Immigration Association Formed

Wends contemplating immigration to Texas formed an association to organize the effort on March 25, 1854 in Dauben.

Read More:
Wendish Immigration to Texas

Rev. Jan Kilian Called as Pastor

On May 23, 1854, the association issued a call to Rev. Jan Kilian* to serve as the pastor of the congregation that would serve the Wends in Texas.

* Jan is his Wendish name; sometimes John (English) or Johann (German) are also used. Since Rev. Kilian wished to preserve the Wendish language and culture, I choose to use the Wendish form.

Read More:
Jan Kilian’s Call

Image is in the public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Purchase of the Delaplain League

In early 1855, the Wends find a suitable tract of land in Bastrop County (Lee County did not exist until 1874). The land belongs to Abasalom Delaplain, a veteran of the Texas Revolution. They take possession of the land on March 20, 1855.

Read More:
The Absalom Delaplain League

First Burial in Cemetery

The first person buried in the cemetery in Serbin is the infant daughter of Pr. Jan Kilian and his wife, Maria Groeschel Kilian.

Maria Theresia Kilian was born on February 13, 1855 and died on March 14, 1855.

Read More:
Findagrave: Maria Theresia Kilian

The First Building

The church’s first building was a simple dogtrot cabin; one half served as the living quarters for the Kilian family, and the other half was utilized for church services and the school. Half of this cabin still exists today on the St. Paul property.

Image © Copyright 2018 Jeremy Clifton. All rights reserved.

The First St. Peter Split

In May of 1858, a number of dissidents that preferred the pietistic worship of the Methodists announced their intention to withdraw from the mother church via a letter sent to Rev. Kilian. They subsequently organized St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, which then affiliated with the Texas Synod.

The Frame Church Building

Within a few years, the congregation recognized the need for a larger building specifically for church services. The cornerstone was laid on November 11, 1859, and the building was dedicated just six weeks later, on Christmas Day. The new building included an organ purchased with money raised by the young men of the congregation, and vestments made by the young ladies of the congregation were utilized. Kilian delivered three sermons: one in Wendish, one in German, and one in English.

Affiliation with the Missouri Synod

Although Rev. Kilian had affiliated with the Missouri Synod in early 1855, the congregation had remained independent. On December 17, 1865, the congregation resolved to affiliate with the LCMS; the affiliation became official in 1866.

Members of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Reconcile with the Mother Church

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church did not grow and eventually had difficulty procuring a pastor from the Texas Synod. In early 1867 a delegation from the church officially requested reunion with the mother church. This was accomplished a few months later.

The Stone Church Building

The simple frame building that the congregation had erected as its first dedicated church building soon became too small, and it was clear a larger structure was needed. On April 22, 1866 the congregation resolved to build a larger church building constructed of stone. After some delay, construction began the following year, and the cornerstone was laid around March 5, 1867. Several years would pass, though, before the building was completed and dedicated.

Teacher Ernest Leubner Installed

As the Rev. Kilian’s congregation continued to grow, it soon became necessary to bring on a dedicated teacher so that Kilian could focus on his pastoral duties.  On August 30, 1868, Ernst Leubner was installed as teacher of the parochial school. Leubner was expected to also play the organ and lead the congregation in song, though he would need to learn Wendish to perform those duties in the Wendish services.

Read More:
Text of Kilian’s Sermon for Leubner’s Installation

Image from the Archives of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society

The Second St. Peter Split

Although his call required him to play the organ and lead the congregation in song in both Wendish and German, Teacher Leubner was reluctant to learn Wendish and was unwilling to allow Carl Teinert, who had served as organist and cantor until Leubner was called, to lead the Wendish services in the interim. Leubner even went as far as to insist that those who only knew Wendish should just learn German.

This conflict was symptomatic of a larger conflict in the congregation between those who wished for German to be the primary language and those who wished to retain Wendish, as well as tensions that remained from the not-entirely-voluntary reunion of the first St. Peter’s Lutheran Church with Kilian’s congregation.

Eventually, the conflict reached a point where Kilian felt he should resign for the sake of the congregation so that a German pastor could be called. He did so on May 22, 1870, but this did not prevent a split from occurring in the congregation. The Wendish-leaning portion of the congregation then proceeded to call Kilian as their pastor on June 12; they retained use of the church building, while the other portion of the congregation, including Teacher Leubner, attempted to control the school.

The German-leaning portion of the congregation organized a new church, which was named St. Peter’s Lutheran Church. This church subsequently affiliated with the Missouri Synod and constructed a building on the other side of the cemetery from Kilian’s congregation.

The first pastor of the second St. Peter’s Lutheran Church was the Rev. John Pallmer, who happened to be Wendish. Pallmer knew the Wendish language and may have ministered in Wendish; one source states that he did so, though another asserts that the constitution of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church forbade that Divine Services be conducted in any language other than German.

New Name Adopted

Initially, the congregation was just known as the “Wendish Lutheran Church.” On January 8, 1871, it officially adopted the name we are familiar with today, “First Wendish and German St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Unaltered Augsburg Confession, in Serbin, Lee County.”

New Building Dedicated

The new stone church building was finally completed in 1871, and on December 3 of that year was formally dedicated. Rev. Caspar Braun of Houston and Rev. John Proft (who had just been installed as pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Fedor) were invited to the celebration.

Rev. Hermann Kilian Ordained

Herman Kiliann, son of Rev. Jan Kilian, followed his father into the ministry. After graduating from seminary, he was called to serve his father’s congregation. He was ordained and installed on July 22, 1883. His father retired but continued to serve as assistant pastor until his death the following year.

Image from the Archives of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society

Rev. Jan Kilian Dies

Rev. Kilian died suddenly on September 12, 1884, almost thirty years after he departed Lusatia for Texas. He was still actively serving as pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church up until his death and even preached the Sunday before.

Read More:
Rev. Gotthilf Birkman on Rev. Jan Kilian
Findagrave: Rev. Jan Kilian

The Second St. Peter Reunion

By the turn of the century, the second St. Peter’s Lutheran Church was beginning to decline. German had become the predominant language across the cemetery at St. Paul’s, and there was thus no reason for two separate congregations to continue to exist. In 1914, the two congregations reunited.

Rev. Herman Kilian Dies 

On January 18, 1920 the Rev. Herman Kilian collapsed while preaching. He died of a heart attack the following Wednesday, January 21, 1920.

Read More:
Rev. Gotthilf Birkmann on Rev. Herman Kilian
Findagrave: Herman Kilian

Rev. Hermann Schmidt Installed

Following the death of Pastor Herman Kilian in 1920, the pulpit of St. Paul’s Serbin was vacant for almost two and a half years. On June 11, 1922, the Rev. Hermann Schmidt was installed as the third pastor of the congregation. Though Schmidt was Wendish, he was not comfortable enough to conduct services in the language (though I have found an obscure reference that seems to indicate that at least one Wendish-language service was held at St. Paul’s during his pastorate.

Image from the Archives of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society