KULPMONT - The Rev. Joanne Young remembers her mother telling her as a child to come home from the party while she was having a good time, so she would remember the day when it was at its best.
"Well, these past 20 years have been the perfect day, and it's time for me to go home from the party," she said.
Young will be officiating at her last service Sunday after 20 years as pastor of the Kulpmont First United Methodist Church.
"She has no idea how many people she has affected," said Ted Kurasavage, of Marion Heights, parish lay leader for the last 10 years. "The whole community will miss her."
Since her first service on June 30, 1991, Young has been very active in the Kulpmont community, even though she lives an hour away in Drums.
"People often tell me that they wouldn't know what this community would do without me, but I'm not doing any more than I'm supposed to," she said.
Although the church has a small congregation, it was able to sponsor the Angels Table dinner, donate food and supply baskets to those in need and participate in many activities with the other churches in the borough.
"Sometimes there's friction between denominations, but that all goes away when you meet her," said Kursavage. "No one questioned what church you were from. The whole community was able to work together."
Young said during one of her sermons, she mentioned that her daughter who was in the service said they didn't have enough blankets in Afghanistan. The congregation rallied together by themselves and donated more than 100 blankets to the troops.
"A lot of the things we do aren't publicized, but that's the way love should be," she said.
Also, despite the limited funds of a small congregation, the church saw many renovations during Young's time there.
"For a church that didn't have a lot of money, we sure had a lot of faith," said Young.
She said parishioners donate enough money so the church has enough funds to maintain operation for a full year without any more offerings.
"It's important to note that because it shows these people want to do all that they can to take care of the church," she said.
In an effort to add to the services, Young often brought in local choir groups to sing.
"I think it helps to lift the self-esteem of the community," she said. "When I open the doors, I can feel the love here."
Local groups like the Barbershop Quartet and Kings Messengers have looked forward to being part of the Young's worship.
"When you leave, you feel much better because of the effort and the love from her," said Kurasavage.
Young said she is going to miss community events the most, events such as the annual Memorial Day parade.
"When you go down the street, you see all the excited kids waving flags. I remember two little girls running down the sidewalk just to give me a hug," she said. "This town has such a wonderful spirit. It is to be envied and emulated."
Methodist tradition forbids Young from returning to the church or having direct contact with the congregation for a year after retirement, but she still plans to continue helping the area by opening a food bank in Mount Carmel. She is also looking forward to spending more time with her daughters in Reading and North Carolina, watching NASCAR, feeding the animals on her farm, quilting and directing a summer day camp in Hazleton.
Beverly Petrovich will split her time as pastor of the Irish Valley United Methodist Church in Paxinos to preside at the church in Kulpmont at 9:30 on Sundays.
"Knowing the people here, I'm sure they will embrace her," said Young.
Young's last service Sunday will feature a song from her daughter, and family, friends and members of the church will then have a dinner in her honor in Ashland.
Young is also considering a singing performance for her final service. Although she said she's not sure if she will sing, she will probably start her sermon with a question that she so often asks her congregation on Sundays, "Have I told you how much I love you people lately?"-"