Immanuel Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. Back in the 1870s, German immigrants put down roots near a little place called New Berlin, right on Elm Creek, and they built themselves a spiritual home they called Christ Lutheran Church. That congregation was their anchor, their gathering place, their reason to make the trip every Sunday.

Then 1893 came along, and with it the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad, and La Vernia started pulling people in. Church members moved to town, but for a while they kept making that weekly journey back to New Berlin for worship. Think about that.

Dusty roads, Texas heat, and still they went. But a weekly journey can only hold folks so long. In 1901, twenty families decided it was time.

They gathered together, formed a local congregation to serve German Lutherans right there in La Vernia, and they called the Reverend H. W. Schmidt as their first pastor.

Now, they didn't yet have a building of their own, so the congregation worshiped at the Presbyterian church while theirs was being built. And in October of 1901, on this very site on Cibolo Creek, they had it. Immanuel Lutheran Church had a home.

The following year, on donated land about two and a half miles to the northwest, an associated cemetery was established. When Pastor Schmidt left in 1903, the congregation didn't go it alone. They issued a joint call for a new pastor alongside their neighbors at Christ Lutheran Church, and that shared pastorate carried on for many years.

Then came the Reverend Nic Frueh. He took the pulpit in 1911 and held it until 1943, and under his hand the congregation grew steadily. English language services were added during his tenure, reaching beyond the German-speaking world the founders had known.

One member was even ordained into the Lutheran ministry. But Cibolo Creek, for all its beauty, is not always a gentle neighbor. Floods came in 1913, again in 1973, and again in 1998, and each time the congregation faced them and carried on.

In 1932, deterioration and a violent storm made the decision for them, and a new church building was erected to replace the original. From twenty families making a stand in 1901, through storms and floods and a century of Sundays, Immanuel Lutheran Church has remained an important part of the ethnic and religious heritage of Wilson County. Some roots, once set down, just don't let go.

What the marker says

German immigrants settled in the nearby New Berlin community on Elm Creek in the 1870s and founded a congregation known as Christ Lutheran Church. After the arrival of the San Antonio and Gulf Railroad in 1893, many church members moved to La Vernia, and for a time they made the weekly journey back to New Berlin for worship services. In 1901, however, 20 families gathered to form a local congregation to serve German Lutherans in La Vernia, and they called the Rev. H. W. Schmidt as their first pastor. Immanuel Lutheran Church members worshiped at the Presbyterian church until their own building was completed on this site on Cibolo Creek in October 1901. An associated cemetery (2.1 mi. NW) began on donated land the following year. After Pastor Schmidt left in 1903, the church issued a joint call for a new pastor with Christ Lutheran Church, and this shared pastorate continued for many years. The congregation grew steadily under the leadership of the Rev. Nic Frueh, who served as pastor from 1911 until 1943. In 1932, due to deterioration and a violent storm, a new church building was erected to replace the original. During pastor Frueh's tenure, English language services were added and one member was ordained into the Lutheran ministry. Although damaging floods in 1913, 1973 and 1998 have proved challenging for the congregation, the members have sustained their various ministries and programs, including education and outreach. Immanuel Lutheran Church remains an important part of the ethnic and religious heritage of Wilson County. (2001)