Trinity Lutheran Church Records (Mt. Morris), 1857-2008 | Northern Illinois University
Arrangement
Administrative/Biographical History
In 1846 Trinity Lutheran Church’s first pastor, Reverend Nicholas Stroh of Oregon, Illinois, held church services in the Rock River Seminary Chapel. Because of conflicts with other services held in the seminary, Reverend Stroh relocated to a schoolhouse on the Oregon Road between Oregon and Mt. Morris. Upon completion of a new school in Mt. Morris, Reverend Stroh established his services in the school until construction and dedication of a new church in 1856 provided the congregational with its first building. Under a constitution adopted in 1853 by twenty-eight charter members, the church became known as the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mt. Morris. Two elders and four deacons served as the church’s first governing board. By 1857 the Mt. Morris church separated from the Oregon congregation and became an autonomous body.
Membership grew steadily from the 1850's and in 1877 the congregation began planning construction of a larger building. R.R. Hitt, a secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, donated the land on Seminary Street for the church and parsonage. The new church was completed in November 1878 at a cost of $7,088.
In the late nineteenth century, the Mt. Morris congregation faced a financial crisis as expenditures exceeded income, plunging the church into debt. Pastor Edwin S. Hoffman, disturbed by the poor financial condition of the church, considered uniting with another congregation. Pastor Hoffman resigned in 1886, and his successor, Reverend L. Ford began a joint pastorate with the Oregon church until 1890, when he became full-time pastor in Mt. Morris.
As the congregation membership continued to increase in the twentieth century, the church building required major repairs and additions. In 1921 the church incorporated and became known as the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mt. Morris. Three years later the structure of the church’s original governing board was modified and named the Church Council.
By 1942 the Trinity council and congregation voted to build a third new church. After seven years of planning and fund-raising, construction commenced in 1949. Unfortunately, many problems delayed construction, especially the default of the general contractor. Nevertheless, the congregation finally dedicated the new building located at Brayton Road and Ogle Street in September 1952.
During its entire history, Trinity Lutheran Church participated in the growth and development of the Mt. Morris community. Church organizations such as the Ladies Aid Society and Glad Hand Club sponsored social functions and aided less fortunate members of the community. The Trinity Luther League provided many activities for the youth membership of the church. In addition to civic affairs, church groups such as the Mission Circle and Women’s Missionary Society enlightened members regarding the importance of missionary work over the entire globe. Today the Trinity Lutheran Church continues to serve its members and the Mt. Morris community.
Subjects (links to similar collections) Administrative InformationThe Reverend Richard A. Swedberg deposited the Trinity Lutheran Church Records in the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on July 14, 1980.
A valuable addition to the history of Lutheranism in Illinois, the Trinity Lutheran Church Records document the growth and history of perhaps the oldest German Lutheran Church in the state. The collection is divided into eleven series: minutes; annual reports; correspondence; financial records; building records; office files; membership records; newsletters and bulletins; church organization records; Illinois Synod and other churches; and photographs, scrapbooks, and drawings.
Series I includes a complete set of church council meeting minutes (1857-1972) which details the monthly administrative concerns of the church leadership. These minutes include pastoral, treasurer’s and various committee reports, and record discussions of plans for community projects and church improvements. A series of congregational minutes (1857-1968) supplement the council minutes and contain information concerning church budgets, council nominations, and reports from church organizations. Trinity Lutheran Church annual reports (1942-1971), located in Series II, summarize the yearly activities of the pastor, committees, church organizations, and Sunday School, and also includes financial reports and membership lists.
Correspondence and financial records comprise the third and fourth series in the collection. Receipts/disbursements journals, expense and benevolence journals, tax records, church organization transfer files, and invoices provide information on donations to charities, various expenditures, and weekly offerings. Of special interest is the fifth series, building records, which documents the construction of the new church dedicated in 1952. Building committee minutes (1947-1952), architectural and contractor correspondence, and equipment and supply invoices contain schedules, building material lists, and financial statements, illustrating problems encountered during the seven year project.
A substantial series of church office files details specific church programs and projects such as educational aid, congregational surveys, and fund-raising drives. In addition, these files contain various records ranging from membership and pastoral correspondence to news releases and guest registers. The membership records contained in series seven include transfers, lists, communion, and confirmation records. For documentation of weekly Trinity activities, newsletters (1953-1955) and a large set of Sunday bulletins (1941-1977) highlight past church accomplishments and announce organizational and committee activities for each week.
Church organizations played a major role in gathering Trinity members for social and community functions. Meeting minutes and financial records for many church organizations such as the Chancel and Altar Society, Glad Hand Club, and the Ladies Aid Society illustrate the efforts of these groups to provide service to the sick and underprivileged. These societies also sponsored bazaars, lectures, dinners, and picnics for the congregation.
In addition to documenting the history of Trinity Lutheran Church, this collection contains Illinois Synod records and annual reports of other churches in northern Illinois. The last series includes photographs, architectural drawings, organizational charters, scrapbooks, and parish registers. The photographs provide a valuable visual record of past church buildings, ministers, organizations, and confirmation classes.
Persons interested in the history of Illinois Lutheranism, and also the strong German ethnicity among people of this region, will find that the Trinity Lutheran Church Records provide valuable documentation of one of the oldest German churches in the state.
Series I: Minutes
Series II: Annual Reports
Series III: Correspondence
Series IV: Financial Records
Series V: Building Records
Series VI: Office Files
Series VII: Membership Records
Series VIII: Newsletters and Bulletins
Series IX: Church Organization Records
Series X: Illinois Synod and Other Churches
Series XI: Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Drawings
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