To Praise God and to encourage the people to hear the Word of God

In 1899, there was no organized Lutheran Church in Utica; however, there were a number of congregations already established in the surrounding area. Perhaps the one most instrumental in the forming of our congregations was St John, Waco, where a number of Utica’s Lutheran residents attended church. The pastor there decided that perhaps it was time to provide services in Utica and in November of 1898, he did that. About 75 people attended services and this marked the informal beginning of what would later become St Paul Lutheran Church. In May of 1899, a congregation was founded and named the German Evangelical Lutheran Church St Paul Congregation at Utica. After worshipping for several months in the Utica Presbyterian Church, a resolution was passed to build a building 28’ x 26’ which would serve as the church building. This church was completed at a cost of $1,321.40 and dedicated on November 12, 1899. It stood just south of the church building that was later built in 1926 on the corner of D Street and Indiana St. This building served the congregation for many years until 2003 when the new church building was built connected to the school.