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Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church began its ministry in the fall of 1902 when Miss Ada
Beck left Goshen, Indiana to come to Elgin to work in the Watch Factory.
At that time, Elgin did not have a church that held worship services in
English. Miss Beck wrote to the Rev. A. C. Anda, pastor of her former
church in Goshen, and asked him to come to Elgin to help begin worship
services in English. The need for “the faith of the fathers in the
languages of the children” was important for many. The first meeting was held in Unity Hall on October 12, 1902. On January 23, 1903, Holy Trinity was officially organized with 41 charter members. The church was officially incorporated on March 10, 1903. In 1904, the building site at the southwest corner of Division and Chapel Streets was voted upon and purchased for $4200. It was a beautiful residential area and considered to be one of the best building lots in the city. The architects for the building were Turnbull and Jones. The cornerstone was laid on June 10, 1906 and the building was consecrated on January 27, 1907. The exterior is of pressed brick with Bedford stone trimmings. The first pastor of Holy Trinity was Paul Roth. The church soon had 240 members and a Sunday School enrollment of 227. Andrew Carnegie donated money for the first pipe organ, with the agreement that the church match the sum. Pledges flowed in and two years later the new pipe organ, built by Henry Pilcher and Sons was installed in 1909. On December 16, 1924, the present baptismal font, made of marble, was donated. Even through the years of the Great Depression, Holy Trinity flourished. In 1931, the church was completely insulated and redesigned to include the existing balcony. $150,000 was raised to add an education wing on to the building. On February 17, 1952, the education wing was dedicated. During another renovation of the sanctuary, the present Austin organ was moved to the balcony. In 1995, the entire facility was remodeled to allow handicap accessibility throughout the building and the building was also air conditioned. In September of 1997, Lutheran Church of Our Savior merged with Holy Trinity. In 2002, the stained glass windows were refurbished. In 2006 and 2007, the 100th anniversary of the building was celebrated. A new cornerstone was dedicated and a time capsule was placed in it in November of 2006. The rededication of the sanctuary was held on January 28, 2007. Holy Trinity still remembers its first mission statement: “the faith of the fathers in the language of the children,” by providing worship that is relevant to people today. Our mission statement today, "Proclaiming Christ's Love through Witness and Service" reflects our ongoing work to bring the Good News to the people of this community.
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