Our History:

    During the years 1879 – 1884, seven families and two single young men from the area of Hunteburg, Hanover, Germany settled in the Robinson area.  These people, along with two families who moved from Indianapolis, Indiana, formed the nucleus of St. John's church at Robinson.  In 1884, Rev. Christian E Schaer, pastor of Zion Church, Waco, led in the formation of an Evangelical congregation, a part of the German Evangelical Synod in North America.  The name “German” was dropped from the synod title in 1927.

    During the early years, worship services were held in the homes of members.  When the members of the local Presbyterian church offered the use of their building, our members gladly accepted the offer.  This arrangement resulted in a relationship that continues to this day - we gather yearly for combined worship services.  In 1890 we built our first place of worship, replacing it in 1906 with our second church building which included a 52-foot steeple.  The present church building was constructed in 1952.

    Our first resident pastor, Rev. John Strauss, was called in 1900 and served the congregation as teacher and spiritual leader for 40 years.  Because Rev. Strauss had his own home, no parsonage was necessary.  But with his retirement in 1940, a need for a parsonage was realized.  The first parsonage was constructed in 1941 and was replaced in 1963 when a four-bedroom parsonage was completed and dedicated.  Since the tenure of Rev. Strauss, several other pastors have served the flock, providing stable growth for the congregation.  We are grateful for the leadership they provided.

    While worship services were originally conducted in the German language, the final German language service was held on Good Friday, 1959.