An ELCA Reconciling in Christ Congregation Located in Northwest Washington, DC

History

St. Paul’s English Lutheran Church, the first English-speaking Lutheran Church in Washington, DC, was formally organized Easter Sunday, April 15, 1843 with 40 members. The original church at 11th and H Streets, NW, was located on land given by General John P. Van Ness, an Episcopal churchman well-known for his benevolent generosity.

The cornerstone was laid June 12, 1844, and the church dedicated October 1, 1848. Then President of the United States, James K. Polk, his family, and top ranking government officials attended the ceremonies. This cornerstone was re-laid in the east wall of the narthex of our present church edifice November 18, 1956.

In 1845, King Frederick Wilhelm IV, and his queen, Elisabeth, gave a silver communion chalice to our congregation as a token of “interest and good-will.” This historic treasure has been used at every communion service since.

During its early years, the struggling young congregation was burdened with heavy indebtedness. One of our first pastors, the Rev. John E. Graff, who came to St. Paul’s in 1846 following his graduation from the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, canvassed for weary months in large country charges of Maryland and Pennsylvania, riding hundreds of miles on horseback, during winter storms and summer heat visiting from house to house among these rural parishioners, and was successful in soliciting substantial support for those days.

The cornerstone of the present church, at 4900 Connecticut Avenue, NW, was laid November 9, 1930 and the ground floor was dedicated on Sunday, June 21, 1931.

Plans for the completion of the church edifice suffered when the 1929 depression struck the country. However, the loyal and dedicated members of St. Paul’s worked tirelessly and prayerfully, and our majestic Gothic structure was completed and gratefully dedicated Sunday, January 12, 1958.

No history of St. Paul’s would be complete without mentioning that she has been named “the Mother Church of English Lutheranism” in Washington, and as such she claims three “daughter congregations”: Reformation, 1870; Luther Place Memorial, 1873; and St. Mark’s, 1889; and four “granddaughter congregations”: Zion, Our Redeemer, Keller Memorial and Epiphany, of later founding.

In its 150 years, St. Paul’s has been faithfully served by ten pastors including Rev. Albert A. Muller, 1843-1846; Rev. John G. Butler, 1849-1873; Rev. Samuel Domer, 1874-1900; Rev. John T. Huddle, 1904-1929; Rev. Henry W. Snyder, 1929-1958; Rev. Henry B. Luffberry, 1958-1984; and the present pastor, Rev. Thomas A. Omholt.

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Reflections on the 165th Anniv. of St.Paul’s
Barbara Pillote
I have been a member of St. Paul’s since the Wiegand family moved into their “new” home on Ellicott Street in April 1930! I remember Sunday School in Epiphany Chapel with Mrs. Hoover as the superintendent, and the Heffley sisters as teachers. Kathy Kuehl (Layne-McCoy) and I say our friendship dates back our very early days playing in the sandbox together. Luther League was very active, and that’s where Bob and I met. He was one of three boys that came over from Atonement Lutheran Church on Sunday evenings to join in our Luther League activities, since there were none at his church. (He had met our gang when we were all at Hood College together for a summer retreat.) We both sang in the Youth Choir under the direction of Elaine Bleucher, and played many a pool game in the Wiegand basement with all of the Luther Leaguers following our Sunday evening meetings in Shafer Hall. Dr. Snyder and Milton Hunt, Sr. were always present to guide us in our spiritual learning. (Bob and his mother, Agnes S. Pillote joined St. Paul’s in the late forties, when the family moved to Military Road from T Street, N. E. )

We were married in the “basement” of the church on July 25, 1953, with Henry W. Snyder officiating, and Elaine Bleucher (now Heffley) playing the organ for us. All three children were baptized by Henry W. Snyder in the basement, but were confirmed, and married in the “new” church, by Henry Luffberry. I think Bob, jr. was Henry Snyder’s last baptism in the basement — sometime in early 1957.

Bob and I were both very active in Henry Luffberry’s years at St. Paul’s — becoming the originators and editors of St. Paul’s News and Notes for five years or more. I was superintendent of the junior department following Roy Benson, and Bob taught the Explorer’s Class for eleven years.

My parents, Martin and Elizabeth Wiegand were active in the life of the church also, as was my aunt, A. Barbara Wiegand — continuing to serve as the president of the Women of St. Paul’s for over 20 years. The rose window was given in her memory, the front doors of the church in memory of Martin T. Wiegand, and the wood facing on the walls to the altar in memory of my grandmother, Elizabeth Tripp Wiegand.

We were there when the congregation moved “upstairs” and welcomed Henry Luffberry — and we were there when Tom and Barbara Omholt arrived on the scene. I believe our first two granddaughters were Tom’s first baptisms at St. Paul’s.

We were there when we welcomed Dave Hearn as our organist, and we were there to say goodbye when he retired last year.

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