The Rev. Timotheus Stiemke was in a difficult situation. He’d been assigned to a new Lutheran congregation in the little town of New Start (a few miles south of Serbin), where he was installed on the fourth Sunday in Advent in 1874. Stiemke was the second pastor to serve the congregation, which had only been …
“And unto the Wends I became as a Wend, that I might gain the Wends…” Read More »
The high pulpit at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Serbin is perfectly positioned for the delivery of a sermon. However, the height does come with some disadvantages. Moonyean Recks recently shared in a comment on a previous post featuring St. Paul Serbin that in 1970 her husband, the Rev. Ewald Recks, was delivering a sermon …
[Note: I wrote this after reading in a source that Kilian’s call was on May 25, 1854. However since then I’ve found the actual call document (you can see it online here https://forum.wendishresearch.org/viewthread.php?tid=2644) which is dated May 23. It could be that the original source was just incorrect, or it may be that Kilian officially …
Why Wendish Lutherans Moved to Sam Houston’s Texas Read More »
“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” It was probably some time in the late seventies that I first noticed the painting hanging in the hallway of the church that my family attended when I …
The Rev. Gotthilf Birkmann had a secret that he kept from his parishioners at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Fedor. No, it wasn’t anything scandalous. Birkmann was born in rural Illinois on June 4, 1854. His father was a Lutheran pastor, and Birkmann followed him into the ministry. After graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. …
When you see the name “Suess” what’s the first thing you think of? I’m betting it’s green eggs and ham, the Grinch, or the Cat in the Hat. Take a look at that name again, though. The fellow you’re taking about is Dr. Seuss (spelled slightly differently)! In late 1876, the Rev. Simon Suess arrived …
Earlier this week I wrote about the history of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church at Wuthrich Hill, which was formed when St. James’ Lutheran Church at Wuthrich Hill and St. John’s Lutheran Church of New Bern merged in 1947. St. John’s Lutheran Church was organized in 1892 by folks from the New Bern and Sandoval …
If you’re driving along FM 112 east of Taylor, if you blink at the wrong time you might miss the tiny community of Noack. The little town did have a post office for a time starting in 1902 (at that time it received the name it has now; prior to that it was known as …
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little…” Read More »
On February 13, 1855, Pastor Johann (or John or Jan) Kilian must have felt as if things were looking up. The long voyage from Lusatia to Texas that claimed the lives of many of his fellow immigrants was not yet a distant memory, but it was now several months in the past. So was the …
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is situated on top of Wuthrich Hill just a few miles east of Taylor, Texas (and a few miles north of US 79). It can be seen for some distance from any approach. It looks like it just belongs there. But… the building hasn’t always been at that location, and …