St. Gabriel's, founded in 1720, is the oldest established church in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Originally Swedish Lutheran, St. Gabriel's had deputies at the convention which elected The Rt. Rev. William White to be the first Bishop of Pennsylvania, and helped to form The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Located in what was once a rural area, we are situated along a major corridor in what is now considered a "northwestern suburb" of Philadelphia, with population, housing and business having grown at a tremendous rate over the past 20 years.
Due to a recent building expansion & renovation, we are blessed with two traditional worship spaces, the 1801 Chapel, listed on the Historic Register, and the 1884 church, as well as classroom and office space and a multi-purpose room with a new commercial kitchen.
St. Gabriel's is a lively parish with parishioners of all ages! Our ministries include:
- Sunday School for all ages, including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd/Godly Play and Journey to Adulthood
- Youth Group
- Adult Study Group
- St. Gabriel's Good Shepherd Learning Center (610-385-1933) - Day Care & Pre-School
- Scouts - Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies
- Recovery Groups - AA (5 meetings/week), Al-Anon, ACoA
- Supporting Hopewell Love In the Name of Christ, an ecumenical ministry to help people in need in our area
- Providing homemade soup to be distributed at a local food pantry each month
- Providing two weekly services of Holy Eucharist and a Bible Study at the senior housing facility, the Villa at Douglassville, located next door