Trinity
Our Saviour
Good Shepherd
History of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Coatesville
By 1881, Lukens Steel began operating its first open hearth steel making furnace in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. People were required to run the mill and workers moved into the area from every part of Pennsylvania, from southern states, and even from European countries. This influx of people necessitated the building of homes and businesses as well as churches.
In the late 1880’s a group of Lutherans gathered themselves in the west end of Coatesville and determined they needed a church to call home. In June 1890, Trinity Lutheran Church was officially organized. Construction of a church building was begun and two years later, the members worshipped for the first time in their brand new building, located at Church Street and Lincoln Highway in Coatesville.
Lukens Iron and Steel Company grew, Coatesville grew and so did the number of Lutherans. So many, that a second church was need in the east end. Several families from Trinity decided to build another church in the east end of Coatesville to serve the growing number of people living in that part of the city. And so, in 1907, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Saviour was formed with fifty members. They immediately began construction of a building , located on 5th Avenue and Chestnut Street, was completed in December of 1909.
As Lukens Steel prospered, so did the City of Coatesville. As a result, the two Lutheran congregations in Coatesville grew and grew. In the late 1960’s both congregations began exploring ideas on how to expand or otherwise build new facilities for their growing congregation. It was determined that neither Trinity nor Our Saviour could build a new church on its own. That’s when they decided to build one new building together outside of the city limits, on 17th Avenue, in Caln Township.
On January I, 1970, the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd was officially organized with the support of both Trinity and Our Saviour congregations. A new building was constructed and dedicated on September 15, 1974. Good Shepherd has been serving the people of this area ever since.
In 2001, the church added 11,000 square feet onto its structure, offering an industrial-sized kitchen, banquet hall, meeting rooms, classrooms, and much-needed storage space.