Remembering the past. Celebrating the present. Planning for the future.

Rev. Margaret Rohnacher has established this mantra during her four years as pastor of Mt. Eden Lutheran Church. The church will follow that mantra during a special service on Sunday, May 17, to commemorate its 150th anniversary. Worship will begin at 9:30 a.m. at 1241 May Post Office Road, Quarryville.

The gathering will feature a rededication of the building and a special liturgy, and congregants and guests will share memories. Everyone is welcome.

Following the service, there will be a banquet held in the fellowship hall, including cake for dessert.

"We want to enliven the spirit even more," said Rohnacher. "(The congregants are already) a pretty live group, but we want to strengthen the spirit among us, welcome back some previous members, and remember our history."

For more information about the service, email Rohnacher at mrohnacher@yahoo.com.

The pastor said Mt. Eden's mission "is to be an instrument of Jesus Christ in word and deed to our community and beyond."

The church's roots trace back to June 1860 when the pastorate at Zion Reformed Church, New Providence, organized a Sunday school at the Springville Schoolhouse and became the forerunner of what is now Mt. Eden Lutheran. The Sunday school opened June 24 with five girls' classes and four boys' classes and closed Sept. 30.

In the late 1870s, services led by Rev. J.V. Eckert were held every few weeks in the Bowery Schoolhouse, which was located across the street from the current sanctuary. It became the first Lutheran church in the community.

The cornerstone for the original church building was laid in May 1878 on what is now a parking lot. The current building was constructed in 1969. Mt. Eden remains an active congregation, helping organizations such as Solanco Neighborhood Ministries, Cornerstone Reproductive Health, and the North Star Initiative, and also assists local students.

"It is a joy to minister to the people of Mt. Eden," said Rohnacher. "When we come together, it is like a large family, sharing both the difficulties and joys of life. We are always happy to welcome worshippers."