Keeping the faith since 1890
ABOUT US
GIVING at St. Philip’s!
We Value Your Investment in God’s Mission Field
The heart of St. Philip’s Lutheran Church has always been to show the hope found in Christ and help people to know him. That is why there is no greater generosity than in investing in what Jesus built – a courageous community! With God’s favor and faithful support, we have seen countless baptized, marriages healed, families restored, leaders equipped, and the next generation rise up and take stand for their faith. For the past 130 years, a percentage of all contributions given to our church have gone to both local and global efforts around education, financial freedom, hunger, poverty, and social justice. Thank you for partnering with us!
MISSION
To develop dedicated disciples by leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
VISION
To be a healthy family of committed Christians that will faithfully serve God, while learning, loving and living in the power of Jesus Christ.
(Acts 2:42-47)
CORE VALUES
HISTORY
In 2020, St. Philip’s Evangelical Lutheran Church celebrated 130 years of service to our Lord in the Baltimore community. This congregation had its beginnings as a Sunday school, established by Mortiz Heuer, the jeweler of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.
The Sunday School met in an abandoned gristmill, remodeled as a church on Ivy Lane in Baltimore near today’s Morgan State university. The Sunday School—and eventually the church—became known as our Savior’s Mission, the Ohio Joint Synod’s (forerunner of the American Lutheran Church) first effort to minister to negroes in the Baltimore area. In reality, St. Philip’s Lutheran Evangelical Church has been recognized as the birthplace of mission work in the Black communities of the American Lutheran Church.
In 1890, the Reverend Taylor Johnson, a negro Baptist minister from Virginia—having recently received his training from Lutheran pastors in the Baltimore area—was ordained and installing Our Savior’s as its first pastor. It was under the brief (1890-1892) leadership of Rev. Taylor Johnson that a Sunday school was also started in Baltimore City. The continuing spiritual growth of this Sunday school was placed under the direction of Rev. William Harley (1893-1895), as superintendent of Colored Missions.
During this period a search was made for another Negro pastor for the work of the mission. Such a man was finally found in the person of Nathaniel Carter, a school teacher from Hanover County, VA who was trained and supervised for the ministry by Rev. William Harley and several Baltimore Lutheran pastors. Ordained at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on North Avenue, Rev. Carter began his work establishing the Baltimore City Mission that would become St. Philip’s Colored Mission Church in 1896. On June 27, 1897 the cornerstone of the Baltimore City Mission, known at St Philip’s Colored Lutheran Church was laid by Rev. Nathaniel Carter at 512 n. Eden Street and dedicated on September 5, 1897. The church was erected as the First Lutheran Church of the joint Synod for the Exclusive use of Colored people. Rev. Carter served St. Philip’s until his death on March 3, 1904.
LEADERSHIP
We lift up that Leadership in the church must provide spiritual shape to the convictions of the next generation of leaders. The church is the pillar and support of the truth. The church’s leaders should be positioned to meet the community and people of faith where they are. We are here to walkalong side you within your times in the valley as well as your mountain top experiences!
STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship is about being grateful, responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God. The tradition of giving back to God and to the church comes from the Biblical practice of “tithing,” which means to give back a tenth of our earnings to God (Numbers 18:26). We at St. Philip’s see stewardship as more than simply contributing money to the church; it’s also about contributing time and talents, and volunteering for ministry and mission. It’s truly about reaching out to build relationships from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity. We want you to grow from a mindset of surviving into a lifestyle of THRIVING!
FELLOWSHIP
Fellowship at St. Philip’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is centered around planning activities/events and providing opportunities for members of the congregation and guests to enhance and build relationships by sharing time and experiences of faith. The God in us NEEDS the God in YOU!
DISCIPLESHIP
We believe that God calls us as leaders of God’s Church to carry out God’s plans and accomplish the mission of reproducing communities of Christ-formed authentic disciples. We do this by equipping our people to know and teach Christ's redemptive reign as missionaries sent by God, to live and proclaim Christ's mission to the world. We focus on developing disciples and NOT making members!
WORSHIP
St. Philip’s is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Where we see that worship involves praising God in music and speech, readings from scripture, prayers of various sorts, a sermon, and various holy ceremonies (often called sacraments) such as the Eucharist. While worship is often thought of only as services in which Christians come together in a group, individual Christians can worship God on their own, and in any place. We believe that worship has to be done inside and outside of the four walls that are on Caroline Street;
for ALL ARE WELCOME!