ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 1866, St. Paul Berea, ELCA is a place where you will always be welcomed. By serving through relationships and love, St. Paul Berea is a space where everyone can grow spiritually.
WHAT WE DO
Our mission is “To know and serve Christ by reaching out in love to all” and we believe in the importance of involving and experiencing God in all areas of your life. There are countless ways to grow in your involvement and your faith at St. Paul; regardless of where you are in your journey, there is a place for you here.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Members and first time guests alike, we invite you to get connected to the community. Whether you're attending service on a Sunday, dropping in on a small group meeting, or stopping by to chat with Pastor Dan, you can anticipate a positive, encouraging experience.
PASTOR SKILLMAN
"We love the God we cannot see by loving and serving our neighbor, who we can see."
A Rough Christmas
It’s going to be a rough Christmas.
A novel virus necessitating social distancing, masks, smaller gatherings, and a ban on congregational singing all but guarantee that most of our Christmas traditions both as a church, and as individual families, will likely be put on hold this year. We are such creatures of habit, that when the ordinary flow of our lives is interrupted like it has been this past year, it affects us quite a bit. And when truly cherished annual events are significantly modified or, God forbid, canceled, we feel it as a true loss.
So, it’s going to be a rough Christmas. Know that going in. Prepare for it. Grieve it. I know I am.
When you think about it, the first Christmas was pretty rough, too. According to the story in St. Luke’s Gospel, a “world wide” tax uprooted the holy family and put them on the road while St. Mary was in the ninth month of her pregnancy. When it came time for her to give birth, there wasn’t room for them in the inner part of the house where they were staying, so she gave birth to her firstborn son in the place where the housholders kept their animals, and she laid the newborn infant Jesus in a feeding trough. Higher taxes, a road trip while pregnant and likely on the back of a donkey, 1st century “medical care,” with labor and delivery taking place in an animal house. I’d say that was a rough Christmas. So, for what it’s worth, we’re in good company.
And who knows, maybe roughing it, like the holy family, can help us appreciate Christmas all the more.
Merry Christmas, Pastor Skillman
Our Staff
Photo Gallery
Rev. Daniel Skillman - Senior Pastor
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Dale Hukill - Director of Music Ministry
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Richard Shirey - Assistant Organist
Susan Moore - Director of Children's Ministry
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Sherrill Crawford and Dean Firing
Main Office
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Lynnette Ozanich - Bookkeeper
Gail Brandt - Nursery Care Provider