You are Welcome Here!
Welcome to St. Paul’s Church, Montrose!
Whether you are visiting, seeking a new church family or your first church family, here you will find an affirming, worshiping community of imperfect people who do our best to spread the love of Jesus. We embrace you whether you are gay, straight, Christian, agnostic, sad, happy, a person in addiction or someone in recovery. We love children and don’t care if yours act like children during the service. When we pass the peace, you will be greeted by all of us. Everyone is welcome at the Communion rail whether for a blessing or to receive the Sacrament. You will be invited to coffee hour by at least 10 of us and we promise you won’t go away hungry! Give us a chance — we’re eager to meet you.What We Believe
We are part of The Episcopal Church, a branch of Christianity with roughly 1.5 million members across 22 countries. As Episcopalians, we hold Scripture, tradition and reason as the foundation of our faith, and affirm the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. We welcome all people to worship and belong here — regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.Who We Serve
Our faith moves us to serve. St. Paul’s supports local ministries including AA meetings, seasonal coat and sleeping bag drives, and food assistance for families in need through the Montrose Ministry of Christian Service. We’re part of the Episcopal Diocese of the Susquehanna, and our global reach includes a sister-parish relationship with Kajo Keji in Southern Sudan, where we’ve helped build and maintain a school for women. Our historic parish house continues to serve the wider Montrose community and is available for meetings or community events alongside our own church life.Our Ministries
St. Paul’s offers a variety of outreach programs, aiming to be a source of hope to those in need.
Alcoholics Anonymous
The Mustard Seed AA group has met for 41 years at St. Paul’s. Meetings are held on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. Entrance to the meeting is on Chestnut Street across from the HO Mart.
Little Free Pantry
We have installed a Little Free Pantry on the TK side of our building facing Chestnut street where you can donate non-perishable goods such as soups, canned vegetables and fruit, and where those in need can simply walk up anytime. It is open year-round.
Mobile Food Pantry
The Weinberg Foundation provides food for distribution to Susquehanna County residents on the second Friday of each month. The distribution site is at South Montrose Community Church at 10991 State Route 29, Montrose. Registration in advance is required by calling (570) 533-3980. St. Paul’s takes up a second collection each week to provide bread for the distribution—about $350 monthly. We also send volunteers each month to assist with the food distribution.
Sleeping Bag Ministry
With donated sheets and large scraps of fabric, a dedicated group of parishioners makes sleeping bags for the homeless. The finished sleeping bags are blessed during a Sunday service and distributed to homeless shelters in the Binghamton area. No sewing is involved; if you can tie a knot, you can help us make sleeping bags.
Coats for the Community
St. Paul’s partners with American Legion Post #154 to provide free winter coats each year, giving away an average of 1,300 coats. Coats are purchased throughout the year at discount and supplemented by donations from the community, interfaith groups, and local schools. Starting each October, they’re distributed at St. Paul’s and several partner churches across the area.
Soup/Salad Meal On the first Wednesday of the month from 3-5 p.m., we distribute about 100 free dinners of soup (or salad in the summer), applesauce, roll, and cookies on a takeout basis from the Chestnut Street entrance of the parish house.
Soup/Salad Meal
On the first Wednesday of the month from 3-5 p.m., we distribute about 100 free dinners of soup (or salad in the summer), applesauce, roll, and cookies on a takeout basis from the Chestnut Street entrance of the parish house.
Our Leadership
The Rev. Susan Treanor, Priest-in-Charge
Kate Aukema, Administrative Assistant
Vestry
Senior Warden: John Warriner Junior Warden: Lynne Graham Dan Graham Shelly Greene Dave Robbins Sandy Seeger Treasurer: John Finlon Clerk of the Vestry: Wanda PeirceOur Parish Hall
We have several spaces in our Parish Hall available for community use. Contact us at (570) 278-2954 to inquire about using our space and discuss guidelines around community use.
Main Event Space
The main event space in our Parish Hall can seat up to 75 people and also has a stage and a kitchen for food preparation.
In addition, we have three smaller rooms available for book studies, support group meetings, and smaller gatherings:
Our History
A Grand New Church in a Growing County Seat
Montrose became the seat of newly formed Susquehanna County in 1812, and by the 1820s it was a bustling trading hub for the surrounding farm country. St. Paul’s was chartered in 1831 by Congregationalists and Presbyterians who chose to become Episcopalians. Bishop Henry Onderdonk laid the cornerstone in 1832, and the congregation held its first service that Christmas Eve in a modest building donated by local tailor Reuben Locke, built for $1,200. Within two decades, the growing congregation had outgrown its first home. Philadelphia philanthropist Henry Drinker became the driving force behind a new church, commissioning renowned architect Richard Upjohn — the man who popularized Gothic Revival architecture in America — to design the building that still stands today. Completed in 1857 for about $7,500, the “country Gothic” stone church featured a striking rose window, a semi-octagonal chancel, and seating for 300. One contemporary reporter called it “the handsomest church… out of the city of Philadelphia.”
Craftsmanship, a Parish House, and a Garden
Over the following decades, the church added touches such as a Boston-made organ in 1866 (later replaced and electrified) and Tiffany windows behind the altar. In 1925, a gift from Samuel Warriner funded the construction of the Parish House, built on the site of the old Odd Fellows Hall next door. Dedicated in 1927, it gave the growing congregation a hall, meeting rooms, and offices that remain central to church and community life. In 1965, the church acquired the neighboring lot and transformed it into the Memorial Garden — including the “Miss Mary Garden,” honoring Civil War nurse Mary Mitchell
A Century of Care and Renewal
St. Paul’s has weathered — and repaired — the wear of time again and again. A five-year renovation plan launched in 2012 modernized the church’s wiring, lighting, and heating, and remade the chancel — moving the altar forward, adding a star-painted ceiling, and building a columbarium from salvaged oak pews. In 2016, road widening cost the church its street parking and shade trees, prompting a new lot and lighted walkway behind the Memorial Garden, which was renamed in memory of Elle McKeage.
St. Matthew’s
Tucked just over the county line in Stevensville, tiny St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is the oldest Episcopal church in our diocese, founded in 1799 by Revolutionary War veterans who settled the wilderness after leaving Litchfield, Connecticut. The current building, completed in 1820, has been lovingly preserved without indoor plumbing, electricity, or central heat — a rare, unspoiled glimpse into 19th-century worship. St. Paul’s has cared for this historic gem since 1924 and continues the tradition each year with a summer service held at St. Matthew’s. Check our events calendar for the date of the next service.
Today and Tomorrow
For nearly two centuries, St. Paul’s has grown and changed alongside the town it calls home — and it looks forward to continuing that story for generations to come. Join us for Sunday worship at 10 a.m, inquire about holding your community event in our Parish Hall, get in touch if you wish to lay a beloved family member to rest in our columbarium, or simply jump on our YouTube livestream to get a taste for the warm, welcoming, Christ-centered parish in your own back yard.