St. Paul's Crossroads in Batesville celebrating 175 years

(BATESVILLE, Ind.) – St. Paul Lutheran Church Crossroads in Batesville is celebrating their 175th anniversary this year. 

The origin of the church dates back to 1851 when six German-speaking families were holding worship inside their homes. 

Those families felt the need to build a church so they purchased the land and a log building was completed in 1853.

Over the years, the congregation grew and so did the church. 

The cemetery was established in 1863, a brick schoolhouse was built in 1866 and the first Sunday School was organized in 1872.

At the turn of the century, the congregation decided to build a new church and a celebration was held when they laid the cornerstone on July 9, 1905.

The cornerstone contained a Bible, a copy of the constitution, Luther’s Small Catechism, a list of members of the church and other items. 

It took an entire village to build the church as anyone that was able to help was involved. 

That included the bricks and stone being loaded by hand and delivered by horse-drawn wagons. 

The total cost of the church was $7,000 and it officially opened on February 25, 1906. 

German was spoken during the services for the first 60 years but that began to change at the conclusion of World War I.

In 1920, the church voted to have services in English every other Sunday. 

Rev. Herman Flautz was the pastor at the time and during the first English service he said, “I see many new faces in church this morning. Did you come to hear the word of God? Or did you come for curiosity?” 

Some other memorable moments in the church’s history included the purchase of the pipe organ in 1939, the new altar and pulpit in 1941, joining the Indiana Synod of the United Lutheran Church in 1948, and the basement was completed in 1951. 

St. Paul’s Crossroads has welcomed generations of families over the past 175 years and has served the community in times of peace, war, global pandemics and economic depression.

There have been 39 pastors since it was founded in 1853 with Synod Authorized Minister Laura Nicholson currently leading the church since 2023. 

Nowadays, the church holds worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays. There is also Sunday School and various congregational groups such as Men’s Club, Leisure Ladies, Stitching Blessings and Choir.

They have also been involved in numerous outreach ministries that address local and global food insecurity, domestic violence, Christmas gifts for less fortunate families and Wreaths Across Ripley County.

"As we celebrate our 175th anniversary, we honor those first families who had the foresight to form a worshiping community, and celebrate the legacy they and our forefathers have created for us. May the foundation they laid, and our ensuing efforts, provide a future of hope for those who follow us as we move forward," said Kathy Westerfeld.