St. Peter's United Church of Christ sits at the corner of Fifth and Market Streets in downtown Washington, Missouri, a building that has gathered the same congregation since 1869. Founded in 1844 as the German Protestant Church of Washington, St. Peter's was the first Protestant congregation established in town. Nearly two centuries later, the church remains a steady presence on the block: choirs sing from the loft on Sunday mornings, volunteers stock the food pantry three days a week, and a free medical clinic opens in the building every second Saturday.
The Long Road from 1844
A handful of German Protestant settlers organized St. Peter's in 1844, and the Reverend Hermann Garlichs became the first pastor to serve in an official capacity. Garlichs also helped found seven other German Evangelical churches on the north side of the Missouri River, and he crossed the river to Washington roughly once a month to lead worship, administer sacraments, and tend to other ministerial duties between his travels. The first and second church buildings stood at Third and Lafayette Streets, then the edge of town, before the present sanctuary was erected at Fifth and Market in 1869. Four major additions and a parsonage across the street followed as the ministry grew.
To distinguish itself from other Protestant congregations taking root in Washington, the church adopted the name St. Peter's Evangelical Church - or, more precisely, St. Peter's Evangelische Kirche. The congregation officially joined the German Evangelical Synod in 1893, only to be struck by a tornado soon after that destroyed the roof and seriously damaged the sanctuary. In 1934, the German Evangelical denomination merged with the Reformed Church of German and Swiss descent to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church of North America, and German-language services continued on occasion until World War II. The current identity took shape in 1957, when St. Peter's joined the Congregational Christian denomination to form the United Church of Christ, the body in which it continues its ministry today. The year 2024 marked the congregation's 180th anniversary.
Enter to Worship, Depart to Serve
Two short sentences shape everything at St. Peter's: "Enter to worship, depart to serve." The mission of the church is captured in that line, and the vision statement expands it. The purpose of the congregation, in the words of the church itself, is "to develop the Kingdom of God by all available means, working to advance the mission of Jesus Christ." That means supporting Christian community, engaging in Christian education, practicing stewardship, cultivating fellowship, and seeking "in all things" to embrace the world in the ways Christ did.
Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning
Worship at St. Peter's takes two shapes. On Saturday at 5:00 p.m., the church offers a less formal service in the sanctuary. On Sunday at 10:00 a.m., the main service unfolds with music from the organist and choirs. That Sunday morning service is livestreamed on YouTube and begins with a Children's Message, after which children in kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to Sunday School at approximately 10:15 a.m. A fully equipped nursery is available, and a nearby parlor is set aside for parents who need a different setting for their child.
Holy Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month and at the Saturday service the night before, with additional celebrations at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. St. Peter's practices open communion, inviting all who wish to know the presence of Christ to partake. Elements include gluten-free bread and grape juice. Liturgists - lay readers drawn from the congregation - lead the Call to Worship, Invocation, and Scripture Lessons at services.
Children, Confirmation, and Camp MoVal
Faith formation is built around the church's youngest members. Sunday School gathers children ages 3 through sixth grade each week during the school year. Confirmation is offered to seventh graders and older, running from September through May and culminating in the students affirming their baptism and joining St. Peter's as full members. Programming for middle and high school youth continues beyond Confirmation; details are coordinated through the church office. Each July, children, youth, and adults from both the church and the wider community gather for Vacation Bible School. St. Peter's also pays a portion of camp fees for children active in the congregation who attend programs at Camp MoVal, the outdoor ministry of the Missouri Mid-South Conference near Union, Missouri. Adults, meanwhile, meet for Bible study on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. in the Atrium Room.
Music as a Cornerstone
Music is woven through the life of the church. Ken Tucker, who also directs choirs and teaches music education at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, leads the music program. Andrew Jackson, who joined St. Peter's in 2017 from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Saint Clair, plays the principal organ. The Chancel Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings at the 10:00 a.m. service throughout the school year, with soloists, instrumentalists, and ensembles providing special music in summer and across the year. A Chapel Bell Choir rehearses one evening a week and rings handbells at the Sunday service monthly, and a Bell Ensemble performs periodically. Recordings of recent services are posted to the church's YouTube channel.
Feeding the Community: Food Pantry, Harvest Table, and WERF
St. Peter's has built an extensive outreach network that operates out of the church building. The Food Pantry distributes non-perishable staples to neighbors who live in the Washington School District. It is open Monday from noon to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and Thursday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., and is closed on federal holidays and whenever the school district closes for weather. Clients need to present photo identification, proof of address (a current electric or water bill is fine), and reside in the district. The pantry is staffed by volunteers and supported by food drives from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the local Post Office, and Foodstock.
Harvest Table, a Washington community ecumenical ministry operating from St. Peter's, serves a free community meal every Saturday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Several churches and local organizations partner to provide and serve the food. The Washington Emergency Relief Fund (WERF), a Franklin County United Way agency administered through St. Peter's, helps households facing utility shut-off, eviction, the cost of critical medication, and similar emergencies.
The Salam Medical Clinic
On the second Saturday of each month from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Salam Medical Clinic opens at St. Peter's. The clinic is staffed by doctors from Muslim Community Services of St. Louis, the Deaconess Nurse Ministry, and St. Peter's volunteers, and it provides free basic health care, specialist referrals, free or reduced-rate lab tests, screenings for common diseases, prescription renewals, school physicals, pre-employment physicals, and patient counseling. It serves anyone 18 or older with a valid ID (or 17 accompanied by a parent or guardian) and can be reached through the Market Street entrance.
Fellowship Around Town
Many of St. Peter's fellowship groups meet away from the building as well as in it. Every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the pastor hosts Coffee with the Pastor at UnderGrounds Espresso Bar on Front Street, where anyone is welcome to share the events and concerns of their lives. Women's Fellowship gathers on the second Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m. for a program, a short business meeting, and lunch, and the women meet for breakfast and conversation at a local restaurant on the third Thursday at 9:00 a.m. A Retired Men's Group gathers for breakfast at 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month and occasionally supplies flowers for worship. The Quilters meet Mondays from noon to 3:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., producing quilts for the church, for mission projects, and for individuals. Newcomers are welcome, and the quilters are happy to teach.
Core Beliefs
St. Peter's articulates its beliefs in the language of the United Church of Christ. Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit are one God. In Christ, the only head of the church, God has come, conquering sin and reconciling the world to Divine Love. The church is a people united in Christ through worship, work, and witness. The UCC accepts different covenants and confessions of faith, and each generation is free to rethink its beliefs. Forgiveness, grace, and eternal life are promised to all who have faith. Members are called to be disciples in word and in deed. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the primary source for understanding the Good News. Christian unity is taken seriously - all Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ - and the mission of the church is to work for justice and to establish God's rule in the world. "The government of the church is vested in its members," a sentence that appears on the Constitution page itself.
The Cemetery on Fifth Street
A little over a mile east of the church, at 1700 E. Fifth Street, lies St. Peter's Cemetery, purchased by the congregation in 1875 from Louis Hausmann at $150 per acre. Originally three acres, the cemetery has grown to about ten acres and now holds more than 3,100 people. The granite wall and iron entry gates on Fifth Street went up in 1936, a committal chapel was built in 2002, and a labyrinth meditation area registered with the worldwide Labyrinth Locator was added in 2015. In 2023, a green burial section was plotted in the west meadow. The cemetery is non-sectarian and open to everyone, offering traditional burials, environmentally friendly green burials, interment for cremation ashes, companion animal burials, an on-site chapel, and a prayer path. A separate Cemetery Corporation Board oversees its care and sale of lots.
An Accessible Building and a Shared Space
The church building itself is fully accessible. An elevator sits just inside the double doors from the back (south) parking lot, and a ramp is located at the front entrance. Accessible doors open from the front and the back of the church. St. Peter's makes its facilities available to members, non-profit organizations, and civic groups for showers, birthdays, anniversaries, rehearsal dinners, receptions, fundraisers, corporate and civic meetings, funeral luncheons, and workshops. The campus offers a spacious, well-lit parking lot, sound and videoconferencing capabilities, a private childcare room, an elevated stage with curtains, two kitchens with prep areas, and restrooms near each event room. The church also maintains supportive relationships with United Church of Christ institutions in the area, including Emmaus Homes, Eden Theological Seminary, Camp MoVal, and Shannondale Retreat Community Center.
Joining the Congregation
Visitors are welcome to remain as visitors for as long as they wish. Those ready for a formal commitment may choose full membership or associate membership. Full members belong solely to St. Peter's; associate members maintain formal ties to another church. Membership classes can be arranged through the church office, which is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The Messenger, the church's monthly newsletter, keeps members and friends informed of congregational life.