St. Paul Lutheran Church 160 years ... and counting

Rev. Kendall Meyer reflects on church's legacy and its future

By BRANDON BRUESCHKE editor@messengernews.net

St. Paul Lutheran Church is celebrating 160 years in Fort Dodge.

Located at 400 S. 13th St., the St. Paul church and school were formed on Dec. 20, 1863. The original church, called Old Stone Church, was located at 615 Third Ave. S., with the first resident pastor being the Rev. Gottfried Enders.

The church is a staple of the community, providing education and religious services for Fort Dodge.

When speaking with current pastor, the Rev. Kendall Meyer, about the legacy and impact St. Paul has had on the community, he said, “Our service to the community and to the congregation is by having our school. St. Paul School is one of the oldest and longest continuously running private schools in the area. I would say that that is an important legacy with our preschool and also with our (kindergarten) through eighth-grade school. There's a lot of people in the Fort Dodge community that have gone through the preschool, and I hear that all the time. So I think that's an important legacy as far as education is concerned.”

“I think another part of our legacy would be the continued service for the community with many and various projects that we've done to help better the community,” he added. “Over the years that has been a priority, like with Pastor Henderson and his beginning SOS (Serving our Servants) to help with the firefighters, police officers, and the first responders to how we make meals for the Beacon of Hope. And we have different kinds of activities. We have a food pantry and we help to support some of the social activities that are around town. To help as much as we can, I think that is an important legacy. And also just the fact that we are you know, that we faithfully, continually have worship services provided every weekend.”

Though the history of St. Paul is looked back upon fondly, there is a dark spot that persists within the congregation. On May 13, 1999, an arsonist burned down the church. While St. Paul was able to rebuild, the event has lingered in the minds of the church members. Though Meyer wasn’t the pastor at the time, he was able to provide a feel of how the event continues to impact the church.

“The people I’ve talked to have said a variety of things,” he said. “They’ve said it humbled the church and made them realize that things could change in the blink of an eye. Others have said how it taught them not to take things for granted and how transient material things really are. Others have brought up watching it happen and hearing the stained glass breaking because of the heat. Overall the sentiment I’ve seen is that we’ve learned that life will still go on and the community will come together in the midst of tragedy.”

Meyer then discussed what he personally, and what the church at large, have learned over the years of serving the community.

“I've been here for three years,” he said. “So, for me personally, what I’ve learned is that time, especially over the last three years, has become difficult for a lot of people. And it's easy to think that you're alone. It's easy to think that you don't have support. It's easy to think that you have to get through things by yourself. And one of the important messages that we have at St. Paul is that we are not alone, that our God is faithful, and that he promises that He is always with us and promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. And through the storms of life that we have, for the challenges that we deal with in life, and those times when we feel like we are alone, that we can hold on to the promise that God gives us that He is there with us. And I think that's one of the biggest issues, especially coming out of the pandemic. Moving into where we are now, there are still a lot of people who are challenged with going out into the public. And so because of that there is a bit of disconnect with other people. And I think that in society in general, especially in Fort Dodge, there is that disconnect. When you feel

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