Who We Are
St. Paul’s – the church with a heart in the heart of downtown Toledo – is a welcoming family.
We welcome Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to faith. We welcome all those who have no church home, those who want to follow Christ, those who have doubts and those who do not believe.
St Paul’s is a place where you are welcome to celebrate and sorrow, rejoice and recover. St Paul’s is a place where lives are made new.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we gather, grow and serve.
St. Paul’s will be the Christ-centered hub of abundant life in downtown Toledo.
Our commitment to you is to provide weekly worship and learning opportunities for all, in a family that cares for each other. We are learning together to live the Christian life. The community needs us and we need the community; therefore, we provide life-transforming services and opportunities to all people in the heart of Toledo and beyond.
We believe in God, the creator; Jesus, his son; and the Holy Spirit.
God loves us unconditionally. Through Jesus we are encouraged to love each other and the world. The Bible is central to our faith and brings us stories of faithful people and God’s word. Our faith motivates us to perform acts of love and service with and for all of God’s people and creation.
We engage through community.
As Jesus walked, talked and ate with his disciples, we build up the body of Christ in the same way. Our worship, outreach activities and service to others promote conversation, engagement and often over food, music and art which binds us together expressing the love of Christ.
Peter Bowmer
Pastor Pete is originally from Australia. He and his wife have four adult daughters living in CA, NYC, Chicago and OH. Madonna, Pastor Pete’s “better half” teaches young children in the Head Start program of Toledo Public Schools.
Asked to describe his calling to ministry, Pastor Pete said “The love of our Lord is expressed to us through the relationship Jesus established with us in his life, death and resurrection. My privilege is to reflect that love in all my relationships, with grace, so that all people might know Jesus, and be freed to serve Jesus through their community.”
Pastor Pete enjoys going to the Mudhens baseball. Coming from Australia he enjoys both Rugby League (his team is the Cronulla Sharks) and AFL – or Aussie rules football (his favorite teams are the Brisbane Lions and the ST Kilda Saints).
Kate Philabaum
Kate is the Director of the HeART Gallery/MakerSpace and many outreach activities related to the downtown Toledo community. She taught vocal music and drama for twenty-four years in Perrysburg Schools, with graduate work in Visual Arts and Communication. Kate is very passionate about expanding St. Paul’s ministry through HeART Gallery and the MakerSpace. She is also a regular contributor on 13abc The Nine with Rebecca Regnier and frequent public speaker on a variety of topics related to the arts and hospitality.
Kate is currently our interim music coordinator and pianist/organist. Her husband, Tim, is retired from pastoring Zoar Lutheran in Perrysburg, currently serving as an interim pastor in Pemberville, OH. They have three adult children and five grandchildren in Santa Barbara, Denver and Philadelphia. If you are an artist or musician interested in serving our community, please contact Kate!
Ashley Huffman
Ashley ensures daily life runs smoothly in the office. She oversees all mailings, event rentals, donations, membership information and genealogy requests. She also assists with finances and the creation and distribution of marketing materials.
She enjoys exploring nature by hiking, biking, and kayaking. She’s also an avid reader and student of ballroom dancing.
If you need to know anything about St. Paul’s, Ashley can help.
Kenny Franklin, Sr.
Kenny manages our property and helps prepare for many events and exhibits that occur in our Parish Hall building.
Kenny began working in the Community Heart Cafe and transitioned into the role of St. Paul’s Custodian. He enjoys fishing and spending time with his son.
Michael Grupp-Verbon
Michael is a musician and owner of Viewpoint Productions, a multimedia company specializing in event management, graphic design and marketing.
Michael and his wife, Denise, have performed together as the musical duo Tapestry for more than a decade.
167 Years of
Service & Fellowship
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church has a rich history of innovative worship and outreach that has adapted to meet the changing needs of its congregation and surrounding community.
Many landmark events, including the formation of the American Lutheran Church (1930), took place in its sanctuary that still boasts seating for 350 and a resonate German Reuters pipe organ. The building remains an exquisite example of Gothic architecture in the heart of Toledo, with stunning stained glass windows lining each side of the sanctuary.
Throughout its history, St. Paul’s has remained involved and committed to the downtown Toledo community. For almost thirty years, its pastors organized large community Christmas Eve and Easter services at the local Paramount theatre where the stage was transformed into a massive choir loft for singers and musicians. In the 1940s, Sunday evening services were started to accommodate the schedules of downtown “war workers”. In the 1950s St. Paul’s purchased and operated Camp Hemlock in Michigan, so city youth of Toledo could have a rural, camp environment for summer learning and fun. Shortly after that, St. Paul’s started one of the first housing units for over 200 seniors living in the downtown area.
By 1967, much of the Toledo residential population had moved to the suburbs. Proposals were put before the congregation numerous times to follow trends and relocate, but with each vote, the group held to their decision to remain downtown. The commitment to serve this area has remained steadfast, even as economic changes have impacted the city.
Our location near the Courthouse and Government Building has given us the opportunity to connect with the renaissance of downtown Toledo and become part of its vibrant arts community. Our Community Cafe serves brunch three days per week for low income residents, and provides assistance with personal hygiene items and local social services. The creation of HeART Gallery in 2017, opened our doors to monthly Lunch & Learn events, exhibits, and our very popular Nativity Festival in the month of December. The addition of a MakerSpace in 2023 provides opportunity for woodworking and craft projects connecting generations and engaging with those living in the downtown area.
1924-2024
The Parish Hall was dedicated in September 1924 and has been used in many ways for ministry, fellowship, city-league dart ball and even a school.
We are grateful for the physical space that has allowed us to bless our surrounding community with its open doors. We look forward to its future use in service of people who gather to live, grow and serve in Christian love.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Lutherans, along with Christians who worship in many other traditions, are part of the one, holy, catholic (meaning “universal”) church.
More information on the global work of the Lutheran church can be found at the ELCA website.
We join with 212 other Lutheran Parishes in Northwest OH as the Northwest Ohio Synod (NWOS), under the leadership of Bishop Daniel Beaudoin. Click the button below to learn more about the resources and activities within the NWOS.
