St Paul Lutheran Church, downtown Vancouver, WA. Thanksgiving shows our gratitude for all that we have been given. At St Paul, we are grateful every day, and we express our gratitude and thanks through action. Since the founding of St Paul Lutheran Church in 1902, we have known that the church is not just a building; it is it’s people. And, we have been blessed to share our facility, our gifts, and our resources with others in the community. This is our gratitude in action.

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Mayor Anne Anne McEnerny-Ogle thanks St Paul Lutheran Church for the community service work completed during the last 120 years. — ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ‘ — Mark 3:3

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Brad Richardson, Executive Director – Clark County Historical Museum & Historian discusses the community service work of St Paul Lutheran Church beginning in 1902. – “let justice roll down like waters” – Amos 5:24.

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Leslie Relth & Katerina Walsh share about the community service work of St Paul Lutheran Church and the Agape Fund – “Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another” – Psalm 90:1

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Geri Hiller, Adam Kravitz and John High Desert Wolf share about the community service work of St Paul Lutheran Church and the WHO Program. – “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” – Matthew 25:40

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Pastor Linda Marousek entreats us to join in the community service work of St Paul Lutheran Church. It’s God’s work and it’s our hands.
– “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus” – 1 Corinthians 1:4

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Community Service – Thanksgiving shows our gratitude for all that we have been given. At St Paul, we are grateful every day, and we express our gratitude and thanks through action.

Since the founding of St Paul Lutheran Church in 1902, we have known that the church is not just a building; it is it’s people.

And, we have been blessed to share our facility, our gifts, and our resources with others in the community. This is our gratitude in action.

St. Paul has been active in many ways … offering protection, counsel, meals and housing since before World War I. Even during the depression years of the 1930’s, St Paul helped many families with no source of income, with a kind of “employment” office.

St Paul started a Helping Hand Fund, through which food and other needed items were delivered to the homes of anonymous recipients. In the 1950’s the church was active in supporting adoptions of Korean children and in supporting the Ft Vancouver Seamen’s Center.

The church’s ministries for the downtown area have also included support for the clothing and food banks of FISH (Friends in Service to Humanity), Alcoholics Anonymous, and other 12-Step recovery groups, Head Start, YMCA’s Care program for homeless children and the St. Paul day care program.

Even today, St Paul offers many community service programs including the Winter Hospitality Overflow “WHO” program in connection with St Andrews, the Agape Fund (a needs-based helping fund) and through the St Paul Daycare program a way for parents to get to their jobs and have a safe nurturing place for their preschool-age children.

For the work we are equipped to do today, we should thank the original founders. Theirs was a foundation on which to build. . . . Thank You!