History

The Beginning

Our History from the Czechlands

The Unity of the Brethren has its beginnings in Bohemia in the 1400s.

On July 6, 1415 priest Jan Hus was martyred for his beliefs that the Bible should be in common language of the Czech people and that the cup should be available to all believers (parishioners were only allowed the bread). He spoke out against indulgences of the Catholic Church, insisting that salvation could not be purchased, but only obtained through Christ, the head of the church. Hus was excommunicated, condemned, and burned at the stake. His followers formed the Unitas Fratum (Unity of the Brethren) in 1457.

Following the Protestant Revolution, believers in the Czechlands were allowed to register with the Catholic Church as followers of Martin Luther or John Calvin. Hussites faced heavy persecution and many were condemned and put to death. Many of of them fled to Poland, some to Germany, and many others continued to worship in secret in their own homes. They would bake their family's Bibles and Prayer Books inside a loaf of bread to protect it and themselves from being found out, when their homes were searched or as they were stopped on their travels.

A Prayer Book from the Czechlands

This is an old prayer book published in 1752 in the Czechlands, that was repeatedly hidden in baked bread, that has been passed down through the generations to a family who attend the New Tabor Brethren Church

A page from inside the Prayer Book is shown in photo below

Bethlehem Chapel in Prague

Known as the cradle of the Bohemian Reformation. Founded in 1391, it became the most important preaching space in medieval Bohemia, famous for its association with the reformer Jan Hus. Destruction and Rebuilding: After passing to the Jesuits in the 17th century, it fell into disrepair and was largely demolished in 1786. The current structure is a 1950s reconstruction which incorporated original 14th-century walls.

Bethlehem Chapel in Prague

Reconstructed

Communist Reconstruction (1948–1954): The Czechoslovak communist regime chose to rebuild the chapel as a symbol of "revolutionary" Czech tradition. Architect Jaroslav Fragner designed a faithful reconstruction using the remaining medieval walls and historical drawings. However, because the Brethren are loving and welcoming to all Christian faiths, a revolution never evolved.

Hussites confronting armies from Germany

Count Jan Žižka (born c. 1376—died Oct. 11, 1424, was a military commander and national hero of Bohemia, who led the victorious Hussite armies against the German King Sigismund.

Common Slavic Language Song Hymnal

Our Brethren Ancestor's Quest

for Religious Freedom

Our Czechland Families Take a Long Ocean Journey

That Ends When Entering the Port Cities of Texas

In the 1850s, a group of Moravians migrated to America, landing in the port cities of Indianola and Galveston, Texas. The Brethren organized their first church in 1864, in Wesley, Texas, where the original, painted church still stands today as a historical landmark. In 1903, several congregations united to form the Unity of the Brethren in Texas. (Unitas Fratum)

The Hussites were the first Protestant Christians. Their influence is seen in the reformative teachings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Comenius, and many other reformative leaders. The Brethren have a rich history of repeating The Word and loving the people since 1415, and that tradition continues today. Though The Unity of the Brethren of Texas is a small denomination of 28 churches scattered around Texas, it is overflowing in its mission to be the hands, feet and love of Jesus.

The Wesley Brethren Church is considered the mother church of the Czech Moravian Unity of the Brethren in Texas. Czech Brethren immigrants, under the leadership of Rev Joseph Opcensky, completed the Wesley Brethren Church, in 1866 in Wesley, Austin County. When Artist: Rev. Bohuslav Laciak (pastor) died unexpectedly in a hunting accident, he still had sketches on the wall of Wesley Brethren Church that were still not complete to this day.