Swedish Free Mission Church
Melvin, McCulloch County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Swedes began settling in the western part of McCulloch County in 1907. A Sunday school was begun that year, and the families met for worship in homes. A church congregation was formally organized in 1910 with fifteen charter members. A Ladies Aid Society was formed in 1911. By 1913 a church building had been completed. Worship services were conducted in the Swedish language until the 1940s. The congregation's name was changed to the Evangelical Free Church in the 1940s. From its beginnings the congregation has supported missionary activities. (1988)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Swedish immigrants settled western McCulloch County beginning in 1907, gathering first in homes for Sunday school and worship before formally organizing a congregation in 1910 with fifteen charter members. A Ladies Aid Society followed in 1911, and a church building was finished by 1913. Services were held in Swedish until the 1940s, when the congregation adopted English and the name Evangelical Free Church.
Why it matters
It preserves the story of an immigrant faith community that kept its mother tongue and traditions alive for a generation on the Texas plains.
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Themes & tags
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