Our History
For over a hundred years, Trinity Lutheran Church has served the people of Greeley, Colorado. Our original church building sat on the corner of 7th Avenue and 16th Street. This building was replaced and was moved to a lot on 15th Street in 1931. It still stands there today.
The Reverend H. Wind of Cheyenne, Wyoming, our first pastor, conducted services in the First Presbyterian Church (located on the corner of 8th Avenue and 10th Street) in 1898. By 1903, he felt that Greeley could support another church congregation, and so the Reverend C. F. Brommer (who succeeded Rev. Wind) continued services here until the Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Congregation of Greeley, Colorado, could be established on January 9, 1904. Besides Reverend Brommer, eight lay members signed our constitution: Fred Deuback, G. Beisheim, F. W. Schroeder, A. T. Gottbehuet, G. Cording, C. Meyers, H. Wetzig, and G. Timm. At the organizational meeting, Deuback, Beisheim, and Schroeder were elected elders. Timm was elected secretary and Reverend Brommer, as was the custom in those days, served as chairman.
The little church, which stood a small 36 feet by 24 feet with a vestibule of 16 by 8 feet, was completed and dedicated to the glory of God on July 3, 1904. The Reverend Walter R. Schmidt of Cheyenne, Wyoming, conducted the dedication services in both German and English.
A Growing Community; A Growing Church
As the church congregation grew, the church building did too. “Lord, keep Thy protecting hands over us, and bless the labors of our hands,” the people prayed. On December 6, 1931, the larger church building was complete and dedicated to God. It still stands on the corner of 7th Avenue and 16th Street.
By the end of 1953, the congregation numbered 623 souls. Of those, 381 were communicant members and 243 were enrolled in Sunday school. The altar and pulpit of the new church were handcrafted in Greeley by Gus A. Bluske. C. J. Bluske finished them, staining them a dark mahogany trimmed in gold. A statue of Christ with arms uplifted stood on this beautiful altar. It can now be seen in the sanctuary of our current church.
Serving as a Light
The ground-breaking for our current church building began on October 9, 1977. A short nine months later, at 3000 35th Avenue, the completed building was dedicated to the glory of God. With a sanctuary, offices, and meeting rooms upstairs, and the classrooms, fellowship hall, kitchen, and nursery downstairs, our current building is the embodiment of our mission: “We are called by God to show the love of Jesus Christ through worship, nurture, fellowship, witness, and service so that people will come to know and trust in Him as Savior and grow as His disciples.”
In 2000, the congregation remodeled the chancel of our sanctuary to create space for both the chancel and bell choirs. The remodel required only a minor reconfiguration of the altar area and allowed for the addition of a 10-foot oak cross in the sacristy.
Expanding Our Reach
To better serve the community, our congregation started the Trinity Lutheran School in September of 1946. Twenty-nine students graced our classrooms, and Mr. Lester Bayer became its first principal and teacher.
In 1978, when our current church building was dedicated, space for the school was also provided, allowing for both the church and school ministries to take place under the same roof. In 2001, the congregation broke ground on the monumental task of building a separate building for our school. After much work and many sacrifices, the new school building was completed and opened its doors to over 100 students in March of 2003. In 2020, the upstairs to the school was framed out, drywalled, and painted, providing an additional 10,000 square feet of facility usage. Throughout the years, the school has seen a lot of change. And though that change is inevitable, there will always be some things that remain the same. Trinity will continue to teach the truth as it is found in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit will continue to use this ministry to grow students and families in faith.
Today, we are proud to serve our community with Christian preschool, kindergarten, and elementary classrooms; and safe and nurturing childcare.