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| As is common knowledge, the Brethren Church in Texas was born in the Czech language. This was a natural consequence of the fact that its organizers were the spiritual and ethnic descendants of the Ancient Unity of the Brethren, which came into being among the followers of the Czech reformer, John Hus, in the fifteenth century. What was the language of the Hussite Brethren, remained the language of the Texas Brethren for almost half a century.The Rev. Frank J. Kostohryz faithfully served the Lord and his denomination in that language until his death in 1971. Although the ministry of his colleagues was also primarily in the Czech language in the early years, yet the preaching of Rev. Kostohryz remained almost entirely in that language for over 50 years. This was longer than any other minister ordained by the denomination.
Through the years, he did become increasingly aware of the need for a change to the English language for ministry. However, he seemed to prefer to turn to ministerial students and others to fulfill that need in the congregations he served. An Early Beginning in Ministry Rev. Kostohryz was licensed to preach by the Unity of the Brethren at the Church Convention in Taylor on July 6, 1918. This was seven years prior to his ordination in 1925. His early licensing was, no doubt approved for two reasons: (1) the recognition of his gift for preaching together with his commitment to the Lord; and (2) the dire need for preachers even then to more adequately serve the spiritual needs of the people. But even at that early age, his service to the Lord was not limited to preaching. He also devoted his time and effort to work among the youth. He was especially interested in the development of effective Christian education, particularly among the youth. This, no doubt, led to his selection as Sunday School superintendent in 1920. He served in that capacity until 1928, and again from 1933-1935. How devoted he was to this office is illustrated in his report to the Church Convention in 1925. Together with the Rev. F.H. Horak, they developed the original Constitution of the organization of the Sunday School for the denomination in 1929. Preparation for Ministry Rev. Kostohryz was born in Burleson County in the New Tabor Community on March 5, 1898. His parents were Vince and Teresa (Luksa) Kostohryz. After completing his high school studies in Caldwell, he attended and graduated from both the University of Texas in Austin and the Austin Presbyterian Seminary. But even before his graduation from the seminary, a very important event happened in his life which had a profound http://www.cheaptopamaxbuy.com effect, not only on his personal life, but a crucial, positive impact upon his entire ministry as well. It was his marriage to Hermina Hurta of the Shiner congregation on September 9, 1924. She not only became his faithful wife and companion for life, but she also became essential as his chauffeur wherever his ministry took him. This, of course, included not only his travels on Sundays to conduct worship services in scattered congregations throughout central Texas, but during the week as well for funeral, weddings, meetings, et. She also served as organist in most of the congregations where he ministered. Along with this, she taught the confirmation classes in various congregations. According to her count, she helped prepare over 800 young people for the important step in their spiritual lives. All this in addition to being mother to their son, Francis. His Ministry in Summary When Rev. Kostohryz was ordained, he became pastor of the West and Sealy Brethren congregations. But as was the case with his colleagues at the time, the list of congregations for which he became official pastor quickly grew. Through the years his ministry touched almost every congregation in the Unity, especially in the Czech language. Among these were West, Sealy, Seaton, Ennis, Holland, Smithville, Fayetteville, Vsetin, Temple, Ocker, Crockett, Snook, Caldwell, Dime Box, Dallas, Industry, Wesley, Nelsonville, New Tabor, Placedo and Anton. In addition to his pastoral duties and his service as Sunday School superintendent (mentioned above) he was elected as vice-president of the Synodical Committee in 1935, and served in that capacity (except for the period of 1939-1943) until the death of Rev. Jos. Barton in 1945. He then began to serve as president and did so until 1953. His interest in the spiritual needs of the youth, especially in the early years of his ministry, was further illustrated in his composition and publication of a manual for use in the instruction of confirmands. This manual included a summary translation of the original Czech catechism of the Ancient Unity of the Brethren published in 1608, with Bible questions, brief prayers and a concise history of the Christian Church. “The faithfulness with which Brother Kostohryz carried out his ministry was blessed by the Lord in giving him the kind of health and stamina which enabled him to minister to those in need almost without interruption until death came at 73.”(1) Rev. Kostohryz died August 18, 1971, and was laid to rest in the Bellwood Memorial Cemetery in Temple.
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