St. Paul’s had its beginnings in 1827, when the Reverend Samuel Brinckle, rector of Old St. David’s, Radnor met in his spare time with interested residents in school houses in both East and West Whiteland. Over the next year plans were made to purchase land near the 24th milestone on the Philadelphia Lancaster Turnpike and build a church. On May 1, 1828 the Rev. Brinckle officiated at the laying of the cornerstone. On May 28, 1829 the church was consecrated by Bishop William White, the first bishop of Pennsylvania and a founding father of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

In the 1840s there were many new strides which brought growth and enrichment to St. Paul’s Church. The women of the church contributed a great deal financially toward improvements and repairs. There has been a constancy in this throughout St. Paul’s history. The church was first a place of worship, but it was also a place of social gatherings for the wider community. St. Paul’s also has a rich tradition of concerns about social issues beyond the parish.

In the fall of 1912 the Parish Hall was erected and quickly became a community center, proving of great value as a neighborhood house for gatherings. The year 1918 was an important year in the life of St. Paul’s when land adjoining the church was purchased by the Church Farm School. That summer, under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Charles Shreiner, thirty five boys from the Church of the Atonement, Philadelphia, together with a group of Girl Scouts who were housed in St. Paul’s Parish Hall, worked the farm raising food to help the food crisis of World War I. For many years the students and parishioners worshiped together. Then in September 1963 the Church Farm School began worshiping in their own chapel on the school’s campus.

As the parish family increased in membership, in 1981 the Lockwood-Reilly Building was erected just north of the Parish Hall. In recognition of the historical significance of the church, in 1984 St. Paul’s was placed on the national Historical Landmark Registry. In 2002 the interior of the church underwent major renovations and exterior was repaired and repainted. In May 2004, the parish celebrated its 175th anniversary.

Throughout many generations, St. Paul’s has been a community of faith that has served God’s Mission in Jesus Christ. We are grateful to past members whose commitment of founding a place of worship and keeping it alive throughout our history. St. Paul’s is a testament to their dedication to their community and their love of God. By the grace of God’s innumerable blessings, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are determined to continue Christ’s ministry of love within our parish, our community, and the world.

In February 2005, the Reverend Jay R. Lawlor joined St. Paul’s as our 27th rector. Under Fr. Jay’s pastoral leadership, St. Paul’s entered a new and vibrant phase of mission, ministry, and growth. Reverend Lawlor left in 2007, and we are currently searching for a permanent relacement.

We invite you to join us at St. Paul’s and experience the love of Christ in this parish family and in loving service to the world in Jesus Christ’s name.