St. Paul Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just as it's written. Way out in Fayette County, the story of St. Paul Lutheran Church goes back further than you might expect, all the way to 1851.

That's when a pastor named J. C. Roehm, who had come over from Basel, Switzerland, organized the first Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas and got to preachin'.

From that beginning, he went on to establish St. John Lutheran Church of Ross Prairie in 1859. One congregation, planted in the Texas soil.

But congregations have a way of growin', and by 1894 the members of St. John out in Fayetteville had enough folks that they erected a church building right on this very site. They called the Reverend Vaclav Pazdral to lead them, and he served that community all the way until 1911.

Then came Hans Krause's pastorate, and things kept movin'. Under his watch, the congregation joined the Texas Synod in 1913, and then in 1930 they joined up with the American Lutheran Church. By 1938, the name itself had changed.

St. John had become St. Paul Lutheran Church.

And for years after that, services were held in both English and German, right up until 1947. Two languages carrying one faith through those Fayette County days. Now the St.

Paul Lutheran Church carries on, still holding to the traditions of its founders. From a Swiss pastor organizing a synod in 1851 to a congregation standing here today, some stories just keep going.

What the marker says

Lutheran worship in this area dates to 1851 when Pastor J. C. Roehm of Basel, Switzerland, organized the first Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas and then began preaching, establishing St. John Lutheran Church of Ross Prairie in 1859. In 1894 the growing number of St. John members in Fayetteville erected a church building on this site, calling the Rev. Vaclav Pazdral who served until 1911. During the pastorate of Hans Krause the congregation joined the Texas Synod in 1913 and the American Lutheran Church in 1930. By 1938 the name had changed from St. John to St. Paul Lutheran Church. Services were held in English and German until 1947. The St. Paul Lutheran Church continues in the traditions of its founders. (1998)