History of St. Paul Lutheran Church In 1912 there were five Evangelical Lutheran Congregations in Neenah/Menasha, not one of which used the English language in conducting worship services. The matter was brought to the attention of Rev. William Stump, who was a missionary pastor in Oshkosh. He was zealous in wanting to improve the situation and started work on forming a new congregation in Neenah. In the spring of 1912, he was invited to meet with a few interested persons at the home of E.I. Nash of Neenah. Arrangements were made for services to be held in a small chapel owned by a congregation of Norwegian Lutherans on Bond Street near High Street. Seminary student F.R. Webber came as supply pastor on April 28, 1912. While seminarian Mr. Webber was at St. Paul’s, Pastor Stump frequently came to preach Sunday services. Mr. Webber boarded with the Goldners, charter members of the church, because there was no money for a parsonage. He also was not paid. When the congregation was first organized, the members would haul wagon loads of wood for the pot belly stove. Apparently little money was put in the collection plate, so the Ladies Aid prepared suppers to raise money. The small chapel on Bond Street was purchased in 1913 for $600 and services were held there regularly until it became too crowded. With the improvement of the financial situation, it was voted at the time of the chapel purchase to pay $600 annually toward the support of a permanent pastor. The Board of English Home Missions contributed $400 more for the comfort and support of the pastor. Pastor Sommers was called to be the first full-time pastor. The altar, lectern and pulpit (still used today) were hand-carved and built by John Blenker more than 96 years ago. St. Paul’s English Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized on September 22, 1912 and became a member of the Northwest Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America. The Ladies Aid Society was organized in May 1912 with 16 charter members. The name “St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church” was chosen by the congregation on September 8, 1912. The new church quickly outgrew the chapel and the present location was secured in 1914. The cornerstone of the new church was laid July 11, 1915 and the dedication was held on May 21, 1916. The Rev. Samuel Roth began his pastorate in 1936 and under his guidance the church grew and expanded. Two mission congregations, St. Timothy Church in Menasha and St. Mark’s in Neenah are the results of this expansion. These “babies” were born fairly close together--St. Timothy in 1945 and St. Mark's in 1949. In 1956, the inside of the current structure was gutted, both ends of the building were removed and the sanctuary was completely turned around. The congregation now faces the east instead of the west. This also made room for a larger, improved office area and a basement fellowship hall. A chapel with stained glass windows was included as part of this 1956 remodeling. The main entrance at that time was on West North Water Street. The last major building addition, completed in September 1992, added a larger nave and Narthex, a youth room and Sunday School rooms, new offices, and a new kitchen. The entrance was once more moved, this time to Bond Street. Since then, there have been other improvements and changes to the sanctuary area to allow a variety of worship settings--multiple choirs, musicals, contemporary worship, etc. |
