St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ stands in South St. Louis County near the intersection of Interstate 55 and South Lindbergh Boulevard. Founded by newly arrived German immigrants in 1838, the congregation is known for traditional worship, open communion, strong programs for children and youth, and a long tradition of service in St. Louis and around the world.
German Roots, a Welcoming Church Today
The story begins in 1838 when newly arrived German immigrants gathered with Rev. Louis Nollau to establish St. Johns. They had left a rigid and restrictive social system in Germany, where a person's place in community was determined by rulers and customs. In their new community they carried forward an extraordinary faith and set out to build a place that shared God's love with all people. Rev. Nollau became the first pastor and remains a central figure in St. Johns' history.
St. Johns' mission is to live out God's love, welcome, compassion, community, encouragement and peace. Its welcome is emphatic: “No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here,” says Pastor Todd Bean. The church holds that faith has a 2,000-year history but that thinking is not fixed, and it understands the gospel as a faith to be lived through good works, peace and reconciliation. People grow here through worship, prayer, fellowship, study, conversation and mission projects.
Rev. Nollau nurtured what was then called Inner Mission, activities within congregations that strengthened faith and supported good works and charitable institutions. He also founded the Evangelical Synod of North America at St. Johns in 1840. That association of sister congregations supported mission and outreach together, later joined the Reformed church to become Evangelical and Reformed, and eventually became the United Church of Christ. St. Johns continues that spirit of welcome, cooperation and service.
The official name remains St. Johns Evangelical United Church of Christ. In this inherited name, “Evangelical” carries its older sense of “of the gospel,” not its common modern media meaning. The circular logo represents the wholeness of a community of faith, while its interwoven elements express the interconnectedness of people joined by a power greater than themselves. The woven ends extend beyond the circle to represent a close-knit but open community. Blue shades echo the sanctuary, and three red inner elements may suggest the Holy Trinity. The newer mark omits “Evangelical” because the church considered its modern usage misleading, even though the official name retains it.
The Church Council serves as the governing board. Its 12 members are elected by the congregation, and the council sets policy, reviews the church's work, handles congregational business and hires non-clergy staff. Ordained clergy are called by the congregation.
Traditional Worship at 10:00 AM
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM. The service is traditional in style, offering opportunities for joyful, thankful and reflective responses to God's presence. It takes place in the 1922 sanctuary, where music comes from a pipe organ and baby grand piano. Visitors are asked to wear a face mask. Worship videos are also available through the church's YouTube channel.
Special worship opportunities include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, Ash Wednesday, Wednesday evening Lenten services, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, a youth service, music celebration services and Totenfest. The “When Christmas Hurts” gathering offers another opportunity for people seeking to live in intentional community during a difficult season.
Open Communion at the Lord's Table
Communion is open to all. Bread, wafers, wine and white grape juice serve as the elements. The sacrament is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month and on special days including Christmas Day, Easter, Pentecost and World Wide Communion Day.
Music for the Whole Congregation
The music program sings new music alongside beloved hymns. Musicians and singers share solos and special ensembles, while Music Director and Organist Robert Fletcher leads a mixed-voice choir. Assistant Organist Jeff Rapp also serves the music ministry, giving the congregation organ, piano, choir and featured instruments in worship.
Children Begin in the Sanctuary
Nursery care is provided during Sunday services for children age two and younger. Two caregivers are always on duty, and the nursery sits close to the sanctuary, adjacent to the gym lobby. Parents are asked to bring a diaper bag labeled with the child's name and may include a favorite toy. Children are signed in each week with a cell phone number for the caregivers to use if needed. Nursery Caregivers Diana Gilbers and Zoey Rector lead this care.
Children age three and older begin worship with their families. Early in the service, they join the pastor on the sanctuary steps for Children's Chat, then are escorted to Sunday school. Little Lambs serves ages three, four and five with stories, activities, play and a snack. Children not yet potty trained also need a diaper bag labeled with their names. Parents and grandparents meet their children in the Sunday School area at the close of worship.
Rotation Sunday School for kindergarten through grade five studies one Bible story each month. Children begin with a brief Children's Chapel, then visit a different workshop each week to experience the same story in different ways. Workshop choices include art, Bible skills and games, a computer lab, creative drama and video. Young children also make a “Joyful Noise unto the Lord” through Bertt's Bells, playing the bells at several services each year.
For grades six through 12, Youth Sunday School meets in the youth room on the third floor. The class examines contemporary issues and their relationship to scripture through activities and discussion, and it meets each Sunday except the first. Vacation Bible School is held on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 11:30 AM in June. Children are divided into crews and experience Bible stories through crafts, snack, music and drama. Confirmation classes are open to students in grades seven and eight and older who are preparing for church membership. The nine-month course combines discussion, field trips and other activities to explore membership and strengthen personal faith.
Youth Learning to Lead and Serve
The Youth Group serves grades six through 12 and meets on the second and third Sundays of the month after worship. Participants join church activities, plan events and take mission trips. The annual summer trip is usually within a 12-hour drive of St. Louis, while an international trip takes place every few years.
Service is central to youth life. The group collects fresh fruit and vegetables for Isaiah 58 and delivers the food after worship. It helps host a Christmas party and lunch for adults with disabilities, joins a free community Easter egg hunt with pancakes, and serves as crew and station leaders at Vacation Bible School. Youth also sponsor a free community Trunk or Treat evening with trick-or-treating, food, crafts, face painting, a hayride and a bonfire.
Fundraisers include a trivia night and pizza sales, with proceeds supporting youth expenses and summer mission travel. Separate retreats are offered for middle school and senior high students. For summer camping, children, youth and adults can attend Camp Mo-Val in Union, Missouri, a camp of the United Church of Christ. The setting extends St. Johns' emphasis on experiencing creation together and building relationships beyond the church building.
Learning, Friendships and Service for Adults
Pastors lead adult Bible and book studies based on scripture, books, DVDs and other relevant topics. Sessions meet in the morning and evening once a week in four- to eight-week terms, with several terms offered during the year. St. Johns also keeps a lending library of books and audiovisual materials for all ages, with access after worship.
The church's organizations combine conversation, food and service:
- Women's Fellowship, founded in 1860, meets on the first Thursday of each month for entertaining and informational programs. The group has changed names over time but remains centered on friendship and service.
- Men's Breakfast Club gathers on the third Monday of each month for breakfast, fellowship and occasional discussion.
- Mary & Marthas, formed in 1979, helps lead spring and fall rummage sales and takes part in mission projects.
- Women's Journey meets monthly for social activities and service, including Christmas decorating, Lenten soup preparation and support for area ministries.
- Sports bring several evenings of volleyball in the full-size gym, along with dartball teams in a church league.
- Kings, Queens & Jokers is an informal game group that gathers in the afternoon twice a month, especially for cards, and welcomes everyone.
These gatherings reflect a style of hospitality built around good food and laughter. The wider life of the church includes fish dinners, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, spring and fall rummage sales, concerts on the lawn, pet blessings, a Christmas cookie walk, breakfast with Santa and the sheltered workshop Christmas party. Some are annual, while groups such as Women's Journey and Kings, Queens & Jokers meet monthly or twice monthly.
Service in St. Louis and Around the World
“Serving God by serving others” is St. Johns' mission. The congregation is a “5 for 5” United Church of Christ church, supporting Our Church's Wider Mission, One Great Hour of Sharing, Neighbors in Need, Strengthen the Church and The Christmas Fund for many years.
St. Johns puts its hands to work with local agencies including:
- Lydia's House
- Habitat for Humanity
- Nurses for Newborns
- Unleashing Potential
- Epiphany UCC
- Every Child's Hope
The church also collects food, personal care items and school supplies for local organizations including Feed My People and Isaiah 58. Work has included literacy and school-supply collections, Habitat for Humanity crews and food gathered for neighborhood agencies. Regular Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are part of the community activity at St. Johns. Adults, youth and local teams also take part in mission projects and trips.
St. Johns' global mission has included hand-crocheted baby afghans and personal care disaster relief kits. The church supports Church World Service, Heifer International and Global Ministries, and participates in the Global Ministries Caribbean Initiative. Its mission history includes Rev. Ralph Koch accompanying one of the first shipments of heifers to Europe following World War II. These partnerships extend the practical legacy of the mission institutions founded by Rev. Nollau.
A Campus for Worship, Learning and Neighborhood Life
The church's South St. Louis County campus is near Interstate 55 and South Lindbergh Boulevard. From Lindbergh Boulevard, drivers turn north at the light onto St. Johns Church Road, then right at the first street; the church is on the right. A convenient parking lot serves the whole campus. Visitor parking lines the front, while accessible parking is immediately beside the main building.
The present sanctuary was built in 1922 and expanded and renovated over time. It can be entered through the front doors or the ramp entrance on the left. The gym lobby, reached by the ramp doorway or the north stair entry, provides access to the sanctuary, nursery, gym, restrooms and elevator. The lower level contains Sunday School rooms, the library, Wintermeyer Room, dining and fellowship hall, restrooms, elevator and lobby staircase. The dining hall has a kitchen and stage and hosts many activities. Council rooms occupy the first level of the 1955 Education Wing, the church office is on the second, and the youth room and archives are on the third.
St. Johns Crossing includes a pavilion and lawn for outdoor ministries, concerts, barbecues and community events, with gardens around the grounds. Logan's Community Playground is another family-facing feature. At the bottom of the parking lot, the free and enclosed community dog park welcomes both small and large dogs and is open from sunrise to sunset every day.
Old St. Johns Cemetery, beside the church, has served as the final resting place for many people connected to St. Johns since its first burial in 1839. New St. Johns Cemetery, at Lemay Ferry and Forder Roads, was established in 1914. It is nonsectarian and has lots available.
Care, Prayer and Shared Responsibility
The Congregational Care Commission reaches people in frail health who are unable to attend through visits, phone calls, cards and prayer. A prayer chain provides sustained intercession. The Prayer Threads and Afghan Ministry knits and crochets shawls, lap robes and scarves for people who need prayerful support. Each prayer thread includes a letter explaining the congregation's prayerful intent. Finished afghans go to Nurses for Newborns, Bethesda Hospice and other organizations seeking to offer comfort.
The Funeral Lunch Team provides refreshments or a light meal in the dining and fellowship hall for family and friends of those being remembered on the day of a funeral or memorial service.
St. Johns organizes much of its work through commissions for Christian education, evangelism, property, worship and music, congregational care, missions and stewardship. Committees oversee areas such as the cemetery, personnel, landscape, endowment, signage and dog park. Aspirational goal teams focus on sharing in God's world, standing on holy ground, widening welcome and sharing the message. People serve as ushers, scripture readers, greeters, choir members and technology support, or take part in adult study, Sunday school, confirmation, youth groups and special events.
Under the leadership of Pastor Todd Bean and Pastor of Visitation Rev. Tom Ressler, with Robert Fletcher, Jeff Rapp, Diana Gilbers and Zoey Rector serving in music and nursery ministry, St. Johns carries its calling through worship, education, care and service. Since 1838, its story has joined German Evangelical roots with a church that welcomes people at every stage of life and keeps its fellowship, mission and service active in South St. Louis County.