St. Paul UCC Barrington 160th anniversary Nov. 4

St. Paul United Church of Christ, 401 E. Main St. , Barrington, IL, will mark its 160th anniversary as a congregation of the Christian faith on Nov. 4, 2023.

Chartered as St. Paul's Evangelical Church in 1863, a small group of German immigrants worked together to build a place where they could find fellowship and have worship in the Evangelical tradition carried with them from their homeland. Concerned about the ravages of the Civil War, the group decided to designate their original property for the church as a cemetery, and eventually a new property was donated for the building of the church. St. Paul's sanctuary was begun in 1865, and currently remains on the property that was given for the church's mission and ministry. The church expanded throughout the years with the addition of a basement fellowship hall, and then a large education wing was completed in 1957.

In 1934, St. Paul joined in the merger of the Evangelical and Reformed traditions to become known as St. Paul's Evangelical and Reformed Church. The congregation would follow the polity of this denomination until 1957, when the church made the decision to become a part of the United Church of Christ, a newly formed denomination which included both the Evangelical and Reformed tradition and the Congregational Christian tradition, assuming the name of St. Paul United Church of Christ.

As a congregation, St. Paul has always had a strong emphasis on missions, concentrating on work that helps to alleviate the burdens others might be experiencing. From involvement with the former Bensenville Home Society and Chicago's Night Ministry to today's work with food supplemental ministries such as the Thanksgiving Basket program which has given over 1,000 baskets to area families, to the St. Paul Suppers program that provides meals for others, to the monthly food pantry which provides items that are often in high demand at other area pantries, St. Paul takes seriously the gospel call to "love our neighbors."

There have been many changes at St. Paul throughout its 16 decades as a congregation, however one thing remains a constant - to offer a place of love and affirmation to all as beloved children of God. St. Paul embodies the ethos of the United Church of Christ - "our faith is over 2000 years old but our thinking is not." St. Paul encourages all who are pursuing a journey of faith to explore and question, finding a path that is authentic to their personal relationship with their Creator. If you are looking for a place where you can explore your faith journey without judgment or prescribed expectations, St. Paul may be the place for you!

For information about St. Paul UCC and all of its ministries, please see the website at www.stpauluccbarrington.org.