Who Are We?

A Very Short History

St. Paul’s Freeburg was founded in 1858 by German immigrants who were seeking political, economic, and religious freedom. Our current sanctuary stands on the spot where our first building was built in 1859, torn down and rebuilt in 1890. Our congregation was proudly German – English was introduced in our Sunday School classes in 1916, and our first English worship service was held in 1917, though we continued German services well into the 1930’s. Throughout our history St. Paul’s has been an independent-minded congregation, committed to serving our Lord through serving His people. Theologically we are cousins to the Lutheran church, looking to the Augsburg Confessions, Luther’s Catechism, the Evangelical and Heidelberg Catechisms as guides. In 1934 we merged with the German Reformed Church, and again in 1957 with the Congregational Christian Church to become St. Paul’s United Church of Christ.

While our buildings have been expanded and renovated over time, our independent spirit and commitment to serve the Lord by serving the community have remained unchanged.

For a more detailed history of St. Paul’s, click here (PDF of church history by Shirley)

For a more detailed history of the UCC, click here http://www.ucc.org/about-us/short-course/

For more information on Faithful & Welcoming Churches, click here http://www.faithfulandwelcoming.org/content/show.asp?mne=home

Staff Info

Pastor Earl Crecelius – Pastor Earl came to St. Paul’s in June 2002 after serving churches in New York and Ohio. A native of St. Louis, Earl has a special place in his heart for the Cardinals and Ted Drewes frozen custard. He and his wife Johanna have two grown children: Sam and Melinda.

Administrator Sherry Walter – Sherry has been our office administrator since June of 2000. She writes, “I greatly enjoy the people here at St. Paul’s, I know you will also.” She and her husband Steve have been married since April of 2003, and have two children, Grace and Grant. The Walters live in Evansville, IL.

Church Nurse Pat Groth – Pat likes to paint pictures, read, do crafts, and listen to people. She’s been our church nurse since 2001 and she says she’s still learning! Her nurse’s training was at Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, and she has a BS in Health Arts from the College of St. Francis. She and her husband Terry have been married since 1964, and they have a grown daughter, Cheryl.

 Custodian Mary (Hahs) Weber – Mary began as our custodian at St. Paul's in June 2008. She moved to Freeburg in October 1999 and married Bruce Weber in Junuary 2000. They have one son, Jeremy. Mary is a school bus driver for Freeburg and Smithton grade school, and volunteers much time there because she enjoys working with children.

Organist Ruth Vogel – Ruth teaches school in New Athens, and writes, “I am one of the organists here at St. Paul’s. I also sing in the choir (come join us!). I am married to Bryan Vogel and we have two children, Andrew and Catherine. I enjoy reading, music, crocheting and stamping. Welcome to St. Paul’s!”

Organist Andy Channer – Andy works in St. Louis as a senior consultant with Nestle Purina PetCare Company. He has been involved in church music programs since age 6, and says he was singing before he could read! Andy sings tenor and accompanies St. Paul’s vocal choir, plays keyboard for St. Paul’s praise band (Faith Journey), and has played trumpet and flugelhorn on other occasions at St. Paul’s. He and his wife Vicki live in Fairview Heights; his hobbies include archery, hunting, fishing, landscaping and music.

Choir Director David Ekstrand – David has been with St. Paul’s since 2001. He and his wife AnnaLee live in Belleville, and have been married since 1990. They very much enjoy their daughter Amanda. David graduated from Illinois State in 1989 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. He designed St. Paul’s website (www.stpaulsfreeburg.org) and works as a multimedia graphic designer.

Faithful & Welcoming Churches

In 2005 St. Paul’s became one of the Faithful And Welcoming churches of the UCC. As such we seek to be:

§        Faithful to God our Father and Creator

§        Faithful to Jesus Christ, our Lord and only Savior, and to the Holy Spirit

§        Faithful to the Bible as our ultimate authority for faith and practice

§        Faithful to the apostolic faith declared by the church across the years and around the world, and re-affirmed in our historic traditions

§        Faithful to the preservation of the family, and to the practice and proclamation of human sexuality as God’s gift for marriage between a man and a woman

§        Welcoming to all, as we seek through repentance and faith to do the will of God

§        Welcoming to fresh insight from the Scriptures that is consistent with our commitment to Biblical authority

§        Welcoming to new ideas of how our congregations may experience health and growth to transform our world through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For more info click here: http://www.faithfulandwelcoming.org/content/show.asp?mne=home