Trinity Episcopal Church reaches big milestone – 150 years

"

In this year of 2021, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lincoln is observing a big one, the church is marking its 150th anniversary.

The church is a parish that is part of the Springfield diocese, the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church history reads, “We have been part of the Lincoln life since the 1800s; in fact, our church building is over 100 years old. Many of our members are well known in Lincoln as people who give themselves to make Lincoln and Logan County a special place to live.”

Lawrence Stringer provides some background on the early years of the church in his book History of Logan County, Illinois. “The Trinity Church parish of the Episcopal Church in Lincoln, dates from July 3, 1871. At this date, a meeting of those interested was held in the Universalist church on Kickapoo.”

Stringer said that initially, “services were held in Gillett’s Hall, a temporary chancel having been erected for that purpose.” In the fall of 1871, Judge Stephan Foley donated four lots on the corner of Kankakee and Kickapoo. Father Christopher Simpson, the church’s current rector, said the church’s first building erected in 1873 was a small wooden structure.

The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1905. This building is described by Stringer as “a handsome structure of Gothic design, constructed of red cinder brick, trimmed extensively with Bedford stone.

It has several memorial windows and is artistically decorated.”

The building also has a nave, recessed chancel and two wings. The estimated cost of the building was $20,000.

For the church’s 150th anniversary, Father Simpson shared more history of the church and its additions.

An organ was installed in 1925. Father Simpson says the console/keyboard was replaced in 1969, but the organ pipes are the same.

Long-time community and church member Bill Gossett remembers that years ago, someone came to fix the organ and took it all apart. Gossett said he and other church members helped clean the pipes.

Though the main building is over 100 years old, there have been additions to the church over the years. For example, Father Simpson said in 1951 the "undercroft" (the basement) was excavated under the main church building. Trinity celebrated its 70th anniversary on Trinity Sunday that year in the new undercroft.



In 1971, a century after Trinity was founded, Berger Hall, the current side addition, was built.

Gossett said church members hosted a hog roast to raise funds for Berger Hall. He recalls several members spending a whole night roasting and preparing the hog.

Other improvements over the years have been provided through donations of various church members. These include landscaping, a yard light, a new roof, new furnace, carpeting in the chapel and blue kneeling cushions. A stained-glass window installed in 1965 was given in memory of a church member and depicts the “Wedding Feast at Canna.”

Father Simpson has been the full-time rector since June 1, 2020, and is the twenty fourth rector to serve at Trinity. The Parish was without a rector for the first two years. During this period, occasional services were held by Father F.M. Gregg of the Saint Paul Church in Springfield and the Right Reverend Whitehouse of Chicago.

For the first twenty years, Father Simpson said the church was sometimes without a regular rector. During those times, visiting clergymen would hold services.

However, Father Simpson says, over the years, several rectors from Trinity have gone on to be influential in the diocese. For example, the Right Rev John Chandler White, who was rector at Trinity from 1916 to 1924, went on to be the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield from 1924 to 1947. The Rev Canon William Berger, Trinity's Rector from 1950 to 1968, served as president of the diocesan standing committee for many years. The Rev Canon Mark Evans, Trinity's Rector from 2011 to 2020, is currently the "Canon to the Ordinary"--the "right hand man" to the Bishop.

Rectors - Trinity Episcopal Church - Lincoln, Illinois
Name and term

Rev. William Wilson
1873 – 1874

Rev. George M. Higgins
1874 – 1875

Rev. Joseph E. Martin
1877-1880

Rev. William Wilson
1881 – 1882

Rev. J. E. Hall
1882 – 1884

Rev. Nelson Ayres
1887 – 1890

Rev. Weymus Smith
1890 – 1894

Rev. Charles W. Hadden
1895 – 1896

Rev. Charles E. Cabaniss
1896 – 1902

Rev. William Nehemiah Wyckoff
1903 – 1912

Rev. John Chandler White
1913 – 1924

Rev. Everett Alfred Moore
1924 – 1927

Rev. John A. Betcher
1928 – 1938

Rev. William E. Ashburn
1939 – 1940

Rev. Arthur L. Bice
1940 – 1944

Rev. Ira A. England
1944 – 1949

Rev. William Edward Berger
1950 – 1968

Rev. Edward Maxwell Story
1968 – 1971

Rev. Laurence Larson
1971 – 1977

Rev. Jerry L. Miller
1978 – 1981

Rev. William E. Turner
1982 – 1995

Rev. James o. Cravens
1996 – 2010

Rev. Mark E. Evans
2011 – 2020

Rev. Dr. Christopher Ben Simpson
2020 – current

Bishops - Episcopal Diocese of Springfield
Name, term, deceased

George Franklin Seymour
1878-1906
1906

Charles Reuben Hale
Assistant Bishop “Bishop of Cairo”
1892-1900
1900

Edward William Osborne
Coadjutor
1904-05
1904-1916
1926

Granville Hudson Sherwood
1917-1923
1923

John Chandler Whire
1924-1947
1956

Richard Tuttle Loring
1947-1948
1948

Charles Asa Clough
1948-1961
1961

Albert Arthur Chambers
1962 – 1972
1993

Albert William Hillestad
1972-1981
2007

Donald Maynard Hultstrand
1982-1991
20l9

Peter Hess Beckwith
1992-2010

Daniel Hayden Martins
(Consecrated 3-19-11)
2011- current

Gossett has been a member of the church since around 1940. He remembers having the small rectory and the small parish made it hard to find someone but said dedicated men have served the church throughout the years.

Over the years, Gossett said Trinity Episcopal Church has been recognized as a small but mighty group and tight knit church who took care of its own.

Bob Field, another long-time church member, recalls a booklet on the history of the church being given to members on the 100th anniversary of the church in 1971.

Written by Dorothy Moore Parker, the booklet talks about the rectors who served during the first 100 years of the church, the building of the current church and various additions over the years. Parker said, “on Sunday, August 15, 1971 a groundbreaking ceremony for $110,000 parish hall addition followed immediately after the 9:30 Eucharist.”

In the booklet, Parker also describes the church’s 75th anniversary held in 1946. Parker said, “festivities included the regular 7:30 a.m. celebration of mass, a festival mass at 10:30 a.m. and all Parish picnic and anniversary program afterward.”

To mark the church’s 150th anniversary a special worship service and meal were held Sunday, May 30.

With its rich history and strengths in the community, Trinity Episcopal Church will undoubtedly have many more years to look forward to.

[Angela Reiners with photos by Reiners and Jan Youngquist]