OUR HISTORY
In 2012, St. Paul Lutheran Church will mark our 125th Anniversary at which time we will celebrate our past, our present and our future. Our past has it's roots in our German ancestors immigrating to America and settling in these lush green hills that reminded them of their homeland. They brought with them many things from their motherland, including their religion ...for it was in Germany during the height of the 16th Century Reformation that the Lutheran church was born. A small group of these German immigrants gathered on March 20, 1887 to organize a church in their new land. They quickly moved forward with plans to build a church building. By the spring of 1888 the new building was dedicated and the first worship service was held in it. Services were originally conducted in the German language prior to an English service being added and we were worshiping in both languages almost until the start of WWII. The original building is still standing, and is just a few blocks east of our current location on National Road.
Seventy five years after the first building went up, the ground was broken for a new one. Land was purchased at our current site and the cornerstone for the new building was set in the summer of 1963. On May 17th 1964 , Pentecost Sunday the new building was dedicated and the first worship service was held. That building was smaller than the one you see today. Additions and improvements to the building were made starting in 1975 with the addition of 7 educational rooms, a superintendents office and air conditioning being added to the sanctuary. The last major improvement occurred in 1985 when the elevator was added.
Only God knows exactly what the future will bring for St. Paul Lutheran Church, but considering our rich history, our faithfulness to serving our risen Savior Jesus Christ and our desire to minister to the wonderful community in which we live, we face the future confident that it will be as rich and blessed as our first century has been.
