Founding

On October 14, 1848, seventeen members organized the First Presbyterian Church of Harrison on North Washington Avenue. Many of those founding members came from the Scranton, Platt, and Madison families, the same industrialists and city founders who were building Scranton’s iron industry at that time. The congregation grew alongside the city through the second half of the nineteenth century.

A manse was constructed for the church in 1898.

The 1904 Building

On September 28, 1903, W.W. Scranton, son of Joseph H. Scranton and chair of the building committee, laid the cornerstone of a new building at Madison Avenue and Olive Street. The Gothic structure features flying buttresses, a Latin Cross floor plan, Tudor arches, and wooden beams. Frank Carlucci hand-carved every limestone block on site. Workers constructed the entire building without power tools.

Rev. James McLeod presided over the dedication, and the first service was held on October 23, 1904.

The Tiffany Windows

The church holds ten windows and objects produced by Tiffany Studios between 1904 and 1927. They arrived in three waves.

The first was the Platt Memorial window, installed in 1904. Depicting the Ascension across three lancets, it was donated by Emma Platt to commemorate Joseph Curtis Platt (1816-1887) and Catherine Serena Scranton Platt (1822-1887).

In 1911, the Hallstead Memorial window depicting the Resurrection was installed. Mary Elizabeth Harding Hallstead donated it, and it was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1911. Four years later, on March 14, 1915, three more windows went in: the Manness Memorial (Prayer of the Good Shepherd), the Fuller Memorial (Christ Blessing Little Children), and the Dickson Memorial (The Good Samaritan), commemorating Alexander W. Dickson (1843-1912).

The Hunt Memorial window, depicting the Supper at Emmaus, was installed around May 1916. It commemorates Alexander Everett Hunt (1835-1914) and Frances E. Hunt (1837-1911).

The 1927 Windows and the Decker Font

Three final Tiffany windows arrived in 1927. The Griffin Memorial (Christ Knocking at the Door) was donated by Michael J. Martin to commemorate Sarah McWade Griffin (1834-1910). Achsah Bethiah Dickinson Fowler donated the remaining two: the Fowler Memorial (Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem) and the Jones Memorial (The Lord’s Supper).

The church also holds the Decker Memorial Font, a marble baptismal font inlaid with glass and mother-of-pearl, made by Tiffany Studios around 1908. It commemorates Austin M. Decker (1832-1883).

Green Ridge Presbyterian Church

On June 24, 1875, thirty-nine members organized Green Ridge Presbyterian Church. Most came from Providence Presbyterian, with a few from First Presbyterian. By 1892 they had laid a cornerstone at 1031 Green Ridge Street, and on February 23, 1893, Rev. Dr. Nicholas F. Stahl conducted the first service in the new building. Membership grew past 600 by 1900.

Two Mergers

In December 1926, First Presbyterian merged with Second Presbyterian Church, located at Jefferson Avenue and Vine Street, to form Westminster Presbyterian Church. The combined congregation continued to worship in the 1904 Madison Avenue building.

More than fifty years later, in 1981, Green Ridge Presbyterian merged with Westminster Presbyterian. The resulting congregation took the name Covenant Presbyterian Church. The former Green Ridge building at 1031 Green Ridge Street was sold in 1982 to Scranton Revival Baptist Church for $90,000. That building closed in 1985.

The Chapel and Renovations

In 1948, the Schautz family endowed the chapel beneath the main sanctuary. The church established an Infant Care Program in 2001.

A major renovation took place in 2012. Workers replaced the marble floors, repainted the walls, and upgraded the audio-visual and lighting systems. The pipe organ was sent to the Patrick J. Murphy Organ Company for re-voicing and re-leathering.

Community Work

Covenant Presbyterian distributes more than $125,000 annually to local missions. The church gives $5,000 to $6,000 each year directly to individuals in need or crisis, and $10,000 to $15,000 to high school students pursuing post-secondary education. Partner organizations include the NEPA Youth Shelter, Women’s Resource Center, Outreach Center for Community Resources, and NeighborWorks.

The church basement houses offices for Habitat for Humanity, Breadbasket, and Safety Net.

Current Operations

Covenant Presbyterian is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) under the Presbytery of Mountain Laurel. The congregation numbered approximately 370 parishioners as of 2023. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 AM, with Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month and a nursery available from 10:00 AM. Services are live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and the church website. Parking is available in two lots, one at Olive Street and Monroe Avenue and another at Vine Street and Madison Avenue.

The congregation celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2023.