Our History - 1900 to 1999
1900 to 1911 - On September 9, 1900, The Rev. Benjamin S. Sanderson becomes rector. During his residency, extensive repairs and improvements are made to the property. The foundation is reinforced, the bell tower rebuilt, the basement refinished, and the heating system updated. Adult membership increases; however, the number of children in Sunday School drops to 143.
1911 to 1916 - The Rev. Robert Johnston succeeds Sanderson and serves as rector until his tragic and sudden death from pneumonia after a short illness. He is remembered as a leader with a “charming personality,” yet no record of his accomplishments is available.
1916 to 1918 - The Rev. Julian D. Hamlin, fresh out of General Seminary in New York and without any previous parish experience, becomes Trinity’s rector. He attempts, by fiat, to establish liturgical and ecclesiastical practices that are foreign to the Trinity parishioners. One of those practices appears to be the institution of the Eucharist as the normative form of Sunday worship. On October 16, 1917, the vestry adopts a resolution demanding Hamlin’s resignation. The historical record indicates that he left Trinity to become an Army chaplain. In 1916 Mr. and Mrs. G. Reginald Radford donate a creche in memory of their daughter, Elisabeth. It is a hand modeled Nativity and Epiphany setting and was on display at a New York art exhibit, made by William Horatio Day. Over the next sixty years, with patience on the part of succeeding rectors and the leadership and support of growing numbers of laity accustomed to the Eucharist as the normative form of Sunday worship, much of what Hamlin sought to establish was accomplished.
1918 to 1924 - Replacing Hamlin is The Rev. J. Arthur Glasier. During this period, an auditorium (now known as the Parish Hall) and gymnasium are built as a separate structure immediately to the rear of the Parish House. Six years after accepting the call, Rector Glasier leaves Trinity.
1924 to 1928 - The Rev. Elwood L. Haines, who has been serving as a missionary in Liberia, becomes Trinity’s rector. Beginning in 1926, the Chancel and Sanctuary are extended approximately 25 feet, and the church is redecorated. In addition, a number of memorials are added to the church’s furnishings. Interestingly, the stained-glass window behind the altar is covered with a “dossal,” a ceiling-to-floor drapery often used on blank walls behind altars. Later, Haines allows the window from the old “back” wall of the church to be moved to the wall of the extended sanctuary. Mr. Robert Latham organizes the Trinity Boys’ Club, a community enterprise, and directs it for over 25 years. He is succeeded by Mr. Joseph E. Correll, Jr., who carries on the work until a community YMCA is built and small facilities are no longer needed. Haines leaves Trinity in 1928 and eventually becomes bishop of Iowa.
1928 to 1968 - The Rev. Merrill Miles “Dinty” Moore, curate at Grace Church, Utica, NY, answers the call to become Trinity’s rector. Church indebtedness, incurred because of the 1926 renovations, is eliminated. The Trinity Boys’ Club occupies the gymnasium which serves both the church and the community until other community facilities are built after World War II. Parish social action flourishes during the Depression years, primarily through the distribution of food and clothing, done through the Poor Board of Northampton County. It is operated by the Family Welfare staff with many volunteers. At some sessions the Club Room is so crowded the waiting line extends down Market Street and New Street. Clothing in tremendous quantities is issued by the County staff from the Club Room. As a result, three consecutive Governors appoint Trinity’s rector to the Northampton County Board of Assistance. In January 1931, the Dodson Memorial Windows are dedicated.
From 1941 through 1942, major building alterations and additions are carried out. The 1890s Parish House is razed. The church and auditorium/gymnasium are connected by offices, a kitchen, and a St. Agnes Guild room (later converted into offices). A chapel and Sunday School rooms occupy the second floor of the building. On the third floor, an apartment for the sexton is established. On January 16, 1942, the Rt. Rev. Frank William Sterrett, D.D., Bishop of the Bethlehem Diocese, conducts the service of dedication of the new parish house and Trinity Chapel, a memorial to the late Edward S. Knisely. By 1945, all indebtedness is eliminated. At this time, the choir stalls and choir clergy seats are given by Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Coyle as memorials to Mr. and Mrs. Weston Dodson, Mrs. Coyle’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. R. Parke Hutchinson give the Altar rail, sedilia and Bishop’s chair in memory of Mrs. Hutchinson’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Myers. A carved “Christ the King” reredos – in memory of Caleb Kenney, a parish lay reader – is installed above the altar, once again effectively covering the “hidden window” originally hidden by the Rev. Haines.
In 1946, the chapel is turned around to face the new stained-glass windows donated in memory of World War II veterans. On the occasion of Trinity’s 75th Anniversary, two large windows, knows as the “Victory Windows” are dedicated in the Chapel to honor “all from Trinity Church who have served in World War II.” These windows are given by general subscription for the funds from the whole Parish. Many of the stained-glass windows in the Nave installed since 1928 were gifts of Mr. A.C. Dodson, as memorials to his parents and other members of the Dodson family who were Trinity’s founding family. All windows since 1928 were made by the firm of Calvert, Herrick and Redinger of New York City.
Trinity facilities are made available to a variety of community organizations. A men’s and boys’ choir is established. The Rev. Moore is nominated for Bishop of Bethlehem in the Episcopal election of 1953 but withdraws his name following a heart attack. Trinity experiences significant growth in the post-World War II “baby boom” era. There are 190 Sunday School students, with 22 teachers and 6 non-teaching members of the staff. There are 1,012 communicants. To help share the responsibilities of this large parish, in February 1953, the Rev. Holt M. Jenkins is appointed as Assistant to the Rector. He would be succeeded by the Rev. Packard L. Okie, the Rev. William Morphey, the Rev. G.A. Reiss, the Rev. Douglas Wolfe, the Rev. Roger Snyder, the Rev. Charles Brittain, and the Rev. Jane Teter. Mr. Reiss is a son of the Parish and former choir boy. Another son of the parish, Robert Frank Herrick, is ordained deacon at Trinity in 1967.
In 1955, an Aeolian-Skinner organ is purchased and installed. Mr. John Pleasants is the first full-time organist and choirmaster, and he is followed by Theodore Bulger and Albert Gundrum. In 1959 Marvin Beinema is called as church organist and choirmaster and serves in that capacity for 35 years. In 1961 the church basement, then used as a club room, is remodeled and folding partitions installed to accommodate six classrooms. A new Choir Room is constructed under the chancel and sanctuary by enclosing the open brick arches. In 1965, the Parish Hall is remodeled according to a plan suggested by the architect of the Parish House, Mr. Curtis M. Lovelace just prior to his sudden death. Mrs. Lovelace pays for the work as a memorial to her husband. Mrs. Claude Reigert donates four stained glass windows which are installed in the Vestibule in memory of Mr. Reigert. In 1967, the former, and now unused, gymnasium is converted into classrooms.
Trinity’s plain white linen chasubles are replaced by Eucharistic vestments in liturgical colors. In October 1968, after completing 40 years of service, the Rev. Merrill Miles Moore retires. Senior Warden Arthur B. Hampson, who as Clerk of the Vestry had issued the call to Dr. Moore in 1928 and served on the Vestry continuously since that time, now calls a new rector. It should be noted that the Vestry, until the final years of Dr. Moore’s tenure, was a self-perpetuating board of prominent civic, business, and political men, all of substantial financial means. They cared for the building, grounds, and financial affairs of the parish and simply underwrote the yearly budget deficits out of their own pockets. The women of the parish were clearly relegated to guilds, bazaars, and child care activities. But all of that was about to change drastically.
1969 to 1984 - The Rev. Alexander “Sandy” C. Zabriskie arrives from Anchorage, Alaska, at a time of profound liturgical, social, and political change in the church and American society as a whole. In 1968 the rectory house on Market Street is sold and a new rectory purchased at 1361 Bonnie Avenue in Hanover Township. Zabriskie introduces more frequent celebrations of the Eucharist, now at a free-standing altar, introduces trial liturgies, and he advocates acceptance of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer—all actions which lead to accusations of his being too “high church.” Under his leadership, in 1969 the Vestry proposes, and the parish approves, a switch to a Vestry comprised of men and women who are elected, not appointed, and subject to term limits. In 1971, Mrs. William A. Latshaw and Mrs. Parker Starratt become the first women elected to the Vestry. The parish seems to divide between those who prefer to maintain the status quo and those who prefer some radical change.
Lay leadership flourishes in new ways. In place of the generations of laity whose primary roles were as founders, financial guarantors, and supporters of rector-initiated programs, a new breed of lay leaders (many of them women) emerges. They do not hesitate to propose, enlist support for, and carry out programs of their own choosing. With Zabriskie’s blessing, lay members seek and acquire a voice in areas formerly controlled entirely by the rector. Members now play an active role in Worship and Christian Education. In June 1970, the Rev. Herbert W. Stevens comes from St. Peter’s Church, Essex Falls, New Jersey as Associate in Christian Education. His coming signaled a change from general clergy assistance to the rector to that of trained and experienced direction for the Parish in the task of Christian education.
In April 1972, Trinity observes the 100th anniversary of its incorporation and establishes the Centennial Fund, a trust in which the income is allocated annually to causes outside the parish. In 1977, Joan Shelton, a longtime member of the congregation, is ordained the first woman priest in the Diocese and becomes an assistant at Trinity. Lay initiative in social service programs and ministries becomes especially strong and is zealously supported by the rector. A permanent access ramp for the handicapped is built. Trinity begins monthly Sunday dinners for those without families, sponsors Vietnamese refugees, starts a recovery program, and starts a ministry in Bethlehem’s Northeast public housing area. During the winter of 1982, Trinity opens a soup kitchen on the streets of Bethlehem, serving hot soup and bread to the needy from the back of a station wagon. In future years, the kitchen will expand to offer counseling, referrals to social service agencies, and occasional medical clinics. In 1984, Zabriskie resigns.
1984 to 1997 - The Rev. John R. Coble becomes Trinity’s next rector. Called from his position as Archdeacon of the Diocese, Coble brings stability and administrative skills to the parish. He supports Trinity’s social ministries, although without the single-minded focus of his predecessor. In 1986, the Rev. Jane Teter becomes Associate Priest. In 1987, the parish plays a leading role in the formation of the Center City Ministries, an ecumenical grouping of downtown churches whose primary purpose is to establish an emergency shelter for the homeless. In that same year, the parish purchases a six-room apartment building, establishes it as a separate corporation, and rehabilitates it with a HUD loan. This “Genesis Project” provides dwellings for six single mothers and their children. The Project will continue until public housing becomes available. The Trinity Housing Ministry works with the residents to improve the quality of their lives and to help them move toward independence. In 1993, Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Canon A. Malcom MacMillan, comes to Trinity to coordinate the Soup Kitchen. Coble, unlike his predecessor, devotes much of his attention to the maintenance and restoration of the physical plant and encourages lay leadership in this task. The kitchen is reequipped, the boiler replaced, the roof repaired, deteriorating masonry restored, as well as painting, roof repair, and installation of a sound system. Coble encourages the children of the parish to address him as “Father,” a term that parishioners had not used since the years of “Father Hamlin.” In May 1997, Father Coble retires from Trinity.
1997 to 1999 - Interim Rector Sara Dover, as well as several supply clergy, serves as caretaker to Trinity while the Search for a permanent rector occurs.
1911 to 1916 - The Rev. Robert Johnston succeeds Sanderson and serves as rector until his tragic and sudden death from pneumonia after a short illness. He is remembered as a leader with a “charming personality,” yet no record of his accomplishments is available.
1916 to 1918 - The Rev. Julian D. Hamlin, fresh out of General Seminary in New York and without any previous parish experience, becomes Trinity’s rector. He attempts, by fiat, to establish liturgical and ecclesiastical practices that are foreign to the Trinity parishioners. One of those practices appears to be the institution of the Eucharist as the normative form of Sunday worship. On October 16, 1917, the vestry adopts a resolution demanding Hamlin’s resignation. The historical record indicates that he left Trinity to become an Army chaplain. In 1916 Mr. and Mrs. G. Reginald Radford donate a creche in memory of their daughter, Elisabeth. It is a hand modeled Nativity and Epiphany setting and was on display at a New York art exhibit, made by William Horatio Day. Over the next sixty years, with patience on the part of succeeding rectors and the leadership and support of growing numbers of laity accustomed to the Eucharist as the normative form of Sunday worship, much of what Hamlin sought to establish was accomplished.
1918 to 1924 - Replacing Hamlin is The Rev. J. Arthur Glasier. During this period, an auditorium (now known as the Parish Hall) and gymnasium are built as a separate structure immediately to the rear of the Parish House. Six years after accepting the call, Rector Glasier leaves Trinity.
1924 to 1928 - The Rev. Elwood L. Haines, who has been serving as a missionary in Liberia, becomes Trinity’s rector. Beginning in 1926, the Chancel and Sanctuary are extended approximately 25 feet, and the church is redecorated. In addition, a number of memorials are added to the church’s furnishings. Interestingly, the stained-glass window behind the altar is covered with a “dossal,” a ceiling-to-floor drapery often used on blank walls behind altars. Later, Haines allows the window from the old “back” wall of the church to be moved to the wall of the extended sanctuary. Mr. Robert Latham organizes the Trinity Boys’ Club, a community enterprise, and directs it for over 25 years. He is succeeded by Mr. Joseph E. Correll, Jr., who carries on the work until a community YMCA is built and small facilities are no longer needed. Haines leaves Trinity in 1928 and eventually becomes bishop of Iowa.
1928 to 1968 - The Rev. Merrill Miles “Dinty” Moore, curate at Grace Church, Utica, NY, answers the call to become Trinity’s rector. Church indebtedness, incurred because of the 1926 renovations, is eliminated. The Trinity Boys’ Club occupies the gymnasium which serves both the church and the community until other community facilities are built after World War II. Parish social action flourishes during the Depression years, primarily through the distribution of food and clothing, done through the Poor Board of Northampton County. It is operated by the Family Welfare staff with many volunteers. At some sessions the Club Room is so crowded the waiting line extends down Market Street and New Street. Clothing in tremendous quantities is issued by the County staff from the Club Room. As a result, three consecutive Governors appoint Trinity’s rector to the Northampton County Board of Assistance. In January 1931, the Dodson Memorial Windows are dedicated.
From 1941 through 1942, major building alterations and additions are carried out. The 1890s Parish House is razed. The church and auditorium/gymnasium are connected by offices, a kitchen, and a St. Agnes Guild room (later converted into offices). A chapel and Sunday School rooms occupy the second floor of the building. On the third floor, an apartment for the sexton is established. On January 16, 1942, the Rt. Rev. Frank William Sterrett, D.D., Bishop of the Bethlehem Diocese, conducts the service of dedication of the new parish house and Trinity Chapel, a memorial to the late Edward S. Knisely. By 1945, all indebtedness is eliminated. At this time, the choir stalls and choir clergy seats are given by Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Coyle as memorials to Mr. and Mrs. Weston Dodson, Mrs. Coyle’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. R. Parke Hutchinson give the Altar rail, sedilia and Bishop’s chair in memory of Mrs. Hutchinson’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Myers. A carved “Christ the King” reredos – in memory of Caleb Kenney, a parish lay reader – is installed above the altar, once again effectively covering the “hidden window” originally hidden by the Rev. Haines.
In 1946, the chapel is turned around to face the new stained-glass windows donated in memory of World War II veterans. On the occasion of Trinity’s 75th Anniversary, two large windows, knows as the “Victory Windows” are dedicated in the Chapel to honor “all from Trinity Church who have served in World War II.” These windows are given by general subscription for the funds from the whole Parish. Many of the stained-glass windows in the Nave installed since 1928 were gifts of Mr. A.C. Dodson, as memorials to his parents and other members of the Dodson family who were Trinity’s founding family. All windows since 1928 were made by the firm of Calvert, Herrick and Redinger of New York City.
Trinity facilities are made available to a variety of community organizations. A men’s and boys’ choir is established. The Rev. Moore is nominated for Bishop of Bethlehem in the Episcopal election of 1953 but withdraws his name following a heart attack. Trinity experiences significant growth in the post-World War II “baby boom” era. There are 190 Sunday School students, with 22 teachers and 6 non-teaching members of the staff. There are 1,012 communicants. To help share the responsibilities of this large parish, in February 1953, the Rev. Holt M. Jenkins is appointed as Assistant to the Rector. He would be succeeded by the Rev. Packard L. Okie, the Rev. William Morphey, the Rev. G.A. Reiss, the Rev. Douglas Wolfe, the Rev. Roger Snyder, the Rev. Charles Brittain, and the Rev. Jane Teter. Mr. Reiss is a son of the Parish and former choir boy. Another son of the parish, Robert Frank Herrick, is ordained deacon at Trinity in 1967.
In 1955, an Aeolian-Skinner organ is purchased and installed. Mr. John Pleasants is the first full-time organist and choirmaster, and he is followed by Theodore Bulger and Albert Gundrum. In 1959 Marvin Beinema is called as church organist and choirmaster and serves in that capacity for 35 years. In 1961 the church basement, then used as a club room, is remodeled and folding partitions installed to accommodate six classrooms. A new Choir Room is constructed under the chancel and sanctuary by enclosing the open brick arches. In 1965, the Parish Hall is remodeled according to a plan suggested by the architect of the Parish House, Mr. Curtis M. Lovelace just prior to his sudden death. Mrs. Lovelace pays for the work as a memorial to her husband. Mrs. Claude Reigert donates four stained glass windows which are installed in the Vestibule in memory of Mr. Reigert. In 1967, the former, and now unused, gymnasium is converted into classrooms.
Trinity’s plain white linen chasubles are replaced by Eucharistic vestments in liturgical colors. In October 1968, after completing 40 years of service, the Rev. Merrill Miles Moore retires. Senior Warden Arthur B. Hampson, who as Clerk of the Vestry had issued the call to Dr. Moore in 1928 and served on the Vestry continuously since that time, now calls a new rector. It should be noted that the Vestry, until the final years of Dr. Moore’s tenure, was a self-perpetuating board of prominent civic, business, and political men, all of substantial financial means. They cared for the building, grounds, and financial affairs of the parish and simply underwrote the yearly budget deficits out of their own pockets. The women of the parish were clearly relegated to guilds, bazaars, and child care activities. But all of that was about to change drastically.
1969 to 1984 - The Rev. Alexander “Sandy” C. Zabriskie arrives from Anchorage, Alaska, at a time of profound liturgical, social, and political change in the church and American society as a whole. In 1968 the rectory house on Market Street is sold and a new rectory purchased at 1361 Bonnie Avenue in Hanover Township. Zabriskie introduces more frequent celebrations of the Eucharist, now at a free-standing altar, introduces trial liturgies, and he advocates acceptance of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer—all actions which lead to accusations of his being too “high church.” Under his leadership, in 1969 the Vestry proposes, and the parish approves, a switch to a Vestry comprised of men and women who are elected, not appointed, and subject to term limits. In 1971, Mrs. William A. Latshaw and Mrs. Parker Starratt become the first women elected to the Vestry. The parish seems to divide between those who prefer to maintain the status quo and those who prefer some radical change.
Lay leadership flourishes in new ways. In place of the generations of laity whose primary roles were as founders, financial guarantors, and supporters of rector-initiated programs, a new breed of lay leaders (many of them women) emerges. They do not hesitate to propose, enlist support for, and carry out programs of their own choosing. With Zabriskie’s blessing, lay members seek and acquire a voice in areas formerly controlled entirely by the rector. Members now play an active role in Worship and Christian Education. In June 1970, the Rev. Herbert W. Stevens comes from St. Peter’s Church, Essex Falls, New Jersey as Associate in Christian Education. His coming signaled a change from general clergy assistance to the rector to that of trained and experienced direction for the Parish in the task of Christian education.
In April 1972, Trinity observes the 100th anniversary of its incorporation and establishes the Centennial Fund, a trust in which the income is allocated annually to causes outside the parish. In 1977, Joan Shelton, a longtime member of the congregation, is ordained the first woman priest in the Diocese and becomes an assistant at Trinity. Lay initiative in social service programs and ministries becomes especially strong and is zealously supported by the rector. A permanent access ramp for the handicapped is built. Trinity begins monthly Sunday dinners for those without families, sponsors Vietnamese refugees, starts a recovery program, and starts a ministry in Bethlehem’s Northeast public housing area. During the winter of 1982, Trinity opens a soup kitchen on the streets of Bethlehem, serving hot soup and bread to the needy from the back of a station wagon. In future years, the kitchen will expand to offer counseling, referrals to social service agencies, and occasional medical clinics. In 1984, Zabriskie resigns.
1984 to 1997 - The Rev. John R. Coble becomes Trinity’s next rector. Called from his position as Archdeacon of the Diocese, Coble brings stability and administrative skills to the parish. He supports Trinity’s social ministries, although without the single-minded focus of his predecessor. In 1986, the Rev. Jane Teter becomes Associate Priest. In 1987, the parish plays a leading role in the formation of the Center City Ministries, an ecumenical grouping of downtown churches whose primary purpose is to establish an emergency shelter for the homeless. In that same year, the parish purchases a six-room apartment building, establishes it as a separate corporation, and rehabilitates it with a HUD loan. This “Genesis Project” provides dwellings for six single mothers and their children. The Project will continue until public housing becomes available. The Trinity Housing Ministry works with the residents to improve the quality of their lives and to help them move toward independence. In 1993, Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Canon A. Malcom MacMillan, comes to Trinity to coordinate the Soup Kitchen. Coble, unlike his predecessor, devotes much of his attention to the maintenance and restoration of the physical plant and encourages lay leadership in this task. The kitchen is reequipped, the boiler replaced, the roof repaired, deteriorating masonry restored, as well as painting, roof repair, and installation of a sound system. Coble encourages the children of the parish to address him as “Father,” a term that parishioners had not used since the years of “Father Hamlin.” In May 1997, Father Coble retires from Trinity.
1997 to 1999 - Interim Rector Sara Dover, as well as several supply clergy, serves as caretaker to Trinity while the Search for a permanent rector occurs.
