St. Thomas Lutheran Church
St. Thomas Lutheran Church was founded in 1908 with 15 members, mostly German immigrants who were settling on the east side of Detroit. A parish school was built next to the church in 1911. When the church outgrew its old quarters, the church was demolished and a new one was built in 1921.
The church peaked in the 1930's, and then started to lose members as residents moved out of the neighborhood and into the suburbs. In 1945 St. Thomas merged with another Lutheran church, St. Peter on Chene Street, and the combined church moved into the St. Thomas building. In 1959, St. Thomas - St. Peter built a new church in the suburb of East Detroit (today Eastpointe), but continued to hold services at both locations until 1968 when the St. Thomas building was closed and sold to another congregation.
At some point in the 1980's or 90's the parish school was demolished, leaving an empty lot next to the church. The most recent occupant appears to be Greater Church by Christ Jesus, from 1997 to 2002 or 2003. Exactly how long the church was vacant isn't clear, but in 2012 it was bought by a new congregation.
Several years of vacancy left the building with moderate damage, and the stained glass window facing Chapin Street was completely removed. Starting in 2013, the church was renovated and reopened as Divine Deliverance Outreach Ministries.
