[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 2, 2017

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize St. Paul's Lutheran 
Church of Troy, Illinois, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary.
  St. Paul's had its beginning in 1864 when local Lutheran families 
first came together for worship. In 1865 a new church building was 
dedicated, which served both as a place to worship and as a school, and 
on January 25, 1867, St. Paul's Lutheran Congregation was officially 
established.
  Since then, St. Paul's has had a strong presence in Troy. Whether by 
providing an elementary school education to its children, giving back 
to Troy through its community-based services, or simply ministering to 
its congregation, St. Paul's has been a focal point for the religious 
and spiritual needs of the community.
  In the years since the first church building was dedicated, St. 
Paul's has undergone many changes: a second house of God was dedicated 
in 1888, German and English services began in 1900, an extensive 
remodeling occurred in 1938, and construction on the current church 
began in 1961. But what has not changed over the past 150 years has 
been the spirit of love and joy in God's work that first animated St. 
Paul's and is present in today's congregation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge an important milestone for 
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and I wish it, and its pastor, the Reverend 
Michael Schuessler, the very best as they celebrate the church's 150th 
anniversary.

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