In today’s Gospel, Jesus is praying to God for his disciples. He prays that “your love” - God’s love - “may be in them.” That your love may be in them. This, in a nutshell, is God’s plan. And this is the way the Church has been intended to work from the beginning. It is the basic theology in the Gospel of John, and it goes like this. Christ is the icon of God. We see the light and love of God shining in and through Christ. We, in turn, are called to be the icon of Christ. The world is to see the light and love of Christ in and through us - his disciples and his church. So this is God’s plan: for the church. God’s love in Christ is to be made known to the world through our love for one another. God’s love is to be made known to the world through our caring for one another, through our faithfulness to the gospel, through our compassion for those in need, through the beauty of our worship and the integrity of our witness. This is our calling as the people of God. And, of course, as flawed, imperfect, mortal human beings, it is calling which is indeed humbling to say the least. But, as the Church, we are all in this together, and Christ himself is always with us. And, as Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, our witness is built upon a firm foundation - our witness is built upon the foundation of the generations of faithful Christians who have come before us in this church.
Today, as we begin our centennial celebration, I’d like to share, obviously in a very brief and incomplete way, some reflections on the history of our church. Because Holy Trinity was established exactly one hundred years ago this month, in May, 1910. However, there is a preface to the story of Holy Trinity. The church which became Holy Trinity was originally named St. Barnabas. St. Barnabas was established in 1871. That is why you will see on the cornerstone on the front of this church, “founded in 1871.” And on your way out of the church, if you look up in the balcony, those balcony windows are from the original church, and the beautiful center stained glass window, is the figure of St. Barnabas. I hate to break the news, if some of you thought it was Jesus. It is actually St. Barnabas, and it reads: “For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith.”
The original St. Barnabas Church was a relatively small but beautiful wooden building located at the heart of downtown Greensboro on the corner of Greene St. and Gaston, which is now called Friendly Avenue. It was at the corner of Greene & Friendly. It had a very tall bell tower topped by a graceful shingled steeple surmounted by a cross. And the interior of the church itself had a lovely high vaulted ceiling with a very ornamental series of gothic style supporting rafters. It was described as “an outstanding example of the neo-gothic revival.” And, very much like this church today, a classic example of good “Anglican village church” architecture.
Also, very much like this church today, from the very beginning St. Barnabas was a generative center of mission and ministry radiating outward. Within a few years of its founding, in 1879 St. Barnabas established what they called the Associate Mission, the purpose of which was to reach out to other towns along the North Carolina Railroad lines which converged here in Greensboro - to Winston and Huntsville west of the Yadkin River along one line and to High Point and what they called “The Company Shops” along the other railroad line. St. Barnabas was the home base and headquarters for all this missionary activity. And a few years later, it became the mother church of several now very prominent congregations. The rector of St. Barnabas, Alfred Stubbs, would hop on the trains on a regular basis, “ride the cars,” as he put it, to do services in both High Point and The Company Shops, now known as the city of Burlington, establishing the missions which would later become St. Mary’s Church in High Point and the Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington. Very similar to the way Holy Trinity would later become the mother church for most of the other Episcopal churches in Greensboro, St. Francis on Lawndale Drive, All Saints in Sedgefield, Holy Spirit on Yanceyville Street, and the new St. Barnabas on Jefferson Road.
Around the turn of the century, in 1900, the original St. Barnabas found itself right at the center of a burgeoning and boisterous city and diagonally across the street from the county jail. Captain Fisher, an Englishman who later gave Fisher Park to the city in 1902 and had two children baptized at St. Barnabas, offered a swap - to trade the downtown church lot for a much larger lot further up North Elm St. And so, in the year 1900, the church was moved - they literally cut the building in two, then reassembled it on the corner of N. Elm and Paisley, now the site, as best I can tell, of the Goodyear Tire store.
So, by the early 1900's the church had a good building and well over 100 communicants. And over the next 40 or so years until the end of World War II, they had just four rectors, stable leadership and pretty healthy growth, despite the great historical challenges of those years. The foundations were laid for the special characteristics for which Holy Trinity is still known today: excellent music, appreciation for beauty, art and architecture, active lay leadership nurtured by strong Christian formation, a consistent emphasis on outreach, and leadership in community affairs.
Back for a moment to 1892. One of the missions that came out of St. Barnabas was a little mission Sunday School in south Greensboro, which became St. Andrew’s parish in 1892, then located at the corner of Arlington St. and Lee St. And, on May 15, 1910, exactly one hundred years ago yesterday, the congregations of St. Barnabas and St. Andrew’s merged to form Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Thus the celebration we begin today. Shortly thereafter, the congregation of Holy Trinity voted to begin work on “a handsome stone edifice to cost approximately $30,000.” Also, the history says, “With the same enthusiastic and hearty spirit the congregation voiced its approval of a substantial increase in the salary of the rector.” Now, possibly in relation to this expansive vision, it turns out that two years after the merger some 100 members from the original St. Andrew’s decided to withdraw and re-organize St. Andrew’s as a separate parish once again in south Greensboro. Different visions for the church, perhaps, as well as a recognition that Greensboro was a growing city and would certainly need more than one Episcopal parish.
At this point, Holy Trinity Church had a distinctive identity and a clear vision for its future, though the loss of 100 members certainly did slow down the process. However, with the entry of the United States into World War I in April,1917, the tempo accelerated dramatically. To meet the needs of the times, it was all hands on deck, all parish organizations were called upon to sponsor meetings and take on projects ranging from making Red Cross bandages to selling Liberty Bonds. These activities made the need for a parish hall and a Sunday school facility a matter of urgent priority. So, in 1918, a building committee was appointed, led by people with names that may sound familiar to some of you: Schenck, Hedgepeth, Wright, Gregory. They announced: “Your Vestry has for years dreamed the dream, seen the vison of a beautiful church building on this site...We have determined that our church building, though it may not be as large or as expensive as some, shall be churchly, dignified and artistic, and to this end we have had an architect, whom we believe not to be excelled by any, make our tentative plans.”
That architect, of course, was Hobart B. Upjohn, one of the greatest architects of his time, who built churches and university buildings all over the country, including First Presbyterian Church and Temple Emanuel here in Greensboro. The building committee announced, “The design is similar to the best type of the English countryside church, and there are no more perfect specimens of church architecture as these.” Now, obviously our Presbyterian friends did not share the same architectural sentiment, patterning the architecture of their church on the Cathedral of Albi in France. At any rate, Upjohn drew up plans for something very much like our present church and chapel complex. When it became clear that such a church complex would not fit very well on the lot on Elm St., Holy Trinity purchased the present property here on the corner of Fisher and Greene. And, because they did not have the funds to build it all at once, they made two decisions: that they would build it in two phases and that the more pressing, urgent need was for a Parish House and Sunday School facility.
And so, in 1922, Holy Trinity built what was intended to be the Parish House part of this larger complex envisioned by Hobart Upjohn. What we now use as our All Saints’ Chapel was actually designed to be an assembly hall, with a stage, window seats on each side, and a small balcony. Offices were on the second floor and classrooms and a kitchen in the basement. Worship services continued to be held in the original church building on Elm St. However, when the Great Depression struck in 1929, the banks closed, credit froze, and it became clear that no further building would be possible anytime soon. In a formal liturgy, the old wooden church on Elm St. was deconsecrated, and after the altar, the pews, the organ, church furnishings, and lastly the cross were solemnly taken out and moved to the Parish House, the old church was torn down in 1930. So, what was originally built to be the Parish House became the entire church plant for the next 20 years. And I know, some of you grew up in that little church, which is now our beloved chapel.
Through the Great Depression and then World War II, Holy Trinity simply hunkered down in this small facility and focused on their mission and ministry as the people of God - feeding the hungry, helping the poor, teaching the faith, strengthening the ministry of the laity, taking care of one another, supporting the troops, worshiping and making music all to the glory of God. You know, they call them “the Greatest Generation,” and that has almost become a cliche but it really is the truth. That generation made tremendous sacrifices, they did what was necessary, some maintained the home-front, others went off to fight that war, but when the war was over and those soldiers came home, that is the generation that built this church. You read the history, and over and over you keep hearing familiar sounding names - Lucas, Wright, Darst, Eichhorn, Haile, Morrissette, Boone, Norfleet, Russell, DeVane, Follin, Burnett, Copeland, Watson, Haywood Duke - that great generation built this magnificent church we love so much today. Under the leadership of an excellent rector, the Rev. Robert Cox, and with the strength and commitment of the lay leadership of this congregation, the cornerstone was laid in 1949, and the first service in this church was held on Easter Sunday, 1950, with the final pews installed as late as Good Friday.
And at that moment in its history, Holy Trinity was poised for explosive growth in every area of church life. In 1951, the Rev. John Mott became rector of Holy Trinity and led this church over the next twelve years to a flowering of its ministry on every level. In that post-war period between 1945 and 1963, when Mr. Mott left, an impressive seven members of Holy Trinity were ordained to the clergy. That compares with the six members who have been ordained during my tenure thus far. It is just one sign that then, as now, the Holy Spirit was truly alive and at work in this church.
During the 1950's, Holy Trinity’s tradition of excellence in music continued to the point that the Holy Trinity choir made recordings distributed through the national church. Can you believe that, over our 100 year history, Holy Trinity has had only three choirmasters? They call it the “apostolic succession.” Dr. Wade Brown began in 1912, he was also head of the Music Dept. at UNCG; he was succeeded by Hermene Eichhorn in 1937; who was succeeded by our present choirmaster, Dr. Richard Cox. Dr. Ben Brafford would be the fourth and the director of our excellent Holy Trinity Music School.
Mr. Mott’s tenure was a time of extraordinary creativity at Holy Trinity. One example, this was the period during which Sidney Paine trained a group of fellow church members in the art of wood carving and, with the help of Bob Norfleet’s design work, produced the amazing carvings which grace our church and our chapel. Look carefully and you will see that these carvings are not just decorations but complex, carefully researched, spiritually inspired and brilliantly crafted works of true religious art. From the magnificent carving of the Last Supper in our Chapel, to the individual apostles who greet us each time we kneel at the communion rail. For example, the lectern, from which holy scripture is read, on the left side are Moses, Elijah and Isaiah, representing the Old Testament, on the right are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and in the center is Jesus himself reading from the scroll of Isaiah at Nazareth. And this pulpit, on the left is carved the Lord’s Prayer, with symbolic representations of the apostles, top to bottom, of Peter, James, John, Andrew, Phillip and Bartholomew. On the right are Matthew, Thomas, James the less, Jude, Simon and Judas, with “The Good Shepherd” by Plockholst. And in the center is a magnificent rendition of Aubert’s “Mission of the Apostles.” It is actually a little bit intimidating but always inspiring to step into this pulpit. The care, the detail and the obvious devotion that went into it are simply amazing. It is estimated that the pulpit alone took some 2,400 hours of carving. From the architecture to the wood to the windows to the altar hangings to the needlepoint kneelers, this church literally breathes with the inspiration of art and spirit, a witness to the deep faith and to the love of God in those who came before us. As it says on one of the plaques in the narthex: “If you would see the inspired work of a dedicated Christian ...look about you.” Just look about you.
Of course, the late 1960's and early 70's were peak years of conflict and controversy throughout the country and the Episcopal Church, Holy Trinity included, but the spiritual strength of the congregation sustained the church and some very good things happened, the center indeed held. Then, in 1972, the Rev. John Broome, my predecessor and friend, began a wonderfully creative 22 year rectorship which built upon the historic strengths of Holy Trinity and took this church to another level. Greatly expanding our ministries of Christian formation for teens and adults, growing our Day School, continuing the strong emphasis on lay ministry, ushering in a time of spiritual renewal through Cursillo, Faith Alive and Marriage Encounter, reaching out in creative collaborations with, for example, our Fisher Park neighbors, First Presbyterian, Temple Emanuel and other congregations to serve the poor and the elderly in our community, along with the Rev. Dr. Hall Partrick initiating mission work to Haiti which continues to this day, and even introducing to Holy Trinity the path of Servant Leadership.
Today, I see Holy Trinity Church, corporately, as a “servant leader” to our city, our diocese and the larger community, made up of members who tend to be, like those who came before us, broad-minded, open-hearted, faithful followers of Christ, many of whom truly are leaders in the community. We tend to emphasize not just the “pronouncement” of our beliefs but the “practice” of our faith. Thus our continuing emphasis on spiritual formation for every age and stage of life. Through our glorious music and worship, our many programs for adults, our exceptionally strong Family Ministries for children and teens, our Day School for young children, our Servant Leadership School, and many other ministries, we remain committed to “making disciples who make a difference.”
We do take good care of one another, we strive to love one another as Christ loves us, but throughout our history Holy Trinity has consistently sought to reach out beyond itself in ministries of service to the larger community. Historically, these have often been collaborative efforts with other congregations, as we believe we can accomplish so much more working collaboratively with others than we can by ourselves. In the early 1990's, for example, Holy Trinity led the way in forming the Guilford Regional AIDS Interfaith Network and Higher Ground at a time when so many people with AIDS were experiencing rejection rather than compassion and care from their congregations. More recently we have led collaborative efforts to form the Barnabas Network, Environmental Stewardship Greensboro, a community garden, and a congregational assistance network. For many years we have provided transitional housing for refugees in properties on our block and recently we have been at the center of conversation seeking solutions to refugee resettlement issues facing our city. Just a few example of how, like the generations who have come before us, we remain committed to making God’s love visible in our world.
It is no surprise then that for our centennial celebration we have chosen to do not just something for ourselves but for the whole community. Thus the name “Sacred Space for the City.” We want to offer inspiring music and celebrate the interplay of art and spirit which have been an integral part of Holy Trinity’s history. We want to offer this beautiful church, this sacred space, which has been entrusted to us, for the enjoyment of all. And we do so with a sense of very deep gratitude and appreciation for the faithful witness and sacrificial love of those generations of devoted Christians who have come before us and worshiped and served in this place and made all of this possible.
*Parts of this sermon are adapted from the book Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Greensboro, North Carolina 1869-1980, An Historical Perspective.