St. John’s Lutheran Slatington Offers a “Second Chance”
Authored by Cheryl Burke, Deborah Geiger, Nancy Rehrig and Pastor Hahn
Following the teaching of Jesus to help our neighbors, 50+ volunteers of the Second Chance Shoppe, Main Street, Slatington, PA, unlock the door every Tuesday through Saturday to an offering of quality used clothing, household goods, baby necessities, toys, seasonal merchandise and more - all at an affordable price. Items for sale in the shop are donated by the St. John’s congregation, neighbors, local groups, strangers and, of course, by our partners in faith. Anything that is not usable for the Shoppe is recycled. The volunteers live by the ELCA motto “God’s Work. Our Hands.”
The Second Chance Shoppe opened in October 1965 with the first month’s profit totaling $307.65. By 1976, the Shoppe was providing donations of $15,000 to the larger community. The concept was the brainchild of Paul Bittner, who when traveling in Canada, stopped in a small town in Ontario. There, he learned that the local church’s second hand store raised $10,000 in a single year of operation. That was enough for Mr. Bittner to inspire the King’s Men (men’s group) of St. John’s to do likewise. St. John’s had embarked on an improvement campaign in the mid-1960s and the men hoped the new endeavor would help reduce the project debt. The shop was open 22 hours per week with 5 regular volunteers. In 1983, three women took over the shop and for the next 20 years, Loretta Yenser, Marie Roth, and Helen Allem managed the responsibilities.
Today, decisions, management, and vision for the Second Chance Shoppe are guided by a Board of directors, led by Deborah Geiger (President), Nancy Rehrig (Vice-president), Karen Kistler (Secretary), Florence Smith (Treasurer), and Denise Miller (Asst. Treasurer). The Board works with many partners - individuals and organizations including the St. John’s Congregation Council - to secure volunteers, goods, and general support.
In 2025, the Second Chance Shoppe Board was able to provide over $46,000 in charitable donations to a host of benefactors, including: Slatington Public Library, Bear Creek Camp and Camp Sponsorship for kids, Lutheran Disaster Response, Northern Lehigh Food Bank and Kids Summer Snack Packs, Northern Lehigh Valley EMS, Frieden’s UCC Children’s Gift Program, Walnutport Canal, Northern Lehigh Education Foundation, Slatington Baptist Church, Bethany Wesleyan Church, Assumption BVM Congregation, Cay Galgon Life House, The Kindness Project, and a host of St. John’s Lutheran ministries, including scholarships and the Breakfast Bunch (summer children’s meal) program.
The Second Chance Shoppe has expanded the reach to our neighbors by action of our neighbors! Volunteers are busy on Mondays preparing and sorting for the busy week ahead. Shopping hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with staffing provided by St. John’s members, UCC partner members in Slatington and Walnutport, Baptist, Catholic, and many other denominations represented in the make-up of volunteers. Without the hard work of organizing provided by Deborah and Brian Geiger, the efforts of coordinating volunteers, storing seasonal goods, unpacking and sorting donations, and more would be chaotic. The Board of the Second Chance Shoppe also gives special recognition to Slatington Baptist Church pastor, Rev. Jim Levan and his wife, Wendy, who also take, store, and distribute much of the Shoppe’s transitional and recycled items.
Why do we do this?
The People of St. John’s Lutheran, the Board of the Second Chance Shoppe, and our community volunteers do all this for the young man starting his first job who needs dress pants and a white shirt, but has not yet received a paycheck to get that clothing. We do this for the young lady who proudly wears and displays the dress she would otherwise not be able to get for prom. We do this for the elderly man who finds a warm quilt for the winter. We do this for the incredulous look on the child’s face whose struggling mother can finally say “yes” to the game or the toy or the sneakers or the doll that the child asked for. We do this for the grandparent unexpectedly raising a grandchild in need. We do this for those who still lack the few cents or dollars to purchase what they need and to provide those items through the gifting of others, or through the goodness of grace.
We have all been gifted by God with a sense of grace and we’ve been called by our Savior, Jesus Christ, to love one another. In one small way, this community comes together to help one another out to ensure that each receives “a Second Chance.”
Thank you, St John's, for allowing us to share your story
St John's Lutheran Church, Slatington, PA
