We collect non-perishable food items all through the month and bring them forward as part of our offering during worship on the second Sunday of the month.  For this Second Sunday Sharing, we collect cereal every month and stuffing mix in the Fall for Thanksgiving.



Our volunteers help to run the Whitehall Food Pantry on the third Monday of the month.  We gather at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 3900 Mechanicsville Road, Whitehall at 9:30 a.m. to bring in, sort, and prepare donations for the evening distribution.  From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. we assist clients as they pick out the breads, desserts, canned goods, and fresh fruits and vegetables they need.

To volunteer or to learn more about getting food for your family, contact our Food Pantry coordinator, Lana Synder through the church office.  To contact the Food Pantry, call 484-246-5715.

As part of the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WHCHI), we cook a free Community Dinner twice a year, usually in May and October.  These meals are served from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Fritze Hall.  By making it possible for guests to share food and conversation around the tables, we hope to share the kind of hospitality that Jesus shared with others. We are well-known for our scrumptious desserts and our friendly cooks and servers.  Visit the WHCI website for the other times and places Community Dinners are served throughout the year.

Several years ago, Boy Scouts built blessing boxes for us as their Eagle Projects.  One box is for non-perishable food items and the other for books.  The boxes are located on the corner of Third and Chestnut Streets.

People from larger Whitehall community come and go frequently putting in books and food or taking them out to read and eat as they need.  We are grateful to the many people outside our church who make this quiet and anonymous ministry of care happen every day.

We have had a Prayer Shawl ministry at St. John's for many years.   Knitting or crocheting a shawl while praying for the person who will receive it is a simple yet comforting way for us to share God's love. We give our  prayer shawls to people going through periods of transition, change, or difficulty.  We hope our shawls will provide both warm physical comfort and the emotional comfort of being surrounded by God's presence and peace. 

Led for many years by Nancy McLellan, our Prayer Shawl ministry is now led by Karen Wolfe.   You can reach Karen through the church office if you want to get involved either by making prayer shawls or by requesting a prayer shawl for yourself or someone else. Our Pastor, Parish Secretary and anyone in the congregation would also be happy to pass a request for a Prayer Shawl along to Karen.

Back in the early 2000s, the ELCA invited congregations in North American to choose sister parishes.  Out of several options around the world,  St. John’s choose the Iwawa Parish in Tanzania.  Through correspondence, especially card exchanges at Christmas and Easter, sharing pictures, and collecting and sending needed items, several people at St. John's developed pen-pal relations with members of the Iwawa church.

In 2009, four members of St. John's traveled to Iwawa.  The group had the opportunity to learn many things including the chicken project, water-powered electricity, and the impact of AIDS that left many children orphaned. Worshipping together,  meeting with the Church Council, visiting with families in their homes, going to the hospital and school, and working together in the garden were opportunities to understand better the needs in Iwawa and the gifts of the people there.

Members at St. John's worked hard to raise funds to make the trip possible and for the travel team to take along all kinds of gifts including a banner of the two churches, prayer shawls, crosses, and school and sport supplies.  Through the years, St. John's has supported the Chicken Project in Iwawa and helped to raise funds for church building projects there.     St. John's continues to send funds to Iwawa.   For more information and to get involved in this sister congregation relationship, contact Deb Vilbas and Cindy Held through the church office.

Our church is located on busy Third Street in a semi-urban area.  In the spring, summer, and fall, we are known for our signature geraniums and our wildflower garden. We take pride in keeping our grounds clean and beautiful as a gift for the community and as a place of welcome for our pollinators. 

If you would like to join in the garden effort, contact our gardeners Otto Mertz and Karen Wolfe through the church office.

We participate in a variety of collections to benefit other agencies in the Lehigh Valley.  They include our year-round collection of shampoo, conditioner and other toiletry supplies for the shower program at the Lehigh Conference of Churches.  During the season leading up to Christmas, we have a Giving Tree to benefit Community Services for Children in Allentown, and collect a variety of items for the agencies that receive support from the Northern Lehigh Mission District Ingathering.