St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Clearwater has made its home on South Belcher Road, gathering each Sunday since the merger with St. Matthias in October 2022. The congregation worships at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1676 S. Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL 33764, and welcomes visitors to its 10:30 AM Sunday liturgy in person, on Zoom, and live on Facebook.
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) within the Florida-Bahamas Synod, St. Paul's carries the motto "A Place You Can Belong." The congregation is a designated Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, affirming the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of LGBTQIA+ Lutherans and their families. That welcome is visible each year at the St. Pete Pride parade, where St. Paul's joins Nativity Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran of St. Petersburg, and St. Mark Lutheran of Dunedin as Lutherans for Love.
What St. Paul's Believes
St. Paul's teaches belief in the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the authority of the Bible, alongside the power of prayer and the importance of living out faith in daily life. The community describes itself as "a community of the people of God, called to serve all people," following the example of Jesus, who welcomed each person exactly as he or she was. Lutherans across the ELCA are described as "a diverse group of people, convinced that the Holy Spirit is leading us toward unity in the household of God." Members are marked by the Cross of Christ in baptism and marked as Christ's forever.
Sunday Morning Worship and the Adult Choir
The Sunday service at 10:30 AM is a traditional Lutheran liturgy. The Adult Choir rehearses at 9:00 AM each Sunday morning and sings at the 10:30 worship. Weekly bulletins include the prayers, readings, and announcements for the day. Worship is offered in person and on Zoom, with a live broadcast on Facebook for those at home or traveling. The message to visitors is simple: "So, you are welcome here!"
Reconciling in Christ
As a designated Reconciling in Christ congregation partnered with ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation, St. Paul's affirms that all couples have the right to marry regardless of sexual orientation. Marriage is held as a sacred covenant between two persons who desire to live in a committed relationship with God's blessing - "a vocation given by God for the blessing of the world." Couples preparing for marriage can reach out to Pastor Anne or the church office to begin planning. The RIC designation, held since 1974 by ReconcilingWorks, marks congregations committed to the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the church.
Lutherans for Love at the St. Pete Pride Parade
Each year St. Paul's joins Nativity Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran of St. Petersburg, and St. Mark Lutheran of Dunedin for the St. Pete Pride parade. The four congregations march together as Lutherans for Love, sharing the message "God created you. And God loves YOU!" with parade-goers.
The 2022 Merger with St. Matthias
In October 2022, St. Paul's and St. Matthias merged to become one congregation. The Service of Holy Closure for St. Matthias closed with the hymn "The light still shines!" - a refrain the merged community has carried forward. Inquiries related to the former St. Matthias are directed through the St. Paul's office at (727) 446-7718.
Contemplative Wednesdays
On Wednesday evenings at 7:15 PM, St. Paul's offers a contemplative worship service in the spirit of Taize and other meditative traditions. The service is streamed live through the Spirituality Center's Facebook page, and a worship bulletin is available for those who want to follow along at home. Taize prayer and centering prayer are also offered on a recurring basis through the Spirituality Center, giving the congregation a full contemplative rhythm alongside the Sunday liturgy.
The Spirituality Center
The Spirituality Center operates as a ministry within the church, formed as an intentional outreach into the wider faith community of Tampa Bay. Through communal prayer, retreats, and fellowship, the center offers spiritual formation for discipleship with Christ. The annual calendar includes a Lent Retreat led by Pastor Anne around the gift of God's grace and how to live lives of grace, with a baked potato bar lunch; an Advent Retreat with a shared noon meal and time for further sharing; a Soul Injury Workshop based on the Opus Peace curriculum; a Centering Prayer retreat day led by Fr. Bill Sheehan; and a Clergy Day of Prayer and Quiet that invites pastors, priests, deacons, and chaplains for morning prayer, quiet reflection, lunch, sharing, and afternoon Taize prayer. The Clergy Day is partially funded by a Vision to Action Grant through the Florida-Bahamas Synod.
Faith Talk@7
Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM bring Faith Talk@7, an ongoing drop-in Bible study on Zoom that reflects on the upcoming Sunday readings from the Revised Common Lectionary. No sign-up is required. Each week the readings are posted along with a link to Working Preacher for anyone wanting to dig deeper before the conversation begins.
The Quilting Ministry
St. Paul's quilters meet on the first and third Saturday of each month to make handmade quilts as part of Lutheran World Relief's Mission Quilts effort. The quilts travel around the world to families affected by disaster or conflict, including aid sent in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The group emphasizes that no sewing experience is required - cutting fabric, ironing, baking treats to share, and learning to quilt by hand are all part of the ministry. The tagline is "ALL ARE WELCOME!"
St. Paul's Food Rescue
On Thursdays from 2:45 to 3:45 PM, St. Paul's Food Rescue partners with local agencies and grocery stores to redistribute food to neighbors in the Clearwater community. The outreach is open to anyone who can use a hand and is one of the church's most direct expressions of its call to serve all people.
Tuesday Grief Forum
Tuesday Grief Forum is a free grief support ministry open to all, framed as an expression of God's love, healing, and hope. Grief 101 sessions are offered periodically, with registration available online. Becca Bass coordinates the ministry and helps participants connect with community resources. The invitation is "Come as you are. Be met with care and compassion."
Silver Foxes, Book Club, Healing Drum Circle, and WELCA
Small groups and fellowship circles fill out the week. Silver Foxes gathers once a month for lunch and fellowship at a local restaurant, with a sign-up so the restaurant is ready to serve everyone efficiently. A Book Club meets on a recurring schedule. The Healing Drum Circle gathers on Tuesday mornings for prayer, fellowship, and drumming. Women of the ELCA (WELCA) bring women of faith together for Bible study, faith sharing, and outreach.
The East Pasco Academy Match Grant
Through its Tithe Fund, St. Paul's created a $7,500 matching grant to support the purchase of two portable buildings for East Pasco Academy at Tommytown Prep, a new school sponsored by Farmworkers Self-Help and Resurrection House Lutheran Church. Once the first $7,500 was raised by congregations across the Suncoast Conference, St. Paul's matched it to create a second matching grant, allowing FSH and Rez House to raise an additional $15,000 from other sources. The total cost to open the school is approximately $160,000, with Evolution Institute pledging to furnish the building and assist with credentialing and administration. Gifts to this and other ministries are accepted online through Vanco (invite code MW9599) or by check mailed to the church's P.O. Box.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor Anne Harman, a Florida native from St. Petersburg, leads the congregation. She earned a BA in Vocal Performance and an MA in Choral Conducting from the University of South Florida and spent 32 years as a pastoral musician in the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg before completing a degree in Christian Spirituality and certification in Spiritual Direction at Creighton University and her MDiv at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2021. She was ordained at St. Paul's on October 30, 2021. Katie Garcia serves as Administrative Assistant, and Mirko Bratic serves as Church Facility Assistant. The current council includes JoDee Hub as President, Gene Binion as Vice President, Joanne Engler as Treasurer, Irene Marcus as Secretary, and members Irene Pettis, Lori William, Matthew Brockmeier, and Janan Yousef.
Visiting St. Paul's
Office hours run Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The mailing address is P.O. Box 4667, Clearwater, FL 33758-4667, and the phone number is (727) 446-7718. For those who use American Sign Language as their primary language, St. Paul's recommends Palms Deaf Church, a ministry of the Florida-Bahamas Synod and the ELCA. A photo gallery preserves memories of the merged congregation and of relief efforts sent out into the wider world.