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ABOUT HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
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| Holy Trinity Lutheran Church |
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Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 2000
A Brief History
The beginnings of today's Holy Trinity are found in 1889 when lay leader, Benjamin Bowman, gathered a circle of Lutheran Christians in his home and later, with the creation of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Muncie under the leadership of theological student and later Pastor C. F. Steck. The 117 years that have since past represent a continuous period of physical and spiritual growth that is still being realized today.
In 1890 the first church building was erected in downtown Muncie, were it would remain until 1960 (when the new structure on White River Blvd came into use). Holy Trinity continued to grow through the 1910s and 1920s, adding a pipe organ to the church and numerous outreach organizations like the “Women’s Aid Society.” During the Depression of the 1930s, the church lost its independent status due to financial difficulties and returned to mission status. This setback reversed by 1938 with the "burning of the mortgage" in January of 1938. In 1939, the church celebrated its Golden (50th) Anniversary with assistance from six prior pastors. Holy Trinity contributed to the Second World War directly when its serving pastor, L.H. Wyandt, left Muncie in 1941 to serve as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. Later in the war, Pastor O.W. Houpt served as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy
In 1950, when the membership of the church approached 300, it was decided that a new building and site were needed. Under the fund raising banner of "Get it Done in '51" money was raised for this purpose. Another significant step in forwarding the church's mission in the Muncie community was taken this year with the creation of the LSA (Lutheran Student Association) at Ball State University (then Teacher's College). As a result of fund raising and great effort a new church site (Holy Trinity's present location) was selected in 1956. In 1960, groundbreaking ceremonies were held and finished elements of new building came into use in August of 1961.
In the 1960s, some of the groups that are at the heart of Holy Trinity's life came into the present form. By 1963 there were eleven Koinonia (fellowship) groups meeting, while three separate women's groups came together as the General Lutheran Church Women's Auxiliary. The next year the church moved to expand its educational influence with the creation of a "Weekday Church School" that encompassed four grades. In 1966 Holy Trinity made its first entry into the electronic medium through a radio ministry broadcast that spanned twelve weeks on station WERK here in the Muncie area. It also raised money and broke ground on its Christian Education addition to the main building. By the end of the decade church membership had risen to over 600, the majority communing.
The 1960s ended with three changes that still remain. In 1969, laypersons were allowed to assist the pastor as lectors, liturgists and communion assistants, the senior choir was reactivated and a children's moment was incorporated into worship. In the 1970s the organized outreach of the church's mission in Muncie (hunger programs) and the world (Project Help - Lutherans in India) grew more extensive (as can be seen in the records kept). In 1975, Holy Trinity's constitution underwent extensive revision and updating, and two years later it was decided by the Long Range Planning Committee to seek funding for a full-time assistant pastor (a position filled in 1988).
The 1980s saw numerous outreach efforts, including: Feed the Baby, Project HELP, CMDC Food Pantry, CMDC Blanket Cupboard, Food Baskets, and Migrant Ministries. In 1988, Holy Trinity made two important leaps. First, it became part of the ELCA. The second was the official creation and filling of an associate pastor’s position. On March 19 of 1989, the church celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Two years later services were enriched by the addition of a new, ten-rank Zimmer pipe organ. The 1990s also saw numerous renovations to the church itself, including the kitchen, roof, air conditioning, and boiler (along with new carpeting in 2000). At present Holy Trinity enters the new millennium certain of the Lord’s grace and guidance and blessed by the gifts and resources in its fellowship. We invite you to join your gift with ours, to the glory of God!
INDIANA-KENTUCKY SYNOD
Who are we?
We are God's people, gathered together as 80,000 Lutherans, 235 congregations, 3 camps, 7 campus ministries, 10 conferences, 28 ministry teams, and 438 pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers.
We're working together, in thousands of places, in thousands of ways, with a passion for God's word and a compassion for God's world. We do ministry with each other, to each other, and for each other! On the whole, we live and work in Indiana and Kentucky, but our ministries reach around the world!
What's a 'synod'?
A 'synod' is a 'shared journey.' It actually comes from two Greek words: the words which give us 'synonymous' and 'odyssey.' So to be together as a synod is to be on a 'synonymous odyssey.' It means that we journey together: strengthening, challenging, and supporting one another as God leads us, along similar paths, into God's future. |
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