Tales from the Archive
Tales from the Archives is a presentation from the Archives at St. Paul's
Contributions of items of significance to the Church History or contributions of stories are welcome and encouraged. Please submit by the 23rd of the month for publication the first Sunday of the following month. It is the goal of the Archive to preserve the church history and make selected portions of it known to the congregation from time to time.
April 2024
Happenings in the Archive
Happy Easter Season
Archive April 2024
Easter blessing to you from the archive. In looking over some recent donations to the archive I ran across a bulletin from the 75th Anniversary of the church that at least I have not seen before and I thought it worth sharing. (Photo of the bulletin next page.)
Here are some excerpts that are sort of a time capsule of the church August 1945. Pastor at that time was Aaron A. Anderson. Pastor L. P. Propst had just recently retired. Our sister congregation was St. John’s of Pfeiffier’s Corner in Ellicott City, Maryland.
The statics of St. Paul’s life from the church records were:
1870-1945 — 527 Baptisms
1870-1945 — 341 Confirmands
1870-1945 — 185 Weddings
1870-1945 — 189 Funerals
Present baptized membership 293 with 203 confirmed. 181 members communed at least once during the year. 175 made regular contributions of financial support. Twenty-four members were serving in the armed forces (World War II). Our total assets were $22,000.
A thought of the day from the bulletin:
The Greatest Path in World is the Path from Your Door to the Door to Your Church
If all of us faithfully used this path and were guided by it’s radiant influence:
THE NATION WOULD BE SAFE
CRIME WOULD SUBSIDE
BUSINESS PROSPER
AND ALL HEARTS HAVE PEACE
For this path was made by the SON OF MAN
For the SONS OF MEN
That walking humbly into HIS HOLY PRESENCE IN THE CHURCH they might afterward walk together as brethren in the world.
ARE YOU USING THE GREATEST PATH?
The bulletin gives a brief biography of L. P. Propst.
Rev. L. P. Propst was born near Hickory, N.C. In the 1870. (The same year St. Paul was organized.) He went to St. Paul’s Theological Training Seminary in Hickory, N.C. and graduated 1893. His first call was in Pendleton County, West VA. 1894 to 1896. The next call would be in Conover, N.C. where he served until 1911. Then later he accepted a call to St. Paul’s and served thirty-one years. Almost half of St. Paul’s existence at the time in 1945.
Rev. Propst would conduct 101 weddings, 64 funerals, confirm 174 young people and baptize 224 babies during his thirty-one years with us.
Quite an interesting glimpse into the year 1945 when the world was at war and the future seemed uncertain. Looking it over it not really that much different from today with some common themes that still echo through here today. May we have the courage to see our time through as well.
Respectfully submitted,
Kerry Griffin
Archivist
Scroll Down for additional photos and stories
75th Anniversary Bulletin Cover
Aaron Anderson was Pastor and Pastor Propst had just retired.
SPLC Leadership 1945
Left Panel Plaque that hangs in the Sanctuary in memory of Rev. L.P. Propst
Right Panel Our Leadership
Some of the Items Donated by David Wolfel
Saint Paul's Lutheran Church Archive Display near Chapel
Propst Family on the way to church
Donated by Florence Wolfel - See the History Wall outside the parish hall.
Featured Items
Shown Left is a baby picture of A. Walter Brady as a baby. It is kind of unique as it is printed on a glass slide and over seventy years old. It is similar to photos you can get from a company call “Fractureme” which prints photos on glass today. Which goes to show you all things old are new again.
The slide is about 3x5 and is similar looking to an old mirror. Time has not been kind, but it is an interesting addition to the Archive.
Thank you Charles and Judy.
Pastor Joseph Lettrich
Congratulations to Pastor Joe on his Anniversary of 56 years of Ordination, Thursday, June 8, 2023. We are so blessed to have him here with us. Photo—Carol Lettrich. Thanks for sharing!
Elise Wessel Original Painting
Painting of the original wooden church that stood on the property in the 1870's. Now a Real Estate Office in Savage, MD.
J. Santini Painting from Wessel Room or Youth Room.
Painting of the "stone" church from earlier in our history.
John Santini was a member and a builder of homes in the area. Believe to be during the late 50's and 60's.
Chalking the Door
January 2020
1870 Bible now add to the Archive Collection
Donated by Charles and Judy Iager in September 2019
1870 Bible
Front Cover
St. Paul's "Last Supper"
St. Paul’s version of the “Last Supper’’. Our version executes some of the traditional elements. However, notice in this version the table is semi-round in the Jewish tradition and there is nothing on the table as in Leonardo’s and there is a faint image of an altar as well as a suggestion of foot washing in the lower left corner. It is fittingly located beneath our Trinity Stained Glass window.
C. Ellsworth Iager (Charles Iager’s father) bought the picture around 1980 and it is an original depicture of the “Last Supper” done by an artist. C. Ellsworth and Mary Elizabeth Iager (married 49 years) donated it to the church and took a lot of pride in giving it and having it hung up. They were very humble about it and very proud of finding it because they loved it.
C. Ellsworth was President of the Church Council several times. Building the parsonage and the 100th Anniversary took place while he was President. Ellsworth sang in the choir for many years.
A Brief History and Inventory of the Banners at St. Paul's Lutheran Church
The purpose of this photo Gallery is to document the variety of banners that enhance our worship here at St. Paul's through countless hours, talent and treasure of all those who have contributed to make them possible.
The banners contained here in take us through the Church year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Pentecost and the sacraments of marriage and baptism as well as the rite of confirmation.
Although Church banners are not new to the St. Paul's they do more than just decorate, many are based upon passage's from the Bible and God's creation and remind us of His word and the beauty of creation as well as marking important milestone in St. Paul's congregation's life.
Most of St. Paul's banners are hand sewn and one their creators, Sandy August is particularly fond of adding a ribbon. Make note of the special fabric used in some of them, such as the Advent banners. The photos may not do them justice but they have an unusual impression in them similar to a watermark on paper.
Please browse by clicking the forward arrow ">" or the backward "<" arrow on the image below. There are at present about 60 in the collection.
Index
The Stained Glass of St. Paul's
I happened upon a 2009 Booklet about the Stained Glass of St. Paul's and the meaning of each of the various windows at St. Paul's written I believe by Prue Ronneberg and I was inspired to re-do the booklet in a larger format and update it to present 2017. Below is the resulting story.
1952 Jr. Choir
1 John Orndorff
2 Joy Orndorff
3 Joyce Tyler
4 Linda Mauck
5 Charles David Sealing
6 Rosalie Mauck
7 Ann Buch
8 Charlie Iager
9 Brenda Wehland Grooms
10 Gertrude Bassler Sewell
11 Loretta Mauck Bassler
12 Carl Mauck
13 Marie Hall
14 Joan Grauel Sammons
15 Carolyn Wehland Frost
16 Helen Hein
17 Donald Wessel
18 Roger House
