St. Paul Lutheran Church, Chuckery
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.