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St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Grant Park will celebrate its 140th anniversary on July 12. photo by Ileane Breslin
St. Paul Church celebrates 140 years  Share
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Grant Park will celebrate its 140th anniversary on Sunday July 12. There will be two services, one at 9:45 a.m. and another at 3 p.m. Pastor David Schmidt and former Pastor John Zickuhr will conduct the morning service and former Pastor Reinhardt Kom and Pastor Schmidt will preside over the afternoon service. A cake reception will follow the 3 p.m. service, and congregation members welcome anyone wishing to celebrate this memorable occasion with them. St. Paul's congregation has a rich history. The church was formed on July 11, 1869, as the Evangelical St. Paul Congregation of Yellowhead Township, also known as ''Petersburg,'' with services being conducted in German. On December 19 of that year, the first church, schoolroom and parsonage were dedicated. On the night of January 24, 1880, the church buildings and original records were lost in a fire. Church members immediately began to rebuild and a new church and parsonage were dedicated on November 7, 1880.
In June of 1886, the congregation officially became a Lutheran Church as part of the Missouri Synod. In 1916, the church was completely rebuilt and enlarged. Also in that year, the Ladies Aid Society was formed and its first project was to donate a new altar to the church. In 1918, English services were held for the first time. For many years, the church flourished and continued teaching the Word of God in its truth and purity. In the 1960's, the congregation became concerned about the doctrines and practices of the Missouri Synod. The congregation decided not to leave the Synod. However, about 20 families left the congregation and founded Our Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church in Grant Park. St. Paul's congregation stayed with the Missouri Synod until 1969 when its terminated its membership. It remained independent until 1974, when it joined the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. In 1976, the Dorcas Society donated a steeple spire to the church, but the spire has been rebuilt twice after being blown down by strong winds. Strong family ties and membership involvement, dedication and faith have blessed the congregation through the years. Today, St. Paul's flourishes in God's grace with a renewed vigor towards evangelism. The congregation continues to grow and looks forward to a future of service to the glory of the Savior. Russell Publications prints several community newspapers each week, serving Will, Kankakee and Cook counties.
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