History:

For sixty years the Emmanuel Wesleyan Church of Gratz, Pennsylvania has served as a light for the gospel of Jesus Christ and a haven where souls find peace and comfort in God. The church began in 1946 when a group of individuals set out on the exciting adventure of establishing an Independent Holiness Church. The group began its meetings in Pillow, PA. A year later a church building was purchased for $5,000 and the congregation relocated to Gratz, PA. The Rev. Errold Yoder served as the first pastor of the Emmanuel Wesleyan Church. He was a good pastor and laid the foundation for a healthy church that would continue to step forward into the future. Since that time the church has been led by many capable leaders who have established the ministry of the church and grown it into a vibrant member of the body of Christ. A list of these pastors includes the Rev. Paul Peirpoint, Rev. B.L. Bidwell, Rev. M.R. McCrary, Rev. Jack Hooker, and Rev. Tim Dotson. Today, Emmanuel Wesleyan Church is ably led by Senior Pastor, Jonathan Heath.

 A key to the vitality and success that Emmanuel Wesleyan Church has enjoyed over the years has been its unwavering commitment to fulfill the Great Commission. While outreach has always been a part of EWC, 1982 marked the beginning of a bus ministry that revolutionized the impact of the church in the local community. Since that time dedicated members of the congregation have faithfully operated this ministry. Currently, three bus routes to the Williamstown, Elizabethville, and Millersburg areas are in operation. Another exciting ministry began in 1996 with the opening of Emmanuel Wesleyan Academy. For the last 10 years EWA has been providing a quality education to young people that is well rounded and Biblically based. Along with these two particular ministries EWC operates a broad range of ministries that reach young and old alike. These ministries include youth and childrens ministry, a monthly nursing home service, prayer support, and heavy support of foreign missions.

In October of 2004 the main phase of the Journey of Faith project was completed. This project was to build a new church auditorium. The project was started in Sept. 2002 under the leadership of Rev. Tim Dotson. As the building project went forward the church body gave  their support and truly lived out the campaign slogan, Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. With the new church auditorium completed further expansion of Emmanuel Wesleyan Academy and growth of many other ministry opportunities have been made possible. Future plans include further expansion of Sunday School rooms in the basement of the new church along with a new church office and pastors studies.