St. Paul United Church of Christ

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St. Paul UCC Church History

Confirmands through the years

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Church History

How the Church Began
The first settlers from Germany made their home here in 1838 to 1840. They held prayer meetings and worshipped in their homes the first years because there was no church in the community. In 1842 The German Lutheran Church was started in Huntingburg and some of the settlers joined that church. More settlers came in the next couple years. Since it was hard for many and impossible for others to go to the Huntingburg Church, they got together and talked about buying some land to build a church of their own. They elected two "Brothers" to go to Louisville and Cincinnati to contact their "German Brothers" for financial help for building their own church. Some money was collected. They proceeded with the grace of God and according to the teachings of the Apostles to build a Christian Parish. On December 26, 1845 they elected a church board that was accepted and installed in their duty by Pastor William Hunderdosse. Records of early baptisms go back to 1838 and even one 1799. They made up the church order (by laws) and went ahead building the Church and in the month of March and through the Grace of God the church was completed. On Whit Sunday {Pentecost} in 1846 the first service was held in the new Church.

How the Church was Built
The land, forty acres was purchased from William and Mary Rothert for $51.00. The Trustees of the German Evangelical Church at that time who signed the deed were Fred Hoge, Frederich Niemoller, and William Rothert. The following members signed the first constitution: Herman W. Feldwish, John H. W. Rothert, John W. Steinkamp, Gerhard W. Meierholz, Herman H. Holtkamp, Henry W. Stieneker, John F. Steinkamp, Rudolph Hilgeman, John F. Hausfield, Frederich Meyer, Frederich H. Niemoller, Herman W. Stork, Henry Tellejohn, William Schoerlicke, Frederich Kahle, Henry Wibbeler, H. H. Fenneman, William Kuck, John H. Overbeck, H. Holtkamp, Frederich Rothert, John H. Schror, Henry Stork, William Schror, Henry Woebking, Samuel Caldemeyer, Adolf Katterjohn, Henry Castrup, Henry Fark, Herman Rust, John F. Benning, John Harmeyer, H. G. Kamman, and Fred Hoge. We do not have the names of the good mothers who worked and prayed with their husbands that the church might prosper. This book is dedicated to those who started the church and to the many others who continued the church through the years to the present time. The first church was built of logs. It was located just west of the present church. It was used for worship until 1869 when the present church was built. The first parsonage was located near the north south road 775 West near the northwest corner of the forty acres which the congregation still owns. There was a barn there nearby to house the Pastor's horse, and maybe a cow and some chickens. We find in the records that members sometimes gave the Pastor corn and hay in addition to the hay and pasture that he received from the acreage there. The first schoolhouse was located II somewhere near the creek". There is a record of the first constitution --it is very detailed and lengthy. Some of the family names of charter members are still on the membership list of St. Paul today. Some are no longer here and many others have been added in the past 150 years. It is hoped that many others will be added in the future.

Building a Larger Church - Memories Inside the Cornerstone - Division of the Pews
On June 1, 1868, the decision was made to build a larger church, one built with brick. The cornerstone was laid on April 4, 1869. The Cornerstone had the following inscription in German "Evangelical St. Paulus Church". The following documents were placed into the cornerstone: The Church by-laws, a short survey of the beginning of the parish, a song book of our Evangelical Synod of the West and their regulations, The Evangelical Catechism, the church paper Die Friedensbote, a Children's newspaper of our Sunday School, and the American Botschafter. Also included were names of the following groups: The Church Board, The names of the members who made the decision to build the new church, The names of the ones that helped build the church, and the construction foreman and his helpers. After the cornerstone laying, Pastor Weissgerber of Huntingburg made a "pure and earnest speech" to the very large group that attended. "The new church shall be 32 feet wide, 52 feet long, and 18 feet high. It shall have a Gallerie and a Steeple ff. Frederich Tormohlen of the building committee announced that the cost of roofing for the church (Pazzal shingles)would be $3.25 per thousand delivered. Every member who has a team of horses shall furnish it for use in the work. Those who do not have a team shall work manually. E. Kaupmier as his contribution will build the church door, the pulpit, and the frames for the windows. The entire membership shall work one day around the church area. The door shall be to the south --the steps shall face east, south, and west. A chair for the pastor shall also be made. The church shall also have an "Utterschied" --a divider between the pews. The men shall sit on the right and the women on the left. A member, H. Schroeder, agreed to build it free of charge. The brick used in building the church were made on the Hilgeman farm about one-half mile west of the church.

Dedication of the New Church
They must have worked hard and had lots of cooperation in the building process because this committee was appointed on September 28, 1868 and the new church was dedicated on October 10, 1869. On Dedication Sunday October 10, 1869 the group first assembled in the old church. The Pastor delivered a short address after singing hymn 383 and then closed singing hymn 12. This service brought many memories to those who worshipped there. While the bell was ringing in the new church, they left the old church and marched to the new church. There they sang the first verse of hymn 4 Thut mir auf die schone pforte (Open wide the portals). Then one of the elders presented the Pastor the key. He opened the door, entered in the name of God, the others followed, filling the church. About one third of the people were not able to get in.

The following pastors took part in the dedication:
   Pastor chris Schrenk of Evansville    Pastor Frik of Kratzburg
   Pastor Zimmerman of boonville    Pastor Spathelf of Huntingburg

After the visiting choir from Huntingburg sang, Pastors Schrenk and Zimmerman executed the dedication. Pastor Schrenk delivered the sermon. In the afternoon Pastors Zimmerman and Spathelf talked about missions. Pastor Frik conducted the evening service. The same pastors also conducted a Harvest Festival service on Monday morning.

A School was Built
A new school was built in 1878 after lots of discussion and planning. This school was built near the site of the old one. Some children attended this school instead of public school. The Pastor was the teacher, and the term was usually four months. Parents who were not members of this church could also send their children to this school for fifty cents per child per term. The cost of this building was $214.90 and was built by contractor A. Shepman.
New Parsonage
A new parsonage was built in 1882. The size was to be 30 feet by 48 feet. It was built just east of the church and was built by the members.
The following were appointed on the building committee:
Joh. Overbeck    Fried. Hilgeman H. Werwille Casp. H. Schroeder
Each member was to donate 20 days labor on the parsonage. A day was to consist of eight hours at $1.30 per day. Fr. H. Hilgeman was in charge of the carpenter work. The house was to be covered with oak shingles and were to be made by the members. The window and door frames were to be bought ready made. The total cost of the parsonage was not stated. Records do say that on March 31, 1885 the deficit of the building fund was $4.71.
15 Year Anniversary
In the year 1895 the fiftieth year anniversary was held. Former Pastors were invited, but only Pastor M. Mehl came. He preached at the morning worship service. The present Pastor Juergens read a report on the origin and the present standing of the church. In 1898 it was decided to build a new school. This building shall be across from the parsonage and not "near the creek" as the old one was. The same bell (the first in the community) that called people to worship in 1869 still calls people to worship today. To think how many times that bell has been run in the past 121 years would be hard to guess -thirty thousand or more. Various improvements and additions were made over the years. The congregation bought one-half acre of ground from Henry Rothert in 1912 to build a new barn for the pastor. The first organ used in the new church was a "Melodian". It was used until 1914 when the present pipe organ was purchased. Mr. Cornrumph of Huntingburg said at the time "it is a better organ than can be found in Huntingburg". It was dedicated on April 19, 1914. In 1920 it was decided to put in electric lights. A gasoline powered light plant was installed in a back room of the parsonage to supply electricity for the church and parsonage. Until this time they used oil lamps in the early years and later gas lights. In 1920 they also celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the church. The following pastors took part in the services: Rev. J. Schlundt Rev. Sam Caldemeyer Rev. H. Juergens Rev. Phillip Frohne Rev. H. J. Schoettle There were eight deceased Pastors and one deceased Deaconess at this time. They were remembered with a song and this memorial prayer: "The faithful God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will allow the St. Paul congregation many more jubilee celebrations and above all the jubilee in Heaven, where all the redeemed triumph through the blood of Jesus Christ". Services were conducted in German until at least 1923 when the Superintendent of the Sunday School agreed with the parents to use the English language in the Sunday School. Because until this time their travel to and from "J;I; . church was either by foot, or by horseback, buggy, surrey, or wagon, there was a double row of horse stables along the road from near the ditch north to near the schoolhouse. There were thirty or more and as the early cars (such as the model T Ford) gradually took the place of the horse, the stables were gradually taken down, the last ones were taken down in 1943. HORSE STABLES New pews were installed in the church in 1939, and sometime after 1940 new stained glass windows were put in replacing the old solid colored glass ones.
100th Anniversary
In 1940 St. Paul celebrated its one hundreth anniversary with several services including an outdoor pageant in the woods south of the schoolhouse. This pageant was written by Clarence Doetker and was presented by the members. Succeeding years brought more changes and special events to the St. Paul Congregation. In 1948 a parish hall was built on the north end of the church. It had a nursery and a large room upstairs that could be divided for classrooms, and the basement had a large room and a kitchen. Worship services on the first Sunday of the month continued to be held in German until 1945 when they were discontinued. There were two German communion services per year until 1947. Planning and preparation for a new parsonage started in 1952 and it was built in 1953. Dedication was November 8, 1953.

115 Anniversary
The one hundred fifteenth year celebration was held on June 12, 1955. Pew communion was started in 1955. A new addition was built on to the parish hall on thewest side, also a new kitchen in the basement. Restrooms were also added in the basement. This was done in 1957. Dedication for this addition was June 29, 1958. The old barn was removed in 1961 and a new garage was built on the same location. The church and parsonage were connected to city water in 1966. The church was incorporated in 1966. The pipe organ was placed above the parish hall and electrified in 1969. Natural gas was brought to the church and parsonage in 1971. A number of improvements and repairs were made as needed: a new roof, tuck pointing the brick on the original building, installing air conditioning. The New Foyer
There was some discussion and planning about adding a ramp and replacing the old sandstone steps which had been in use since the church was built in 1869. Nothing definite was decided until 1985 when a committee was chosen to build a foyer and also include a ramp. This was started late in 1986 and completed in 1987. This addition was dedicated May 31, 1987. It includes an entrance on the east and one on the west side, a ramp, and rest rooms. It also features a large stained glass window at the front. New walks were added and the new shrubs and landscaping all make this addition something we are proud of.
New Foyer Committe: Building - Melvin Schroeder, Raymond Prior, Anna Mae Benning Allen Donnerman, Harry Beumer
Finance: Joyce Kahle, Harold Bartelt, Nancy Beumer, Louis Hemmer, Jerald Wadsworth, Wayne Kahle

Members of the Church
From the time of the Civil War until the present time our members have and are serving in the Armed Services. Members of the church have served in numerous ways including membership in auxiliary organizations. The Sunday School was probably the first as records show that teachers were elected in 1857. The first choir was organized in 1878. The Young Peoples League (Jugenverein) was started in 1897 under the pastorate of Rev. Henry Juergens. The Ladies Aid was started in 1910 with the help of Rev. Thomas Haller. The Womens Guild (now called the Women of the Church) was started sometime later. The Young Adult Fellowship was started in 1988 jointly with the Augustana Young Adults. There also was a Junior Choir and later a Youth Choir. We now have the children of the Sunday School sing once a month. We have a Womens Chorus that sings for worship service once a month, and they also sing at the Huntingburg Convalescent Center once a month. Back Then and Now
In writing this history it is difficult to include all things that took place in the early years of the church as far as building and worship. The young people of today need to be reminded that the life style was a lot different in the early years than it is today. There was no electricity, no gas heat, no running water, no indoor plumbing, no cars to go to and from church. That is why they had to have a coal shed, a barn, and cisterns. The Pastor had to have a horse for his means of travel, that is why the trustees were instructed to build a new corn crib because "the rats were eating the corn in the old one". There were times when they needed to build a new coal shed, or dig a larger cistern. They also had to take care of the improvements and repairs to the church and parsonage, such as papering a room or painting the windows and doors. The worship was somewhat different than it is today. There were more special services, such as the annual Mission Festival which had three services: morning, afternoon, and evening. For many years the women served noon meals free in the schoolhouse for this annual event. The picnic suppers were also served in the schoolhouse until the parish hall and basement were built in 1948. When the picnic was started is not exactly known. Income from this supper in 1901 was $38.86. There were also services on Ascension Day and Good Friday. For a number of years The Young Peoples league held a Confirmation Reunion Service on Palm Sunday evening. They also had a Union League service with the loar Methodist League. The appearance of the church grounds were quite different than it is today. The church had a fence around it which sometimes had to be replaced every year. Also the parsonage, the garden, and the cemetery each had a fence.

It was quite common for the treasury to be short of money. Often they would have $20.00 or less and sometimes less than a dollar. Then each member would be asked to pay one, two, or three dollars so the church could meet its expenses. An itemized report follows, April 1899 to April 1900:
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Among our first organists were Fred Buddemeier, Herman Sickbert, Fred Beumer, and William Sickbert. The first organists to play new organ were John Kahle for church services, and Alma Steinkamp Hemmer for the choir, the Sunday School, and the Young Peoples League. With the new organ came the need for an organ pumper. One member was appointed to arrange to have someone there to pump the organ usually for a month at a time. An electric blower replaced the hand pump in 1935. In 1934 the home electric plant was replaced by high line current from Huntingburg. The early church was very segregated --as stated earlier the pews had an "Uttershied" (a divider to separate the men from the women.) The men were to sit on the right side and the women on the left. I have been told by a former member that some couples would sit on their respective side in the same pew and pass their babies over the divider as the need arose. The early communion was also segregated, the men partaking first then the women. This was changed in 1934 when all went together.

The business meetings were conducted by the men only. The women did not attend, did not have a voice in the issues nor have the right to vote. This was also changed later. The women were however elected to teach in the Sunday School. In the early years the Sunday School teachers were elected by the congregation, and later appointed by the Pastor. The offering in the early church was taken with something different than the plates we use today. Instead they had a cloth sack of fine velvet with a tassel underneath, this was on the end of a pole used for a handle. This was passed through the pews by the "Collectors" as they were called. It was taken during the singing of a hymn. The customs changed as the years passed. Women attended business meetings, voiced opinions, voted in church decisions, and in the election of council members. For a number of years we have had women serve on committees and on the church council. We were very happy to have Rev. Denise Smelley ordained into the ministry at St. Paul on April 24, 1983. In the early years of the church the members of the church council would sit on the platform along the east wall during the entire worship service. Disagreements and disputes among members were taken to the church council and if they failed to settle the matter it was taken before the congregation at a special meeting. One such incident recorded was a dispute between neighbors who were both members of the church, concerned a roadway line. The church council tried to arrange a peaceful settlement in this case. This was to take place instead of taking it to court. They were also strict in their rules concerning payment of money to the church. Quote --"If a member does not pay his church dues by Whit Sunday, after being notified by the church council, and does not explain why, he will have his name stricken from the membership list".

I have enjoyed going through the records and preparing this history. It would certainly be amiss if I did not extend a special thank you to Mr. Gus Klawitter of Dale, IN who did a wonderful job translating our original German minutes into English. The first eighty seven years of our records were in German. Without this it would have been impossible for me to write this history.
- Edward Kahle

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