St. Paul's United Church of Christ of Laramie
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's United Church of Christ of Laramie was founded in 1886 as the first German language
congregation in Wyoming
. The church building
has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
since 1983. The cornerstone
was laid on July 13, 1890, three days after statehood. Clergy from Chicago and the local Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches participated in the ceremony, with an address by Dr. John Wesley Hoyt
, former Governor of Wyoming Territory and later first president of the University of Wyoming
. The building was completed and dedicated on January 18, 1891. It is the oldest remaining church structure in Laramie. With its stained glass
windows and heavy wooden furnishings, St. Paul's is reminiscent of rural German churches. Those elaborate windows and its many simplified Gothic
elements make the building unique among Lutheran churches in Wyoming.
The church's several name changes reflect its history. The original name for the congregation (which spoke and worshiped in German) was Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische St. Paulus Gemeinde. The original church building name was St. Paulus Kirche. The congregation joined the Evangelical Synod of North America
in 1904 after incorporating the year before as St. Pauls German Evangelical Church of Laramie, Wyoming. (The original corporate name omitted the apostrophe
in "St. Paul's" because German does not use one.) After the Evangelical Synod merged with the Reformed Church in the United States
in 1934, St. Pauls changed its name in 1949 to St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church of Laramie, Wyoming. After the Evangelical and Reformed Church
merged with the Congregational Christian Churches
in 1957 to create the United Church of Christ
, the church changed its name in 1963 to St. Paul's United Church of Christ. Since 1974 the church has had its present name, St. Paul's United Church of Christ of Laramie.
During World War I
St. Paul's (locally known then as "the German church") and its German-speaking pastor
, Rev. O.G. Wichmann, were the targets of anti-German sentiment
and murmurings of spying and other disloyal activities. The church's last German language sermon
was preached in 1932. In 1976, St. Paul's became the first Laramie church to call an ordained woman, Rev. Mary Grubbs Greene, as its pastor. Today St. Paul's UCC and its thirty-first (and third woman) pastor, Rev. Jamie L. Kepros, continue to serve the Laramie community.
|Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Wyoming
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
congregation in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The church building
Church Building
The Church Building is located at the corner of Main and Market Streets in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, just across Market Street from the Dutchess County Court House, and north of the Bardavon Theater...
has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1983. The cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid on July 13, 1890, three days after statehood. Clergy from Chicago and the local Christian, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches participated in the ceremony, with an address by Dr. John Wesley Hoyt
John Wesley Hoyt
Dr. John Wesley Hoyt was an American politician and educator.Born in Worthington, Ohio, in 1831, he graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and attained a medical degree from Eclectic Medical Institute in Ohio. He moved to Wisconsin in 1857 and became active in politics...
, former Governor of Wyoming Territory and later first president of the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
. The building was completed and dedicated on January 18, 1891. It is the oldest remaining church structure in Laramie. With its stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows and heavy wooden furnishings, St. Paul's is reminiscent of rural German churches. Those elaborate windows and its many simplified Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
elements make the building unique among Lutheran churches in Wyoming.
The church's several name changes reflect its history. The original name for the congregation (which spoke and worshiped in German) was Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische St. Paulus Gemeinde. The original church building name was St. Paulus Kirche. The congregation joined the Evangelical Synod of North America
Evangelical Synod of North America
The Evangelical Synod of North America, before 1927 German Evangelical Synod of North America, in German Evangelische Synode von Nord-Amerika, was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States existing from the mid-19th century until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the...
in 1904 after incorporating the year before as St. Pauls German Evangelical Church of Laramie, Wyoming. (The original corporate name omitted the apostrophe
Apostrophe
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets...
in "St. Paul's" because German does not use one.) After the Evangelical Synod merged with the Reformed Church in the United States
Reformed Church in the United States
The Reformed Church in the United States is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. The present RCUS is a conservative, Calvinist denomination. It affirms the principles of the Reformation: Sola scriptura , Solo Christo , Sola gratia , Sola fide , and Soli Deo gloria...
in 1934, St. Pauls changed its name in 1949 to St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church of Laramie, Wyoming. After the Evangelical and Reformed Church
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
merged with the Congregational Christian Churches
Congregational Christian Churches
The Congregational Christian Churches were a Protestant Christian denomination that operated in the U.S. from 1931 through 1957. On the latter date, most of its churches joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church in a merger to become the United Church of Christ. Others created the National...
in 1957 to create the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, the church changed its name in 1963 to St. Paul's United Church of Christ. Since 1974 the church has had its present name, St. Paul's United Church of Christ of Laramie.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
St. Paul's (locally known then as "the German church") and its German-speaking pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, Rev. O.G. Wichmann, were the targets of anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment is defined as an opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, and the German language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.-Russia:...
and murmurings of spying and other disloyal activities. The church's last German language sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
was preached in 1932. In 1976, St. Paul's became the first Laramie church to call an ordained woman, Rev. Mary Grubbs Greene, as its pastor. Today St. Paul's UCC and its thirty-first (and third woman) pastor, Rev. Jamie L. Kepros, continue to serve the Laramie community.
External links
- http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/83004266.pdfOriginal NRHP nomination for St. Paulus Kirche
|Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Wyoming