About St. Paul Lutheran Church
Are you looking for a faith community where you can grow in your beliefs and share your gifts?
Do you want an extended family that will walk with you, uplift you, and help you in your journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
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If so—or even if you have no idea what these questions mean!—we invite you to St. Paul Lutheran Church.
St. Paul is a congregation of the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which claims, “All people seek meaning. This can come in the form of knowledge, relationships, spirituality, or organized religion. We believe God’s grace, God’s unfathomable love, is available to all people as a gift through Jesus Christ. All are welcome here with their whole selves. Questions and doubts are welcome.”
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Being part of St. Paul does not hinge on what you wear, your financial or social status, your education, background, ethnicity, race, age, family structure, or gender. Instead, our church affirms the promise of eternal life with God in Christ. This relationship is nurtured through Word, prayer, sacrament, fellowship, and service.
Come and learn more about St. Paul and what it means to be a member of this family of faith!
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Our History
First Worship Service May 10th 1953
​​​​​​Don and Margaret Richardson were among 33 people at the church’s
first worship service, on May 10, 1953. Don had long dreamed of a
Lutheran congregation in the Maryville-Alcoa area. During the first year,
the number of new members was 32, the number released was 20, and
the average attendance was 40.
Founded December 5th 1954
Saint Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church was formally organized on
December 5, 1954. The Richardsons and 52 others signed the charter.
Within a year, the membership had reached 95. Soon the congregation
called its first fulltime pastor. Setbacks occurred, such as when the
military air base at McGhee Tyson vacated and when Alcoa Aluminum
cut back to 1937 personnel levels. By spring of 1960, only 8 members
communed. Saint Andrews Episcopal
offered its facilities to the Lutherans.
Groundbreaking of First Location April 29th 1962
Groundbreaking for our first location took place on April 29,1962, with
the first service there on October 21st. In 1967, the congregation began
raising funds for a second unit, completed in June 1969.
Second Location Dedicated November 16th 1986
Saint Paul continued to grow. A new sanctuary, designed for 220 people,
was dedicated on November 16, 1986. In 2000, needing additional
space and updated facilities, the congregation voted to sell the church,
buy new property, and build anew. Temporarily, we relocated to the
former East Maryville Baptist Church.
Moved Into Current Location April 2002
In April 2002, we moved to our current building on Sandy Springs Road.
We are grateful for the way the Holy Spirit has worked through the
members of Saint Paul, from those who began this Lutheran ministry to
those of us involved in the church’s life today.
