Seaton Brethren Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Seaton Brethren Church in Bell County. Now settle in, because this story starts a long way from Texas. In the middle of the nineteenth century, Moravian Czech immigrants began making their way to the Lone Star State, spreading out across the central part of it, looking for two things at once: religious freedom and economic opportunity.

These weren't just any settlers. They were descendants of a Czech religious movement called Jednota Bratrska, which translates to Unity of the Brethren, rooted in the teachings of a man named Jan Hus. They carried their faith across an ocean and into the Texas hill country like something too important to set down.

In 1881, several Czech families put roots right here in this area. Ten years on, the community applied for a post office, and from that point forward, this place was known as Seaton. By then, Seaton already had a general store.

Within several more years, area residents were also supporting a school. The community was building itself piece by piece, the way communities do when the people in them mean it. Then came 1902, and a man named the Reverend Adolph Chlumsky who began publishing a monthly paper called Bratrske Listy, known today as the Brethren Journal.

That publication went out every month and helped unify Brethren immigrants not just in Texas but in what is now Oklahoma too. That's the kind of thing that holds scattered people together when the miles between them are long. Four years after that, in 1906, Seaton residents organized the Seaton Czech Moravian Brethren Church, and it received a state charter the very next year.

The Reverend Anton Motycka led the founding members, and in the early going they held services wherever they could: private homes, the school in Seaton, a school in Cyclone. Humble beginnings, but purposeful ones. They didn't stay humble for long.

The congregation constructed their first sanctuary, and it was dedicated in 1907. Then over the next several years, the members painted that building, added a hand-pump organ, and hung a bell. A bell.

You put up a bell, and a place starts to feel permanent. In 1917, the women of the congregation organized the Christian Sisters Society, adding another layer to what this church was becoming. And the membership kept growing.

By 1924, the congregation built a new sanctuary altogether, and that building was remodeled extensively in the late 1900s. Over time, the church opened its doors wider and wider, serving not only members of Czech descent but people of other cultures as well. Today, Seaton Brethren Church stands as a spiritual, cultural, and historical center for this area.

A community that started with a handful of Czech families in 1881, organized a church, rang a bell, and is still ringing it.

What the marker says

In the middle 19th century, Moravian Czech immigrants began arriving in Texas, settling throughout the central part of the state. Descendants of the Czech religious movement known as Jednota Bratrska, or "Unity of the Brethren," based on the teachings of Jan Hus, were among those seeking religious freedom as well as economic opportunity. In 1881, several Czech families settled in this area. Ten years later, the community applied for a post office and became known as Seaton. At that time, Seaton had a general store, and within several years, area residents also supported a school. In 1902, the Rev. Adolph Chlumsky began publishing the monthly Bratrske Listy (now Brethren Journal), which helped unify Brethren immigrants throughout Texas and present-day Oklahoma. In 1906, Seaton residents organized the Seaton Czech Moravian Brethren Church, which received a state charter the following year. The Rev. Anton Motycka led the founding members, who held services in private homes and in schools in Seaton and Cyclone before constructing their first sanctuary, which was dedicated in 1907. Over the next several years, members painted the church building and added a hand-pump organ and a bell. In 1917, women in the congregation organized the Christian Sisters Society. With a growing membership, the congregation built a new sanctuary in 1924, and it was remodeled extensively during the late 1900s. Over time, the church served not only members of Czech descent, but those of other cultures as well. With Christian education, support and service programs, the church today remains a spiritual, cultural and historical center for the area. (2006)