The tradition and cultural story behind St. John Church in Sam Houston Park, Downton
Now that the world seems to understand the pandemic better, traditional Christmas Eve services are returning to the 1891 St. John Church in Sam Houston Park after two years. What is so special is the cultural story behind the congregation, St. John United Church of Christ, built by German and Swiss immigrant farmers, has transformed over 162 years as a congregation that embraces the Korean community.
“When Old St. John Church was moved from its site on Mangum Road to Sam Houston Park in 1968, we built a new addition to our church at Mangum Road,” says Reverend Dale Staggemeier of St. John United Church of Christ. “At Mangum Road, we saw our neighborhood’s demographics change over 50 years, and we now have a diverse community including a Korean fellowship.”
“It’s amazing how this place of worship that was originally built for a specific European immigration population, so services could be spoken in German, now offers multilingual services to welcome people from the Asian continent,” Rev. Staggemeier added. “It’s important that we serve our neighborhoods and share the Gospel with all.”
“St. John Church at Sam Houston Park today is a venue for all ethnicities with different spiritual beliefs for weddings and other services, and the German language painted on the arch and the German influence is preserved in its original architecture,” The Heritage Society’s executive director, Alison Bell said.
The 1891 St. John Church was built in northwest Harris County as an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It was either the second or third church building for the congregation, which formed around 1860. Services were held primarily in German until the 1930s.
The church is a vernacular interpretation of the Gothic Revival style of architecture from the 19th century. The handmade cypress plank pews in the interior, original to the building, attest to the “can do” spirit that built this elegantly simple place of worship. It is oriented east to west in the park, with the altar at the east, as it was on its original site.
“It is our mission to tell the cultural and heritage stories behind Houston through its historic structures, and this congregation is honoring its roots by selecting to celebrate Christmas where their founding mothers and fathers held services,” The Heritage Society’s board president Minnette Boesel said.
“Today, St. John United Church of Christ’s current clergy will continue the annual tradition since 1968 of holding Christmas Eve services at Sam Houston Park,” Rev. Staggemeier says. “This year, we are excited that our Youth String Quartet will be playing a Postlude for our congregation members.”
For more information about the history behind St. John Church, The Heritage Society has a video on their website, https://www.heritagesociety.org/stjohnchurch.
More about The Heritage Society: The Heritage Society, a 501 (c)(3) organization, tells the stories of the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, the arts, educational programs, film, video, and other content. Founded in 1954 by a number of public-spirited Houstonians to rescue the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition, The Heritage Society has since saved an additional nine historic buildings, moved them from various locations to join the Kellum-Noble House in Sam Houston Park, and restored them to
reflect their respective eras. These ten buildings, along with the museum gallery, serve as historic reference points and exhibition spaces for more than 23,000 artifacts that document life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. For more information about their historic church venue rental, please contact info@heritagesociety.org or see www.heritagesociety.org.