Berks County and Trinity Lutheran Church have grown side by side for almost three centuries.
Over the years, Trinity became known as the mother church of Berks County, birthing a large number of Lutheran congregations. St. Matthew’s and St. James’ were started as English speaking congregations, while St. John’s broke away in 1860 to continue holding services in German. St. Luke’s, Grace, Faith, Hope, Peace, St. Mark’s, and Holy Spirit in the city, and Bethany in West Reading, are all descendents of Trinity.
Belying its age, Trinity has been involved in a number of innovative and creative ministries over the years. Trinity helped to establish the city-wide food pantry system and provided leadership to found Opportunity House, a homeless shelter, child care and learning center. For nearly five decades we have broadcast worship and special programming via cable TV, adding live-streaming of worship more recently.
Three histories of the congregation have been written. The first was written in 1894 by Trinity’s longest-serving and most well-known pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jacob Fry.
The Rev. Dr. Gunnar Knudsen, historian and Trinity Pastor from 1943-1967, wrote in his congregational history, Two Living Centuries: “We are the possessors of a living foundation on which to build the coming years. We must pray in thanksgiving for the heritage that is ours, but only in the sense that we can continue to the point where the final phase of the Creation story can be pronounced as a benediction on our work, ‘and God saw, and it was good.’”
To celebrate the 260th anniversary, Trinity published an updated history, written by member Brian Trupp. This book can be purchased from the church office.
When Reading was platted out in 1748, the Rev. Tobias Wagner, pastor of the large Tulpehocken congregation and officiant at the marriage of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg to Anna Marie Weiser, began gathering Lutherans together for worship at Conrad Weiser’s Trading Post.
By 1751, Trinity was formally organized. A land grant was received from the sons of William Penn for lots at the corner of Prince and Thomas Streets (now Washington and Sixth Streets!), and in 1752 a log church was built, crowned by a modest bell tower and clock. The congregation petitioned for admittance into the Ministerium of Pennsylvania, and the Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, its president, officiated and preached the first sermon here on October 15, 1752.
In the relatively prosperous times following the American Revolution, an elegant brick two-story church was erected and dedicated on Trinity Sunday, 1794. There was a bell tower but no steeple. In 1833, the first steeple was complete; reaching to 202 feet, and reported to be the tallest structure in Pennsylvania at the time. After sixty years it was deemed unsafe and completely rebuilt. It survived a lightning strike in 1925 only to be felled by a tornado in 1933. In 1963 the steeple was again re-built (on a steel frame!), replicating the original design. With the addition of spotlights, it remains a landmark by day and night.
Passersby are intrigued by the old grave markers in the original cemetery that surrounds the church. Here lies Dr. Bodo Otto, a senior surgeon in George Washington’s army who used Trinity as a hospital after the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.
Trinity has been the site of many important events in Lutheran history, most notably the meeting in 1866 which founded the General Council in response to the so-called “American Lutheranism” of Samuel Simon Schmucker. Trinity and its pastors were instrumental in the foundation and strengthening of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, now United Lutheran Seminary.