ABOVE: St. Paul Community Church in Welcome. The church is celebrating 125 years with a special service planned for this upcoming Sunday, June 14. Photo by Vanessa Schultze

WELCOME– St. Paul Community Church in Welcome will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a special service at 9:30 a.m. on June 14. The current worship leaders, a son of the congregation, Brian Wohlhuter, and a former pastor, Rob Bellin, are scheduled to speak.

The congregation began with six charter members signing the constitution in 1899 and grew to 14 the next year and 32 families in August of 1903 when they laid the cornerstone for the first church which was on the corner of Dugan and third Street.

Later that year, 40 new members joined the church and a Sunday school of 78 and a choir and ladies aid society began. Those groups are still active in the congregation today.

The church was paid off by 1904. That building and the parsonage built in 1925 are currently private family homes.

The brick church currently used was built in 1950 and the fellowship hall was added in 1996 making this year the 30th anniversary of that much-used handicap and wheel chair accessible space.

The congregation always enjoys the music, gathering, eating and playing together in simple fellowship. The church and hall are used for many activities such as receptions for congregation members to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, confirmations and graduations.

Many changes have occurred for the congregation in addition to the physical buildings and congregational numbers.

In the beginning, the church was called the German-Evangelical St. Paul’s Congregation in Welcome and also as the Evangelical and Reformed congregation. In 1957 they joined the Congregational-Christian denomination and became members of the United Church of Christ. The old name can be seen on the capstone of the arch over the sanctuary doors.

After many discussions and prayerful meetings they dropped their membership with the UCC denomination in 2024and are now a non-denominational Church with the same mission statement “Where God’s Word and Love for Christ Overflows.”

Wonderful memories are stirred when anniversaries are celebrated like the 100th anniversary in 2001 and now the 125th anniversary in 2026.

One of the memories is about Christmas services, programs, sacks of candy and nuts and decorations like a giant tree that scraped the ceiling lit by candles or the unique Christmas tree arch which held nine decorated trees introduced in 1951. There are memories of the church lawn summer festival with a pie and ice cream social with games which became the inspiration for the Welcome City Summer Festival.

Music has also been a big part of the history at St. Pauls with a new organ purchased in 1988 and male quartets along with the choir (since 1934) providing musical ministry with many talented organists contributing their talents.

The members have always contributed to the preservation of the congregation through labor when new buildings were made or fundraising for things needed in the Church, making quilts and meals and serving where they are needed.

The community has also benefited from the hall for Red Cross blood drives, bingo, game nights and coffee hours that are attended by community members.

On June 14, there will be a time for reminiscing over cookies and coffee before the service from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and after the catered meal following the service. They plan to have a slide show and photo books and history books as memorials of the past 125 years to look at.

Since the meal is catered they ask that those wishing to attend reserve by emailing them at stpauls089@gmail.com.