Trinity Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Trinity Lutheran Church in Falls County. Now settle in, because this congregation has had a few close calls along the way. It starts, as so many Texas stories do, with a traveler.

The year was 1882, and a missionary by the name of the Reverend John J. Trinklein made his way into this part of Falls County. He stood before a largely German congregation and did what preachers do best: he planted an idea.

Organize a Lutheran church, he told them. And folks, they listened. By June of 1883, Trinity Lutheran Church was established.

The members had already purchased four acres of land and put up a chapel. That is not dragging your feet. Within ten years, the congregation near Riesel had grown enough that they needed something bigger, something grander, and so they built a new sanctuary.

Completed in 1891. Now, you might think that's where the story settles into peaceful Sunday mornings and potluck suppers. You would be wrong.

The very following year, a tornado came through and destroyed that building. Gone. Just like that.

But here is what you need to know about this fellowship: they did not quit. A new church building was dedicated in June of 1893. The congregation kept right on.

Over the years, Trinity Lutheran was served by numerous pastors, each leaving something of themselves behind. The Reverend F. Wunderlich founded a Christian day school that the church operated for more than eighty years.

That is a legacy with some weight to it. The Reverend H. Studtman served this fellowship from 1904 until 1926, when he was appointed first president of Concordia Lutheran College in Austin.

And during the 1951 to 1956 pastorate of the Reverend Louis Boriack, the church's constitution was translated from the original German and rewritten in English. That detail right there tells you something. The roots were deep enough that they still had a German constitution to translate.

The sanctuary the fellowship worships in today was completed in 1937, during the pastorate of the Reverend E. A. Heckmann.

And the marker notes that elements of the church's German heritage are still visible. A tornado couldn't erase it. Time hasn't either.

What the marker says

The first Lutheran worship service in this area of Falls County was conducted in 1882 by a traveling missionary, The Rev. John J. Trinklein. Speaking to a largely German congregation, he encouraged the organization of a Lutheran church. By June 1883 Trinity Lutheran Church was established, and the members had purchased four acres of land and had erected a chapel. Within ten years, growth in membership at the church near Riesel necessitated the construction of a new sanctuary. The building was completed in 1891, only to be destroyed by a tornado the following year. A new church building was dedicated in June 1893. The fellowship now worships in a sanctuary completed in 1937 during the pastorate of the Rev. E. A. Heckmann. Trinity Lutheran Church has been served by numerous pastors, including the Rev. F. Wunderlich, who founded a Christian day school that was operated by the church for more than 80 years. The Rev. H. Studtman served this fellowship form 1904 until 1926, when he was appointed first president of Concordia Lutheran College in Austin. The Rev. Louis Boriack translated the church's constitution from the original German and rewrote it in English during his 1951-56 pastorate. Elements of the church's German heritage are still visible today.