June 2 was the last service conducted at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 417 Howertown Road, as the congregation closed the church with a 167-year history of serving Catasauqua.

Closing services were conducted by Bishop Rev. Samuel Zeiser, who presides over the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. Pastor Brian Riedy, of Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, 604 Fourth St., Catasauqua, was the officiate for the service. The Rev. Walter Wagner was the preaching pastor.

Wagner is a professor at Respect Graduate School, Bethlehem, teaching interfaith studies. He has studied Islam for 39 years and is well qualified to teach on the differences between the faiths.

The new ownership of the St. Paul’s property, the Al Mustafa Center, is a concern for some church members.

“Any religion can be used to divide. Islam and Christianity have some contradicting ideas, but we have lived in harmony more times than we lived fighting each other. The Quran and the Bible can be distorted by those who read without understanding,” Wagner said.

His underlying message was that the St. Paul’s building will still be used as a place of worship.

“Your ministry and faith in Christ’s teachings are not tied to a piece of real estate,” Wagner said.

“There will be no pastoral care after today. It will be time for each of you to find a new church home,” Zeiser said.

Anyone who wishes to access the church is asked to make an appointment. The church will be turned over to the new owners at the end of the month.

Zeiser thanked Riedy and the congregation at Holy Trinity who attended the closing service. Holy Trinity invited the congregation to form one Lutheran church in Catasauqua. St. Paul’s and Holy Trinity were one congregation in the early years of Catasauqua’s history. St John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 835 Third St., Fullerton, is also an offshoot of St. Paul’s.

At the conclusion of the service, the congregation joined together for breakfast in the church hall.

“You are not alone in what is happening. The closing reverberates throughout the body of Christ. We are all saddened by the closing,” Zeiser said. “God will be with you as you move forward to live in the Gospel of Christ.”