Saint John United Church of Christ

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm gonna tell it to you. Back in 1882, a German native by the name of Herman Staas settled into the Robinson area of McLennan County. Now, Herman Staas was not the kind of man who kept a good thing to himself.

He was persuasive, and he put that gift to work, convincing other Germans to make the same journey and put down roots in the same patch of Texas soil. That's the kind of man who gets a congregation started. And sure enough, in 1884, those pioneers did exactly that.

They established this congregation, under the leadership of the Reverend Christian Schaer of Waco. No building yet, mind you. They held services in homes, and they borrowed the Presbyterian Sanctuary when they needed it.

That arrangement lasted a while. It wasn't until 1890 that the first building of their own was completed. Six years of worshiping in borrowed spaces, and then finally, something they built themselves.

Then in 1900, the church welcomed its first resident pastor, the Reverend John Strauss. He didn't just pass through. He served that congregation from 1900 all the way to 1940.

Forty years of one man, one flock, one place. In 1959, the last German-language service was conducted. The language of the founders had faded from the sanctuary.

But the church itself, it carried on. Still reflecting, as the marker puts it, the ideals and traditions of the people who started it all. Herman Staas settled in, told his friends, and something that lasted took root.

That's Robinson, Texas for you.

What the marker says

German native Herman Staas, who settled here in 1882, was instrumental in persuading other Germans to migrate to the Robinson area. In 1884 the pioneers established this congregation under the leadership of the Rev. Christian Schaer of Waco. Services were held in homes and in the Presbyterian Sanctuary until the first building was completed in 1890. The first resident Pastor here was the Rev. John Strauss, who served from 1900 to 1940. Although the last German service was conducted in 1959, the church continues to reflect the ideals and traditions of its founders.