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LUTHERAN CHURCH BRINGS HISTORIC BEAUTY TO YORKTOWN
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com The Rev. Tim W. Muehlbrad talks about the history of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Yorktown. The church was built in 1930. LUTHERAN CHURCH BRINGS HISTORIC BEAUTY TO YORKTOWN
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com Stained glass windows line the walls at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Yorktown. Many of the windows are dedicated to original church members, many whom were German immigrants.
BY AMBER ALDACO aaldaco@vicad.com
YORKTOWN — More than 80 years ago, the parishioners of St. Paul Lutheran Church stood where the current parking lot is located and looked at the church they had built using handmade tools.
Though the congregation was founded in 1872, the church was built in 1930 and has held onto its charm against time.
“It’s amazing to me the structure in here because there’s very few cracks or foundation shifts, and it was built during the Depression. So, resources were very limited, but the church was very solidly built,” said the Rev. Tim W. Muehlbrad.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the second church to be established in the town, remains filled with old beauty for churchgoers of all ages.
Brick on the outside and wood on the inside, the church can fit 425 people in the main area, balcony and side annex. The annex was used as a multipurpose area and for Sunday school, Muehlbrad said.
The church’s structure is similar to other churches of the same era, which is built in wood for a smaller congregation.
Carpet covers the church floor, but there are plans to strip the carpet and expose the hard wood floors underneath, Muehlbrad said. With the exception of the carpet and a few coats of fresh paint, the worship area of the church has stayed the same.
Evan Lewis/elewis@vicad.com St. Paul Lutheran Church in Yorktown can seat 425 people.
“The church has been left untouched for the most part — almost no remodeling has been done,” Muehlbrad said, pointing to several antique-looking fans along the church walls.
The basement, which is used for Sunday school, worship and church activities, was remodeled several years ago. There are plans to create a small church museum downstairs as well. The church walls are also lined with detailed stained glass windows depicting Christ in numerous situations. Some of the windows are dedicated to members of the original parish, many of whom were German immigrants.
“The beauty of the church makes it unique ... The stained glass windows with the wooden structure really set it off,” Muehlbrad said.
In addition to physical beauty, the church offers various types of music during worship. Once a month, guitarists and flutists will perform for service; a chime choir; and a children’s bell choir and recorder choir. The church also has a baby grand piano for worship and services on the second weekend of the month. On the more traditional side, the pipe organ is played on the first and third weekend of the month and for festivals. Beverly Bruns, the organist for the church, has been playing the pipe organ at St. Paul for nine years. Though several of the pipes have been added to the instrument, the organ is an original part of the church when it was built in 1930, she said. It is also the only pipe organ in Yorktown, she said. “The church has been very diligent about keeping the organ operational,” Bruns said. What makes the pipe organ so special, she said, is that it is about 500 years old, and the music she enjoys performing for audiences is just as historic. “The fact that you are able to create so many different combinations of sounds on the organ is unique,” Bruns said.
IF YOU GO
ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH
234 N. Gohmert St. Yorktown
WORSHIP TIMES 6 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. Sunday; 10:15 a.m. Sunday School PASTOR The Rev. Tim Muehlbrad
