St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, organized in 1899 by the Augustana Synod, was located at 5035 W. Ohio St. in the Moreland neighborhood of Chicago.

Served by occasional visits from Lutheran pastors as early as 1880, the Swedish colony in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago began holding worship in a private home in 1892. From this group three congregations were formed: Messiah, St. Paul's, and the Mission Covenant congregation. In 1894 Rev. M.C. Ranseen held services every other Sunday in the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Moreland. The Mission Board of the Illinois Conference of the Augustana Synod called Rev. C.E. Cesander to serve this mission. His first sermon was April 7, 1895, and at a meeting at the Norwegian Church of Moreland on April 19, 1895 the congregation was organized as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Messiah Church (Austin Messiah).

A lot was purchased at Huron Street and Lockwood Avenue, and the first church was built. It was dedicated on Dec. 1, 1895.

The congregation quickly split into two groups, those who lived in Moreland and those in Austin. On Oct. 28, 1898, the congregation was divided into two parishes and the property split equally. The western colony retained the name "Messiah" but sold its share of the church property to the other group, which took the name "St. Paul's." The Messiah contingent purchased two lots at Iowa Street and Waller Avenue (then known as Court and Ontario Streets), where they constructed a new building, which was dedicated on Nov. 6, 1899.

The St. Paul congregation purchased lots on the southeast corner of Ohio and Lawler, and the Huron St. and Lockwood Ave. building (pictured at right) was moved to the new location.

In 1906 a basement was built on the site of the old church, which was moved back and made into the parsonage. In May 1912 construction work on the remaining section of the church building (pictured at top) was completed.

A three-story parish house was constructed in the 1940s.

On December 4, 1993 it merged with Community (1956, Evangelical Lutheran Church) at 5443 W. Huron to form United in Christ at the Huron address.

Sons of the congregation
Earl G. Gustafson
Arthur E. Enquist
Everett W. Norling
Francis A. Daehling
Norman A Hjelm
Ralph O. Hjelm
Norman A. Nelson
Donald Hallberg
Philip Johnson
Lawrence Eckholm

Original records
Original record books for St. Paul's should be found at United in Christ Lutheran Church, 5443 W. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60644-1105. Early books have been microfilmed and are available at the ELCA Archives and at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. Filmed as Augustana #A25, the microfilm contains records from 1899-1929. The ELCA Archives also has congregational histories, church publications and other materials relating to St. Paul's.

Sources
Austin Messiah Lutheran Church, Austin Messiah Fiftieth Anniversary, 1895-1945, 1945.

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1899-1934, 1934.