Trinity Lutheran Church
50th Anniversary Events
As our year of celebrating 50 years of ministry here at TLC comes to an end, mark your calendar for these anniversary events.
Sunday, November 6 – Pastor Elton Richards will be our guest preacher. Pastor Richards served as Interim Pastor, 2001-02, while Pastor Ron and his family spent eleven months at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. Pastor Richards and his wife, Anne, were active members of Trinity from September 23, 2001 to November 5, 2006.
Sunday, November 13 – Our Closing Celebration will be at 3:00 pm. Bishop Michael Rhyne will lead us and preside while Bishop Gregory Pile will serve as our preacher that day. Following the Celebration, we will have our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, beginning at 5:00 pm. A sign-up sheet is posted on the door to Fellowship Hall. Salads, sweet potatoes, and desserts are needed; turkey, filling, mashed potatoes and gravy will be provided. If you are willing to bake a turkey for the meal, please indicate that on the sign-up sheet as well.
Trinity's First Service to be Re-Enacted
A Tale of Two Steeples: Congregation to Celebrate 50th Anniversary
with First Service Reenactment; Bishop to Attend
To commence its year-long 50th anniversary celebration, Trinity Lutheran Church, the church with two steeples and an unusual shape, will host a special reenactment of its first church service at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 15, 2015.
Special music will precede the service at 2:45 p.m., and a cake reception with a slide show of historic photographs will immediately follow in the original sanctuary -- now fellowship hall. The Reverend Ronald C. Miller Jr. will preside, and the Reverend Michael Rhyne, Bishop of the Allegheny Synod will offer a special sermon message. The service is open to the public; all are welcome.
Trinity Lutheran Church is located on North Atherton St. at 2221 North Oak Lane, State College, PA.
Fifty years ago, a small group of Lutheran missionaries began meeting in a "Lutheran House Chapel" in a residential home at 2197 North Oak Lane in the planned Park Forest Village neighborhood in State College. As early as May of 1965, a local newspaper reported details from developer J. Alvin Hawbaker that a Lutheran congregation was being "...formed under the direction of the Chicago office of the church. A parsonage is to be constructed at once on land purchased by the Board of American Missions of the Lutheran Church of America. An architect has been chosen for the new church building and plans have been ordered to be prepared, he said."
In August 1965, another article indicated that a Lutheran pastor was being sent to "bring together those without a church-home into a fellowship of people, who are united in their desire to serve God and one another." The first service was held in November 1965, and Trinity Lutheran Church was officially chartered in November 1966.
In 1969, members broke ground for the first sanctuary, a small hexagonal-shaped structure topped with a simple cross, and adjoined by a small Sunday School building – designed by well-known central Pennsylvania architect Jack Risheberger. By 1994, construction was completed on additional classrooms, office space, and a new hexagonal-shaped sanctuary – converting the original worship space into the present-day fellowship hall. The original cross spire and the new steeple are both retained, christening it as the "church with two steeples."
Trinity is a proud member of the Centre County and State College communities. Trinity welcomes visitors of all faiths every Saturday and Sunday for worship services and Sunday School. For more information about Trinity Lutheran Church and its 50th anniversary festivities, visit www.TrinityStateCollege.org, or call (814) 238-2024. You can also find Trinity at Facebook.com/TrinityStateCollege.
Trinity Kicks-Off "$50K for the 50th" Campaign!
Trinity is celebrating its 50th anniversary, starting this November. Between June and November, the Church Council has initiated a campaign to help raise funds for the church's fellowship hall - which served as the original sanctuary over 40 years ago. This section of our church building needs new flooring, new windows, insulated and finished walls, central heating and air conditioning, and a few other tweaks. Such changes will improve the energy efficiency of the building, and its viability as a year-round usable space for both Trinity and Community members. Additionally, the church's sign structure is in serious disrepair, and is in need of replacement. The early estimates for these projects are around $50,000. We hope that family members of Trinity, past and present, will help contribute in some way, as we strive to raise "$50K for the 50th"!
Special donation envelopes have been designed, and are available in the church pews, and at weekly services. Please prayerfully consider a special gift above regular giving that might help us to update our building, and improve our visibility and welcoming first impressions along North Atherton Street.
Sincerely,
Christina Pillot
Church Council President
NEW: Make a Contribution via PayPal!
Now you can support Trinity's campaign via PayPal. Just use the donate button below.
Trinity Lutheran Church’s 50th Year Celebration
Submit your photos!
It’s time to start preparing for Trinity’s upcoming 50th year celebration! One of the events being planned by the organizing committee is the creation of a slide show that highlights the people and events marking the life and mission of our congregation. The committee is asking members of Trinity to locate their photos – digital images, photo prints or slides, newspaper clippings – so they may be shared during our celebration event. Before providing your pictures to the committee, please include as much information as possible, e.g. names of people in the photos, dates the pictures were taken and the church event depicted. Examples might include (but are not limited to) photos of weddings, baptisms, confirmation and Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible School, musical presentations, holiday events, picnics and potlucks, the yard sale, Mountain Top, clean-up day, and old/new construction of the church building.
Digital photos may be sent directly as email attachments or as DropBox files to Dick Frisque ([email protected]). Newspaper clippings, photo prints/slides, and thumb/USB drives containing digital photos may be placed in an envelope labeled with your name, phone number and/or email address. The envelope can then be placed in Dick’s church mailbox or you can call him for a pickup at your home (814-234-0709). Once Dick scans and digitizes the photos, all materials will be returned promptly to their owner.
Thank you for taking the time to dig through those old and new photo albums and boxes and for participating in this exciting event with our Trinity family.
Sincerely,
Dick Frisque
on behalf of the Organizing Committee for Trinity’s 50th Year Celebration