About Us

About St. Paul Lutheran Church

St. Paul Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.  Our church is in the Northwest/Lower Michigan Synod of Region 6 of the ELCA.  We are part of the Synod’s Capital Conference.  We gather Sundays at 10AM.

The congregation has 175 confirmed members in more than 50 member households.  Our members come from all walks of life, including chemists, secretaries, artists, teachers, nurses, as well as professors and students from nearby Michigan State University.  No matter where you come from, you will always receive a warm, friendly welcome when you come to St. Paul.

Our Purpose

Feeding God’s people both inside and outside while listening to what the people need.

Our Guiding Principles

We are a people who:

  • Listen for God’s Call – Believe and Trust in God’s Call – Answer God’s Call

  • Support each other in times of joy and sorrow

  • Live out our faith in prayer and service

  • Share food with the hungry

  • Believe the gospel is for all, not just Christians.

Our Staff

Pastor Carl Ballard
Elene Qobulashvili – Minister of Music
Jemal Tavadze – Assistant Minister of Music
Emily Polhamus– Office Manager

Our Council

As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we follow its model constitution and each year elect a Congregational Council. We are grateful for these volunteers whose love of Jesus inspires them to take up leadership positions at St. Paul.

Our History

2016 marked the 50th anniversary of St. Paul Lutheran Church as a congregation.  We give thanks to Our Creator God for so many years of faithfulness given to and given through St. Paul.  From the founding of the congregation in 1965, through the move to our present location in 1987, God has provided this congregation with many and varied blessings.  St. Paul has been a welcoming place over the years for individuals and families who call us their home church.

We have a beautiful and varied music and worship life.  Sunday School and Adult Education are strong and we hope our education program will continue to grow.  Several members are involved in mission work in different parts of the world and others have either recently completed ministry training or are anticipating completing it in the near future.  Our Mission Endowment Fund was started in 2006.  As the principle builds, this money will allow us to find other ways of reaching out with the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray and ask God to continue to bless St. Paul’s congregation with guidance and presence.

Pastoral Servants of St. Paul

Richard Pierson1965-1972
Paul Pretzlaff1973-1995
Will Stenke1996-1999
Miriam Bunge, Interim2000
Michael Konow2001-2002
Philip Nordstrand, Interim2002-2003
Richard Moe2004-2014
Darrell Neves, Interim2014-2015
Julie Winklepleck2015-2018
Carl Ballard2020-Present

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