After breaking ground more than a year ago, Freedom Life Church recently celebrated the grand opening of the Freedom Life Atglen Campus, located at 789 Gap Newport Pike (Route 41), Atglen.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Jan. 10, led by pastors Sam and Michele Masteller. "What a great day," said Sam. "It has been awesome to see what God has done."

Sam welcomed those in attendance, including congregation members and church officials; neighbors from the community; and representatives from Weaver Construction, which was in charge of the building project. "Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to honor this moment," he stated. "I pray that whether you attend here (or another church), you experience the grace and mercy of God. None of this is for the ego of man; it is for the glory of God."

Among those who offered remarks at the event was Ken Weaver, president of Weaver Construction. "I am grateful for all of our partners that were part of the process," he stated. "There was a network of subcontractors, engineers and architects who worked with us. It was a team approach, and we partnered with Freedom Life. It was a great joy to build this building with that team."

Other speakers included Eric Gerber, associate pastor, who opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony; Rick Shawley, a member of the Freedom Life executive team, who offered a prayer; and Tom Rees, a representative from the PennDel Ministry Network.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, church members unveiled a Wall of Honor. "Earlier in the morning, we hosted a service to honor the individuals whose names we engraved on a Wall of Honor positioned outside the rear entrance," noted Angie Dearolf, Freedom Life communications director. "The wall contains the names of individuals, couples and families who have demonstrated dedication to God's house through their years of commitment, service and generosity. Our plan is to add names to the wall each year."

Preview services at the new church began on Dec. 15, 2024. There were also other special events, including an anointing service on Jan. 8 and grand opening services on Jan. 12.

According to a written history of the church, Freedom Life began as Victory Chapel, which evolved from campground revival meetings held in 1971. Within a short period of time, attendance multiplied, and the congregation purchased land on Noble Road to construct a church. Throughout the years, the church was known for offering programs for the community in its building, gymnasium and adjacent woodlands.

Sam and Michele were named youth pastors in 1999 and served in that role for four years. In 2000, the name of the church was changed from Victory Chapel to Freedom Life Christian Center.

The church purchased the 32-acre parcel of land for the new church building in West Sadsbury Township in 2018. The 39,700-square-foot facility includes six classrooms, a cafe, meeting spaces and a covered portico. There are also 210 parking spaces available to visitors and a worship area that can seat more than 600 people.

"We look forward to continuing our mission on a greater scale with new capabilities that include indoor and outdoor playgrounds, a large cafe, gathering space, gymnasium, walking trails and more," said Sam of the new facility.

In addition to the main campus in Atglen, Freedom Life has a location in Centre County and a congregation that meets in Quarryville. Freedom Life also offers a number of ministries, including FL Kids, TwentyFourSeven Youth, FL Young Adults, Freedom Academy and TPUSA Faith. Its annual community programs include an Easter Eggstravaganza, vacation Bible school, a Fall Festival, a Trunk or Treat, the Freedom 5K, Worldview Weekends and Serve Day.

Sunday services are held at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/freedomlife.tv or http://www.freedom.life or contact the church at 610-593-5959 or info@freedom.life.

Details about the new church in Atglen are available at http://www.freedom.life/buildinganark.