History at Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized as a daughter congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church in Germantown which was founded in 1836 as an offshoot congregation of St Michael's Lutheran Church, ordained in the 1700's by Henry Melchoir Mulenberg, the "Patriarch of American Lutheranism."

On September 28 1930, Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized by mission developer Pastor Silas D. Dougherty. On October 1, 1930, Dr Dougherty turned over leadership to pastor Elmer P. Truscheses under whose faithful leadership the present site was purchased and the first building dedicated on October 4, 1936. On December 15 1937, Pastor Daniel Nicely became our pastor. During the six years his pastorate, membership doubled and half the debt was paid. On October 1 1943, Pastor William Karnes, Jr. became our Pastor. In spite of war, the congregation eliminated the indebtedness, continued to grow in membership and continued our service beyond ourselves.

Pastor Alvin O. Shiffer became our pastor on August 1, 1952. During the thirty-four years of his skilled senior-pastorate, this congregation became ( and remains ) one of the flagship congregation in the Lutheran Church in terms of giving beyond ourselves. We are one of the one-hundred top benevolence-giving congregations in the ELCA. We support new missions, the seminary, foreign missionaries, and the Lutheran homes for the aged, retarded and the abused. The local Interfaith Food Pantry is housed here. All this ( and much more ) began under Pastor Shiffer's leadership. The congregation built and paid for our present buildings.

Pastors Michael G. Tavella and N. Amanda Grimmer , a husband-wife team, were called as Co-senior Pastors in July 1, 1987. Under their leadership, Holy Trinity has continued her benevolence leadership, has extended her service ministry to include ministry to people with AIDS, and established Alpha, an international evangelism program. While many congregations cease to seek out the unchurched, Holy Trinity prefers to be faithful to the Lord who told his followers to " Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples." Under the leadership of Pastors Mike and Mandy, many adult Bible Studies were begun throughout the week to encourage growth in discipleship. Holy Trinity is involved in several community ecumenical activities, such as the Willow Grove Ministerium, Pastors United in Prayer, and interfaith. Interfaith provides food and other assistance to those in need.

It is our prayer that God will continue to use this congregation to serve His purpose and proclaim His glory into the future, as surely as He has used us in the past.