From “A City on a Hill: A Story of a Community, a Church, a People” by Jewel R. Johnson, Second Edition, 1979, Merchants Press of Taylor, Texas

Individual pages appear below in the TIFF format. Your browser may not display them automatically, depending upon your security settings. If they don’t open for you, even after you click on them, you can download a PDF copy by clicking on this link: The Indian Forerunners.

This is the cover from a booklet published in 1974. The information it contains was compiled by Pastor Jewel R. Johnson. I will attach the rest of the booklet in a series of PDF files, in bite-size chunks for your reading pleasure. After the last section appears, I will attach a PDF copy of the entire booklet. The text of the original introduction appears below.

Stewart Dale Spencer

Compiling the data for this booklet has given me the pleasant experience of delving a little more deeply into the lives of the people I have come to love, a community that twice I have made my home, and a church I count it a privilege to serve. I am grateful to all the beautiful persons who have contributed in any way to this story. A few of their names appear in the text, but most of them do not.

I want to mention here some who in a direct way have made this booklet possible. St. Peters congregation patiently listened to most of the material in a series of six sermons. Anita Marosko translated German minutes and other documents Jack Wiggins and Martha Poldrack produced some helpful sketches. Oleta Becker gave technical advice. Jack Sutton shared historical business data. Donna Gates gave of her time and energy to oversee the printing. Her vocational class at Elgin High School transformed my scribbling into readable printed pages. The Youth Fellowship put the booklet together. Thanks to them and all the others who helped.

Since I am pastor of St. Peters Church, part of this story is autobiographical and perhaps more biased than other parts.

The material is not copyrighted and may be quoted freely. I would appreciate it, however, if proper reference is given.

The first printing of this booklet was done in summer of 1974 to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of St. Peters Church. When the supply was depleted a number of people urged me to provide another edition. I made no changes except to correct typographical errors, and this second printing was done in January 1979. Thanks to the Merchants Press of Taylor for this second printing.

Jewel R. Johnson