On Saturday, Sept. 11, St. Paul Lutheran Church of Galatia will begin the celebration of its 100th Anniversary with a Servce of Music. Everyone is invited to attend. At 5:30 p.m. the celebration continues outdoors with a Homemade Ice Cream Social accompanied with cake, pie, desserts and hot dogs. It will be served under the tent north of the church. A free-will offering will be accepted and will be divided between Kans for Kids and Christmas charities. Activities for youth will include a jump house, games and the Galatia Fire Department Training Trailer. Approximately 6:30 p.m. the Gospel Sing Fest will feature the talents of ”4-Told”, “Adoration” and “New Hope”.
From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. there will be a silent auction of an heirloom quilt that was pieced during the 1950s and was recently hand-quilted and bound for this occasion. The quilt top was discovered in 1990 and consists of 25 blocks signed and embroidered by some of the church women of that era along with relatives of the seamstress, Mollie Maier. It also includes a signed block of Pastor Frederick Krauss, who served at St. Paul from 1948-1958. Mollie, who died in 1990, was a charter member of the new church in 1910. The high bidder will receive the quilt at the conclusion of the auction with all proceeds going to Lutheran World Relief, an organization that sends quilts and kits across the United States and around the world. The proceeds would be used in shipping those items. Concluding the evening, current Pastor Adam Wutka will lead an order of Affirmation of Baptism.
Continuing Sunday morning, Sept. 12, at 10:30 a.m., will be a Worship and Holy Communion Service with Bishop Gerald Mansholdt of the Central States Synod presiding. Assisting will be Pastor Wutka and Pastors John Strecker- Baseler and Charlotte Strecker-Baseler. Pastor Charlotte is a daughter of the congregation and serves at Faith Lutheran in Oberlin. The offering will be shared between Hope Lutheran Church, Rolla, Mo., and Oromo Mission in Kansas City, two of the newest congregations in the Central States Synod. A catered barbecue lunch will be served following the service.
The church was organized in September 1910, by the Rev. William J. Lind and since 1987 has been a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America(ELCA). The church building was built in 1885 by the United Brethren Church at a location two blocks south and west of the present site and moved to its location in the early 1900s, making it one of the oldest continually occupied buildings in Barton County.
