Worship

BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple

The Former St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church and School at 245-265 Reynders Street (more recently known as The Prince of Peace Parish School), closed in June 2011 due to financial hardship. Shortly thereafter the three buildings were bought and converted to this BAPS Hindu Temple.

Centenary United Brethren Church / Centenary United Methodist Church

Organized in the one room school house just below Mohn Street, their congregation (having held all of their meetings there) eventually purchased the building for $200.00, thus providing them with a proper house of worship. Their first minister was Reverend J. P. Smith in 1867. In 1873 the Village of Baldwin was designated as an official station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and in 1874 Reverend Van Hoff Gosweiler led his congregation in the building of their new frame church on South Second Street just below Swatara Street. Some 14 years later in 1888 a new brick church was erected on South Second Street opposite the German Lutheran Church, who bought their old frame building. Shortly after their 100th Anniversary celebration, the church suffered a horrible arson fire which rendered the building unsalvageable. Once again they moved, this time to their present location on Orchard Drive in Swatara Township which they renamed Centenary United Methodist Church. The pastor at that time was Reverend Charles A. Russ. Source: Steelton, Pennsylvania – Stop, Look & Listen by John B. Yetter & Harold L. Kerns. (Published by the authors January 1, 1979 and by Triangle Press January 1, 1980).