First Lutheran Church
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation was organized in 1884 to serve Waco's Norwegian population. Originally known as the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Ebenezer congregation, the church conducted worship services in Norwegian until 1916. In 1917, the name First Lutheran Church was adopted, and the frame building used by the congregation since 1884 was replaced with a Gothic Revival structure. The building features lancet windows and an asymmetrical facade.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized in 1884 as the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Ebenezer congregation, this church served Waco's Norwegian immigrant community and worshipped in Norwegian for more than three decades. As the immigrant generation gave way to their American-born children, the congregation shifted to English and adopted the name First Lutheran Church in 1917, replacing its original frame building with a Gothic Revival structure of lancet windows and an asymmetrical facade.
Why it matters
The congregation's slow turn from Norwegian to English captures how immigrant communities across America preserved their homeland faith while gradually assimilating into their new country.
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Themes & tags
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