Can you imagine a church built so close to a railroad that the constant rumble of trains was part of its daily sound? This is the story of Church of St. Asaph, a building with a Victorian Gothic soul nestled in Bala Cynwyd. The history of St. Asaph runs deep. Six men gathered in 1887 at Pencoyd, the home of George B. Roberts, not for a business meeting, but to start something new. They became the founders of the church, a testament to their faith and vision. Theophilus P. Chandler, the architect, designed a building resembling St. Asaph Cathedral back in Wales, a beautiful homage to the first settlers of this corner of Pennsylvania. It was a grand gesture reflecting the dreams of the Bala Cynwyd community. A blizzard in 1888 interrupted groundbreaking, but the spirit of the founders was not dampened. The cornerstone was laid, and the church rose amid the fields near still unpaved City Line Avenue. The first service on March 24, 1889, marked a new chapter in the life of St. Asaph. The first rector, Rev. Frederick Burgess, used the money collected from that first service to support the victims of the Johnstown flood, a poignant gesture that embodies the spirit of service that continues to this day. Today, St. Asaph stands tall, a beacon of community and a testament to a legacy of faith, generosity, and resilience. The echo of those first trains, the rumble of progress, still lingers, a reminder that sometimes the best foundations are built on the most challenging of times.
Zion Baptist Church
Founded in 1882 Zion Baptist Church stands proudly in Philadelphia. It’s a testament to faith resilience and community. This wasn’t