St. Paul Lutheran Church, 76 High Street, Middletown, will hold its final service on December 2nd at 9 a.m., ending 119 years as the home of its congregation. St. Paul has now consolidated with Christ Lutheran Church in Middletown to form Faith Lutheran Church.
Founded by German immigrants who came to Middletown to work in local factories, the St. Paul congregation has evolved into a diverse group of members of various nationalities.
The church building, which fronts on High Street and has its fellowship hall behind it on Oak Street, is being sold to the congregation of The Open Door Missionary Baptist Churchand the Reverend Mack Elder, which has been worshiping in the church for a year.
St. Paul has been a resilient congregation, suffering from intense discrimination during World War I when it changed its namefrom the German Evangelical Lutheran Church to St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, to be more accepted in the community, to a devastating fire on Christmas Eve of 1955,which forced worshipers to meet in the new church hall until the sanctuary was rebuilt.
A large painting of the Ascension of Jesus, imported from Germany, was severely damaged in the fire and lovingly restored by congregation member Elsie (Binke) Lee and will hang at Faith Lutheran Church, the new name of the combined congregations, which now worship at the former Christ Lutheran Church building at 300 Washington Street.
For comments about St. Paul’s final service, please contact Deanna Ray, President of the Church Council, at 860-347–6068.
This above information came from a press release from the church.