New Year's Eve Service

We will close the year by thanking God for another year of his blessings and asking for his guidance in 2016. We will do that with a special service on New Year's Eve at 7:00 P.M.

Christmas Services

We will have our annual children's Christmas Eve service on Thursday, December 24, at 6:00 P.M. We will also be having a Christmas Day song service on Friday, December 25, at 9:00 A.M. Don't let the Christ-child get lost among all the presents and shining lights! Remember the true reason for Christmas: our Savior is born!

Thanksgiving Service

We will once again take the opportunity to thank God for another year of his incomparable blessings to us all with our Thanksgiving Day service on Thursday, November 26, at 9:00 A.M.

Hunters' Service

On Thursday, November 19, we will have a special mid-week service at 7:00 P.M. That service will be the same as the one on Sunday the 22nd. So if you are going up north to hunt or have to work that weekend, why not join us to worship our Lord before you leave?

Christmas for Kids

St. Paul will be hosting our annual Christmas for Kids one-day vacation Bible school on Saturday, December 12, from 9:00 A.M.-1:30 P.M. Children ages 3-11 are invited! They will learn what Christmas is really all about, sing Christmas carols, decorate cookies, and enjoy lunch. To register, call the church office at 846-2196 or email pastor@stpaul-ocontofalls.org.

Highway 22 Construction Complete!

Good news! The highway 22 construction project through Oconto Falls is finally complete! Barriers were taken down on Wednesday. Need directions to St. Paul? Check out our how to find us page.

Highway 22 Construction Update

As of August 7, construction on Chestnut and Union Avenues through town is complete. All of the crossroads are open once again. However, that section of highway 22 is still not officially open. You can get through, but you will have to go around barriers at each crossroad.

The best way to get here from out of town is is by taking county I to Columbia St. Turn left on South Chestnut and the church will be one block ahead on your right.

Construction has begun on Main Street and will hopefully be completed in November. After that, we'll finally have some relief from two summers of road work! Traveling around and through Oconto Falls should be infinitely more pleasant.

Interactive Faith Bible Study

This fall Pastor Keith Wessel, professor at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, will be leading an online interactive Bible study on the life of the Prophet Elisha. The study will run on Wednesday nights from 6-8 P.M. from September 9 through October 8. For more information, visit www.wels.net/interactivefaith.

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School will begin on Sunday, July 26, and will run through Wednesday, July 29. It will be held from 6:30-8:30 P.M. There will be classes for both children and adults. To sign up send an email or leave a message at the church office by calling 920-846-2196. Include your name, your child's name, the grade they will enter in the coming school year, and a contact number.

Construction on Highway 22

Construction on highway 22 through town continues. If you are coming from out of town, the only guaranteed way to avoid the construction for the remainder of the summer is to go south on county I, then turn right on Columbia St. (the road right before the grade school and high school). Take the first left on Farm Rd. Take the first right on Wisconsin St. which will take you right to church. That sounds more complicated than it actually is.

The good news is that all of this should finally be done by October. After that, going through town on 22 should be infinitely more pleasant.

Mid-Week Summer Services

The first of our mid-week summer services will be held on Thursday, May 21, at 7:00 P.M. The service will be the same as the following Sunday. The services will run through Labor Day. If you have to work or are going away for the weekend, why not join us for worship on Thursdays instead?

Pictures

June 13, 2009: Oconto Copperfest parade float

August 27, 2005: Oconto Falls FunFest booth and parade float

Links

WELS Sites:

• WELS.net: The official site of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)
• NWD-WELS.org: The official site of the Northern Wisconsin district of the WELS. St. Paul is a member of this district.
• WELS Church Locator: Find WELS churches across the United States and around the world!
• What About Jesus?: Get all your questions answered about who Jesus is and why you should care.
• Northwestern Publishing House: Check out NPH's fine selection of books, software, and other Bible-based material. Now with an online, secure order form!

WELS Worker Training Schools:

• Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS): One of our prep (high school) schools, located in Saginaw, Michigan
• Luther Preparatory School (LPS): Our other prep school, located in Watertown, Wisconsin
• Martin Luther College (MLC): Our pastor- and teacher-training college, located in New Ulm, Minnesota
• Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS): Our pastor-training Seminary, located in Mequon, Wisconsin

Local WELS Area Lutheran High Schools:

• Fox Valley Lutheran High School (FVL): Christian secondary education in Appleton, WI
• Manitowoc Lutheran High School (MLHS): Training young people for lives of service in Manitowoc, WI

Other Lutheran Sites:

• Project Wittenberg: view the documents of Lutheranism on-line. See our connection to the teachings and confessions of historic Lutheranism, founded on God's Word alone!

Other Interesting Sites:

• Oconto County: Find out about our county, including historical sites and great places to spend your vacation.
• Local Weather: Current conditions and forecasts from the Weather Channel's Weather.Com.

About Us

Service Information

St. Paul has a service every Sunday at 9:00 A.M. From September through May, we have Adult Bible Class and Sunday School at 10:15 A.M. From Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends, we have services on Mondays at 7:00 P.M. Throughout the year, we also have special services for New Year's Eve, Ash Wednesday, five other mid-week Lenten services, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.

General Information

As of January, 2015, St. Paul has 235 souls under its care, of which 191 are communicant members. In 2014, an average of 96 people were in attendance for Sunday morning worship. The church has experienced slow but steady growth as more and more people look to Oconto Falls as a bedroom community for Green Bay. St. Paul is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), a group of approximately 400,000 Bible-believing Christians throughout the United States, Canada, and the world.

Bible Information Courses are offered as needed. These classes are for non-members to find out what we believe and teach at St. Paul. These are "no-obligation" courses (in other words, you are not "forced" to join the church when the course is over.) Members may attend these classes or request one of their own as a refresher course. Pastor Arnold will try to work with you to set up a time that will fit into your schedule.

Every summer, we have a Vacation Bible School. V.B.S. serves to supplement the Sunday School instructions, but enrollment is not limited to members of St.Paul. There will also be an adult Bible class at the same time.

For more information on the church or any of these programs, please call the church at (920) 846-2196 or send us an email.

A Brief History of St. Paul

St. Paul was founded in 1950 by a group of WELS members who wanted a church in their home community of Oconto Falls, Wisconsin. In 2000 we celebrated our 50th year of God's grace. St. Paul has slowly grown from that nucleus of a few families up to over 200 souls today. We look forward to the challenges and blessings that await us in the coming years, because we know that God will be our refuge and strength in the future as he has been in the past.

Our Pastor

The Reverend Matthew Arnold has served us as pastor since July of 1996. He is a 1986 graduate of Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Michigan, a 1990 graduate of Northwestern College (formerly located in Watertown, Wisconsin), and a 1994 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin.

In May of 1994, he was called through the Assignment Committee of the WELS to serve as the last tutor (a tutor is a dormitory supervisor and instructor) at Northwestern College. When Northwestern's doors were closed and she was amalgamated with Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, in June of 1995, he went with her and served as tutor at the new Martin Luther College. In May 1996, he was called by St. Paul through the Assignment Committee to be our pastor.

Pastor Arnold is very happy to be of service to you in any way that is consistent with his office. You can contact him at the church office by telephone at (920) 846-2196 or via email by clicking on our email address at the top of this page.

Pastors Who Have Served St. Paul
Rev. Herbert Walther	1950-1954
Rev. Wayne Schmidt	1955-1956
Rev. Arlyn Schmeling	1957-1960
Rev. Victor Schultz	1960-1967
Rev. Warren Steffenhagen	1967-1988
Rev. Charles Heup	1988-1993
Rev. Steven Arndt	1994-1996
Rev. Matthew Arnold	1996-present

What We Believe

We Believe and Teach . . .

. . . that we cannot get to Heaven by our own efforts.

God demands that we be perfect.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

We are all sinners.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

We deserve both physical death and eternal death in Hell.

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a)

. . . that God has provided a way for us to get to Heaven.

God the Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to bear the punishment that we deserve.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

By faith we believe in Jesus as our Savior from sin.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

We receive the gift of faith through the Word of God.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

. . . that our lives have meaning because of God's love for us.

Now we can live life to its fullest.

I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

God will hear and answer our prayers.

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (Psalm 50:15)

Now we can live for God and do good works to his glory.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

. . . that the Bible is the Word of God and the only source of spiritual life.

The Bible is the unchanging and error-free Word of God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Bible centers on Jesus Christ.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

The Bible is our guide in everything we think, say, and do.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Other Local WELS Churches

Oconto County

Calvary Ev. Luth. Church Location: 5716 Main St., Abrams Phone: (920) 903-2221 Pastor: Matthew Stuebs Service Times:    Summer: 9:00 A.M.       and 6:30 P.M. (Thu.)    Winter: 9:00 A.M.	Ev. Luth. Church of Our Savior Location: 323 S. Rosera St., Lena Phone: (920) 829-6222 Pastor: Ryan Landwehr Service Time: 9:00 A.M.
Risen Savior Ev. Luth. Church Location: 13825 Hwy 32, Mountain Phone: (715) 473-5633 Pastor: Cody Hauch Service Time: 6:30 P.M. (Saturday)	St. Mark's Ev. Luth. Church Location: 8608 Cty Hwy A West, Spruce Phone: (920) 829-6222 Pastor: Ryan Landwehr Service Time: 10:30 A.M.
St. Paul Ev. Luth. Church Location: 301 S. Chestnut, Oconto Falls Phone: (920) 846-2196 Pastor: Matthew Arnold Service Times:    Summer: 9:00 A.M.       and 7:00 P.M. (Mon.)    Winter: 9:00 A.M.

Marinette County

Christ Ev. Luth. Church Location: 613 11th Avenue, Menominee, MI Phone: (906) 863-2119 Pastor: Paul Cole Service Time: 9:00 A.M.	Grace Ev. Luth. Church Location: 716 Henriette St., Crivitz Phone: (715) 854-2216 Pastor: Jonathan Zietlow Service Times:    8 and 10 A.M., 7 P.M. (Wed.)
Ev. Luth. Church of St. John Location: N1916 Church Rd., Grover Phone: (715) 582-3439 Pastor: Vacant Service Times:    9:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. (Wed.)	St. Matthew's Ev. Luth. Church Location: Hwy 64 and 3rd Ave., Beaver Phone: Pastor: Chris Johns Service Time: 9:00 A.M.
Trinity Ev. Luth. Church Location: 221 N. Louis St., Coleman Phone: (920) 897-3422 Pastor: Gregory Stahlecker Service Time: 9:00 A.M.	Trinity Ev. Luth. Church Location: 1501 Thomas St., Marinette Phone: (715) 732-9868 Pastor: Jon Tesch Service Times:    9:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. (Mon.)
Zion Ev. Luth. Church Location: 221 S. Ellis Ave., Peshtigo Phone: (715) 582-3680 Pastor: Luke Myslik Service Times:    9:00 A.M. and 6:30 P.M. (Mon.)

About Our Logo

Our logo (see right) incorporates the symbol of the Apostle Paul, which is a sword with a cross-shaped hilt over an open Bible with the Latin words "Spiritus Gladius" ("Sword of the Spirit"--see Ephesians 6:17). The color purple is the color of royalty (as is the color gold), reflecting that Jesus is our King. Purple is also the color of repentance, knowing that our Savior suffered and died to free us from our sin. As such, it is traditional to use this color for the altar cloths in church during the Lenten season.

The open Bible shows that all of our teaching and practice comes from God's Word and God's Word alone. The sword and shield are parts of the "full armor of God" Paul refers to in Ephesians 6:10-18. God's Word enables us to fight the daily battle against sin. His Word is like a shield, keeping temptation away. It is also like a sword, enabling us to fight back with the truth. His Word guarantees that we are God's own now and forever.

The sword with its hilt is in the shape of a cross, pointing clearly to our Savior and his selfless sacrifice for us. The arrows pointing in all directions picture the good news about Jesus spreading throughout the whole world.

Our logo was designed by Cherry Simpson of Mobile, AL, following a referral from the WELS Commission on Evangelism. Our thanks go out to her for her fine work!

How to Find Us

St. Paul is located in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, just one half hour north of Green Bay and forty minutes southwest of Marinette. Oconto Falls is a small town of about 2,900, located on Highway 22, thirteen miles west of Highway 41 and five miles west of Highway 141.

Directions from the east on 22: once you get into town, 22 will curve south. After a few blocks it will begin to curve southwest. Instead of following 22, go straight on South Chestnut Avenue. St. Paul is one block ahead on your right.

Directions from the west on 22: right before you get into town, 22 will curve southeast. Once you get through the downtown area, 22 will turn northeast . Right before it turns north to head out of town, you will see The Penguin Again restaurant on your right. Turn right at the next corner which is South Chestnut Avenue. St. Paul is one block ahead on your right.

Maps to St. Paul can be found on the WELS Church Locator. Click that link to get directions from your door right to our church!