ABOUT OUR CHURCH
During the early 1900’s the counties of Haskell, Jones, and Stonewall began to grow. In 1910, the population grew from about 12,000 to 46,000 people. Many of these were of German decent, so there were some with Lutheran background.
A group of Lutherans around the Sagerton area were the first to ask the Texas Synod to help them begin a Lutheran church so that the Word of God would be preached. On July 1, 1905, seven families met to organize a congregation. They were the families of L. Gerloff, F. Kuyus, J. C. Walter, Christian. Schroeder, Adolf Tonn, Paul Pfeiffer, and Th. E. Scharff. The first services were held in the Tanner Paint school house, the present site of the Fairview Cemetery here in the Sagerton Community. The Rev. Romberg of Austin Texas, president of the Texas Synod presided at this meeting. Later Rev. C. Weeber was in charge of the services until Pastor H. Harms was called to be the pastor. All the services were in German.
On November 26, 1905, the first official congregational meeting was held and a committee was appointed to help Pastor Harms with visiting and inviting other Lutheran families to join.
The first church was built in 1906 on five acres of land donated by Theodore Scharff north of Sagerton. The church was 24 feet by 36 feet by 12 feet without a ceiling. Soon after the completion of the church, Pastor Harms became ill with tuberculosis and was not able to continue his ministry in Sagerton and on April 24, 1907 he passed away.
In 1907, the congregation had grown to seventeen voting members and fifty-three communicants. The early parish was sometimes referred to as the Sagerton-Stamford parish, since Stamford was the headquarters of the pastor.
The pastor would come to Sagerton as well as to various other preaching stations in this area. By now, Pastor F. A. Bracher was the pastor, and he served as many as fourteen different congregations or preaching stations in nine counties some of which were 150 miles apart. His salary was $250 a year with $25 travel expenses
In the spring of 1910, a German summer school was proposed by Pastor Bracher, with the tuition being $1.00 a month for each child. Financial problems were always cropping up, and by 1912, the congregation could not pay Pastor Bracher’s salary, but he continued to serve the congregation. But, Pastor Bracher’s wife had recently passed away and he was left with four children, and he needed a more confined area, so he resigned and accepted a call to Wichita Falls. On July 7, 1912, Pastor Eugene Meier was called by the congregation. In 1913 he moved from Stamford to Sagerton. The Synod would no longer pay the rent for a parsonage so he then accepted a call to Winters, Texas in 1914.
The economic conditions were very bad with very poor crops and West Texas sandstorms. Contributions became smaller and some of the congregations had to disband and there were fewer preaching stations. Again Pastor Bracher from Wichita Falls became the supply pastor.
By 1915, the first church needed repairs, so a movement was started to relocate and build a new church. The present property was purchased from M. C. Caudle at a total cost of $75. The building was 30 feet by 48 feet with a steeple 65 feet high and cost $2,100. This church was dedicated in May, 1916.
In February, 1917, Pastor Bracher urged the congregation to become self-supporting, suggesting that Haskell, Stamford, Brandenburg, and Sagerton combine their efforts and call their own resident pastor and also build a parsonage. So a new parsonage was built in 1917, a 36 feet by 50 feet by 40 feet bungalow style house with six rooms was built.
In April, 1917, Pastor Bracher ended his work among the missions in Northwest Texas by accepting a call to Fredericksburg.
In the spring of 1917, Pastor J. Holm was called, thus giving Sagerton its own resident pastor again. Some more difficulties and unpleasant situations came due to World War I. Many people looked at the Lutheran Church as a foreign church, especially since all the services were in German. It was concluded that the Stamford congregation disband due to some of the members moving away and also the “German hate element.” The Sagerton parish had declared itself self-supporting when Pastor J. Holm came but due to crop failures the Texas Synod mission board continued to subsidize the pastor’s salary.
The Ebenezer Lutheran Church at Brandenburg (named Old Glory since World War I) consolidated with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Sagerton in 1921, since their congregation was so small and a bridge had now been built across the Brazos River.
Pastor J. Holm resigned on July 20, 1924 but continued to serve until August 25, 1924, teaching summer school at the church.
In December 1914, Pastor A. Koeppe accepted the call to come to St. Paul Lutheran Church. At this time, the congregation decided to buy an organ offered by Mr. Paul Pheiffer for $35.
In October, 1927, it was decided that all morning worship services would be conducted in the German language, and that Sunday evening services would be conducted in the English language on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month, probably the beginning of the English services.
Pastor Koeppe resigned at the end of 1927 and Pastor A. Kluge came in early 1928. In this year, the fifth Sunday morning worship services were now in English.
On June 22, 1930, Pastor Kluge resigned. The depression hit Sagerton resulting in the pastor being given a note for the remaining salary which was still due him. The congregation was supplied by pastors from surrounding churches. They were hesitant to call a pastor as they were not sure that they could pay a pastor.
On November 27, 1932 a call was sent to Pastor A. H. Muehlbrad of Wichita Falls and he accepted and was installed in March, 1933. The English version of the constitution as translated by Pastor Muehlbrad was now accepted. The English language was becoming more prominent, for now on the second Sunday of the month, morning services were in held in English.
On October 6, 1935 a committee was appointed to study the matter of building a new church. Again financial problems seem to come up so the building of a new house of worship was progressing slowly.
In 1938 the congregational minutes were now being written in the English language as well as the German language. A gradual trend toward English was seen and finally in 1941 the minutes were written only in the English language.
After many difficulties, the third church building was begun. It was to be approximately 32 feet by 66 feet and should have a basement. The cost should be around $4,000. Seeing that the building program was being carried out, Pastor Muehlbrad resigned on September 20, 1941.
During this vacancy, it was decided to have services only twice a month, one in German and one in English. On June 28, 1942, Pastor Fred L. Bracher, a graduate of Wartburg Seminary and the son of F. A. Bracher, was installed. The new church was also dedicated on that day with Rev. C. N. Roth conducting the service.
On July 6, 1943, Pastor F. L. Bracher performed the first wedding in the new church—DelbertLeFevre and Joyce Stegemoeller. (Joyce’s parents, Will and Louise Balzer Stegemeoller, were married by Pastor F. A. Bracher on August 23, 1916, the first wedding performed in the new church built in l916.)
Again in 1945 the language became more prominently English for now German services were to be held only on the fifth Sundays and in l948 the German services were dropped.
On November 2, 1947, a new Hammond organ was dedicated for use in the church. It was given by Mrs. A. Nierdieck in loving memory of her husband Mr. F. Nierdieck. Two of Mrs. Nierdieck’s granddaughters, Doris Franke and Margie Lehrmann became organists. The organ is still being used.
On April 25, 1948 Pastor F. L. Bracher resigned and Pastor M. C. Hoermann came in the spring of 1949 and resigned in July, 1950. In the early party of 1950, stained glass windows were installed, adding much to the beauty of the church.
Pastor O. K. Oelke accepted the call and came in the fall of 1950 and resigned on November 23, 1952.
Also in 1950, Trinity Lutheran Church of Haskell became self-supporting.
Pastor R. Wendel was installed as the new pastor on June 28, 1953. Pastor Wendel stayed until 1956 at which time he was commissioned as a missionary to Ethiopia.
In 1955, the Fiftieth Anniversary of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was observed. The congregation had grown from seven charter families to a congregation of 140 families; the congregation sponsored a mission church, Christ Lutheran Church in Stamford, and accepted the transfer of thirty confirmed members and some financial aid. These 30 members were not included in the count of 140 families.
Pastor M Shatto was the thirteenth pastor and served from l957-l959. On June 21, 1959, Jerry Thane, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Thane, was ordained, being the first young man from St. Paul’s Lutheran to become a minister. Herbert F. Lammert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lammert, was the second, being ordained on June 10, 1962.
Pastor Fred Scheffel came in 1959 and stayed until l964. The new parsonage was dedicated on Sunday, January 26, 1964, as Mr. A. C. Knipling, president of the congregation, presented the keys to Pastor and Mrs. Scheffel. The old parsonage was turned into Sunday school rooms. Pastor Scheffel worked very hard with a committee from the community to bring water to Sagerton, and on February 13, 1964, the Sagerton Water Corporation was completed bringing treated water from Stamford.
In 1965, Pastor Gary Bruns accepted the call to St. Paul Lutheran Church
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Zion Lutheran Church, affiliated with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, dates back to 1906. Rev. C. M. Beyer, from Big Springs conducted services in the homes of the community and in the school building until a church building could be erected.
In 1907, Pastor Mueller was placed in this area and conducted two Christian Day Schools, seven months of the year in Sagerton, and four months in Albany. On April 11, 1909, Zion Lutheran Church was officially organized. Some of the early families of Zion Lutheran Church were the Erdmans, Tredemeyers, Diers, Neinasts, Nehrings, Havemans, and Henry Schroeders.
Pastor Mueller left on April 21,1912 and was succeeded by Candidate P. F. Kaiser on October 19, 1913, who served Sagerton and two other preaching stations until 1918. He was then succeeded by Rev. E. P. A. Riess, who resigned in 1921 because of illness.
On December 10, 1919, the first church building of Zion Lutheran was dedicated and was located 200 yards south of highway 283. It was a rectangular frame building made out of boxing planks.
On November 19, 1922, Rev. W. Schroeder came and served in the Sagerton field staying until July 6, 1924.
In the mid l920’s, the mission field was changed, and Sagerton became part of the Loraine-Big Spring field. Pastor Albert F. Meier served in this field until l923, when he was succeeded by Rev. A. Ruff. Pastor Ruff served Zion Lutheran from August 3, 1924, until February 22, l925.
Lillian Neinast became the organist at Zion Lutheran when she was fourteen or fifteen years old, pumping the old reed organ. Before she began playing, the pastors or their wives may have played for the services.
Pastor Ruff accepted a call to Kansas, and was followed by Pastor Carl F. Juergensen. It was during the tenure of Pastor Jergensen that a new church and parsonage was built and on October 23, 1927, the new church building was dedicated. It was then used throughout the history of Zion.
Pastor Juergensen helped to organize the Walther League, a young people’s society and organized a choir for the congregation. His first marriage to perform while serving Sagerton was that of Emma Tredemeyer and Fritz Baitz. Pastor Juergensen’s son, Eugene W. Juergensen accepted the call to become a minister.
When Pastor Juergensen left in 1933, E. R. Rathgeber came to Sagerton and was installed on January 14, 1934 and stayed until 1939. Pastor Rathgeber organized the Ladies Aid Society and printed the first weekly church bulletin.
Rev. E. G. Ripke served the Zion Lutheran from May 12, 1940 until August 2, l942. Rev. Harold G. Lohrmann was assigned the Sagerton congregation and served from June 27, 1943 until May 20, 1945 when he entered the chaplaincy.
On May 5, 1945,H. E. Driessner was installed. During his tenure, construction of a parish hall was begun. Pastor Driessner left on July 29, 1951, and on September 2, Virgil F. Meyer was installed. He left on October 5,1952.
Harvey Stegemoeller, son of Fritz and Henrietta Stegemoeller, a member of Zion Lutheran graduated from Concordia College, St. Louis, in 1950, and Concordia St. Louis University in l953. Dr. Stegemoeller also holds a master’s degree from the University of Toledo and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia, St.Louis. .
Rev. F. R. Zucker came to Sagerton in early 1953 and remained here until his retirement in 1957. In l958, the Sagerton congregation formed a dual parish with Trinity Lutheran in Albany, and was served by Pastor Ernst Pflug. Pastor Pflug lived in Albany and came to Sagerton three days a week. Many repairs were done to the church and parish hall. Pastor Pflug remained here until January 5, l964.
Rev. Marion Von Rentzell served the congregation from July 3, l964, until l966.
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The two Lutheran Churches were both of German background and when the congregations began in the early l900’s, they held their worship services in German. Both were proud of their Lutheran heritage. These two congregations worshiped only a few yards from each other. A combination of hard economic times, sincere friendships between pastors and members of both churches, and strong emphasis on an uncompromising proclamation of God’s Word, led to the merger of these historic congregations.
A tremendous youth ministry in Sagerton, both at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (ALC) and Zion Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), was a factor leading to the June 3, l968 merger of the two congregations in Sagerton. The two congregations agreed to name the new church Faith Lutheran Church and become an American Lutheran Church. Reverend Gary Bruns who had previously been the pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was now the new pastor of Faith Lutheran. Pastor Bruns left in 1969.
Rev. Josef Aalbue came in 1970. Pastor Aalbue was interested in keeping the community working together, involving the Methodist congregation in all activities for the youth as well as the adults. He was instrumental in getting the community involved in the Texas Community Improvement Program. About this time, a newspaper, The Sagerton Sun News, began being printed at the church with the ladies of the community gathering the news. The Sun News is still being published with 150 subscribers.
In l974 the Sunday School was needing more space, and the basement of the church was having some problems with water seeping in. It was decided to add an educational wing and narthex to the church building. It included five classrooms, two restrooms, a study, a kitchen and a large fellowship area. The old parsonage was sold and moved to make a parking area. Rev. Allbue left in 1975.
In l975, Gary Kleypas came and continued working with the community as a whole. Rev. Kleypas enjoyed the farm area and was good at understanding the needs of a rural area. About this time, home communion was started. The senior ladies and men of the congregation would meet in the homes and the pastor would give communion to them. Of course, most of them were of German heritage, so a morning lunch was always served. Later it was moved to the church and the younger members of the congregation prepared the lunch. When many of the elderly members went to the nursing homes, then the home communion was moved to the nursing homes and individuals would also served refreshments. Joyce Stegemoeller LeFevre, a member of the Methodist Church was always available to help with these services. Rev. Kleypas left in l977.
Pastor Steve Ritter was the congregation’s next pastor coming in l978 and left on June 2, 1981 to become a chaplain of the U. S. Navy. In December, 1980 Gladys Vahlenkamp was honored for 20 years of faithful service as choir director.
Pastor Tommy Sparks accepted the call to Faith Lutheran in September 1981. On November 13, 1983, Verlene Stegemoeller resigned from her duty as organist and was honored with a plaque. (She later played again due to a shortage of organists.) A Friendship Club was formed during Pastor Sparks’ tenure. Its purpose was to have fellowship with all the people in this area, especially the ones that lived alone, and provide a good meal. A potluck meal was served each second and fourth Thursday of the month with more that fifty attending. As the older generation disappeared, the Friendship Club changed to gathering on the second Thursday of the month. Pastor Sparks left in April, 1984 with some medical problems.
On May 20, l984, a benefit concert was given to help Michael Nauert, son of Marchel and Barbara Nauert, with his medical expenses for treatment of cancer. Faith, a gospel quartet, composed of Larry and Susan LeFevre and Ronnie and Lou Landes were the singers. Michael passed away in l993.
Pastor Melvin Swoyer came in August, 1984. In September, 1984, the new constitution was adopted. The parsonage needed another bedroom for the Swoyer family so the garage was converted into a fourth bedroom in 1985. The hardwood floors in the sanctuary were also refinished about that time.
The church was continuing to grow and more Sunday School rooms were needed for the youth, so in l988, two Sunday School rooms were constructed in the basement. Also, more work was done of the basement by putting bricks on the lower part of the Church so that it would stop some of the seepage into the basement. Pastor Mel left February, l992.
Rev.Mike Couchman, a retired army chaplain came to Faith Lutheran in August, 1992. In March of l993, a covered patio was constructed on the east side of the educational wing. On October 31, 1993, the 25th Anniversary of the merged church, Faith Lutheran was celebrated. On January 15, 1994, Pastor Couchman resigned.
About this time, the congregation began to see a decrease in members as the young generation was moving away from the farm and the college students were not returning home.
September 9, 1994, a sound system to go in the bell tower to play music at different times during the day was installed in memory of Janet Quade, daughter of Dean and Patsy Quade.
Rev. Jeff Zell was installed on October 16, 1994 and left in 1999. Mr. Kohl of Canada father of Mrs. Jeff Zell, gave $1,000 for purchase of THE OTHER SONG BOOK in memory of Marie’s mother Mrs. Kohl.
While visiting his grandparents, J. B. and Dorothy Toney, Clay Toney whispered “Grandma, why is everyone in your church white-headed?” That gives a good example of the congregation’s members.
By this time, the congregation had only one organist, Loretta Neinast Connelly, so a digital Hymn Book was purchased in l997 to relieve Mrs. Connelly of the duty of playing every Sunday.
In 2000, two octaves of Schulmerich handbells were purchased with memorials of Fred Kupatt and Emma Baitz Raphelt. The first director was Dorothy Baitz Clark. The present director is Verlene Stegemoeller.
Rev. Deborah Nissen came on July 4, 2001 and left on October 31, 2004. On January 13, 2002, Dean and Patsy Quade were ordained as Lay Parish Ministers and have faithfully served the Faith Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran in Haskell, and First Salem Lutheran in Roscoe. Rev. Stan Leaf, a retired pastor and a member of Faith Lutheran, and Dean and Patsy Quade, Lay Parish Ministers of the congregation, served as interim pastors until Aug, 2006 teaching God’s Word and administering the sacraments to and among the people of God in Sagerton. Rev. Curtis Baker served the congregation from August 2006 to March 2008. Our present pastor is Dr. Keith Palmquist. He and his wife Mary have served us since November 2008. The congregation has decreased in number but not in spirit. Our services often break from the traditional and reflect the true joy of Christ in our life.
This is some of the history of how St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Zion Lutheran Church merged to form Faith Lutheran Church. Faith Lutheran Church is a strong influence in the community. Our members work in close harmony with the only other church in town (Methodist) in an effort to keep the small community alive. We are bonded together as one in Christ in Sagerton, Texas. God willing, we will continue our service here another 100 years. |
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