The early beginnings of St. Peter’s Church goes back to the year 1874, when a group of German settlers in Center Township decided to establish a congregation. A log church was erected near Oak Ridge Cemetery on Darmstadt Road, which served as their first house of worship.

Ten years later, in 1884, our present sanctuary was built on a plot of ground donated by Mr. Henry Happel, grandfather of member Mr. John Happel.

The first pastor to service was the Rev. Jacob Gubler. Under his leadership, the congregation was organized in 1884 under the name of St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church of Center Township. The following members signed their names to the Constitution: Andrew Grass, August Steinmetz, Fred Kratz, Jacob Ruedlinger, Jacob Kuns, Jacob Buler, Charles Euler, Christian Pflager, Henry Steinmetz, August Heuwinkel, William Schnelle, John Happel, Christian Kratz, Henry Happel, John Wahl, Nickolas Rueger, John Harrison, Henry Gaisser, Henry Boeke, and William Sensmeier.

The first congregational meeting was held on January 1, 1885. In the early years St. Peter’s shared pastoral leadership with Salem Darmstadt, St. Paul’s German Township, and Bethlehem and held services once a month.

In 1927, the small but active Ladies’ Aid contributed their time and effort to augment the meager income of the congregation through bake sales, socials and suppers. Through their concerted effort we were able to build a small but sufficient annex to the original school hall.

With the passing of years and the gradual loss of members, the problem of maintaining the church under the monthly service plan became most impractical. In the spring of 1950, the council members of St. Peter’s conferred with Rev. Haas, pastor of Salem Darmstadt about the possibility of conducting services more frequently. An agreement was made to hold services twice a month.

On Mother’s Day 1950, the first morning worship service took place. A new outside bulletin board was built by the men of St. Peter’s to tell the community that the little white church by the side of the road had at last come out of hiding.

In September of 1951 St. Peter’s extended an official call to Rev. Manfred Haas and he was unanimously elected. A full time program with Sunday School and Church services was immediately introduced. Also in 1951 the excavation of the basement was started. For months, the men of the congregation with friends and neighbors toiled until midnight to get the job done. Then on Thanksgiving Day, 1952 the job was complete which included an adequate heating system.

Over the next several years the church attracted new members and expanded its ministry. As the church grew, limitations with the building became apparent. So in the early 60s a complete remodel of the sanctuary was completed with an enlarged sanctuary and new stained glass windows.

But by the early 70s, as Rev. Haas neared retirement, the church recognized changes needed to be made to attract a new pastor. Rev. Mark Stahlhut was called to serve and starting in the mid-seventies St. Peter’s participated in several church activities including bowling, softball, volleyball.

In 1978 St. Peter’s called Rev. Linda Frische-Mouri to be our pastor, making her the first female pastor in the Indiana Kentucky Conference. As the church approached the 1980s several upgrades were made to the building and grounds.

To help offset some of the expenses and keep the church moving ahead, there have been two long-standing fundraisers: Burgoo that dates back to the early 50s and the fall festival which started in 1983.

In the late 80s and early 90s, St. Peter’s was served by interims Phil Hoy and John Iliff as well as Lay Minister Chuck Herbert.

Then in mid-90 St. Peters called our second female pastor Rev. Elisabeth Baer. During her time several building projects were completed, including the Shelter House/Burgoo Kitchen as well as a much larger Fellowship Hall Kitchen and Classrooms. Also during this time, our mission and outreach efforts also expanded.

From 2006 to 2009 Rev John Trnka served St. Peter’s as an interim.

In August 2009, the call was made to Rev. Brian Buschkill to serve as our next full-time pastor. Under his leadership, the congregation worked together to discern a new vision for the future of the church. As we live into our vision, a number of new ministries have been launched.

Also under the leadership of Rev. Buschkill, significant upgrades to the church’s technology were completed. Additionally, over the next several years new ministries and outreach programs were established to support both our own members but also those in the wider community.

As member of St. Peter’s United Church of Christ Our Vision, Our Future, Our Hope is to continue to Grow Spiritually, Serve Faithfully and Share Joyfully.

In 2022 – Pastor Brian Buschkill and his family made the decision to continue his ministry in London. Soon after his departure, a Bridge Team was formed to help gather research and information about the church and community that will assist the future Search Committee in developing a church profile.

Beginning in 2023 – Rev. Michael Erwin began serving as our Transitional Pastor. A new mission statement was adopted and under his leadership, our worship, ministries, missions and outreach continue to thrive.

In 2024, we celebrated 150 years of being St. Peter’s. a dedicated community of Christian disciples committed to living out the gospel of Jesus Christ through Growing in Faith, Caring for our Neighbors, and Building Community.

We are actively searching for a new pastor to come join us and live out our mission.

150 Years Strong and looking forward to the future!