, Lutheran doctrine, and the meaning of the promises made for them at baptism, promises they make their own.
Stephen Ministry and Walking with People
The caregiving heart of the church is Stephen Ministry, a one-to-one Christian care program in which trained, confidential lay ministers walk with people through grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, and other life crises. Synodical Deacon Debbie Peltz established and leads the program at St. Paul's. St. Paul's is one of more than 14,000 Stephen Ministry congregations worldwide, and Stephen Ministry Sunday is celebrated annually at both Sunday services.
Deacons and the FROG Ministry
Diaconal ministry is woven into the life of the congregation. Deacon Debbie also leads Fully Rely on God (FROG), a ministry that began as a bereavement group for widows and now meets monthly for hymn discovery, Bible history, meditation, and games. Deacon JoAnne Rasmussen has been part of St. Paul's since 1965 and was set apart as a Synodical Deacon in 2007; she has led the youth, taken confirmation students on Group Work Camp mission trips, and continues to assist the pastors during weekly worship. Ed Basche was of such long service to the congregation that he retired as a deacon only in January 2022 after 34 years; he had taught confirmation for 17 years, formed a senior group in 2002, and started the men's breakfast in 2019. At the 2023 Synod Assembly, Doreen Flanagan, Donna Galluccio, and Wendy Bean Tannenbaum were set apart as Synodical Deacons. Deacon Wendy guides many of the church's social-justice study series, and Deacon Donna leads the Little Free Food Pantry and serves as president of the Northport-East Northport Ecumenical Lay Council.
A Campus That Opens to the Community
Outreach at St. Paul's reaches into the wider community through many hands. The congregation supports Bread for the World, the Dolan Center, the ELC Food Pantry (Ecumenical Lay Council Food Pantry in the lower level of the First Presbyterian Church at 330 Main Street, Northport), Family Service League, Habitat for Humanity, Huntington Hospital, LI Cares, Soles4Souls, and Souper Bowl. A red wagon in the sanctuary receives food donations each week that go directly to the ELC Food Pantry.
In November 2022 Deacon Donna created the Little Free Food Pantry, a small stand-alone pantry on the church grounds that operates 24/7 with no sign and no judgment: take what you need, give what you can. The pantry is dedicated to her parents, Ben and Terry Bonanno, who taught her always to make sure there is food on the table for everyone. It was built and installed by Robert Nock of Silver Fox Construction.
Agnes' Attic, the church thrift shop, was founded in 2008 and named in honor of Agnes Chipman, a devoted member of St. Paul's. The shop is a voluntary ministry of the congregation and supports both mission projects at St. Paul's and other projects in the community. It accepts donations and is open for shopping on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 120 Vernon Valley Road.
The St. Paul's campus hosts a number of programs beyond the congregation's own ministries. Alcoholics Anonymous meets in the Youth Building at 108 Vernon Valley Road on Wednesday evenings at 6:45 p.m. (Beginner format) and Saturday evenings at 6:45 p.m. (The Big Book). Narcotics Anonymous meets in the lower level of the church at 120 Vernon Valley Road, using the east side ramp entrance, on Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. for open discussion. Boy Scout Troop 474 is chartered by St. Paul's and meets every Monday evening (following the Northport-East Northport School District calendar) from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Youth Building gym. The School House, a Pre-K through sixth-grade program with a Structured Montessori foundation, project-based learning, and an Art, Nature & Design Studio in the Reggio-Emilia tradition, operates on the campus as a separate organization.
Music, Fellowship, and a Men's Breakfast
Music holds a central place in worship. Members of the congregation sing in the Chancel Choir and Children's Choir, ring in the Handbell Choir, and hear an organist at every service. Beyond the music program, the church offers a wide range of fellowship groups. The Altar Guild cares for the sanctuary environment through the liturgical year. A monthly bowling league meets at a local alley. The counting team, made up of members, handles offerings and prepares deposits. A social committee meets the second Thursday of each month to plan events from a parish cookbook to Thanksgiving pie and cider, Christmas tree decorating, and a Mardi Gras luncheon. FROG continues its monthly gatherings for widows. The men's breakfast group, founded in 2019, meets the third Friday of the month at 9:00 a.m. at the Greenlawn Family Restaurant on Pulaski Road. A senior group gathers monthly for lunch or outings. Ushers, scheduled in advance, serve as the first point of contact for newcomers, and craft sessions raise funds and fellowship.
A Pastor Who Sings the Psalms
The Reverend Jonathan Pryer has served as pastor of St. Paul's since his ordination on January 17, 2016. A graduate of Lafayette College (B.A. in Russian and Spanish, 1994) and Long Island University (M.L.S., 1997), he worked as a reference librarian at the Sayville Library before enrolling in seminary in 1999 and completing his Master of Divinity in 2009. He served as cantor and deacon at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sayville before transitioning from the LCMS to the ELCA and joining the ELCA Candidacy Program in 2012. He is fluent in Russian and Spanish and has conversant knowledge of French and Italian. He finds particular comfort in cantoring the Psalms, and he is also a private pilot.
Lutheran Identity on Long Island
St. Paul's is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), formed in 1988 through the merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. The congregation belongs to the Metropolitan New York Synod, which covers nearly 200 congregations in the five boroughs of New York City, all of Long Island, and seven upstate counties. The synod's bishop is the Reverend Paul Egensteiner.
The Lutheran tradition reaches back to Martin Luther's posting of the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 and the principles of grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. Luther translated the Bible from Latin into German so that families could study it on their own, and taught the priesthood of all believers, that every baptized Christian is called into a personal relationship with Christ that bears fruit in daily life. Lutheran congregations became known as "the singing church" because of Luther's own hymns. At St. Paul's today the heart of that heritage is still visible: Word and Sacrament at the center of worship, a tradition of warm hospitality, and a deep commitment to serving neighbors near and far.