St. Peter's Evangelical 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. Peter's Cemetery information
Deutsche Evangelische St. Petri Gemeinde
St. Peter's German Evangelical Church
St. Peter's Evangelical and Reformed Church
St. Louis—Old North St. Louis (1845-1907)
St. Louis—Grand Prarie (1907-1966)
Ferguson (1966-present)
Chronology and locations
Chronology:
1843—Members leave Holy Ghost and form German Evangelical Congregation meeting at Benton School on 6th between Locust & St. Charles; congregation forms the nucleus for both St. Marcus and St. Peter.
1845—Two identical buildings constructed, one at Jackson (now 3rd) & Soulard (now Lafayette) as the South Church (Untere Kirche) and one at 15th (now 14th) & Carr as the North Church (Obere Kirche).
1848—The South Church and North Church become independent of each other; the North Church takes the name St. Peter's (the South Church becomes St. Marcus)
1850—New building on same site
1851—Admitted to ESNA
1906—Sunday school established at Prarie & St. Louis Ave. Three lots purchased at St. Louis & Warne
1907—Sunday school / chapel completed at St. Louis & Warne.
1915—New building at 4015 St. Louis Ave. at Warne, Charles F. May, architect
1957—St. Peter's Chapel established at Stein & West Florissant in Ferguson
1973—City location closed; congregation consolidates at chapel site; building sold to Lively Stone Church of God
St. Peter’s began life as the North Church (Obere Kirche) of the German Evangelical Congregation of St. Louis, which had separated from Holy Ghost Church in 1843. In 1848, the North Church separated from the South Church (Untere Kirche) and was known as the “German Evangelical Church of North St. Louis.” The congregation took the name “St. Peter’s” in 1855. After enlarging its frame church once, the congregation razed it in 1850 and constructed a larger brick church. A pipe organ was installed in 1853. Lighting came from coal oil lamps until gas lighting was installed in 1866. A cyclone in 1890 severely damaged the building, which was then rebuilt.
St. Peter’s began planning for relocation as its members began moving west in the early 20th century. The congregation purchased three at St. Louis and Warne in 1906. A store at Prairie and St. Louis Avenues was rented beginning in 1906 to serve as a Saturday German school and a Sunday school. A chapel for Sunday school and Sunday evening services was completed in 1907 and dedicated on March 5. A new church was dedicated on March 19, 1910. At its height, St. Peter’s Church at its St. Louis and Warne location was commonly regarded as the “cathedral” church among St. Louis-area Evangelical Synod congregations.
In 1955, St. Peter’s consistory appointed a committee to investigate the possibility of establishing a daughter congregation in a suburban location. The congregation purchased 7-1/2 acres at West Florissant and Stein Roads in Ferguson. After canvassing the neighborhood, worship services began at Moline School at 1860 Chambers Rd. on April 28, 1957, with 25 people in attendance. St. Peter’s Chapel was dedicated on Nov. 24, 1957. An education building was completed in 1959 and a new, larger church building dedicated on April 10, 1966. With the addition of the chapel location, St. Peter’s once again became a single congregation operating at two locations.
While the chapel congregation was growing rapidly, few members remained at the St. Louis and Warne location by 1967. After neighborhood outreach efforts failed, the congregation closed the city church in 1972 and consolidated at the Ferguson location. St. Peter’s continues to be an active congregation in the United Church of Christ.
St. Peter’s congregation helped establish several important ministries. In response a cholera epidemic, the Rev. Louis E. Nollau, St. Peter’s pastor, rented a small house on Carr St. near the church as a combination hospital and orphans home. The German Protestant Orphan’s Home (now Evangelical Children's Home) was subsequently established at 8240 St. Charles Rock Rd. in 1866 and the Good Samaritan Hospital in 1857.
The hospital became Good Samaritan Home for the Aged in 1928 (closed 2004). The Evangelical Deaconess Society and Deaconess Hospital was also organized at a meeting at St. Peter’s on March 18, 1889 Deaconess Hospital was sold in 1997 but continues to operate as Forest Park Hospital under different ownership.
St. Peter’s helped establish Concordia Church in 1863 by providing land from its cemetery near Wellston and by lending financial support. In appreciation, the congregation changed its name to St. Peter's in 1889. "Little St. Peter's," as it was affectionately known, relocated to St. Louis Ave. and Lucas-Hunt Rd. in Normandy in 1939 and closed in 1980.
When St. Peter’s moved to St. Louis and Warne, it sold its old building to a Jewish congregation and was later owned by an African-American Baptist congregation. It was razed in 1963 when 14th St. was widened.
Records are available on microfilm in the Archives at Eden Theological Seminary and in Special Collections, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Branch (FHL film #1503031, 1503132, 1503033, 1976582). Original records are located in the Archives at Eden Theological Seminary.
Some St. Peter's records are available online.
George Wendlin Wall, 1843-1845
J.J. Riess, 1846-1852
Adolph Baltzer, May-Dec. 1847
Louis C. Nollau, 1852-1860
A.W. Roeder, 1860-1870
E. Roos, 1870-1880
A. Thiele, 1880-1885
J.F. Klick, 1885-1908
Wm. Hackmann, 1908-1926
August C. Rasche, 1926-1945
Elmer Hoefer, 1946-1966
David Knicker, 1967-1969
Tony Carpenter, 1970-1972
O. Walter Wagner (interim), 1973
Serving St. Peter's Chapel and the consolidated congregation
Earl Main, 1957
Robert McNamara, 1957-1962
Paul Daussman, 1963-1989
Charles Steven (interim), 1989-1990
Duayne Meyer, 1990-1999
P.J. McWilliams, associate, 1996-1999
A.H. Schroer, interim, 2000-2002
T.J. Ressler, 2002-
Parochial school:
Est. 1845, closed 1913
Introduction of English:
St. Peter’s first began holding monthly English evening services on June 14, 1908. Confirmation instruction was conducted exclusively in English by 1913. The last German service was held on Feb. 1, 1942.
Membership:
In 1930: 1000
In 2005: 330
St. Peter’s Evangelical United Church of Christ
1425 Stein Rd.
Ferguson, MO 63135
(314) 521-5694
Church website
A Century of God’s Grace: The Centenary of the Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost, St. Louis, Missouri, October 1934. St. Louis. Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost, 1934.
St. Marcus Evangelical Church, Saint Louis, Missouri: Centennial Observance, October 10, 1943. St. Louis: St. Marcus Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1943.
St. Peter’s Evangelical Church, One Hundred Years, 1843-1943. St. Louis: St. Peter's Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1943.
St. Peter's United Church of Christ 150th Anniversary, 1843-1993. St. Louis: St. Peter's United Church of Christ, 1993.
Schneider, Carl E. The German Church on the American Frontier: A Study in the Rise of religion Among the Germans of the West, Based on the History of the Evangelischer Kirchenverein des Westens (Evangelical Church Society of the West), 1840-1866. St. Louis: Eden Publishing House, 1939.
Updated January 16, 2007. Queries, corrections and problems should be submitted to Scott Holl, Assistant Librarian.