Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church to mark 50th anniversary with celebration

By Matt Petras
For the Mon Valley Independent

Pastor Michael Krentz has been with Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Newton for four years but feels he’s a part of a history that extends decades beyond that. Past members of the church have kept a meticulously detailed account of its history.
“The people who started the church, they were historians,” Krentz told the Mon Valley Independent as he sifted through documentation of the church’s history. “They wanted to make sure that everybody understood, ‘how did we get our start and why?’”
Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church will be celebrating its 50th anniversary across two days, offering hours of activities and food for families on Aug. 7 and special services led by former pastors of the church on Sunday, Aug. 8.
From 11 a.m. until about 5 p.m. on Aug. 7, residents can partake in a slew of festivities, including face painting, badminton and bean bag toss. There will also be appearances from musical groups the John Vann Trio and the Dorette DeFade Trio (“Strumburgh”) as well as a caricature artist. Lunch will be served from noon to 2 p.m.
The following day, Aug. 8, the church will hold two worship services. One at 10:30 a.m., guest-led by Pastor Tom Hilliard, a former pastor for the church, and one at 4 p.m. guest-led by Pastor John Brug, the first ever pastor installed by the church’s founders.
On Aug. 8, 1971, Brug held Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church’s first Sunday morning worship service. Brug, now retired, lives in Wisconsin, where he taught for more than three decades at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.
“It brings fond memories (for Brug),” Krentz said. “He loves these people. So every time he gets a chance to come, he comes.”
The original four founders of the church attended another Lutheran church but found that they wanted more.
“They just felt that they were not getting all of the truth of God’s word that they thought they should get, so they went searching for something else,” Krentz said.
In 1970, the group began renting the Fellsburg Municipal Building in Rostraver for its worship services. It was not until August of 1971, however, that the church began its regular, Sunday morning worship service, led by Brug. On Aug. 8, 1971, 52 people attended the service.
In 1975, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church began construction of its current building, on Plummer School Road in West Newton. The church held its first worship service in the new building on Feb. 22, 1976, and 118 people attended.
Decades later, Krentz and members of the church’s committee decided to “spruce up” the church, as they’ve been putting it, to prepare it for its anniversary. This includes installing colorful plantlife outside and improving the entrance of the church, now a welcoming common area to grab coffee and look at photographs.
“‘Spruce up’ meant we’re sprucing up everything,” Krentz said. “They did work on the church sign down there, they put a new sign down on the corner, I mean, they just went bonkers.”
Currently, the church brings in about 30 people every week for worship; this has fluctuated through the pandemic, during which Krentz said his church, like many others around the country, has struggled. But its worshippers remain dedicated and continue to care for the church 50 years later.
“We’re still not completely rebounded from COVID,” Krentz said, “but the core, they just keep on coming.”

Pastor Michael Krentz is shown outside of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Newton.
Matt Petras /
For the MVI