New life has been breathed into the former Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity at 18th and Wolf streets in South Philly’s Girard Estate neighborhood.
Philadelphia Praise Center, also known as the PAX Center, is a multi-ethnic church that officially purchased the historic 1800s era property in July. Formerly located at 17th and McKean streets for the last 18 years, Philly Praise Center sought a larger location to run its services and grow its congregation. The PPC is a member of Mosaic Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Church USA.
“Through collections from our conference,” Pastor Aldo Siahaan said. “We knew that Trinity Lutheran was selling their property. So we made an offer and found the mortgage and finally made the closing by the end of July.”
According to a Philadelphia Inquirer article from 1897, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity dates to 1843 with an annex completed in 1889. The church held its final service in 2023.
“We had to bring it up to date, but nothing major,” Siahaan said. “But we did have to make some renovations.”
The Philadelphia Praise Center originated in 2005 as an independent Christian church serving mostly immigrants in South Philadelphia, especially from Indonesia. Siahaan, who was the founding pastor, said he’s looking to partner with other groups who would like to use the facility.
“Once we purchased the building, we already had a vision that this big building needs to be a blessing for our community,” Siahaan said. “The whole building is called the PAX Center. In Latin, that means peace. It’s a gathering place for all the community.”
One group that moved in is the St. John Baptist Church pre-K, which was formerly at 1232 Tasker St. The church closed in August after 115 years. Pre-K services were held there the last 80 years.
“My son used to go to that pre-K,” Siahaan said. “So I had a good relationship with the teacher. When we heard that St. John was closing down, we offered them to move into our space. Now, they are part of the PAX center.”
The Girard Estate Neighbors Association, also known as GENA, was one of the first to welcome its new neighbors to the area.
“Girard Estate is delighted to welcome the PAX Center to our neighborhood,” GENA president Jessica Frye said. “Upon the notice of sale, neighbors feared demolition or development of the historic property, so we’re incredibly grateful that PAX has taken ownership. They’ve invited us to come together as a community, share their warm, welcoming spaces, and find ways for us to partner. The property has never looked better and we’re so excited for what’s in store.”
The PAX Center will be hosting an open house on Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for neighbors to see the updated facility.
And worship services called Kebaktian are held at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. A Sunday school is available for the early session. All are welcome, according to Siahaan.
“It’s mostly serving an Indonesian congregation, but we do have English translation,” Siahaan said. “Right now, there is also a Hispanic group using our facility and we are open to any group who would like to partner with us.”
