H.R. No. 2200
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The clergy and congregation of St. John Lutheran
Church in Bishop are celebrating more than a century of faithful
witness and service with the dedication of an Official Texas
Historical Marker on April 26, 2015; and
WHEREAS, St. John traces its roots to May 1913, when the
Reverend F. J. Lange and 13 German Lutheran families established
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church; members initially met at a local
school and at a farmhouse while they raised funds to construct a
sanctuary; in 1915, the congregation changed its name to St. John
Evangelical Lutheran Church, and two years later it completed its
first building, with the parishioners doing most of the work; and
WHEREAS, For several decades, services at the church were
conducted in the German language; in 1919, with prejudice against
German Americans running high in the aftermath of World War I, the
Ku Klux Klan set fire to St. John's sanctuary; undaunted, the
congregation worshipped in a barn while it rebuilt, and it moved
into its new sanctuary by the end of the year; gradually, more and
more services were conducted in English, and in 1939, services in
German were discontinued; and
WHEREAS, In 1940, St. John bought its current site for just
under $300 and built a parsonage and an education building using
wood from the old church; World War II delayed the rest of the
construction program, and members worshipped in the education
building until a new stone sanctuary was erected in 1951; by 1958,
the church campus had grown to encompass the entire block, along
with new classrooms and offices, and in 1972 a new parsonage was
built; another milestone occurred in 1963, when the present name of
the church was adopted; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the life of this venerable institution,
succeeding generations have honored and built on the work of those
who have gone before, and it is a privilege to recognize the
continuing commitment of this congregation to its faith and to the
wider community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of an Official Texas
Historical Marker at St. John Lutheran Church in Bishop and extend
to the church's clergy and congregation sincere best wishes for a
meaningful and memorable event; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the church as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Herrero
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2200 was adopted by the House on May
21, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House