The story of St. Matthew Lutheran Church: one of opportunity, resilience, and faith.
In 1845, a group of Germans gathered in Bremen, Germany at the mouth of the Weser River. These folks came from Nurnberg, Bavaria, Hesse Darmstadt, and Wurtenberg. After weeks at sea, they landed in New Orleans, then headed north toward Indiana. There were large ice drifts and dams closing the Ohio River and so our Germans stopped in Paducah, KY. They decided that Paducah would serve their needs quite nicely, especially because they were orchardists by trade. The climate here in Kentucky was perfect for their orchards to thrive. Some of those trees are still alive today, and many more descendants of those original cuttings as well. The families decided to settle here and built their homes. Practicing their Lutheran faith, they met in each other’s homes for the next 10 years, occasionally having visits from itinerant pastors. In 1856, one of those traveling pastors, Reverend Frederick Nestmann, helped them to organize an official church.
On November 16, 1856, the Evangelical Lutheran St. Matthew Congregation of McCracken County was founded with 21 adult members. A church and parsonage were built on South Friendship Road. A small log cabin was built to be used as a school. In 1867, some kids were playing around the church and a chicken snuck under the church. The kids went after the chicken while carrying a lantern and consequently, a fire destroyed that church building. A remodeled parsonage was used as a chapel for the next 19 years until the new church was built in 1886. In 1913, a sacristy and bell tower were added to the country church and a new altar and pulpit were secured. In 1921, St Matthew established its own parish in the United Lutheran Church in America. At that time, a chapel was built at 600 5th Street in Paducah to serve city residents and the country church on Friendship Road continued to serve the rural families.
In 1937, the 5th Street chapel was heavily damaged by the Great Flood and a new church home was constructed at 27th and Broadway, where St. Matthew still meets to this day. At this time, the rural and city congregations came together to worship at the new site.
By 1960, St. Matthew Lutheran Church was flourishing and needed even more space. So a house next to the church was purchased and converted into a parish house. Even more space was required, so the house was removed and in its place a new structure, called the Alpha Center, was built. In this building, Sunday school and fellowship were held. Because the original church at this location had so many stairs and was no longer accessible to folks of all abilities, a new building was constructed in its place. On October 25, 1992, St. Matthew dedicated their new sanctuary and this is where we are still worshiping together.
St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Paducah 