Our History

Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church formed to educate children and minister to the growing population in Dayton’s Bluff.  It has provided the east side of St. Paul with mission and ministry for over 120 years. Bethlehem received the property at Forest and Margaret Streets in 1887.  Immediately, they decided to become members of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States.  Some descendants of the founding members still hold membership in the congregation.

The rich and diverse heritage of Bethlehem is similar to the Dayton’s Bluff area itself.  In the early years of the church, services were primarily conducted in German.   English services were added in 1903.  In 1937, English became the main language for all the services. Since 2001, Bethlehem has offered services in English and HMong.

The present church building was completed in 1915. It was designed by Emmanuel L. Masqueray, a native French architect, whose ecclesiastical projects include St. Paul’s Church on the Hill, and the Cathedral of St. Paul.   Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church is listed in the 1964 edition of “Historic St. Paul Buildings.” The Parish house adjoining the church was completed in 1957.  Both East St. Paul Lutheran School (ESPL) and Lutheran High School were formed at Bethlehem.  East St. Paul Lutheran School is located at Eastern Heights Lutheran Church located on Ruth St. in St. Paul, MN.  Lutheran High School is now Concordia Academy and is located in Roseville, MN. The Parish house has been the home of JOY Preschool for over two decades, as well as Bethlehem’s Sunday school and church offices.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church has a long history of dedicated pastors that have served both the congregation and community. The Reverend Robert H. Krueger, the current pastor has served the longest.  He accepted the call to Bethlehem in 1981. His love of utilizing an object lesson included in the order of worship initiated the children’s sermon.  Rev. Krueger’s passion for teaching is seen in the excitement he consistently displays as he teaches the Good News class in the fall and spring. The Reverend Nathan Raddatz, a seminary graduate from Fort Wayne, was installed at Bethlehem in August, 2007. He is currently learning the HMong language at the University of Minnesota hoping to connect with people in our congregation and community.

Bethlehem offers the Divine Service in HMong and English. The HMong ministry was initiated by The Reverend Kou Seying a decade ago. What started with a few families wanting to learn the Gospel, has flourished into an increasing segment of the congregation. In 2001-2002, Bethlehem was blessed with the largest baptism and adult confirmation class in the church’s history. Many of Bethlehem’s Hmong members were part of that historic event.  In 2008, Daniel Thao became Bethlehem's first Hmong church president.  On July 01, 2010, Lou Hang became the second Hmong church president.

Pastor Robert H. Krueger retired on June 15, 2010.  He served faithfully at Bethlehem Lutheran Church for over 29 years!   

The history of Bethlehem continues to play out.  Thanks be to God!