On East Bagley Road in Berea, just across from Berea-Midpark High School and a short walk from Baldwin Wallace University, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church has been a steady presence since 1866. Three buildings, twenty pastors, and countless lay leaders later, the congregation still gathers every Sunday at 10 a.m. for a liturgical service with Communion, and still answers the question "who is my neighbor?" with a long list of community ministries that reach well beyond the front steps.
From a Missionary's Bleak Task to a Flourishing Congregation
In 1866 a missionary from the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Iowa arrived in this corner of northeast Ohio to gather scattered German Lutheran families and establish a congregation. The conditions were not promising. People of differing backgrounds and beliefs had been thrown together, and few had the will to work for a common cause. Yet the congregation took root and grew alongside Middleburg Heights, Berea, and the surrounding communities. It has occupied three different buildings over the years and has been shaped by twenty pastors and generations of lay leaders committed to three guiding principles: Love, Serve, and Grow.
The vision statement is: "To be a Christ-centered community, where faith is deepened, lives are transformed, and love is shared with all." As a member congregation of the Evangelical Church in America, St. Paul holds to that vision in everything from Sunday worship to a drive-up community meal served twice a month.
What to Expect on Sunday Morning
Worship is participatory and traditional, grounded in a liturgical structure that the congregation has refined over more than a century and a half. Music is led from the organ and piano, with traditional hymns and songs drawn from a wide songbook. Two vocal choirs and a handbell choir ring out on select Sundays.
Communion is offered at every service, using wafer and either wine or grape juice, and the table is open to all who wish to come forward. Children are welcome in worship; activity bags are available in the narthex, and a nursery is provided for small children. Visitors can dress however they feel comfortable. As the congregation puts it, "You will see all sorts of clothing in church, and that's ok."
The Sunday bulletin is posted each week as a downloadable PDF, and services are shared on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot be there in person.
What St. Paul Believes
St. Paul is part of the Evangelical Church in America, which is itself part of the wider Christian church. The congregation teaches that God's grace and unfathomable love are available to all people as a gift through Jesus Christ. All are welcome here with their whole selves, including their race, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, and legal status. Questions and doubts are welcome.
For its core confession, the congregation points to the Nicene Creed, which is recited in worship and printed in full.
Community Meal: Twice a Month, Right from the Parking Lot
For more than twenty years, St. Paul has prepared a sit-down community meal in its Fellowship Hall, supported by neighboring churches and organizations. Since COVID, the meal has shifted to a drive-up take-out format, and a grant from the ELCA now allows the kitchen to serve two meals a month. The community meal is offered on the second and last Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m., with volunteers distributing between 100 and 130 meals each time. Anyone is welcome to pull up in the parking lot and receive a meal; there are no requirements.
Monday Night at Mike's: A Men's Bible Study Off-Site
On Monday evenings, the men of St. Paul gather at Mike's Bar and Grille at 130 Front Street in Berea for Christian fellowship, dinner, and a Bible study that starts at 7 p.m. Some arrive a little after 6 p.m. to share a meal and conversation. There are no commitments or pressure, just an open invitation to study God's word and, as the group describes itself, "a safe place to study, converse, and learn" in a time of disagreement and division. When the group is not at Mike's, members serve at the Men's Shelter, Redeemer Crisis Center, and the Miracle League.
Music Ministry: Choirs, Handbells, and an Organ at the Center
Music has been part of worship at St. Paul since the beginning. The Director of Music selects pieces that are thought provoking and intertwined with the message of the day. Two vocal choirs blend their voices and lead the congregation in song, a handbell choir rings a musical offering on select Sundays, and the organ anchors the liturgy. An Assistant Organist supports the program. Everyone is invited to join.
Women's Bible Study with Pastor Deb
On Thursday mornings in the spring and fall, a women's Bible study hosted by Pastor Deb meets at the church. Each session challenges participants with study led by various scholars, and the group takes on a different charity to support during each season. The Women's Bible Study complements the men's Monday night group and gives the congregation two weekly rhythms of adult formation.
Social Events Throughout the Year
Beyond weekly worship and Bible studies, St. Paul fills the calendar with events that draw the wider community onto the church's grounds and into its fellowship hall.
- Advent Workshop and Christmas Party. Early December is set aside to prepare for Christmas with a luncheon and hands-on workshop.
- Mardi Gras Pancake Supper. A Shrove Tuesday celebration with pancakes, jazz music, and a King Cake.
- Community Easter Egg Hunt. More than 100 children and families hunt eggs, make crafts, and meet the Easter Bunny.
- High School and University Career Days. Each year St. Paul joins the Career Day at Berea-Midpark High School and the Weekend of Welcome at Baldwin Wallace University, letting young people know the church is here for them.
- Parade of the Ducks. For several years, a returning mother mallard has nested in the courtyard and led her ducklings through the church's hallways on their way out into the world.
- Community Ice Cream Social. May brings an open-invite ice cream social for the neighborhood.
- Community Vacation Bible School. Several churches in Berea and Olmsted Falls combine resources for a shared Community VBS, hosted at the United Methodist Church in Berea and capped with a picnic at St. Paul.
- Annual Car Show. Classic cars, food, and prizes in the parking lot.
- Homecoming. At the end of September, the festival of St. Michael and All Angels invites anyone ever touched by the ministry of St. Paul to gather for worship and a homecoming luncheon.
- Trunk or Treat. A Reformation-themed Halloween alternative for families.
Community Groups That Call St. Paul Home
St. Paul's campus hosts a remarkable number of outside groups that serve the Berea and greater Cleveland communities. The congregation sponsors or provides meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Gamblers Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous; 4-H; Habitat for Humanity; PEO International; Guide Dogs for the Blind; NELM; the Solo Square Dance Club; Lutheran Metro; Love INC Cuyahoga; the Redeemer Crisis Center; Second Mile Outreach; Prov House; Cleveland Rape Crisis; the City of Berea Food Pantry; and Lutheran Disaster Response. Together with the twice-monthly Community Meal, these partnerships make the church a working hub of recovery, outreach, and mutual support on the south side of Cleveland's suburbs.
Parking for Students, Rentals for Groups, and an Endowment for the Long View
Across the street from Berea-Midpark High School, St. Paul offers use of its parking lot to students of BMHS and the Polaris Career Center as an alternative to parking on school property. Permit applications are available through the church office.
The church building is also available to rent. Groups and individuals can meet in a "safe and secure locale" by submitting the Building Use Policy application. The Fellowship Hall that hosts the Community Meal and the Mardi Gras Pancake Supper, the worship space, and the classrooms are all part of this rental program.
St. Paul's long-term stewardship is managed through four endowment funds overseen by an independent committee:
- The St. Paul Living Endowment Fund, established in 1989 with a bequest from Arthur Last, supports outreach, benevolent, and educational activities, plus major building improvements.
- The David Lewis Memorial Scholarship for Youth Fund, established in 1999 with a bequest from Lenora M. Lewis, provides scholarships at the Senior Pastor's discretion to students pursuing degrees.
- The Miriam and Robert Kish Memorial Fund, established in 2000 with a bequest from Miriam Kish, subsidizes the organist position and Music Ministry.
- The Emergency/Long Term Property Fund sets aside money for capital expenditures and emergency property needs.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and the Senior Pastor and Director of Outreach can be reached at info@stpaulberea.org or 440-970-5016. A monthly newsletter, "Highlights," is published and posted online for members and friends who want to keep up with everything from Reformation Sunday to the next car show.
Getting Involved
Visitors and newcomers can introduce themselves to the pastor or stop by the church office. Service groups welcome new hands for the Community Meal, Monday Night at Mike's, the choirs, the handbell choir, and the Women's Bible Study. Those with gifts to share can direct them to the general fund, the Endowment, or one of the four named funds listed above. Whether the draw is liturgical Sunday worship, a Wednesday evening meal in the parking lot, a Monday night table at Mike's, or a Tuesday-night recovery meeting in the Fellowship Hall, St. Paul offers many doors in.