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History of Samuel United Church of Christ

Location: 320 North Forsyth Blvd.
Clayton, MO 63105
Source: Church website
Samuel Church was established in 1905 in response to the desire of German immigrants for a church where they could feel at ease. Many of these folks were farm laborers and domestic workers. Believe it or not, these pietistic men and women purchased a dance hall and converted it for use as a house of worship. That first church was located in the 8100 block of Maryland, between N. Brentwood and N. Meramec Avenue. The Second World War postponed their plans but in 1948 the congregation moved into the attractive Norman Gothic building it now occupies at 320 N. Forsyth in Clayton Gardens.

The United Church of Christ has roots deep in the Protestant Reformation in Germany and Switzerland under the bold leadership of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. In a first wave of immigration these folks came to New York and Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and later to the Mississippi River valley in a second immigration beginning in the middle 1800s. Another branch of the UCC family traces its lineage to English dissenters who came to the new world as the pilgrims on the Mayflower.

From its beginning Samuel Church has been committed to engaging the word of God. Throughout its history the congregation has consistently exhibited compassion for the forgotten and marginalized.