Before the organization of the Lutheran and Reformed congregations, St. John’s Union Church’s beginnings were typical of all mission work. An active organized Sunday School gathered families together and as their numbers increased there was a need for a local building.
St. John’s Church began with the Coopersburg Union Sunday School. Organized in1850, the Sunday School met in various locations, but soon realized there was a need for a church building. The ground for this building was given by Tilghman Cooper and Mrs. Matilda Cooper in 1884. Work started in 1886 and the cornerstone was laid in 1889. Upon its incorporation in1891, the Coopersburg Union Sunday School moved into the church building and officially changed its name to Saint John’s Union Sunday School. From the beginning it was a Union Church serving the needs of both St. John’s Reformed and St. John’s Lutheran congregations.
St. John’s Union Church was not strong enough to have its own pastor so for many years it was part of a three-point charge being yoked with St. Paul’s (Blue) Church, and Friedens, Friedensville. The Union Church was dissolved in 1962.
St. John’s Lutheran was then renamed St. James Lutheran for two brothers among Jesus’ disciples, John and James, and signifies the long relationship between these two congregations.
St. John’s Union Church was renamed St. John’s United Church of Christ, and shared the building with St. James Lutheran Church until March 26, 1967. After a successful building fund campaign held in April and May of 1965, St. James held a ground breaking ceremony on March 13, 1966. St. James moved to its present location on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967 after a joint service at St. John’s. The Altar Book and Sacramental Vessels were removed from the altar and Pastor Wolf and the Church Council, carrying the Sacramental Vessels, processed from the old church on St. Thomas Street, Coopersburg, to the new building on Route 309. Rick Mayer carried the Altar Book.
The stained glass windows located in the nave depict the Ten Commandments. The two on either side at the altar represent the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The large window in the narthex is the Saint James window. A vertical cross-hilted sword and an escallop signify pilgrimage and martyrdom.
The Shields of the Apostles, found on either side of the cross, are hand-carved in wood and finished in gold. The symbolism on each one represents one of the apostles.
