Who We Are: As a denomination, the United Church of Christ has celebrated its 50th Anniversary of ministry and mission in Christ’s name. While we may be a young denomination, we have some of the oldest churches in our nation. Our roots are in the great traditions of the Protestant Reformation that were brought to America by those who fled European persecution. In 1957, the Evangelical & Reformed C
hurch combined with the Congregational Christian Church to form the United Church of Christ. Our unique “round church” building was erected in 1971 and connected to our educational wing. We believe that God is still speaking to us and that a new vision is unfolding within our congregation. We are being called to be something more than what we are and we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we discern and respond to God’s call. Sacraments: We celebrate two sacraments instituted by Christ: Through Baptism, persons are united in faith with Jesus Christ and accepted into the fellowship of the church. Infant and adult baptisms are both accepted as are baptisms performed within another denomination. The sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated in remembrance of Christ’s death on the cross and the victorious resurrection. It is open to all who belong to Christ regardless of their age or affiliation with another denomination. Our history: The roots of St. Paul UCC start in 1864 during the civil war when the first parochial school was built. After some difficulties the church reorganized as Evangelical St. Paul’s Church on April 23, 1876. In 1887 the first sanctuary was erected on Union Street. As the congregation grew they obtained more property, moved the original church and added on to provide more room. They also remodeled to provide a modern parochial school equal to any public school. In those early days affairs of the church were conducted in German, but as the church entered the 20th century, English entered worship every other Sunday. Paul’s had a strong Sunday School, a fine orchestra, and many other active groups. In 1934 the Evangelical Synod merged with the Reformed church. This provided a stronger denominational setting for the church. In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches. The new denomination was name the United Church of Christ. That is how we got our present name. We have remained a partner church in the United Church of Christ ever since through the Illinois South Conference. The conferences is composed of 93 UCC churches in our geographic area. In 1971, this unique round church building was dedicated, connecting the educational and worship spaces for the first time. The older buildings were torn down and the lot was returned to grass and trees. (Now used for picnics and the making of apple butter.) The new building originally had a flat roof, but unrepairable leaks required the present gable roof to be installed.
