Local church to receive state historical marker
Representatives from the Lubbock County Historical Commission and St. John’s United Methodist Church announce that St. John’s has been awarded an official Texas Historical Marker.
A celebration of the occasion begins with a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 13 at the church, 1501 University Ave., followed by the unveiling around 11:30 a.m. and catered lunch for those who have replied, in the church’s Garden Room. The service also will stream on YouTube and Facebook.
“I’m thrilled that St. John’s is being honored with a historical marker,” said Rev. Josh Stueve, senior pastor at St. John’s in a news release. “As we reflect on our past, we are inspired to move forward, serving the community of Lubbock through the love of Christ.”
St. John’s history began at the 1939 Annual Conference when Bishop Ivan Lee Holt announced that a new Methodist Church would be established near the campus of then-Texas Technological College. The fourteen-year-old college boasted a record enrollment of 3,896. Texas Tech students, faculty and staff were almost 15 percent of the Lubbock population of 31,853. The need for a church to serve Texas Tech’s Methodist faculty and students was widely discussed.
Preston Smith, who would become a charter member of the new church, was approached about lending the Tech Theater at College Avenue and 13th Street for services until a building could be built. The Rev. R. Luther Kirk was appointed to “the church that was not,” and the first service was held at the theater on December 10, 1939. About 65 people attended the service.
In January 1940, stewards and trustees set about the business of organizing and financing the new church. St. John’s continued to meet in the Tech Theater or occasionally in Seaman Hall, the Episcopal student center. Construction began on a building in June, when the church took out a loan for $6,000. With contributions and additional financing, the final cost for the lots and building at 14th and Avenue X was $8,914. W.L. Bradshaw, a professor of architecture who had also designed Lubbock High School, designed the new church and supervised its construction.
Throughout World War II and the post-war years, St. John’s experienced tremendous growth and was in a constant crisis of inadequate facilities, at times drawing a congregation of 1,000 at a building designed for 250. Planning for a new, larger church began as early as 1944 when lots were purchased facing College Avenue at 15th Street.
Groundbreaking for the first phase of a new building was held on Sunday, July 15, 1951. Several ministers participated in the ceremony, while music was provided by the church organist playing from a flatbed truck. James G. Allen, chair of the building committee, turned the first spade of dirt along with the presiding ministers.
The first service in the new building was on Sept. 2, 1952, held on folding chairs in the fellowship hall since the sanctuary was not included in the initial building phase. As the congregation expanded, the physical presence of St. John’s was enlarged to include Sunday School rooms, a sanctuary enlarged multiple times, choir basement, green space enclosed as the Garden Room, all culminating in a major renovation of the sanctuary in 1991.
An excerpt from the church’s 75th-anniversary celebration notes, “From the beginning, St. John’s has been a congregation with a tremendous sense of civic responsibility and deep concern for those in need in Lubbock and the world. In its 75 years the church, through organized outreach efforts, groups such as United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men, youth groups, and the dedication of individual members with passion for a cause has helped countless individuals and groups. Virtually every Sunday School class and every church group has helped numerous community organizations. Wherever St. John’s members have seen a need, they have been there ready to help.”
The 75th-anniversary notes continue, “The people of St. John’s have always been imbued with what has been called ‘a loving energy’ and continue to adhere to the mission stated in 1983 to ‘ask the difficult questions and commit to searching for and being a part of the answers in seeking a deeper faith through obedience to Christ. There will be more challenges, more needs to be met, and new avenues of suffering and happiness.’”
As one member noted in the 50th-anniversary history of St. John’s, “The great challenge for the future will be to follow that way and to continue responding with love and energy to whatever lies ahead.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Local church to receive state historical marker
