St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Napoleon, Ohio was gathered by Pastor A.W. Bergt, then in charge of St. James' Church, German Township, Fulton County, Ohio. The congregation was organized in the fall of 1856 and on November 2nd, 1856, Pastor Bergt was installed as its pastor by the Reverend A. Detzer of Defiance, Ohio. Before Pastor Bergt's advent, Pastor Detzer had visited the Lutherans of Napoleon and given them some spiritual service. However, the first Lutheran pastor to visit the scattered Lutherans of Napoleon, and vicinity was Rev. F. Koenig of Cincinnati, who from 1852 to 1855 made at least two itineraries in this neighborhood, baptizing the children, giving the most necessary instruction preparatory to confirmation, confirming those so prepared, distributing Holy Communion, and preaching in the homes of the people, wherever he was able to gather a small audience. Since Henry County at that time was an almost impenetrable swamp, the visits of Pastor Koenig were connected with great difficulties and even privations and obstacles in the way of the people getting together for worship likewise were very great.

Since Pastor Bergt lived over fifteen miles from Napoleon, he was not able to give the congregations as much service as he wished. Then, it must not be forgotten that the roads in those days were at certain seasons of the year practically bottomless and at others so rough as to be almost impassable. Pastor Bergt served the congregation very faithfully till he accepted a call to a congregation in Missouri in 1864. During the six years of his pastorate at St. Paul's he baptized 38 children, confirmed 4, served at 4 funerals, and solemnized 1 marriage. Of Pastor Bergt and his successor, Pastor Rupprecht, it must be said that neither heat nor cold, neither rough nor bottomless roads hindered them in performing their duties to the small flock of Napoleon; they sought to be shepherds of this distant flock in the fullest sense of the word.

Pastor Bergt's successor in the old Leininger Church of Fulton County was Rev. Paul Rupprecht, and he also succeeded him as the pastor of the flock in Napoleon. He entered upon his duties in St. James' Fulton County, June 5 1865, and took up the work at St. Paul's soon after. He served St. Paul's as much as could during his incumbency of the pastorate; but it became more and more apparent that the distance and the bad roads made it almost impossible for the pastor of St. James' to serve St. Paul's. Then, too, the membership in Napoleon was increasing to such an extent that it was thought that the whole time of a pastor might be occupied with the care of the Lutherans in and about the village. Pastor Rupprecht therefore suggested that the congregation call its own pastor, and so candidate P. Karrer was called by St. Paul's of Napoleon, and St. Paul's of Flatrock Township, a small congregation that had just come into existence. Pastor Karrer was installed on the 11th Sunday after Trinity by Rev. Paul Rupprecht. Rev. Rupprecht, during his pastorate, baptized 35 children, confirmed 7, solemnized 4 marriages, and served at 3 funerals.

In the fall in which Pastor Karrer began his labors in Napoleon, St. Paul's erected its first church building. Prior to this the congregation had for a while worshipped in a private house belonging to Philip Rieger on East Front Street, and when these quarters became too small services were held on Sunday afternoons in the Episcopal Church on West Clinton Street. The new church building was situated on Monroe Street near East Clinton and was dedicated to its sacred purpose on the 21st Sunday after Trinity, 1867. It can be easily understood that there was great rejoicing among the people because they now possessed their own church; and it was also quite natural that the new church accelerated the growth of the congregation. Pastor Rupprecht preached at the dedication of the new church. The other preacher was Prof. H. Achenbach of Concordia College, Fort Wayne.

Under the faithful care of the new pastor the congregation experienced a healthy growth from within and without. The services were well attended and the general interest betokened by the people in their church was quite gratifying. During the pastorate of Rev. Karrer the congregation also built a parsonage. Though it was small and unassuming in appearance, it was practically arranged, served its purpose, and was in keeping with the material circumstances of the membership. Pastor Karrer baptized 50 children, confirmed 7, buried 8 persons, and solemnized 14 marriages.

In the autumn of 1871 Pastor Karrer accepted a call to a congregation near Hoagland, Indiana. As his successor St. Paul's called Pastor L. Dulitz, at the time located at Huntington, Indiana. Pastor Dulitz accepted the call early in 1872, but was not able to move to Napoleon till some months after his acceptance. He was inducted into his new parish June 2, 1872, by Pastor F. Zucker of Defiance.

Four rural congregations had united with St. Paul's to call Pastor Dulitz, and so the new minister had a parish consisting of five charges. It was plain to see that St. Paul's pastor had his hands full indeed. During the long vacancy the Napoleon congregations had enlarged and greatly beautified the parsonage, and by these enlargements and improvements it had become one of the best residences of the town.

Pastor Dulitz was most heartily welcomed and everything possible was done to make his reception a happy function. Great success also attended the first years of his pastorate and the congregation enjoyed a steady growth. But after a few years' service trouble arose which resulted in the departure of several members. This trouble occurred just at the time when the whole Lutheran Church throughout the world was celebrating the third centennial of the Formula of Concord, 1877. But while St. Paul's was torn by discord at this date, it was able to take part in the rejoicings of the Church when the 350th Anniversary of the Augsburg Confession was celebrated in 1880, since by that time all its troubles had been laid by. Upon the occasion of the observance of the latter event a new bell in the church tower was rung for the first time. This bell served the congregation for fifty-five years; for when the congregation moved from the old location on Monroe Street to its new house of worship, the bell was hung in the tower of the new church to continue calling members to worship.

In 1882 St. Paul's Church in Napoleon Township (Hanover Settlement) severed its connection with the Napoleon parish and called its own pastor in the person of Rev. L. Dammann, a member of the Joint Synod of Ohio, and several former members of St. Paul's in Napoleon asked him to serve them, thus calling into being the present Immanuel Church of Napoleon. Rev. Dulitz during his pastorate baptized 213 children, confirmed 132, solemnized 72 marriages, and buried 60 persons.

In the fall of the year 1883 Pastor Dulitz, began to be subject to severe attacks of headaches which almost wholly incapacitated him for work. Various physicians were consulted, but none was able to give him relief, and so he was compelled to resign the pastorate in August, 1884. During the last six months of his pastorate, Rev. W. L. Fischer of the Leininger Church in Fulton County served St. John's congregation in Freedom Township quite extensively and he also preached in Napoleon at frequent intervals. So it does not seem strange that the parish called Pastor Fischer to succeed Rev. Dulitz. Pastor Fischer accepted the call and was installed in his new field of labor on the twenty-second Sunday after Trinity by Rev. F. Zucker of Defiance. Pastor Dulitz moved to Detroit after his resignation and died there in November of the following year. A memorial service was held in his honor at St. Paul's, upon which occasion Rev. Fischer preached on Hebrews 13:7. Pastor Fischer served the congregation for fourteen years and under his faithful care the church grew in knowledge and in membership.

A year after Rev. Fischer's advent St. Paul's with the help of the Flatrock Township congregation erected a school building, which was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on the fourth Sunday after Trinity. At the dedication Rev. Boese of the South Ridge Church preached the German sermon, while President R. Bischoff of Concordia College, Fort Wayne, preached in English.

Since the congregation as such was not willing to engage a teacher and conduct the school as a parochial enterprise, a so-called School Society was organized, whose members pledged themselves to provide a teacher's salary. The first teacher was W. Vieweg, and when he left, candidate F. Firks, a graduate of the Lutheran Normal School at Addison, Illinois, was called. Mr. Firks conducted the school with great zeal and efficiency from August, 1886, till 1890, when he accepted the call to a parochial school in Racine, Wisconsin. His successor was teacher F. Doepke, who taught the school with commendable ability for several years. After the departure of teacher Doepke, students were engaged to teach the school, since the School Society found it impossible to raise the salary of a professional teacher. Some of these students served only six weeks, while others taught from three to six months. The last teacher during the pastorate of Rev. Fischer was Mr. Henry Reinking, who conducted the school for several years. During his pastorate Rev. Fischer baptized 193 children, confirmed 123 persons, solemnized 79 marriages, and served 46 funerals.

It had gradually become the conviction of the members of the Napoleon Parish that its extensiveness prevented one pastor from adequately serving the congregations and families as they should be served. For this reason the three congregations comprising the parish decided to separate and have each congregation call its own shepherd. St. Paul's Napoleon, called Rev. Theodore Saupert of Evansville, Indiana, at the time out of office. He accepted the call and was installed by Pastor Rischer October 18, 1898. St. John's Church of Freedom Township retained the services of Rev. Fischer, while St. Paul's Flatrock Township, called candidate Hoffman.

During the last year of Rev. Fischer's pastorate the school had been closed; but when Pastor Saupert came he made an attempt at permanently reviving it with the assistance of Miss Nora Hahn, a member of the congregation. Miss Hahn later accepted a public school position, and was succeeded by Miss Clara Norden, who served several years. However, since the congregation found itself unable to provide the salary for a teacher, Rev. Saupert taught the school himself till the summer of 1905. In the fall of 1905 the school was not again opened, since the old school building had been sold with the old church, and no provision had been made for a school in the new church. But Pastor Saupert taught a so-called Saturday school till his departure in 1908.

During the pastorate of Rev. Fischer the need of a new church had become apparent, and several members had even purchased a well-located property for a future church site and offered it to the congregation. The congregation purchased the site at the time, but later sold it, and for the time being all thoughts of building a new house of worship were dropped. But a few years after the coming of Pastor Saupert the project of building a new church was revived and in a comparatively short time the sum of $15,000 had been subscribed for the purpose. Three very desirable lots were purchased on West Clinton Street and an architect was authorized to draw plans. Building operations began in April, 1904, and by November of the same year the building could be turned over to the building committee as being completed. Indications were that the church would be ready for dedication at the beginning of the new year. But due to the fact that the firm which had contracted to furnish the pews was unable to fulfill its obligations, the order had to be given to another manufacturer. This delayed the complete furnishing of the church till June, 1905.

On June 9th, 1904, the cornerstone had been laid by Pastor Saupert and he had preached the sermons himself upon that occasion. On July 2nd, 1905, the happy congregation was permitted to leave the old church on Monroe Street and hold its entry into the handsome structure of West Clinton Street. The sermons at the dedication were delivered in German by Pastors Wambsganss of Fort Wayne and R. Brenner of Lima, and in English by Pastor F. A. Kiess of Defiance. A mixed choir under the direction of Mrs. T. Saupert, the organist, beautified the dedicatory services by the rendition of German and English anthems. Hundreds of guests were served at a banquet served by the ladies of the congregation at the Rink. The collections for the day totaled $960. Pastor Saupert performed the dedicatory ceremony proper.

St. Paul's called Rev. F. J. Lankenau as successor to Rev. Saupert. Pastor Lankenau was at the time pastor of St. Paul's Colored Church and the President of Luther College at New Orleans. He accepted the call and was installed in his new charge by Vice-President August Lange on September 21st 1908. On the following Sunday Pastor Lankenau preached his inaugural sermon. After the service he informed the gathered congregation that he had come to the conviction that the greater number of young people of the congregation were deriving very little benefit from the German sermons, since he had learned during his canvass of the congregation during the past two weeks that very few under the age of thirty actually could understand German. He also claimed that the young people themselves had admitted that they visited the services of other churches, because they derived no benefit from the services of their own church. Pastor Lankenau declared that if he heard no objections he would, in the future, beginning with the following Sunday, conduct an English service every Sunday night; and at the same time he gave the assurance that no German services would be dropped because of these English services. The large attendance at the English services plainly indicated the need of the introduction of weekly English services. After World War II the use of the English language steadily grew. English religious instruction became obligatory. Soon there were no longer any applications for German configuration.

In its annual meeting for 1909 the congregation decided to build a parsonage. As soon as the weather permitted, work was begun, and a handsome roomy dwelling for the pastor soon arose on the lot west of the church. When in November the pastor and his family took possession of the parsonage, all was fully paid! A year later, the congregation decided to liquidate the debt of $4,000 still resting on the church. God blessed the efforts and by January 1st 1911, it could be reported that the gathered subscriptions fully covered the debt. The young people's society, Concordia, which for some time had longed for a better meeting place than the basement of the church, in the fall of 1917 bought the triangular lot lying in the rear of the property and presented it to the congregation with the express wish that some day a school and hall might be built on it.

In its annual meeting for 1927, St. Paul's unanimously resolved to secure the services of a student to assist the pastor. The student's main work was to be with the youth of the congregation. It was planned that he should teach regularly before and after the public school sessions and on Saturday morning and afternoon, and on Sundays he should ordinarily assist in the Sunday School. The confirmed youth were also to be his special care; the young people's society was to claim much of his attention; if possible, he was to lead the choir; and of course, during the absences of the pastor he was to fill the pulpit.

Many of the members had for years been of the opinion that it was detrimental to the health of the children to compel them to receive their instruction in the dark and damp basement of the church. Several times efforts had been put forth to get a better building. But the resolution to erect a school and hall was not passed until July, 1928, at the time when the pastor was on the Pacific Coast, where he had gone as Vice-President of the Missouri Synod to attend several district synodical conventions. At this special meeting it was decided to erect a Parish house; for by this time the great majority of the people had come to the conclusion that they owed their children better school facilities and their various societies a better meeting place than the basement of the church afforded.

The cornerstone for the new building was laid on August 26th. In the presence of a large gathering of interested members and friends Pastors H. Knust and H. Schroeder preached two very appropriate sermons for the occasion. On Pentecost, May 19th, 1929, the completed building was dedicated to its important purpose. The sermons upon this happy occasion were delivered by Pastors F. W. G. Mueller, George Maassel, George Blievernicht, and F. J. Lankenau.

In July of 1930, St. Paul was able to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its new church building. In four beautiful services Pastors A. Eggers, F. Wambsganss, F. A. Kiess, and F. W. G. Mueller set forth the reasons why our congregation should rejoice on this day. In preparation for this event the congregation had the interior of the church newly decorated. The decorators had done most artistic work, the color harmony being most happy, and the Christian symbolism of the frieze which ran around the whole wall of the church being most expressive of the cardinal truths of our Christian religion. The large mural painting to the left of the sanctuary, a donation by the Missionary Society, representing the Ascension of Christ, was a true work of art, as was also the copy of Hoffman's Christ in Gethsemane, which decorated the rear wall of the church. The Ladies' Aid donated a rich new carpet for the sanctuary and aisles, and an individual member presented the church with a complete set of altar coverings in the various liturgical colors.

We may mention that the congregation with the sister congregations of the county celebrated the Quadricentennial of Luther's Small Catechism with appropriate services, in which Pastors C. H. Weber of Zanesville and E.J. Friedrich of Cleveland preached, and also observed the Quadricentennial of the Augsburg Confession by an all-day celebration at the fairgrounds with sister churches, at which Pastors Ph. Wambganns and Klausing of Fort Wayne, E. Voss of Saginaw, and K. Trautmann of Toledo, preached the sermons to great multitudes of people.

Pastor Lankenau baptized 487 children and 31 adults, confirmed 267 children and 85 adults, solemnized 286 marriages, and officiated at 237 funerals.

The total number of ministerial acts performed at St. Paul during the seventy-five years of its existence was: Baptisms = 1166, Confirmations = 806, Marriages = 498, Funerals = 411. The officers of St. Paul for the 75th anniversary year were: President M. Reiser; Vice-President F.F. Benecke; Secretary Richard Mehring; Treasurer W. Fetter; Deacons John Hahn, Henry Lanzer, W. Rohrs, Ernest Spengler; Trustees Fred Gerken, D. Hogrefe, F.D. Rohrs, A. Vorwerk, J. Wieding; Collector Chas Klein; Parish House Treasurer E.G. Vorwerk.

Although St. Paul Lutheran Parish Hall was built in 1928-29 and dedicated to the important purpose of providing a better place for the instruction of the youth of the congregation, it took until August of 1932 that Pastor Lankenau's dream of having a Christian Day School was finally realized. As Vice-President of Synod he was frequently embarrassed by being asked why a large congregation like St. Paul had no school. In the fall of 1933 the school opened. Before that time the religious instructions had been conducted by the pastor and his assistants before and after school hours and on Saturdays. Instructions were also given during four weeks in the summer time. When Pastor Lankenau was elected Vice-President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1926 the congregation resolved to secure the services of a student to assist the pastor. H.H. Backs was the first assistant, followed by Leo Albrecht, Elmer Bergman, Harry L. Krueckeberg, Paul Hartman, Otto Schlegelmilch, Roland Dede, Benjamin Timm, Elvin Riemer, Martin Zschoche, and Carl Zehner.

When the school opened in 1933, there were 87 students enrolled. The teaching staff consisted of Mr. E.V. Nolte, who taught grades 5-8, and Miss Helen Lankenau who taught grades 1-4. Mr. Nolte was the principal of the school. Through his untiring efforts St. Paul became an accredited elementary school. The achievements of the school continued to make the congregation proud. In 1934 the enrollment had increased to 114. This necessitated the opening of a third classroom for the intermediate grades. Elvin Riemer, who was then Dr. Lankenau's assistant, was the first teacher for grades 4-5. He was succeeded by assistant Roland Dede. When he returned to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, the congregation called Mr. Walter Becker to teach grades 3-5. Miss Hilda Benien taught the primary grades in 1936 and 1937.

In the year 1934 an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree was bestowed on Pastor Lankenau by the faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, an honor which he greatly cherished. In July 1939 Dr. Lankenau was invited to preach the opening sermon at the Walther League Convention in Kansas City. While there on July 15th, on a couch in the President Hotel, surrounded by O.P. Kretzman and a group of young people whom he had come to serve, died of a heart attack. At the time of his death he was serving as Acting President of the Missouri Synod. In 1964, at the dedication of the new St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, Dr. Lankenau was honored by having his portrait hung in the Lankenau Memorial Library. Pastor Carl Zehner, assistant to Dr. Lankenau in 1939 carried on the work at St. Paul until the vacancy was filled.

The Rev. Martin J. Zschoche, who had served as an assistant at St. Paul in 1937 and 1938, was called from Alaska to continue the Lord's work in Napoleon. He was installed at St. Paul on March 31st 1940 and served here for 13 years. In 1953 he went to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph, Michigan. In 1940 Miss Edna Theel began her teaching career in the primary grades at St. Paul. Today, after 41 years, she continues to serve as our librarian. After nine years of dedicated work for St. Paul Lutheran School, Mr. E.V. Nolte accepted a call to Melrose Park, Illinois. Mr. Walter Becker, the intermediate grade teacher, succeeded him as principal.

Pastor Zschoche was always deeply concerned about the moral welfare of the youth and the religious education of the children. So when in 1943 the school was able to observe its tenth anniversary it was a very happy occasion for him. The anniversary was celebrated by a special church service in which Dr. George Maassel delivered a German sermon and Dr. E.W. Koehler the English address. There were then 103 pupils enrolled in the school and 138 had been graduated from St. Paul in the first 10 years of its existence.

When Mr. Becker accepted a call to Milwaukee, Mr. Carl Wisch was called to fill the vacancy. He served for several years. Then on January 5th 1947, Mr. Herold Gersmehl replaced him as principal. He served until his retirement. An Appreciation Day was observed by the congregation on September 28th 1980, to honor Mr. Gersmehl for the leadership he had shown in promoting the school's welfare, and providing music for the church services.

The membership of St. Paul continued to grow and so did the workload on the pastor. In 1952, there were 1474 baptized members. The congregation decided that one pastor could hardly serve all the families adequately, so a Call was extended to Rev. John Hauser to serve as assistant pastor. In 1949 the congregation had purchased the teacherage adjacent to the parsonage and had it converted into two apartments. The Woodlawn Avenue residence was acquired in 1952 to provide a residence for the assistant pastor. There were temporary plans for expansion and this space could also provide the necessary ground for building an auditorium on the east side of the church. The property that was used as the school playground had been purchased from the Napoleon Public Library in the late thirties.

1953 was an unfortunate year for St. Paul because both pastors left the Napoleon congregation. Pastor Zschoche accepted a pastorate at St. Joseph, Michigan in October, and the following month Pastor Hauser left to serve a congregation in Minnesota. The teachers who served in the Christian Day School during this period as principals were: E.V. Nolte from 1933 until 1942; Walter Becker, 1943 and 1944; Carl Wisch 1945 and 1946; Harold Gersmehl, 1947 to 1980. Those who taught in the primary grades were: Leona Schmidt, 1939 and 1940; Edna Theel, 1941-1979; Jennie Shartzer, 1952 and 1953. Mrs. Harold Hoff substituted in 1951 during Miss Theel's illness. The middle grade teachers were: Henry Prischman in 1943; Fred Neusiis, 1944 to 1949; Lawrence Gefeke, 1950 to 1958; and Reuben Feld, 1952 and 1953.

After the loss of both pastors in 1953, the Lord granted the St. Paul congregation a new shepherd almost immediately. The Rev. Gilbert Raedeke was installed on January 17th, 1954.

The Christian Day School now had 208 students, so the building was no longer large enough to accommodate them. It was necessary to expand, so a building program was activated. The Parish Hall was remodeled and the auditorium was converted into the much needed classrooms. The church basement also was remodeled. The school was rededicated to the service of God on November 21st, 1954. The sermon for the occasion was delivered by Dr. John Meyer who was the honorary president of the Central District of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod.

Pastor Raedeke served St. Paul until November 1955 when he accepted a call to North Judson, Indiana. The Rev. W. Werling filled the vacancy until September 2nd, 1956 on which date the Rev. Mark H. Wegner was installed into office.

The year 1956 was an occasion for gratitude and jubilation. St. Paul congregation was one hundred years old. This centennial of grace was celebrated by special monthly worship services. Dr. John F. Meyer preached the first anniversary sermon. Other guest speakers were: The Rev. Arnold Hahn, visitor of Circuit C., the Reverends Robert Helberg, William Huener, Robert Meyer, all sons of the congregation; the Rev. H.H. Backs and E.J. Riemer, both former assistants at St. Paul and the Reverends Martin Zschocke and Gilbert Raedeke, former pastors.

On October 5th, 1958 Pastor E.A. Laabs was installed as Associate Pastor for St. Paul. The Lord had added many souls to the congregation. The baptized membership numbered 1648 souls in 1958 and the Christian Day School had 212 students and eight teachers. There was not enough room in the church proper to accommodate all the worshippers so the basement was used to hold the overflow. In April 1957 the Voters' Assembly had appointed a Land Acquisition and Sites Committee to study the expansion needs of the congregation. They were to investigate the availability of property adjacent to the church on West Clinton Street and also explore the possibility of founding a daughter congregation on the south side of Napoleon. After many meetings with members and much investigation the committee found that the best solution for the expanding needs of St. Paul was to build an entirely new plant on a new location. In 1960 thirty-five acres of ground were purchased for this purpose on Glenwood Avenue.

In February 1961 Pastor Wegner accepted a call to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Just one month later the Rev. F.E. Kipp was installed as associate pastor, replacing Pastor Wegner. In the same year the Voters' Assembly authorized the Building Committee to sell to the Napoleon Public Library the St. Paul School and Parish Hall, the land occupied by the church, the brick parsonage, and the parking area. St. Paul was undertaking a large project. The Lord had blessed them abundantly. Now a "Forward for Christ" building program to better serve Him was started. It was decided that with the help of God and with faith in His continued blessing, no professional fund-raising organization would be needed. The congregation pledged $285,000 and the trustees were authorized to borrow the remainder. Mr. Joe Manor was the architect selected to draw up plans for the church and school building.

On July 8th, 1962 the groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the new site. The following year on June 16th the Cornerstone Laying Service took place. The contents of the box laid in the cornerstone were: the Bible, the Catechism, the Lutheran Hymnal, the Lutheran Annual, and a book of convention reports; also a list of the congregational membership as well as mementoes of Napoleon's Centennial and some coins. A United States flag and current issues of area newspapers were also included.

1964 was a year of great significance in the history of St. Paul congregation. The Lord had showered countless blessings upon the congregation. On February 9th, dedication and festival services for St. Paul Lutheran Church and School were held in three special hours of worship. Formal dedication ceremonies took place at 10 a.m. Parishoners gathered outside the doors for the formal opening, then entered to dedicate the structure and all its furnishings to the glory of God. Dr. John Behnken, honorary president of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod delivered the sermon. Pastors Laabs and Kipp served as liturgists and Mr. Gersmehl was the organist. In the afternoon festival service the Rev. Armin Oldsen, former Lutheran Hour speaker, was the preacher and Dr. Ottomar Krueger, president of the Ohio District, served as liturgist. The organist for both the afternoon and the vesper services was Miss Ruth Splittgerber. The Rev. M.J. Zschoche, former pastor, delivered the sermon for the Vesper Festival Service, Dr. George Maassel was the liturgist. Special music for all services was provided by the students of the Christian Day School and the adult choir of St. Paul, under the direction of Mr. Gersmehl.

Christian education is the Mission of the church and St. Paul had adequately provided for it. In addition to the Christian Day School, there have always been Sunday School and Bible Classes, as well as special instructions for the public school children. In 1964, there were 249 pupils enrolled at St. Paul School. The following teachers taught under Principal H.C. Gersmehl from 1954 to 1964: Lawrence Gefeke, Norman Riemer, Marcille Liddle, Edna Theel, Jennie Shartzer, Romain Schall, Marlene Strewski, Martha Grefe, Kathryn Detterer, Edna Merkle, Emily Bearden, Ruth Splittgerber, Marilyn Etzler, Walter Teuscher, Louise Gersmehl, Carole Elferdink, Donald Peterson, Kenneth Eggman, and Melvin Zehnder

The Lutheran Church has always been a singing church. Music to praise the Lord and to beautify the divine service is one of the important forms of worship. The new organ to lead in congregational singing and to accompany the various choirs, could not be delivered at the time of the dedication of the church. It was delayed until February 7th 1965 when the organ was formally dedicated. Dr. Carl Halter, of Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Illinois, presented a sacred concert suitable for the occasion.

The congregation was saddened when Pastor F. E. Kipp, who had worked so faithfully during the church's transition period, accepted a call to Salem Lutheran Church, Coloma, Michigan. He preached his farewell sermon on July 11th 1965. At the Mortgage burning celebration in 1975, Pastor Kipp was to deliver the sermon, but illness prevented him from coming.

The congregation also built a parsonage at Glenwood and Lynne Avenue. It was dedicated on November 28th 1965. It later became the home of the Rev. Paul A. Weber who was installed as Associate Pastor on August 12th 1966 to replace Pastor Kipp. After laying sidewalks and paving the parking lot, the building committee was dissolved in 1966. Their many hours of service were amply rewarded in the beauty of the edifice which they had helped to erect. The Lord had granted his blessings to the humble efforts of man to build a temple to His service. In 1968 the congregation completely divested itself of the property on West Clinton Street by selling the teacherage to the public library.

Up until the year 1968, the St. Paul pastors still conducted a German service for the benefit of the elderly, many of whom had been instructed in the German language. The attendance at these services was waning. The Board of Elders decided to contact all who attended these services and it was unanimously decided to discontinue the German language service.

In 1973 the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod observed its 125th anniversary. The St. Paul congregation in thankful appreciation of the blessings received through faithful pastors and teachers, provided through the Synod, participated in the celebration of the milestone. Former Pastors F. E. Kipp, M.H. Wegner, and G. Raedeke returned to Napoleon to preach for this special occasion.

Throughout the years God's blessings were poured out on St. Paul. In order to give members and guests additional opportunities to hear the glorious message of the Gospel, Thursday evening services were started during June, July, and August. Love for his fellowman prompts a Christian to extend a helping hand to someone in need. In 1975 the Social Welfare Committee of the Board of Elders at St. Paul looked into the matter of sponsoring a Vietnamese family. In the fall, the Rong Le family of six arrived. They were in our midst about a year and a half. Then homesickness caused them to leave to be among their own countrymen in San Francisco.

June 8th 1975 was a day of rejoicing. The Lord had placed His abundant blessings upon the feeble efforts of St. Paul. It was possible after a period of eleven years to close the books on the financial costs of their beautiful plant. A mortgage burning ceremony was celebrated with songs of thanksgiving to the Lord and a renewed dedication to His service.

On July 4th 1976, St. Paul participated in the celebration of our nation's 200th birthday. A special service of thanksgiving for God's many blessings upon our country was held. Our National Anthem was among the hymns sung and the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence were read by members of the congregation. Pastor Weber, who had been a devoted shepherd for St. Paul for eleven years, was honored on June 19th 1977 when the congregation celebrated the 25th Anniversary of his Ordination into the ministry.

God tells us in His Holy Word to minister to those who need us. Therefore, when the St. Paul congregation was asked to consider taking on sponsorship of a refugee family from the Far East, the members resounded in the affirmative. On October 2nd 1979, a Laotian family of eight, the Fai Chai Thor family, arrived from Thailand where they had been in a refugee camp since 1975. St. Paul provided for their physical needs and although the language barrier made it difficult to instruct them, an attempt was made to tell them about the great love of God. They left Napoleon in 1980 to go to Minnesota where a group of Laotians had settled.

Because of a change in the Constitution of St. Paul, women were eligible to become voting members. Four ladies joined the Voters' Assembly. 1980 was an eventful year for St. Paul. The Lord had continued to shower His blessings on the congregation. Many souls had been added. The baptized membership had risen to 2481. The members of the congregation made the momentous decision to call a third pastor. They extended a call to Pastor David Buegler of Jackson, Michigan. He accepted and was installed as Associate Pastor on August 30th 1980.

Mr. H.C. Gershmehl, who had served the Christian Day School as principal, and the congregation as organist and choir director, retired. He was succeeded by Mr. Steven J. Wentzel. There were in the 1980-81 term, 258 students enrolled in the school, therefore, it became necessary to enlarge the building. An additional classroom and a utility room were added.

On November 9th 1980, Pastor E.A. Laabs was honored by a special service on the occasion of his 40th anniversary in the office of the holy ministry. He had served St. Paul faithfully for 21 years.