495 Saint Augustine Road, Colgate, Wisconsin 53017, United States
Phone 262.628.2319
About Us
Bridge Pastor Rev. Dr John C. Helt
Rev. Dr. John C. Helt is the "Bridge Pastor" of St Paul's Church. Pastor John (or "PJ") was privileged to be called to serve as the "Settled Pastor" of St Paul's from 2009-2014, when he retired, after forty years of a ministry that began in Illinois, and included a campus ministry and serving congregations in Missouri, Indiana and Wisconsin. He and his wife Cindy, a retired nurse, have three grown and married children. They live in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee, close to their two grandkids. John is active in the Creation Care Team and Historical Committee of the Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ, and the Church and Ministry Team of the SE Wisconsin Association. He also sings with and serves on the board of the Lutheran A Cappella Choir of Milwaukee. John grew up on a farm in Iowa, and enjoyed living among the farm families of St Paul's for eight years.
To contact Pastor Helt
Phone (262) 622-3165
E-mail johncliffordhelt@gmail.com
St. Paul's was founded in 1840. The building dates back to 1880 with a twenty-first century addition that makes us handicapped accessible. The sanctuary seats 150 and retains the warm glow of the pious nineteenth century pioneers who built it. The cemetery behind the church is a lovely resting place. Some graves date back to the church founders.
St Paul's is the oldest of the Evangelical Synod of North America churches in Wisconsin. The Evangelical Synod was a forerunner of today's United Church of Christ.
An accessible new addition to the historic church building was completed in 2004. Over the entrance is this window, designed, crafted and installed by Krauski Art Glass studio of nearby Monches. The blue ribbon running through the farm scenes and grain represents the Oconomowoc River which flows through Loew Lake in the nearby Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Our Mission
Receiving strength from a heritage extending over 150 years in this place, and trusting that it is called to an even more promise-filled future, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, is living God's word in offering a caring and accepting family of faith to our community.
We all come to churches from different personal histories, for different reasons, and with different beliefs. Please know that this congregation extends an open-hearted welcome to each and all. If there is any way this congregation or its pastor can serve you, please feel free to ask
And remember...
No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!
Worship
Our life together begins with worship. We gather every Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Our worship is both relaxed and classic. We have made a conscientious effort to design worship which is visitor-friendly, remembering that some of us have not worshiped regularly for some time.
Fellowship
We offer many opportunities for the community to gather together in fellowship. Each Sunday following worship, we enjoy a time of coffee and conversation which includes delicious homemade treats. Pancake breakfasts, chili suppers, and several other events occur throughout the year..
United Church of CHrist
The symbol of the United Church of Christ comprises a crown, cross and orb enclosed within a double oval bearing the name of the church and the prayer of Jesus, "That they may all be one" (John 17:21). It is based on an ancient Christian symbol called the "Cross of Victory" or the "Cross Triumphant."
The crown symbolizes the sovereignty of Christ. The cross recalls the suffering of Christ—his arms outstretched on the wood of the cross—for the salvation of humanity. The orb, divided into three parts, reminds us of Jesus' command to be his "witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
The verse from Jesus’ prayer in the gospel of John, “That all may be one,” reflects our historic commitment to the restoration of unity among the separated churches of Jesus Christ.