History of St. Paul Lutheran Church

St. Paul Lutheran Church was officially organized on December 8, 1907 by a tiny group of Lutherans gathered in the small Bethany Cemetary Beckman Chapel at the north end of Laurens Street. Less than a month later, on January 8, 1908, the name of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church was formally approved. There were 28 charter members. At that time, a single pastor served St. Paul, Resurrection Lutheran in Augusta, and St. James Lutheran Church in Graniteville, SC.

In 1942, the congregation in Aiken became a separate parish with its first full-time resident pastor, Rev. John B. McCullough, and a membership of about 70. At that time, Aiken was a "Winter Colony" town characterized by polo and horse racing, with little industry and little growth.

That changed in 1950 when the Atomic Energy Commission announced plans to build the Savannah River Plant resulting in rapid growth in all of Aiken's churches. St. Paul sold its building, which had been erected in 1909 at a cost of $2,500, and built a new downtown church on Laurens Street at a cost of $119,192.97. The new facility was dedicated on December 6, 1953. In 1967, the congregation added a new education wing at the rear of the church.

Pastor McCullough served from 1942 to 1943, when he entered the Navy during World War II and from 1948 until his retirement in 1979. Pastor Charles Shealy, Jr., ministered to the people of St. Paul during Pastor McCullough's military service and left in 1948 to accept another call. When Pastor McCullough retired in 1979, the Rev. William Cobb was called to lead the congregation. He served St. Paul from 1979 to 1989 when he left to accept another call.

In 1989, Rev. John E. Wertz was called to St. Paul. That same year, the congregation purchased adjoining property from Radio Station WAKN/WNEZ in order to provide much needed office space and elbow room. On January 10, 1993, the congregation approved the purchase of property, on the outskirts of the community, on Trail Ridge Road. Ground breaking for a new church was held October 22, 1995.

The first regular Sunday Worship service was held in the new Sanctuary on September 22, 1996, followed by a dedication service on November 3, 1996. Rev. Richard F. Poock joined our staff in September 1997 as assistant Pastor and served in that capacity until he retired in October 2005.

On December 7, 1997, during our 90th anniversary celebration, Rev. John B. McCullough, who served as our pastor for 32 years, was honored by being named as St. Paul's "Pastor Emeritus" and the Laurens Street facility was sold to Second Baptist Church. Construction on Phase II of the new facilities  began in October 1998. Dedication of the office space, additional classrooms and the Margaret Lee Fellowship Center was held September 26, 1999. Total cost for our new church and education facility was $1.2 million.

Our new Casavant pipe organ was purchased for $167,000 and installed in December 1998. The organ was formally dedicated on February 14, 1999. Beth Barkhau, Diaconal Minister, joined our rostered staff in March of 2000 to work in the area of worship support, congregational outreach and servant ministries, youth and adult education.

In November of 2002 a new $67,000 maple, multi-purpose floor was purchased and installed in the Fellowship center and dedicated on June 1, 2003. On September 15, 2003, after nearly 15 years of service at St. Paul, Pastor Wertz announced his resignation to accept another call. In November of 2003, Dr. Robert E. Snyder was named as our Interim Pastor and served with devotion and diligence until replaced by Rev. Robert T. Byrne, who accepted the call to become our new pastor as of November 29, 2004.

In 2007, spurred on by our slogan Founded on Grace/Growing in Mission, we celebrated our 100th Anniversary as a congregation with a series of year-round commemorative events.

During our first 100 years, God has most certainly showered us with His unending grace and our mission and ministry have flourished. We look forward to building on the momentum of our first 100 years in our second century in God's service.

1907

1909

1953

1996

History of the Lutheran Church

For more information on the history of the Lutheran Church, visit the ELCA website at www.ELCA.org.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was formed over 20 years ago. This new church was formed from three separate and well-established North American church bodies:

• The American Lutheran Church
• The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and
• The Lutheran Church in America.

Beginning January 1, 1988, these churches, with shared beliefs and missions, officially formed the ELCA. Two decades later, this energized church is composed of 4.8 million members and nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S. and Caribbean. Today, the ELCA reflects the rich and diverse heritage of the people it serves.

But to understand our heritage fully, one must trace our roots back through the mid-17th century, when early Lutherans came to America from Europe, settling in the Virgin Islands and the area that is now known as New York. Even before that, Martin Luther sought reform for the church in the 16th century, laying the framework for our beliefs.