History

The history of Trinity Church is long and includes periods of growth and harmony as well as discord and near disaster.

The first church was established in 1748 in the vicinity of what is now 529 Main Street, through the efforts of Samuel Edson who donated 14 acres of land to the English “Society of Propagation of the Faith in Foreign Parts.” The first church was begun in 1748. Occasional services were held by the clergy who ministered to several area churches.

History of the Present Day Church Structure

The architect for the present church was Stephan Earle of Worcester. The style is similar to English country churches and the angled bell tower is an unusual feature. The church of 1836 was dismantled and its components including the foundation stones, doorsteps, lumber, and bell were incorporated into the present building. The cornerstone which is in the northeast corner contains a pipe with pictures of the first two churches, a history, and a Diocesan newsletter.

The church was consecrated on Tuesday September 23, 1884 by the Right Reverend Benjamin Paddock with 19 area clergy in attendance. The choir was made up of volunteers from the Orthodox, Swedenborgian, and Unitarian choirs as well as our own parishioners. Although the day was chilly and rainy the church was filled with well wishers and parishioners. A social hour and luncheon was held at the home of Reverend Milton Peck, 13 Summer Street, following the service.

Church Building and Material Costs in 1884

The organ, font, reredos, altar embroidery and decorations, bookrest, alms basin, Bible and Prayer book, Altar Cross, and silver communion service were gifts valued at $2850.00.
The cost of the church not including the bell, pews, and lumber from the old church was $11,086.12.

Expenses	Amount
Money paid for land:	$1250.00
Carpenters bill:	$4263.00
Foundation:	$665.68
Furnace:	$194.55
Chancel Furniture:	$125.00
Carpets and Cushions:	$464.70
Architect:	$220.30
Glass, Painting, and Sundries:	$1052.61
Total:	$8236.12

The window above the Altar was given by the children of St. Thomas Church of Taunton at a cost of $150.00 made by Donald McDonald.
The organ which has since been replaced was a gift valued at $1200.00.
The Reredos was a gift from St. Paul’s of Brookline and was carved of caen stone and Tennessee marble. The movers only charged $7.50 to cart the reredos and bell.
The pews came from the old church.
The Altar, Credence, prayer desk, and lectern were the gift of a parishioner.
The Font and its cover, which cost $157.00, was a gift from Mr. Barry of Boston in memory of his wife Ellen Fobes.
The Altar Cross was a gift that cost $45.00.
The Altar bookrest cost $17.00. Today it would cost several hundred if you could find a duplicate.
The Alms basin was the work and a gift of Miss Florence Bailey.
The Chalice and Paten of solid silver and gold were a gift from a former parishioner of the Reverend Milton Peck. It has been told that the women of the parish gave silver thimbles, teaspoons, etc., which were melted down to make the Chalice and Paten now in use.
The glass in the rose window is on loan to the Parish by Mr. Donald McDonald and is to be returned to him when the window is changed.
In the words of the Reverend Milton Peck, “The difficulties and trials in this parish are great and peculiar and they do not lessen entirely as the work goes on.”

Timeline

Recent History

Rev. Nathaniel S. T. Reece retires and Rev. Bailey O. Whitbeck is called to serve as Interim Priest in Charge.

The Sunday School children raised over $600 with youth offering envelopes to which they chose to sponsor Marvin, a child from el Hogar in Honduras, and donate remaining monies to various local charities. They continue this tradition each year.

Trinity’s Mission and Outreach reached beyond assisting local charities such as Habitat for Humanity, St Paul’s table, and the Montello House to help National charities as well by adopting The Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, MS as a sister parish.

Trinity’s presence on the web kicked off with the design of a new web site in order to be more user friendly and attract potential new parishioners as well as allowing current parishioners to be kept up to date on happenings in the community.

The Vestry embarked in a search for a new Priest-in-Charge. A profile was created followed by interviews and a selection process. In June, Bailey O. Whitbeck retired and Rev. Natasha Stewart was called to serve.

During difficult economic times, Trinity was able to overcome these hardships with an increase in pledging which resulted in a matching grant from the Diocese.

Trinity’s Mission and Outreach decided to assist charities on a global level; $500 was donated to Nothing but Nets to support the Malaria crisis.

2008 was a big year for renovations to the Church in an effort to conserve resources and by going “Green”.
⦁ Basement windows were sealed and moldy plaster replaced in the basement making it waterproof
⦁ New locks were installed and the security system updated
⦁ Seven older windows were replaced with modern energy efficient ones
⦁ Energy efficient light bulbs replaced existing bulbs
⦁ Ceiling fans were installed in the main Church area to keep the heat circulating down in Winter and to provide cool air in the Summer.
The Trinity website is now fully operational as a tool for communication and useful information.

A Discernment Committee was formed and recommended that a parishioner, Scott Ciosek be granted Postulancy to become an ordained Episcopal Priest.

The Stewardship Committee hosted its first ever Time and Talent Show. Parishioners were invited to perform and showcase their talents.

Trinity entered into the world of Social Media, establishing both Facebook and Twitter pages. These are used as outreach tools to the Parish and greater Bridgewater community.

St Nicholas came to Trinity to tell his tale of generosity of self to all the children of Trinity.
For the 2010 Christmas Eve service, 140 parishioners celebrated the coming of Christ, which made that Christmas, the largest Christmas service on record for Trinity.

Throughout 2010, the Vestry spent significant time developing the parish goals of Sustainability, Outreach and Collaboration to keep the parish healthy.

The parishioners of Trinity asked the Reverend Natasha Stewart to become the 36th Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church and on 1/11/11 Natasha answered this call with joy and excitement. The celebration was presided by Bishop Bud Cederholm. Natasha is also the first woman rector in the long history of Trinity Episcopal Church.

The Slava Chorale performed a concert at Trinity. The Slava Chorale is a Boston-based singing group that specializes in Russian and Slavonic music, from chant and Russian Orthodox sacred music to folk styles as well. You can view more information about them on their website: http://theslavachorale.yolasite.com/

Trinity embarked on a major renovation to its historic Williams mechanical action organ. Andover Organ Company removed the organ in June and reinstalled it late October. Worn parts were replaces, some with modern materials. The windchests received an overhaul with new solid tables to prevent both air leakage and the pipes from easily going out of tune. The work will ensure the long-tern health of our organ for future generations.

The Vestry purchased a modern storage shed for the cemetery, providing for more storage for the upkeep of this asset.

A sewer line was replaced at a cost of $5,300.

A water backup occurred downstairs and flooded the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom. Damage estimates were high and require a complete teardown and rebuild of the kitchen, as well as all the walls and floors in the Sunday School classrooms. Demolition began in January 2013 and will continue throughout the year.

At the 2013 Annual Meeting, The Rev. Natasha Stewart officially announced the inauguration of a Capital Campaign “Living Our Legacy” to raise the funds necessary to help us address some much needed updates and repairs to the exterior and interior of the church.

After consultation with our Vestry, the Parish will be moving forward with a capital campaign with a goal of raising a minimum of $250,000 in pledges over a period of three years. As of December 2013, 49 households pledged $281,980 and of that amount $192,216 has been received to date.

In the summer French drains were installed in the basement to eliminate flooding.

The driveway was repaved between the church and bank parking in the summer.

Due to the growing number of children attending Trinity, we added a 4th Sunday School Class. We now offer Godly Play (Age 4-2nd grade), Tweeners (grades 3-6), Rite 13 (grades 6-7), and J2A (Journey to Adulthood) (grades 6-12).

Trinity agreed to be a part of the Hartford Seminary Study on Church Growth. The study will help us better understand our strengths and how to build upon them.

In order for Trinity to provide more outreach, the Diocese assigned Deacon Matthew Johnson into our church family on All Saints Day.

Parishioner Chris Allard painted the Noah’s Arc mural on the wall in the Nursery pro bono.

With construction ongoing downstairs, the annual Fall Fair was held outside with great success!

ESC consultants Skip Hamill and Drew Stanair presented the results of their parishioner interviews to the Vestry. The Vestry decided to do some preliminary work on the Strategic Plan while Rev. Natasha is on sabbatical.
Rev Billie Gordan became Trinity’s supply priest from June–September while Rev. Natasha was on sabbatical.
Trinity signs contract with Schaefer Construction Company to begin the restoration for the exterior of the church. This included:
⦁ the re-roofing of Edson Hall and demolition of the brick chimney on the parking lot side of the building
⦁ removing the old cedar siding, shingles, and trim and replacing them with new red cedar clapboards, shingles, and trim pieces
⦁ install new exterior doors doors
⦁ painting of the entire church property.

Windows in the sacristy, organ pump room, and robing room have been removed, rebuilt, and reinstalled from the stain glass restorer.

Construction on the “cupola/doghouse” that protects the three antique stain glass windows above the alter began.

The contractor commented in how the original wall board material under the clapboards was still in excellent condition after 125 years and did not have to be replaced.

The Trinity J2A Youth group embark in a pilgrimage to England. Sites include sacred and holy places York, Canterbury, and London. This is the first youth group to embark on such a journey. All funds were raised through fundraising and generous donations from parishioners.

Rev. Natasha returns from sabbatical and is welcomed back with a brunch in her honor after the 10AM service.
Vestry votes to become a sister church to All Saint’s Pavement in York, England. This was one of the destinations of the youth group while on their pilgrimage. All Saint’s Pavement website can be found here.

Anonymous donors provided funds to re-carpet the entire inside of the church.

On October 24, Bishop Alan Gates came to Trinity to officiate the ceremony on consecrating our newly refurbished church and to bless the doors.

In December, the Living Our Legacy outside restoration project is officially substantially completed. All that remains are a few punch list items.

At the annual meeting it was explained that the Finance Committee was formed 20 years ago to encourage lifetime gifts to Trinity Church by instilling confidence that such gifts would be prudently managed over time. With the introduction of auditing standards from the Diocese and Trinity’s conversion of all financial transactions to QuickBooks, the issues/concerns related to financial oversight that the Finance Committee was formed to monitor have been addressed. Therefore, the Finance Committee role is no longer needed and the Finance Committee will be disbanded as of today’s meeting.

Trinity hosted breakfast for the One Family ministry at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Attleboro. One Family is a monthly program of breakfast and fellowship for low-income families.

In June Deacon candidate Kris Holmes was ordained at a ceremony at the cathedral in Boston. Trinity celebrated her ordination as Deacon in September.

Trinity’s Parish-Wide yard sale raised over $1800, closing a deficit gap.

Parishioners donated funds to replace the carpet in the Vestibule, Nave and Sanctuary.

To increase our visibility in the Bridgewater community, Trinity joined the Bridgewater Business Association, had a booth at both Autumnfest and Christmas on the Common, and the Vestry hosted a barbecue dinner at Music Alley.

The Living Our Legacy restoration project has been officially completed in June.

The ten-year organ restoration project was completed and celebrated with an organ recital that included three guest organist.

Parishioner and master cabinet maker and craftsman, Dan Taccini, hand built a new altar for the parish, allowing for more room. Bishop Bud Cederholm oversaw the blessing of the alter. The existing altar was moved to where the children’s altar was and the children’s altar was moved into the Sunday School area in the lower parish hall.

The Active Outreach committee hosted the National 129 Service of Remembrance for those who have been lost to the opioid crisis. The service was held on January 29th (1/29) in the afternoon; followed by a pot luck supper and fellowship. Shortly thereafter, the Friends of Emmett/Mercy Street addiction ministry was formed at Trinity. The service was well attended by parishioner’s, the community, and local politicians. Proclamations from the Governor of Massachusetts and Bridgewater Town Council were read noting this day of remembrance.

Trinity held a “furnace fundraiser” over the summer to replace the 30+ year old furnace with a new energy efficient model. Bishop Gayle Harris presided over a blessing of the furnace while it was broadcasted on Facebook using the Facebook Live video feature.

Through generous donations by parishioners, the stained glass “Good Shepherd” window above the altar was restored.

The Reverend Natasha Stewart was called to serve at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scituate, MA. She completed her call by becoming 3rd longest serving rector in the 270+ year history of Trinity.

For a third time, the Rev John Conn is called to serve as our interim/bridge priest to help guide us through the process of finding a new rector. John will be with us until we call on a new Rector.

Trinity Church received a wonderful, planned gift of the Garabedian family’s Keith Place home in Bridgewater. We are forever grateful to long-time parishioners Charles, Alice, and Isabelle “Izzy” Garabedian for this generous gift.

Trinity began the search process for a new Rector by forming two separate committees – the first to handle writing the Parish Profile describing who we are, where we’ve been, what we aspire to become and what we want in a priest – and the second to search for and find the best candidate to fill the “job description” developed by the Profile Committee.

We again opened the doors of our church to the community for the National Day of Remembrance Service, also known as the 129 event. The service was well attended by parishioners and the community. 75-100 people were in attendance. A meal was provided by Mercy Street following the service.

After 25 years of dedicated service, our long-time Music Director, Paula Crocker retired to spend more time with her family. A reception was held and she was presented with a plague containing a pipe from our organ

2020 has been an unprecedented time for all of us. Our normal way of life has been upended, and we have had to come up with new ways to reimagine how we worship and gather together. We have adjusted our way of worship to include live streaming, our monthly Vestry and Mercy Street meetings, and weekly Bible study gatherings have all been held on Zoom.

As part of the new “normal,” we celebrated John Conn’s 50th anniversary of his ordination being a priest with a parade of cars. Over 20 cars, packed with parishioners, circled Trinity honking horns as a celebration for this incredible accomplishment!

We formed a Reopening Committee to reimagine Sunday worship and developed a comprehensive plan for indoor worship. We were able to utilize their guide for the brief time when we had in-person worship.

We added a permanent live streaming camera and updated our audio system to allow us to stream our services and have them archived on Facebook.

Our church reopened for both in person Sunday worship and via live streaming. Attendance has not gotten back to pre-Covid numbers, but compared to other churches, we are doing better.

We slowly started to get back to normalcy post-Covid.

⦁ We were able to hold two of our biggest fundraisers; the Fall Fair and Yard Sale. Both events were very well attended and raised more than we expected.
⦁ Mercy Street held a well attended event to remember those lost to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
⦁ The Girl Scouts started their weekly meetings in the Parish Hall.
⦁ The Southeastern Massachusetts Chapter of Organists held its annual meeting with us. Retired Trinity organist Paula Crocker was on hand and played a couple of hymns to start the meeting.
⦁ The Vestry began meeting in person on the 3rd Sunday of the month in the Parish Hall.

Trinity celebrated 275 years of serving God and community. A celebratory service was presided by Bishop Allan Gates. Following the celebration, a small outside service was held to bless the Trinity Peace Garden. The Peace Garden was a gift by the current congregation to our future family. After the blessing, a brunch was held at Sachem Rock in East Bridgewater. The brunch was very well attended by parishioners, as well as former Trinity Clergy Natasha Stewart and Brad Hultman.

The sanctuary was rewired, and the old knob and tube replaced.

A new handicap ramp was installed.

Trinity welcomed Dr. Richard Bunbury as it’s new organist and music director.