Our History

Pastors who have served

Rev. Henry Carl Knust                          1893-1921

Rev. H. Huge                                       1922-1925

Rev. Conrad J. S.Wachholz                 1925-1946

Rev. Carl E. Zehner                             1946-1951

Rev. Alfred J.Boester                           1952-1959

Rev.  Spencer M. Nygaard                   1960-1962

Rev. Frederick A. Rediger                     1962-1969

Rev. Donald R. Vetter                           1970-1977

Rev. Philip E. Andreason                      1979-1984

Rev. Kenneth L. Albers                         1985-1991

Rev.Hubert A. E. Rausch                     1991-1997

Rev. William Britton (Interim)               1997-1999

Rev. Gerald D. Matzke                         1999-2006

Rev. Paul R. Schlueter                         2006-present 

Teachers who have Served

Rev. Johann H. Werfelmann                1892-1893

Mathilde Scheiderer                             Spring of 1893

Rev. Henry Carl Knust                         1893-1906

C.W. Buuck                                          1906-1910

Edward Gutzler                                     1910-1914

R.I. Leuthauser                                     1914-1918

C.W. Wiedenhoefer                              1919-1921

William Zeiter                                       1922-1928

H.W. Teske                                          1928-1942

Martin Meier                                         1942-1944

Rudolf G. Merkle                                  1944-1971

Georgianne Alvarez                             1967

Donald Hinkle                                       1968-1969

Max Eickhoff                                         1971-1986

Lynn Savinell                                        1974-1976

Lois Vollrath                                         1976-2014

Judy Buckley                                        1985-1990

Karl Roeske                                          1986-1992

Barbara Nicol                                       1989-1990

Chris Dellinger                                      1990-2013

Jane Stolzenburg                                 1992-1998

Karen Boerger                                      1992-2007

Tina Fisk                                               1998-1999

Kay Mortimer                                        1999-2002

Elizabeth Renner                                  2002-2007

Lisa Kunze Lape                                   2002-2014

Darlene Becker                                     2006-present

Angela Buckley                                     2007-2008

Kristi McFadden                                    2007-2009

Mark Kehr                                             2009-2011

Lori Winkle                                            2009-2014

Barbara Arnold                                     2009-2012

Julie Schlueter                                      2013- 2017

Belinda Allen                                      2017-present

Important Dates in St. Paul Chuckery History

March 14, 1892 - The original St. Paul property, consisting of ten acres of land, was purchased from John and Elizabeth Scheiderer. 

May 29, 1892 - The Lutheran school house that had been built at Chuckery was dedicated.  Reverend J. H. Werfelmann of St. John taught school three days a week and preached every third Sunday afternoon until the spring of 1893.  Mathilde Scheiderer taught school for the 1893 spring session. 

August 27, 1893 - H. C. Knust, ministrial candidate, was ordained and installed as the first resident teacher and founding pastor.  Until 1906 the school had just one teacher, who also served as the pastor for St. Paul Lutheran Church.

September 15, 1893 - St. Paul Lutheran Church was formed when the congregation submitted an application formally withdrawing membership from St. John congregation in “the Settlement.”  26 families, consisting of 117 people were included in those who left St. John.  A few other individuals and families also helped charter the church.  Charter members included  Emanuel Bishop, George Bishop, Philip Bishop, John L. Boerger, Conrad Burger, John Burns, George Burns, Michael Dellinger, Albert Gaulke, Theodore Grener, H. C. Knust, John Loschky,  Mathias Loschky, George Mayer, Conrad Nicol, J. G. Nicol, J. George Nicol, Emanuel Rausch, Adam Rausch, Casper Rausch,  Martin Rausch, George Renner, George Frederick Scheiderer, Jacob Scheiderer, John Stephen Scheiderer, John Schmidt, Daniel Streng, John Thiergartner, John Vollrath, and Phillip Vollrath.

1894 - The original St. Paul Lutheran parsonage was built.  Until the completion of the parsonage, Pastor Knust boarded at the home of George Bishop on Streng Road.

1895 - The Ladies Aid was founded.

January 17, 1899 - Gottlieb and Lizzie Burns sold 1.45 acres of land to the congregation for the  purpose of establishing a cemetery.  This land was(is) adjacent to the existing Mitchell Cemetery and near the Reed Covered Bridge.

October 12, 1902 – The first church building for the St. Paul congregation was dedicated.  Prior to this date, both the school and the church shared the same building.

April 1, 1906 – Land between St. Paul Lutheran Church and the Chuckery Special School was bought from J. G. and Katie Burns.  This land was used to build a teacherage for the St. Paul Lutheran School.  Over the years, this home housed various teachers and principals for the school.

1918 – The congregation voted unanimously to hold church services and school in the English language only.

September 26, 1926 - The Young People’s Society was established.  This was an early precursor to the LYF.

September 24, 1943 - The Young People’s Society became members of the National Walther League.  Today this group is known as the LYF within St. Paul.

July 5, 1942 - The Chuckery Special School District property was bought by the church for $730.00.

1947 - The first hot-lunch program was started at the school.

October 26, 1947 - The first Annual St. Paul Turkey Supper was held. 

1951 - The Christian Education Association at St. Paul Lutheran School was organized.

September 27, 1951 - Ground was broken for the new school building.

April 1952 - The original one room school house for the St. Paul Lutheran School was razed by Walter and Norman Renner.  Until the completion of the new school building, classes for the school were held in the old Chuckery Special School building.

August 24, 1952 - The cornerstone for the new school building was laid. 

March 1, 1953 - The new school building was completed.

March 15, 1953 - The current St. Paul Lutheran School building was dedicated.

1958 - The official date of the Annual Turkey Supper was established as the second Sunday of November.

March 10, 1963 - The old St. Paul Lutheran Church building was razed.

May 3, 1964 - The new St. Paul Lutheran Church building was dedicated.

February 27, 1974 - An additional three acres of land was bought from William and Mary Burns adjacent to the St. Paul Cemetery for the purpose of expansion. 

1979 - The current St. Paul Lutheran parsonage was built.

November 1, 1981 - Women were granted voting rights by way of a new Church Constitution.

July 1985 - The St. Paul Lutheran School Board was given the authority to start a Kindergarten.

1985 - The stage in the school gymnasium was converted into a Kindergarten room.

January 3, 1988 - The church assembly voted to add two rooms to the east side of the school building.  Included in this plan was a conversion of the lower grade classroom into office space and a Kindergarten room. 

February 19, 1989 - Ground was broken for the school addition.

Summer 1989 - Construction began on the school addition.

October 29, 1989 - The school addition was dedicated.

1989 - The Kindergarten was moved from the stage to the classroom between the church and the gym.  The stage was then converted into a library.

1993 - St. Paul Lutheran Church celebrated its centennial.

2006 - A preschool was added to the current St. Paul Lutheran School.

2009 - The two room modular unit was purchased and brought to the St. Paul property in Chuckery.

2009 - A latchkey program was begun.

2011 - The St. Paul congregation voted to add an eighth grade to the school.

2014 - School was closed. Early Childhood Center continues.

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