Welcome to Inside the Red Doors – Stories from the St. John’s Archives!

As we approach St. John’s 150th anniversary in 2026, we are digging deep into the church archives to connect with the stories that shaped us. John Hendricks, our Photographer and Archivist, has worked faithfully for 15 years to maintain and share important pieces of our history. Leaning on his extensive knowledge and storytelling ability, we are excited to share these artifacts and anecdotes as a way to honor the past and imagine what the next 150 years could bring.

Raise the Song of Harvest Home!

by John Hendricks, St. John’s Archivist

If someone asked what ‘harvest home’ means, you’d probably think of the familiar Thanksgiving hymn (NCH #422) with the opening lines, “Come, O thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home”. Some of our long-time members will remember that ‘harvest home’ was once a special day in the church year!

The Reporter newspaper of December 23, 1897, wrote “Wherever throughout the earth there is such a thing as a formal harvest there appears to be an inclination to mark it with a festive celebration. In England this festival passes generally under the endeared name of harvest home.” In our area, going back to the late 1800’s, Harvest Home was not only observed in all the local churches with special services, but also in special outdoor ‘fun’ festivals held by lodges and civic groups, with picnics, games, and speeches. These were held in late summer on various dates. There is not much information on these early services at St. John’s, but The Reporter noted a Wednesday night Harvest home service here in 1887 and by 1905 said it was an “annual service”.

By the 1900’s the secular observations had ended but Harvest Home services continued in area churches. At St. John’s, the ‘golden era’ of the Harvest Home services began with the arrival in 1923 of Rev. Sayres, our third pastor. A tradition started that the church was colorfully decorated for autumn, and the congregation brought home-preserved food for charity. The Reporter of October 15, 1923 noted “St. John’s Reformed Church was (the) perfect type of a Harvest Home church…and embraced everything that could be desired to make a showing…Rev. Alfred Sayres preached eloquently from the subject, “God, the Liberal Giver”…the liberal gifts of food which made the church resemble the finest section of a most progressive county fair, are to be sent to the Phoebe Deaconess and Old Folks Home in Allentown and Bethany Orphans Home in Womelsdorf.” (Note: we still support Phoebe Allentown and Bethany Children’s Home.)

Harvest Home continued as an annual service through the 1940’s. There were a few revivals after that, but fewer members grew and preserved foods now, and the ways of collecting and donating food changed, culminating with our founding Manna on Main Street in 1980 as a year-round food bank. But for many years, especially during the Depression, Harvest Home was an important part of our St. John’s outreach, sharing God’s bounty!