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