GOD & TEXAS: William Meier

When William Meier died in 1911, he had lived a full life. Born in Germany (Prussia) in 1840, he arrived at a time when his family was facing economic hardship amid a developing revolution against the dominant wealthy nobility.

In 1854, his parents made the difficult decision to immigrate to America, settling in Illinois. William helped with the farming duties and excelled in education. Sensing a call into ministry, he enrolled in a seminary founded by the German Evangelical denomination.

Upon graduation in 1870, William was assigned to full time circuit riding ministry covering Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. As fulfilling as this ministry was, William believed that there was even more that he should be doing.

In 1880, William entered Northwestern Medical College in St. Joseph, MO. During his medical studies, he recognized that being both a medical doctor and a Gospel minister could be very beneficial in the right situation. Seeking direction at graduation, he met with his denominational leaders who encouraged him to go to Texas as a medical missionary.

Armed with his Bible and Gladstone bag, William moved to Texas in 1883 with his new bride Christiana. He made San Antonio his home, and began to minister throughout the region, organizing churches and treating the sick. When not traveling, he served as pastor of the German Evangelical church in San Antonio and constructed their first sanctuary. By 1894, William had stopped circuit-riding and settled into his farm near the Alamo city. He had founded many churches in South Texas as a bi-vocational minister, and now he rested.

During the ministry of Christ on earth, he dedicated as much time to healing the sick as He did to preaching. We read in Matthew 4:23 NIV, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing EVERY disease and sickness among the people.” Whole communities were delivered from sickness and disease as Jesus met their needs.

In many ways, William's pastoral life resembled the ministry of Christ Himself. The true Christian minister must preach the full Gospel message and pray that humanity will receive healing of both the body and the soul. Healing is a core principle in the scriptures. As we read in 3 John 1:2 NKJV, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

When William died, the family placed a powerful scripture on his gravestone that refers to the ultimate healing that awaits every child of God. Carved into granite are the words of Jesus in John 11:25 NKJV, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

Some sicknesses will not be healed on this earth. But as Jesus encouraged the grieving family of Lazarus by promising that one day death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54) we will crush the sting of death and rise to Eternal Life in Christ. What a Day that will be!

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