The history of this congregation dates back to the 1840 founding of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Charleston, which eventually became St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. The booming German population in 19th century Charleston necessitated new churches to house the quickly expanding community of Lutherans. St. Johannes Lutheran Church was formed in April of 1878, when a group of 53 Lutherans organized the “Deutschen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Sanct Johannes Kirche” congregation.
St. Matthew’s moved to its present King Street location in 1872, and in October of 1878 the St. Johannes congregation moved into the former site of St. Matthew’s at Hasell and Anson Streets. As membership continued to grow into the 20th century, numerous repairs and improvements were made to the building including the addition of Sunday school facilities. The church prides itself on its musical excellence; in 1920, the original pipe organ was rebuilt and a new Austin pipe organ with cathedral chimes was acquired in 1949.
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