On July 1, 2003. Salem Church received a new pastor. Actually, he was a former pastor. Salem's "new" pastor, Dr. Gary Kuehner, served as the pastor of Salem Church from 1978 to 1989, when the church was located at Fourth and Franklin Streets in Hamburg. Since Pastor Gary's arrival the church has grown from an average attendance of about 110 to a current attendance of about 170.

Salem Church has two Sunday services: traditional worship at 8:30 a.m. and contemporary worship at 10:45 a.m. The church exists to worship and praise God. Salem Church is called to love God and people and produce mature Christians with a passion for Christ. The church's goal is to become an "Acts 2" church, doing what the first church did to fulfill its purpose and mission. Salem Church's desire is to glorify God by growing inknowledge through education, in love through fellowship, in faith through prayer, in service through ministry, in spirit through worship, and in numbers through evangelism.

Salem is a church that shares the message of the Bible in new and relevant ways - contemporary without compromising the truth. The church offers various activities and Bible study groups for adults and has three youth groups. The people at Salem have truly discovered the joy of knowing and serving Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, 2003, Salem Church reached a milestone. A special offering was taken, and the amount received paid off the church building debt. Exciting things continue to happen, with new families coming to the church each week.

Lord willing, future plans include the construction of an activities center with a gymnasium, kitchen, fellowship hall, and educational classrooms. As the church continues to grow, the sanctuary, which currently seats about 350, will be expanded. The paved parking lot will also be enlarged to accommodate the anticipated growth.

God is doing great things at Salem Church. The people at Salem believe that as long as they remain faithful to their calling, God will continue to bless their efforts.

From Supplement to The Hamburg Area Item and The Kutztown Patriot, February 18 & 19, 2004 on berksmontnews.com