St. Paul History: A New Millennium

On May 1st of 2000, Pastor Cooper suffered a severe stroke. He was initially hospitalized for 6 weeks, but additional therapies continued for many months. He underwent several surgeries to repair damage to his vocal cords. Several local pastors ministered to the congregation while Pastor Cooper recuperated, one of which was Pastor James Castillo. Through the grace of God, Pastor Cooper was able to resume preaching after a year away.

As the population of Slinger continued to experience tremendous growth, the church realized the need to expand as well. In 2001 Pastor James Castillo was called as a second full time pastor to work with Pastor Cooper. The congregation also decided to build an addition that would consist of 3 classrooms, a gymnasium/stage, offices and a fellowship area. In 2003, the new Christian Family Center (CFC) was completed, with a dedication service held on November 2. The total cost of construction was 1.7 million dollars.

With the new building, the congregation saw some staff changes. Glenn Blank became the first Church Administrator, and Lisa Meissner replaced Kim Mueller as the Preschool Administrator.

In addition to the Traditional worship services, Contemporary Worship services were added in 2004, with the first service held in the Christian Family Center at the beginning of February. The service eventually grew to include music from contemporary Christian music CDs, a Voices of Praise Choir singing contemporary Christian music, and the Breath of Life Band, which consisted of guitar players, keyboardists, a drummer and several soloists. This was truly a new way for the congregation to reach out and to praise God.

May God continue to bless our congregation in the coming years.