Roger Mattes, junior warden of Church of the Epiphany, talks to fellow parishioners about the church’s history.
Roger Mattes, the church’s junior warden, shows an old picture of Glenburn Township.
An old photo of the church’s sanctuary.
A cake to commemorate Church of the Epiphany’s 100th anniversary.
GLENBURN – Ten years ago, The Church of the Epiphany celebrated its 100th anniversary. This year is the 100th anniversary of the church becoming an independent Episcopal church of the Diocese of Bethlehem.
“Before, we weren’t a full-fledged church,” said Roger Mattes, the church’s junior warden. “We were just a mission of St. Luke’s Church (St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton).”
On Sunday, Sept. 11, Mattes gave an in depth history dating back to when the building was a one-room schoolhouse started by a settler named Jonathan Hull.
During a brunch event called Centennial Celebration, Mattes told the attendees that Hull built his homestead in Glenburn after emigrating from Connecticut. He then said that Hull, having been the father of 13 children, understood the importance of education. He said that Hull built a schoolhouse.
Mattes informed the audience that the church founders, Colonel James Oakford and Russell Dimmick, purchased this schoolhouse for $550. James, at that time, attended St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scranton. He said that James was an avid golfer, but his wife didn’t think it was appropriate to golf on Sundays. Since it was an all day commute, James was not able to attend church and play golf.
“He (James) realized that if he was going to play golf again on a Sunday afternoon, then he had to look for a closer church,” said Mattes.
James decided to found the Glen Oak Country Club near his property.
Mattes then mentioned that the church which James and Russell had founded was originally called St. John’s Memorial Mission. This church held its first service on April 28, 1912. It had 80 people. Sadly, Dimmick passed away before the service.
Mattes listed all the additions throughout the 100 years starting with the porch James bought for his wife for her birthday in 1919. Other additions included parish house in 1923, swinging doors in 1929 and a stage for concerts in 1950. In 1971, the parish house was torn down and a new one was built.
The attendees at the Centennial Celebration learned that past parishioners included a survivor of the Titanic, a survivor of the Hindenburg, a US presidential candidate and a US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Mattes loves the history of the church.
“I’m a self-appointed historian,” he said.
Mattes has family ties to the church. His grandparents, Philip and Gertrude Mattes, were parishioners of The Church of the Epiphany. His mother Nadina was a Sunday school teacher.
Mattes is writing a book about the history of the church. If anyone has any stories or anecdotes about the church, he would love to hear them.
Mother Lou Divis, who has been the The Church of the Epiphany’s priest since 2018, thinks it’s the church’s anniversary is phenomenal.
“We’re very family-friendly and God-focused,” she said.
