It all started when…

Word of Life Chapel of Powell’s Valley began as a small Bible study meeting in a home in Halifax, Pennsylvania. In October 1962, the pastor of Word of Life Chapel in Lykens agreed to serve as the Bible teacher and spiritual leader of the Halifax group while continuing his ministry in Lykens.

As the Bible study grew, the group recognized the need for a place where they could gather publicly for worship. They rented a vacant one-room schoolhouse, formerly known as Taylor’s School, and held their first public worship service there on Sunday, April 1, 1963. Sunday School and an evening worship service were established, along with a midweek prayer meeting and Bible study.

In September 1966, the Lykens congregation joined with the Powell’s Valley congregation, and the two became one church, continuing to meet in the rented schoolhouse. As the congregation grew, the church purchased land at its present location in February 1968. Construction soon followed, and the new church building was completed in 1970.

Continued growth eventually created the need for additional space. On August 9, 1981, the church held a groundbreaking service for a major expansion that included a new sanctuary, classrooms, library, and other ministry spaces. The former sanctuary was converted into a multipurpose room, while other areas of the existing building were repurposed to serve the church’s growing ministries.

On September 30, 1984, the congregation gathered for its first Sunday morning worship service in the new sanctuary.

From its beginning as a small Bible study in a Halifax home, Word of Life Chapel has continued to grow and serve the people of Powell’s Valley and the surrounding communities. Through the years, buildings and ministries have changed, but the church’s commitment to God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ has remained at the heart of its ministry.