In comparison to many Lutheran Churches in America, some of which trace their history back much further than ours, our 80 years may seem comparatively brief. Yet in those 80 years much has been accomplished under God of which we may be justly proud.

In 1915 the Rev. Pallmayer and his associates from Huntington canvassed our community for the purpose of starting a mission church in Port Jefferson. The community was receptive and the English Lutheran Church of Port Jefferson Station was formally organized in 1917.

The first meeting of the voting members of the new Lutheran congregation was held in the home of Mr. John Kresse, on December 13, 1917. At this meeting it was voted to hold services at the Grange Hall (now Meineke Muffler). The rent for this hall was $10 a month ($12 with Confirmation Instruction).

St. Paul's had pastoral services only for Sunday worship and Confirmation instruction. The Rev. Otto Becker was the first pastor to serve the church in this capacity.

As of 1920 a full time Pastor had not been secured, but Viola B. Elsebough (Hope Jacob's mother and Betsy Prosser's grandmother) became our first organist. She played on a pump organ and was paid $1 a week.

Members of the congregation took part in the building of a new church in 1924. Mr. Herman Stalb, a local blacksmith, and Mr. George Elsebough, Town Highway Superintendent were two of these members. Mr. Elsebough used a horse and scoop (1/4 yard size to dig the foundation and helped to pour the concrete for the church’s foundation.

The inability to secure a permanent pastor, difficulty in scheduling guest pastors, and the depression forced the church to close its doors in October 1934, after 17 years.

In October 1935 approximately 40 persons, by a unanimous vote, resolved to form a congregation, named St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. An application for membership to the American Lutheran Church, and to the Committee on Missions of the Eastern District requesting financial support were made. A call for a full time pastor was issued.

Our call was answered by the Rev. Hilbert Wuebbens. He became our first full time pastor in December 1935. At a meeting on February 2, 1936, the Constitution and By-Laws for St. Paul’s were adopted. Included in the names listed as charter members were the William Henningsen’s, the Herman Stalb’s and the John Hinrich’s. Pastor Wuebbens served our congregation for approximately five years. He was followed by Rev. George Saunders in September 1940.

On the evening of May 30, 1941, a bolt of lightning struck the steeple of St. Paul’s and did considerable damage. Pastor Saunders was in the basement preparing for a meeting that evening. The bolt ran along the electric circuits in the church, making a hole on the west side of the roof. Pastor Saunders received jolt, but did have his meeting. Thanks to our fire insurance coverage and the help of Mr. John Hinrichs, the church received a new roof.

Pastor Saunders led our congregation through it’s 25^th Anniversary in October 1942 and the church mortgage burning service one year later. He also started evening services in Rocky Point. Ground was broken on a June afternoon in 1942 for a new Lutheran Church in Rocky Point. This occasion marked another step forward in the missionary effort of St. Paul’s known as "The Friendly Church on the Hill".

One of Pastor Saunders’ official acts was to officiate at the marriage ceremony of Hope Elsebough and George (Jake) Jacobs on September 14, 1945. Mrs. Hazel Spence was the church organist at that time.

Our church continued without a pastor for five months. The President of the Eastern District wrote us a letter suggesting that perhaps we could join with the church in Patchogue and hire a pastor together. In this way, we could offer a larger salary. The congregation voted not to do this.

We received word that Rev. Theodore Kuehner would accept our call, arriving in June 1944. Pastor Kuehner was installed by former Pastor Wuebbens and served us for almost three years, leaving in June 1947. It was during his time with us that we acquired the oil painting of Christ which is presently on the south wall just before the sanctuary. Thomas MacFergus of Old Field was the artist commissioned by the congregation. The cost of the art work was borne by the Luther League, who spent considerable efforts raising the artist’s fee of $20.

Rev. and Mrs. Kuehner initially occupied a rented parsonage on Homestead Avenue. In February of 1946 the congregation purchased the Stanley Christian home on Clifton Place in Port Jefferson Station for $4,500.

Three of our Pastors, with their families lived there. They were the Kuehners, the Schnizlers and the Schuetzes.

In 1948, we purchased a church organ for $2,000. Several men in the congregation signed notes to pay for it at the Tinker National Bank in Setauket. Hazel Spence, the organist, played this new organ at it’s dedication service on February 13, 1949.

After an 18 month vacancy, our prayers were finally answered with the acceptance of our call by Rev. Leopold Caban in January 1949. Pastor Caban had been working for the Lutheran Church translating materials into Spanish for the Latin American Mission. In accepting our call, he asked that he be allowed some time each week to continue this important work. His request was granted by the congregation. Pastor Caban’s installation date had a special meaning to him and Mrs. Caban, it was their 13^th wedding anniversary. He served St. Paul’s for almost two years.

New pews were ordered for the church in September 1950. Although the cost was only $75 each and would seem like a bargain today, there was not enough money to allow the congregation to buy the additional pews needed for the choir area.

Our vacancy was filled by the Rev. Paul Schnizler. He was installed by Rev. Hilbert Wuebbens on November 4, 1951. Pastor Schnizler came to St. Paul’s after a long pastorate at Peace Lutheran Church, Greenock, Pa. He was also serving the Eastern District of the ALC as a statistician. Pastor and Mrs. Schnizler had four grown children.

While Pastor Schnizler was with us, (1951 - 1967) the exterior front of the church was renovated with its present stone work, the main entrance was changed from the front to its present side and office space was added to the rear of the building. The Sunday School wing was also built and dedicated during this period. Pastor Schnizler served both our congregation and our mission church, (Trinity Lutheran of Rocky Point) until 1958 when it became independent.

Three months after Pastor Schnizler left, Pastor Lowell (Lou) Schuetze accepted our call. Pastor Schuetze came to us from Capital Seminary in Columbus Ohio. Pastor Schuetze and his wife, Nancy, served our congregation for 8 years (1967 - 1975). His emphasis on Youth and Community Outreach are still bearing the fruits of his work today. Our Bridgebuilders Program began under his guidance and our Youth Programs expanded greatly. Koinonia became a familiar word in the congregation, with both the youth and the council holding retreats at the camp.

Seeking a new leader for our flock was not a new experience for the members of St. Paul’s. However, having done it before did not make it any easier. It took the Call Committee 14 months to find a new leader for the congregation. During this time the Rev. Terry Valentiner volunteered to be our interim Pastor, despite his full time job. He was assisted by Pastor Lou Smith, who was associated with the State University at Stony Brook.

Both of these men showed us how to give of ourselves, our time and our talents. Through their efforts we were able to weather the trial of being without a permanent pastor.

In April of 1976, Pastor Herman Jorgensen was installed. He and his wife Dagney, served St. Paul’s for two years. During his pastorate the parsonage on Clifton Place was sold and a new parsonage on Wintergreen Drive in Coram was purchased. Pastor Jorgensen accepted a call to Chicago in 1978. Just prior to his leaving, the congregation committed themselves to a building and expansion program.

On November 10, 1978, Rev. Donald Blake accepted our letter of call and was installed by Dean Maury Drum in December 1978. Pastor Blake, his wife Mary and their sons, Douglas and Harvey came to us from Miami, Florida. One day after his installation, the congregation approved the mortgage commitment for the expansion program. The construction contract was signed in January and the dedication service was held June 24, 1979.

The church extensive remodeling of the sanctuary. This included additional pews, a new altar, communion rail, lectern, pulpit and seating for the choir. The roof line of the church was extended and our new faceted glass windows, one depicting the "Plan of Salvation" and the other "The Church" were installed. The Fellowship Hall was renovated with a new ceiling, lights, walls and floor in the meeting area, and the kitchen facilities reorganized.

In January of 1980, a group of interested parishioners voiced a desire to sponsor a Laotian family. Their request was placed before council and the congregation, and was granted. Choui Nhunnhong and his wife, Sone arrived with their four children in July, 1980 from a refugee camp in Thailand. They remained with us for eleven months before leaving for California. Although this was a demanding undertaking for the congregation, it also proved to be one of the most rewarding outreach programs of St. Paul’s

In September of 1985 the congregation raised funds to purchase an AOB (American Organ Builders) organ. The cost of this organ was $37,000.

A proud moment in the history of St. Paul’s was in May of 1987 when William Huether, a member of our church, was ordained as a minister.

Once again, after much discussion, the members of St. Paul’s decided that it was time to expand, and when the property adjacent to the church became available in 1989, it was purchased for $205,000. The building on this property was in disrepair, and was immediately demolished. The land was paved in order to create more parking for the church. The purchase of this property also created a new entrance / exit to our church property.

In 1990, Pastor Blake left St. Paul’s and answered a call in Port Jervis, New York. Our interim pastor for the next year and a half was Rev. John Hinsch.

During Pastor Hinsch’s involvement with St. Paul’s Christopher McNally, at 16 years old, designed a hot meal program to help feed the local hungry for his Eagle Scout project. This hot meal program, named the "Love Luncheon", by Pastor Hinsch, is still in existence today, and continues to feed our local hungry each Sunday. It is indeed one of St. Paul’s strongest ongoing outreach programs. Since February of 1996 the Welcome INN, part of the Interfaith Nutritional network, has been granted use of the church facilities. This Not For Profit organization serves a hot meal on Wednesday evenings, further providing for the needy of the community. Our church continues to be "The Friendly Church on the Hill".

On July 1, 1991 Pastor Matthew Hummel was installed as pastor of St. Paul’s

In the fall of 1996 two major projects came to closure. A kitchen renovation was completed wherein new stoves, flooring, and stainless steel counter tops replaced old. A major change to our church was the addition of a handicap access ramp which was constructed along the southern side of the Church.

Also in the fall of 1996, the sanctuary renovation was completed. Linen white walls and blue carpeting, along with reupholstered choir chairs made the sanctuary look clean and crisp for the holidays.

In February of 1997, Pastor Hummel accepted a call to Westminster, Maryland. Pastor Gerald Gunderson, came out of retirement to be our interim pastor and remained with us until August of 1997.

Pastor James Krauser was installed as pastor of St. Paul's on the first Sunday in May of 1998. In preparation for his arrival the parsonage interior was painted. New roofs were put on both the parsonage and sanctuary. Later that year Kids for Kids began using St. Paul’s hall for rehearsal space; in the spring of 1999 they produced “Godspell” in our sanctuary. Warm weather that summer motivated the congregation to begin thinking about air-conditioning the sanctuary. The project was approved at the annual congregation meeting and installed in time for summer 2000.

In July of 2000 the congregation voted to call Gale Capone and Harriett Silva to be deacons. They were consecrated and rostered as synodical deacons that fall. As deacons their ministry brings the Word of God to those both within and outside our congregation.

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