Living in the present... NOW and THEN

Broader Church History

The history of Trinity Community Church is interwoven with the history of the United Church of Christ (UCC). In 1957 the Evangelical and Reformed Church (which Trinity was at that time) united with the Congregational Christian Church to form the new United Church of Christ. The forebears of the UCC understood that their response to Jesus often meant being at odds with society – requiring resistance, daring and decisive action as they wrestled with issues facing their generation. When the Pilgrims set sail for the new world in 1620, their pastor, John Robinson, told them: “God has more light and truth to break forth from God’s holy word.” Our forebears took this to heart and, even though our history has had some misdirected efforts, we can look back at a number of significant “firsts.”

* Forebears of the UCC were the first mainline church to take a public stand against slavery, in the year 1700.

* We were the first predominately Euro-American church to ordain an African American as a minister – Lemuel Haynes in 1785.

* In 1810, we organized the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the first foreign missionary agency in North America.

* We were the church that initiated the defense of the Amistad captives in 1839, and supported their case to the Supreme Court, which eventually led to their freedom.

* We ordained the first woman to ministry, Antoinette Brown, in 1853.

* We were among the first to establish homes for orphaned children – like Bethany Children’s Home and Hoffman Home, both in Pennsylvania, which now are places for troubled young people and their families – and Bensenville, Illinois which is now LifeLink serving young and old alike.

* We founded some of America’s premier colleges (Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Oberlin, Elon, UC Berkeley, and Elmhurst); hundreds of schools to educate freed slaves after the Civil War; and African-American colleges (Fisk, Taledega, Huston-Tillotson).

* Noted theologian and pastor Reinhold Niebuhr, from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, composed the Serenity Prayer: “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

* As a denomination, we were on the front lines of racial desegregation and, in 1959, we challenged the Federal Communications Commission to allow people of color to have access to and be seen on the televised airwaves.

* We ordained the first openly gay person, William Johnson, in 1972.

We often have been referred to as the “early” church, because we have been early in addressing the important issues facing our society and taking uncomfortable positions that sometimes go against cultural acceptability. Why? Because we love Jesus and we love people.

(Edited from the 2003 Annual Report of the United Church of Christ)

For more information on the United Church of Christ click here!

Living in the present... NOW and THEN

The congregation grew as new immigrants built the neighborhood around Trinity. In 1938 the Evangelical Synod of North America united with the Reformed Churches of America to become a new denomination, the Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R). Trinity continued to grow and was once again renovated in the early 1940s. Over time members began to move to the newer western suburbs - Berwyn, Riverside, and Brookfield. In the early 1950s a decision was made to build a new church farther west. Property was purchased on 26th Street and Riverside Drive in Berwyn, Illinois and a new church, the current church building, was built.

On Christmas 1954 the congregation officially made Berwyn their new home and Trinity E&R Church was renamed Trinity Community Church, E&R to honor the new community they were moving to. In 1957 the E&R denomination united with the Congregational Christian Churches to form the United Church of Christ which Trinity is proudly affiliated with today.

Most of all, although through history our building has been renovated and our community has moved, Trinity is a church of people. Since 1884, people make Trinity Community Church UCC a reality - a place to individually reflect on what it means to be a Christian as well as to join together in participation and fellowship with others who are on a like journey.

Generation after generation Trinity Community continues to share and live the message of Christ's love. We invite you to visit us and become part of the history of Trinity Community Church, United Church of Christ - right here and right now!