Early Congregational History

On July 16, 1865, St. Paul German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation organized in Pleasant Ridge, Ohio. The congregation held services every other Sunday afternoon in a Methodist church, led by Pastor J. G. Theiss, who was installed in February 1866. The young church disbanded in January 1868, following disagreement regarding whether or not the congregation should be affiliated with a Lutheran synod. Some of the members joined together and held a meeting on February 16, 1868 to organize the German Evangelical St. Paul Church, which proceeded to hold services and meetings in the Madisonville School. This marked the establishment of our congregation as a member of the Madisonville community.

The new St. Paul congregation immediately purchased land at its present location from Benjamin Stuart at a cost of $550. Building plans for a church were presented and accepted at a meeting on March 15, 1868. The church was built with assistance from members of the congregation, at a cost of approximately $2,150. (Photo: Old Building w Tower)During construction, Pastor Gottlieb Dietz was called to serve the congregation. (Photo: Pastor Gottlieb Dietz)Dedication of the new church building took place in December 1868. Pastor Dietz served the church for only a year, and following his departure, the congregation again called Pastor Theiss who had served them in Pleasant Ridge. Under the long tenure of Pastor Theiss, who was a Lutheran, the congregation gradually developed its Lutheran character. (Photo: Early Pastors)In 1889, the church changed its name to The Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul Church and adopted a Lutheran constitution. The congregation joined the Missouri Synod in 1895. Several improvements were made to the church building and grounds in the coming years, including the addition of a stone wall, bell tower, stained glass windows, electric lights, an organ built by members of the congregation, new pews, and a horse shed. (Photo: Old Building Interior)The first English services were held in 1903, on Sunday evenings, once every two months.

In 1906 the congregation decided to open a school and embarked on a project to construct a school building and a parsonage for a cost of $7,000. (Photo: Old School)The school was dedicated on August 26, 1906, opening with 68 students who were taught by a single teacher, E. J. Ollmann. (Photo: Old School Classroom)In 1916, a teacher’s residence was built for $3,175 on land that has been purchased prior for $680. Land behind the church property was purchased in 1927 for $1,900 to provide space for a playground. (Photo: Old Church, Parsonage, School, Teacherage)A second teacher, Alvina Bernhardt was added in 1921.

Throughout the 1920s, under the guidance of Pastor M. C. Baade and later Pastor Walter Littmann, the use of the English language became more prominent at St. Paul. The frequency of Sunday evening English services increased over the years until they were occurring twice a month in 1928. The first English morning service was held in 1918, becoming a weekly feature in 1920, when both English and German services were held every Sunday morning. The constitution was revised and translated into English in 1923. Meeting minutes were not recorded solely in English until 1930. (Photo: Church Council 1930s)The final German service was held in 1954.

In 1912, St. Paul embarked with Emmaus Church to start a mission in Norwood, but the project was unfortunately unsuccessful. In 1921, St. Paul, in partnership with four other LC-MS congregations, founded The Federation of Lutheran Churches of Cincinnati and Vicinity. The Federation was established to reach and serve lost and hurting souls in the community. Additionally, the Federation became a driving force in planting new congregations. Also in 1921, this time partnering with Trinity Church (today Prince of Peace), St. Paul began a new mission in Silverton. Efforts bore fruit and late in that same year, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church was organized. Between 1925 and 1927, Pastor Littmann preached at an abandoned church in Mt. Carmel, hoping to launch a new congregation there, but that goal never came to fruition. In 1928, Pastor Littmann began preaching in Maysville, KY, which led to the founding of Trinity Lutheran Church. From the late 1930s on, Pastor Littmann became a frequent speaker over the WLW and WSAI radio stations.

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