St. John Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm passing it along to you. In 1921, in the town of Wallis, a man by the name of Rev. August H.

Falkenberg Jr. gathered seventeen people together and organized an Evangelical Lutheran Church. Seventeen. That's it.

That's your founding crew. But don't let that number fool you for even a second, because small beginnings have a way of surprising people in Texas. Now, they didn't have a building of their own right off the bat.

They met first in the Methodist church, which speaks well of the neighbors and speaks well of the congregation both. But a borrowed pew is nobody's permanent home, and before long the congregation bought their own property and dedicated their very own sanctuary. That was 1925.

Four years from a handshake and seventeen names on a list to a building they could call their own. And here's a detail worth savoring: many of those members carried a German heritage with them into those pews, and so some services were held in the German language, right up until 1938. That's not a footnote.

That's a community holding onto something of themselves while they built something new. Then, 1956, they built again. A new church, rising up to meet whatever the next chapter had in store.

And in 2003, stained glass windows were added, throwing color across the light inside those walls. Over the years, the members of St. John Lutheran Church have served the community through fundraisers, ministries, and events, both at home and abroad.

The marker makes a point of saying it plainly, and so will I: despite the small size of the congregation, St. John Lutheran Church continues to make a significant impact in the community and beyond. Seventeen charter members.

One determined reverend. And a church that just keeps going.

What the marker says

Rev. August H. Falkenberg Jr. organized an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wallis in 1921 with 17 charter members. Meeting first in the Methodist church, the congregation bought their own property and dedicated a sanctuary in 1925. Reflecting the heritage of many members, some services were held in the German language until 1938. A new church was built in 1956, complete with stained glass windows added in 2003. Church members have served the community through numerous fundraisers, ministries and events at home and abroad. Despite the small size of the congregation, St. John Lutheran Church continues to make a significant impact in the community and beyond.