Zion United Church of Christ
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First mission congregation of the Evangelical Church in Texas. Initial services were held for German-speaking people of Waco by The Rev. Friederich Werning (1843-1931) in Presbyterian Church. Frame structure built on this site in 1882 was replaced in 1914 (for $10,000) by present church. Use of German ceased in 1931 when members were using English in homes. The denominational affiliation of congregation has been determined by mergers in which Evangelical and Reformed Church and, later, the United Church of Christ were created.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Zion United Church of Christ began as the first mission congregation of the Evangelical Church in Texas, gathering Waco's German-speaking population under Rev. Friederich Werning in a borrowed Presbyterian sanctuary. A frame church rose on this site in 1882 and was replaced by the present building in 1914. German gave way to English by 1931, and a chain of denominational mergers eventually carried the congregation into the United Church of Christ.
Why it matters
The church's slow shift from German to English mirrors the wider story of how immigrant communities across America gradually blended into the national mainstream.
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Related people
- · Friederich Werning
Themes & tags
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