150 YEARS OF LUTHERAN HISTORY IN OSWEGO, NEW YORK
1855 - German settlers established St. Paul's Evangelical German Lutheran Church in the City of Oswego. Incorporated on August 25, 1855, these 18 families first met in private homes and then in larger meeting places with part time pastors from St. Paul's church in Liverpool.
1859 - A white framed building (later to be faced with brick) was erected on the corner of East Sixth and Lawrence Streets. Officially dedicated on August 1, 1860, Jacob Post was installed as the first full-time pastor. Services were conducted in German until 1877.
1885 - Some families wanted to worship in English, so they established their own church. St. Matthew's English Lutheran Church was constructed on West 2nd and Mohawk Streets and the building was dedicated at a service in 1889. Both congregations maintained buildings, pastors and programs for over 80 years.
1953 - An educational building was built next to St. Paul's and in 1964 the building was connected to the church.
1966 - It was decided for economical, practical and fellowship reasons that it would be helpful and more meaningful to become one congregation. Thus, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed, using the building on the east side as it was a larger facility. The organ pipes from St. Matthew's were removed and added to the organ at St. Paul's.
1980 - Major renovations in the altar area and the nave were completed.
1988 - The church bells were returned to a rebuilt tower.
2005 - A celebration was held on Reformation Sunday, Oct.30, 2005, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Lutheran Church in Oswego.
2011 - 2015 - Grace entered into a faith partnership with two other churches, The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Oswego and Prince of Peace Lutheran in Fulton,NY. We shared clergy, services and mission.
2015 - Grace returns to being its own entity, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church.
2019 - Leased the KM Building to the YMCA/City of Oswego to use as a Youth Center for young people in Oswego.
2020 - Grace continues its 165 years of witness in Oswego, NY. We continue to minister to our congregation and the community beyond.
ADDITIONAL HISTORY
In the 1980s, the church embarked on a major renovation of the altar area and nave. The three church bells, which had previously been removed, were returned to a rebuilt tower giving Grace Lutheran its iconic look of a white bell tower open structure over the church building. The congregation continued to serve the community with church services, faith formation and as a center for special commemorations such as weddings, baptisms and other events. In the early 2000s the membership of Grace looked to renew and refresh the ministry of Grace and in 2011 entered into a blended faith family partnership with two other churches, The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Oswego and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fulton. The three churches contracted to share clergy, services and ministry. It was an opportunity to share God’s mission with others beyond our doors. In 2015 the contracted partnership ended and once again Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church was its own entity. In 2019 part of the Grace campus was leased to the City of Oswego and the YMCA to be a Youth Center. The sanctuary is still used for services and meetings. Today Grace Lutheran continues to serve the Oswego area through ministry and action.