Welcome to Saint Paul's Lutheran Church
We are so glad you found us!
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is a vibrant, caring, and growing congregation located in the heart of Fulton, Md, halfway between Baltimore and Washington D.C.. We are part of the Delaware / Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Virtual Tour
Please browse through the pictures to tour our church. Click to open and close the section.
About Us
Learn more about who we are. Click to open and close the section
Our History
St. Paul is over 150 years old. Click to open a new page and learn about our heritage
Meet Pastor
Click to learn more about our pastor and read his greeting. Click to open and close the section.
Meet Our Staff
Learn more about our staff. Click to open and close the section.
Our Worship Services
The services are also available on Zoom. Email the church office for the invite which automatically comes to your inbox on weekends.
Worship Times
Thursday Eucharist 7:00 pm
Experience a more personal worship experience of a small group of people gathered in our chapel. The entire service is based on God’s spoken Word.
Sunday Eucharist 9:30 am
Experience the timeless beauty of our traditional Lutheran worship service in a rural setting filled with classic hymns, meaningful liturgy, and a warm and welcoming congregation.
St. Paul Staff
Christine Grycenkov
Music Director
James FitzGerald
Lead Pastor
Office Volunteers
Administrative Assistant
Council
John Bell
Financial Secretary
Sue Bell
Social Outreach Chair
Erik Domaas
Christian Education Chair
Joe Dymek
Stewardship Chair
Amy Emad
Youth and Family Co-Chair
Bret Hassel
Vice President
Jane Hershey
Youth and Family Co-Chair
Judy Hewitt
Communications Chair and Care Ministery Chair
Mike Jennings
Treasurer
Betty Kerwin
Worship and Music Chair
John Korslund
Evangelism Chair
John Murphy
Property Chair
Bob Peters
Secretary
Russ Werner
President
We are St. Paul
In the early 1870’s, a group of settlers, many of them German, were meeting in each other’s homes to hold worship services. It was while they were in the house of Johannes Damm that they decided to officially form a congregation, construct a building and call a pastor. On April 20, 1870, “one acre more or less” was sold for $75 to the Evangelical Reformed and Lutheran Church of Howard County. This group would become known as Saint Paul’s Evangelical Church on August 6, 1871 when they dedicated their first church building. In 1929, the idea was first proposed to replace the wooden church with a large stone church. The congregation, on July 3, 1932, approved this idea – during the middle of the Great Depression. Less than one month later, members of the congregation showed up with horse-drawn scoops, picks and shovels to excavate the basement for the new church building next to the original church site. On January 1, 1933 the new church building was dedicated, complete with a stained ~ 4 ~ glass window depicting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane over the altar. The original church building had been sold the day before to a church in nearby Savage, Maryland. Although the building is no longer used as a church, the original building is still standing today. After purchasing property next to the church in October 1952, the congregation voted in 1954 to build a stone parsonage that would match the church. By December of that year the parsonage was habitable. This construction was followed up next with the idea to expand the current church. The expansion would increase the seating in the sanctuary, give more room for Sunday school classes, add a fellowship hall, and give the Pastor a study. This new addition was dedicated on November 30, 1958. In December 1988, a committee was put together to explore the idea of renovating the church. On November 17, 1991, after nearly three years of work by the committee, ground was broken for a new addition to the church. In November 1992 the new addition, which includes a narthex, chapel, restrooms and church offices, was dedicated. This addition made our church and restrooms wheelchair accessible.
Original altar from the wooden church on this site in 1871 crafted by our founding members
Our Beliefs
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church sees itself, first of all, as a Christian community; secondly, as a local expression of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; and thirdly: Lutheran in its Biblical and liturgical identity. We are part of the Delaware / Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since its founding in 1870, this congregation has always sought to be faithful to the Lutheran expression of its faith. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was a member congregation of the American Lutheran Church prior to the 1988 merger which formed the ELCA. As a member of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA, the congregation supports the work of the church regionally and nationally through its many and varied ministries and agencies.
We at St. Paul’s chose the closing verses of Matthew as our expressed mission for our Constitution: “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even to the end of the world.” We are a caring Lutheran congregation, with roots as a rural, immigrant agricultural community that has been transformed into a landmark church in an expanding, multicultural bedroom community. We have baptized 5th generation descendants of the original founding families as well as new adult believers and babies of young families. Our congregation gives continuously, in many ways. For example, just some of our gifts are: meals at a nearby shelter, building a pavilion for community events, and a longstanding sponsorship of various Social Outreach Ministries. We strive to be constant Christians, strengthening our own relationship with God through worship and service to others, living out Jesus’ Great Commandment.
Mission
Core Values
Evangelical Luthuran Worship - ELW Hymnal
Holy Communion
Meet Our Pastor
My name is James FitzGerald, and I grew up in Mount Airy, Maryland. I earned a Master of Divinity from United Lutheran Seminary, a Master of Arts in Education from Albright College, and Bachelor of Arts in History from Albright College. My working experiences include teaching in public schools, serving as a waiter, spending summers working as a camp counselor, and stocking shelves and packing meat in a grocery store. In addition, I completed my internship at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Rouzerville, Pennsylvania. I served in several other churches as a worship leader during my tenure at seminary. My favorite part of ministry is preaching and teaching, and I am skilled at working with children and youth.
I cherish my family. My wife Hanna, and I welcomed a baby girl, Eden, into our family in February of this year. Eden is a joy in our lives, and she is a precious gift to us from God. Hanna taught middle school English Language Arts for eight years, and her goal is to teach introductory college English courses, write, raise our daughter, and serve alongside me in the ministry. We also have a black Labrador retriever named Minnie.
I enjoy watching critically acclaimed films and blockbuster movies. My favorite book is The Lord of the Rings, and I enjoy reading comic books as well. I also spend each day in devotion reading God’s Word. My favorite sports teams are the Washington Football Team and the Washington Nationals. I also enjoy taking the time to exercise and fish. Hanna and I love to garden and cook together, especially barbecue, and we enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and going on adventures.
I am looking forward to getting to know all of you!
Thursday Worship
Sunday Worship
Dinner with Santa
Senior Fellowship
Christmas Eve Worship 4pm
Christmas Eve Worship 7pm
