St. Paul United Church of Christ
Established 1848
PAGE CONTENTS
Also known as
Community
Chronology and locations
History
Church records
Pastors
Other facts
Contact information
Sources
See also St. Paul Cemetery information
Deutsche Evangelische St. Pauls Gemeinde
German Evangelical St. Paul (or St. Paul's) Church
St. Paul (or St. Paul's) Evangelical and Reformed Church
St. Louis—Soulard (1848-1924)
St. Louis—Oak Hill (1924-present)
Chronology and locations
1848—Congregation founded as a split from St. Marcus; met in home of Pastor Adolph Balzer
1849—Admitted to ESNA
1850—New building, 1808 S. 9th St. near Soulard St.
1874—New building, same site
1875—Church enlarged
1882—The pastor leaves with a faction to form St. Pauls-Friedens
1896—Church destroyed by tornado, rebuilt same site, Charles F. May, probable architect
1911—Frame Sunday school chapel erected at 3510 Giles at Potomac
1923—Parish hall and Sunday school wing constructed
1924—Congregation consolidates at Giles & Potomac location
1932—Building completed, Hoener, Baum & Froese, architects
When the Rev. Adolph Baltzer, an orthodox pietist, resigned as pastor of St. Marcus Church over issues of church discipline, he and his supporters founded St. Paul Church on October 23, 1848. According to the constitution, only Christians expressing a life of faith lived according to the Word of God and willing to conform to the discipline of the congregation would be admitted as members
Wo
rship services were first held in the pastor’s house at 9th St. south of Soulard on Dec. 31, 1848. A new church, dedicated on the same site on Feb. 17, 1850, included the parochial school and living quarters for the pastor and school teacher. A larger church was dedicated on the same site on Nov. 8, 1874 and expanded again in 1875. After the May 27, 1896 tornado destroyed its building, the congregation rebuilt and dedicated its new church on Palm Sunday in March 1897.
By the turn of the 20th century, St. Paul members were moving out of the neighborhood. The congregation began a lengthy relocation process by first building a temporary chapel and Sunday school at Giles Ave. and Potomac St. in 1911. After holding services and Sunday school in two locations, the congregation was consolidated at the new location in 1924. A building with a parish hall and Sunday school rooms was dedicated 1932 as first phase of a new church plant. The completed church was dedicated on Pentecost, May 15, 1932
St. Paul congregation split in 1882 when the Rev. Otto Telle resigned over a doctrinal dispute. With his supporters, he established St. Pauls-Frieden Church. A partisan struggle among remaining St. Paul members threatened the continued existence of the congregation. Order was restored during the interim pastorate of the Rev. F. Koewing, and the Rev. Jacob Irion brought stability with his long tenure beginning June 13, 1882.
The use of English in the congregation began when the Rev. Otto Press was called to a specific English-language ministry as assistant pastor on Dec. 1, 1909.
When St. Pauls congregation relocated in 1924, it sold it’s 9th-Street building to Holy Trinity Slovak Roman Catholic congregation. Holy Trinity occupied the building until the congregation dissolved in 1984. Since 1989, the building has been occupied by Ninth Street Abbey, a banquet / restaurant venue.
Microfilm copies of St. Paul records, 1847-1998, are available in the Archives and in Special Collections, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Branch. Original records should be located at the church.
Adolph Baltzer, 1848-1850
S. Liese, 1851-1853
J. Will, 1853-1854
J.C. Seybold, 1854-1865
R. John, 1865-1880
C.A. Richter, 1881-1881
R. Krause (as assistant), 1880-1881
Otto Telle, 1881-1882
F. Koewing, 1882
Jacob Irion, 1882-1922
Otto Press (as assistant), 1909-1922
Paul Stoerker, 1922-1930
T.J. Herrmann, 1930-1946
Erwin H. Bode, 1946-1983
Paul John Bode (as associate), 1954-1983
Rudolph W. Raber, 1984-1992
Kimron B.Reising, 1993-1998
K.E. Weaver, interim, 1998-1999
R. M. Keller, Jr., 1999-
St. Paul Church interior, 1897
Parochial school:
Est. 1848; closed sometime between 1900-1910
Introduction of English:
1909
Membership:
In 1930: 500
In 2005: 96
St. Paul United Church of Christ
3510 Giles Ave.
St Louis, MO 63116
(314) 772-4772
Church website
125th Anniversary, St. Paul United Church of Christ, 1973. St. Louis: St. Paul United Church of Christ, 1973.
Diamond Anniversary, 1924, St. Paul Evangelical Church, St. Louis, Mo. St. Louis: St. Paul Evangelical Church, 1924.
Evangelische St. Pauls-Gemeinde, St. Louis, Mo., 1848-1898. St. Louis St. Paul German Evangelical Church, 1989.
"Jubiläum der Fünfunddreissigjährigen Amtswirksamkeit an St. Paul in St. Louis und Feier des siebzigsten Geburstages des Pastors Jakob Irion, abgehalten in der Evangelisches St. Pauls-Kirche (1917)," printed program, 1917, Archives at Eden Theological Seminary.
Schneider, Carl E. “Early History of the St. Paul’s Evangelical Church of St. Louis.” Manuscript, Archives at Eden Theological Seminary, s.d.
St. Paul, 1848-1948. St. Louis: St. Paul Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1948.
St. Paul Church interior, 1932
Updated September 2008. Queries, corrections and problems should be submitted to Scott Holl, Archivist at Eden.