The History of St. Paul - Caledonia.

     Born in Baden about the year 1813, Jacob Schantz and his wife, Magdalena, and their children immigrated to Canada before finally settling in Caledonia, Michigan in 1864.  Jacob approached Pastor Daib of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids with the idea of a new church.  The result was that St. Paul Lutheran Church of Caledonia was founded and a charter was signed by 15 members in 1869.   Pastor Daib served as St. Paul's pastor until 1871 in the old log school house they had purchased in 1867 .
     

    The congregation built a white frame church building, dedicating it on November 27, 1877. The following year the congregation decided to call their own full time pastor . Until then five pastors served this congregation in addition to their own congregations. The first pastor to be called was Herman Friedrich Wilhelm Juengel, a recent graduate of the seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the eldest child of Pastor Heinrich Johannes Juengel and Sophia Margarethe Fruechtenicht. He accepted their call and was installed on August 25, 1878.  At the urging of Pastor Juengel, St. Paul started a day school, opening the doors for the first classes at 9:30 a.m. on September 30, 1878. It was around 1879 that a parsonage was built for Pastor Juengel who had been making his home with various members. He served St. Paul until 1883.

German was the exclusive language of the congregation until 1903 when the first English services were introduced, once a month. In 1928 the parochial school disbanded, and in 1936 German services were discontinued.

     After Pastor Juengel, other pastors who accepted calls to serve St. Paul were J. G. Schliepsieck, Paulus Heid, F. Schriefer, A. W. Hueschen, O. Ninke, A. P. Marutz, R. Krueger and E. A. Schomberg.  St. Paul's current pastor is Robert Gerke.  Pastor David Ziehr was the Assistant Pastor from September 2003 through October 2005.

     July 25, 1954, marked the dedication of the current sanctuary.  The old white frame church from 1877 was sold to a Catholic congregation; and they moved it south to Middleville, Michigan.  In 2004, a new addition was completed adding new classrooms and a much needed Youth room. 

     Over the years various organizations were formed at St. Paul, including the Walther League, a vocal choir and a bell choir, the Ladies’ Aid Society, Lutheran Womens’ Missionary League, Bible study groups and Lutherans for Life. Projects have been taken on such as Lutheran World Relief, seminary student adoptions and a monthly newsletter developed.

     For nearly 140 years, St. Paul has served Caledonia and the surrounding communities.