History of St. Peter's

1930

The Beginning

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded on September 16th, 1930 by German-speaking immigrant people, organized from a group of members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Cross. The church building at 586 Ellice Ave. in Winnipeg was purchased, and the mostly German speaking church was formed. In spite of the trials and tribulations of The Great Depression and WWII, St. Peter's continued.

1946 — 1960

A Time of Growth

Immigration from 1946 to 1960 was a time of growth for St. Peter's as many people from war-torn Europe came to Canada. The average attendance was over 300 people, and the congregation determined in 1963 that the church building was too small to house the ever-expanding membership.

1969

A New Home

Many members invested substantial time and effort in the construction of the new St. Peter's at the corner of Walnut and Wolseley. Our beautiful church building, designed by the firm of renowned Winnipeg architect Etienne Gaboury, was dedicated on October 26, 1969.

The old church building at 586 Ellice Ave. has changed hands many times and has been renovated; most recently it holds the West End Cultural Centre.

1980s — Present

Continued Progress

Here at the corner of Walnut and Wolseley, things have continued to progress as well. In the 1980's, renovations took place making the new building wheelchair-friendly, adding a bathroom on the main level, and installing an elevator to the basement.

Gradually, the congregation transitioned from German language only into bilingual German-English. Now, with a scarcity of bilingual pastors and most members fluent in English, worship is primarily in the English language. We continue, though, to provide care in German for members who still pray in their mother tongue.

2010s

Our Lutheran Home — The NALC

Over the years St. Peter's has associated with several Lutheran Synods, until recently the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). In the early 2010s the congregation left the ELCIC and affiliated itself with the newly formed North American Lutheran Church (NALC).

The NALC was founded in 2010 as a Church solidly in the mainstream of Confessional Lutheran Theology. Since its launch it has grown from 17 to almost 600 congregations, 40 of them in Canada.