St. Paul Lutheran Church’s origins in the community date back to November of 1952 as the Lakeland Mission. The congregation and our building have taken many forms over the years, but its mission is timeless: to proclaim the Gospel and administer the Sacraments in Hamburg, MI.
Building History
November 9, 1952, the first worship service of the “Lakeland Mission” was held in the Winans Lake School. Twenty-eight people were in attendance that day.
On January 9, 1955 a dedication service for the first church building was held. It was a 17′ X 15′ structure with seating capacity for 100 people. This unit now serves as our kitchen and nursery.
August 13, 1961 was the groundbreaking for the second church building. This unit now serves as our small fellowship hall. The basement was used from 1965 till 2009 by the Bambi Co-Op Preschool.
December 4, 1977 there was another groundbreaking ceremony, this time for the present church building.
In 1987 we added the affectionately named “Lloyd Sheldon Fellowship Hall”. Lloyd Sheldon was known as Pastor Sheldon even though he never went to seminary. He was a fixture at St. Paul for decades and beloved because of his love for the Lord and the people of our congregation. Today the Fellowship Hall is used for our Education Hour, Receptions, and gatherings of all kinds.
In 2017 we updated the “small fellowship hall” with a completely new look. A room that was once sterile and empty has become warm and full of activity. There are now tables and couches for everyone to gather, converse and get to know each other between services. And, of course, this where we serve the coffee, too.
Bell Tower
In 1966, a huge old bell was salvaged from the belfry of the old Hamburg Library. The dedication of the first wooden bell tower was April 16, 1967. The old Hamburg school bell and a fire bell were added later. The bells were rung by hand on Sunday morning, rain or shine. The old tower was demolished in 1989.
In the fall of 1990, a new fifty-foot steel bell tower was installed. The bells were sent to be refurbished and put into place in time for the dedication on September 30, 1990. The bells are now rung electro-mechanically about a minute before each Divine Service to call the community to worship.