Taylor Brethren Church
Taylor, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
During the 1880s, many Czech Protestant immigrants who settled in the Taylor area were members of the Unity of the Brethren, founded in 1457 by followers of the Czech reformer and martyr Jan Hus. These local Brethren found it difficult to worship in area Protestant churches because of the language barrier -- most conducted services in German or English. As a result, the Czech immigrants joined together to revive practices of the Unity of the Brethren and worship in their native language. The Rev. Henry Juren of Fayetteville held Taylor's first Czech Protestant service in 1892. As more Czech Protestant immigrants arrived in central Texas, more Brethren groups formed, served by traveling ministers. Among those was the Taylor Brethren Church, formally organized in 1895. The Rev. Antonin Motycka became the church's first pastor. Three years later, the Brethren church began using space in the West Taylor Lutheran Church building at this site. In June 1902, the Brethren congregation purchased the property. The church continued holding worship services in the Czech language until 1967. Today, the congregation recognizes its rich ethnic history, but it is now a diverse body whose members reflect many backgrounds and traditions. Taylor Brethren Church has played a vital role in the cultural heritage of the community it serves. Throughout the congregation's long history members have continued to worship at this site and to follow the Protestant emphasis and doctrines established by its founders, who came to Texas seeking religious freedom and independence. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the 1880s Czech Protestant immigrants around Taylor found themselves worshiping in a strange land where area churches held services in German or English. To keep their faith and language alive, they revived the Unity of the Brethren — a tradition tracing to the fifteenth-century Czech reformer Jan Hus — and formally organized the Taylor Brethren Church in 1895 under the Rev. Antonin Motycka. Services continued in Czech until 1967, and today a diverse congregation still worships on this site.
Why it matters
The church embodies how immigrant communities used their native language and faith to preserve cultural identity in a new American homeland.
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Related people
- · Rev. Henry Juren
- · Rev. Antonin Motycka
- · Jan Hus
Themes & tags
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