About Us

Our Church

We are a gathering of the disciples of Jesus Christ committed to support one another while reaching out to our community with a word of hope and grace. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Lutheran Christian congregation providing a full range of Christian ministry to the village of Dauphin and its surrounding area. Centered in Word and Sacrament, we bear faithful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, while caring for our neighbors.

Nicole Wachter

Pastor

The Rev. grew up in Jefferson, Maryland where she was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Hood College in Frederick, MD, a Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD and a Master of Divinity Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Pastor Wachter was ordained in the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in December of 2012 and began her call as pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dauphin on January 1, 2013.

Douglas A. Bonsall

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

Doug is originally from the Millerstown, PA area and a ‘76 graduate of Pennsylvania State University.

He worked for 36 years with the Public School Employees’ Retirement System before retiring. Along with his position as Director of Music at Zion Lutheran, he also holds part-time positions as a health care communications consultant with HOP Administration Unit, and Director of Operations/Office Manager/Webmaster for PA Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems (PAPERS). Although a frequent substitute organist at Zion for many years, Doug took the position as Director of Music in 2012.

Tracey Sudia

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Tracey has been a member of Zion for 28 years. She has been married for 30 years and has two grown sons.

Tracey worked for 15 years as the Computer Technician for Central Dauphin School District before retiring. She took the position as Zion’s Office Administrator in 2016. She lives in the Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin and enjoys volleyball, tennis, and spending time with family and friends.

Church Council

Zion’s Council is made up of 9 members plus the Pastor. Floyd Bechtel is our church treasurer, with Sonia Evans as our assistant treasurer, and Dee Wesner is our financial secretary. Members are elected for a 3-year term and can be in office for two consecutive terms. If you have a church concern, please talk to one of the council members.

Our Church Family

Mick McCommons – President

Kevin Musselman – Vice President

TomScott – Secretary

Floyd Bechtel – Treasurer

Sonia Evans – Asst. Treasurer

Dee Wesner – Financial Secretary

Doug Bonsall

Tammy Calhoun

Judy Harner

John Mimnall

Catherine Smith

Monica Wesner

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

is one of the largest Christian demoninations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. For us, as the ELCA, this faith comes through the good news of Jesus Christ and gives us the freedom and the courage to wonder, discover and boldly participate in what God is up to in the world.

www.elca.org

Lower Susquehanna Synod

With 234 churches and over 86,000 baptized members, our synod is one of the largest of the 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the fifth largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

https://www.lss-elca.org/

Lutheran World Relief

works with local partners to provide lasting solutions to poverty. Pencils, a toothbrush, a quilt…ordinary items we take for granted become treasures in the hands of their recipients. Zion participates in the LWR worldwide kit program. Our gifts of time and resources are beautiful expressions of God’s love and grace to those in greatest need.

https://lwr.org/