Our History
Fay Burgess remembered stumbling across the first seeds of Trinity Presbyterian Church. They were right there in her mailbox one day.
In 1940 "The Board of National Missions sent out these surveys to everybody", Fay said "They wanted to know if West Sacramento would be interested in having a church, and what kind of church". The Board had records going back to 1926 of a Westgate Sunday School. This small group of believers had originally started with three teachers and 16 students in the home of Mr. and Mrs. V. V. Nuttall.
On June 12, 1944, with the Rev. Gordon McCrane of the Fremont Presbyterian Church serving as moderator, the West Acres Community Presbyterian Church was formally welcomed to the Presbytery with a charter membership of 21.
After first meeting in homes and outgrowing the size of the houses this larger group of believers starting meeting in the "West Sacramento Club House". Since this was a club house the first chore Sunday morning was cleaning up the cigarette butts and disposing of the empty beer bottles. The Sunday School was in the area of the bar, Connie Johnson, who was 11 years old said "I can still remember the smell of beer on Sunday morning. It wasn't unusual to have the aroma of alcohol in the air". There wasn't anything to indicate it was a church other than what was brought in. The only heat came from a old oil heater that worked sometimes. Floy Gleason said "When it did work it was more 'stinky and smoky' than it was warm."
The first Supply pastor was Rev. Clarence Reynolds, a teacher at the College of the Pacific in Stockton. He sat in his overcoat, shedding it only long enough to deliver his sermon. On cold days the sermon was a short one.
In 1940 "The Board of National Missions sent out these surveys to everybody", Fay said "They wanted to know if West Sacramento would be interested in having a church, and what kind of church". The Board had records going back to 1926 of a Westgate Sunday School. This small group of believers had originally started with three teachers and 16 students in the home of Mr. and Mrs. V. V. Nuttall.
On June 12, 1944, with the Rev. Gordon McCrane of the Fremont Presbyterian Church serving as moderator, the West Acres Community Presbyterian Church was formally welcomed to the Presbytery with a charter membership of 21.
After first meeting in homes and outgrowing the size of the houses this larger group of believers starting meeting in the "West Sacramento Club House". Since this was a club house the first chore Sunday morning was cleaning up the cigarette butts and disposing of the empty beer bottles. The Sunday School was in the area of the bar, Connie Johnson, who was 11 years old said "I can still remember the smell of beer on Sunday morning. It wasn't unusual to have the aroma of alcohol in the air". There wasn't anything to indicate it was a church other than what was brought in. The only heat came from a old oil heater that worked sometimes. Floy Gleason said "When it did work it was more 'stinky and smoky' than it was warm."
The first Supply pastor was Rev. Clarence Reynolds, a teacher at the College of the Pacific in Stockton. He sat in his overcoat, shedding it only long enough to deliver his sermon. On cold days the sermon was a short one.
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In 1947 the church had secured the first resident pastor, the Rev. Joe Broadley. The first plot of land was on the corner of West Acres and Evergreen. There the first church building was erected. It was known as "the Quonset hut" but in truth it was a prefabricated G. I. Chapel purchased from Beal Air Force Base. It was put up using volunteers from the congregation and on Saturday Joe Broadley, who was finishing his graduate seminary work, would come up and help. The chapel was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, was noisy and cramped ant there were curtains up to divide the church from the Sunday School. Oh did I mention that the roof leaked like a sieve?
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In 1949 the now "West Acres Presbyterian Church", had grown to 83 and needed more space. We purchased the present lot on the corner of West Acres and Park Blvd and started to raise the funds to build the church. The plans included a small chapel - the present sanctuary - and a 320 seat sanctuary that was going to be built at a later date. The plans called for classrooms, offices, a children's chapel, a bride's room and a ladies parlor, all encircling a garden court. As we look at the present church buildings we see that not all of these plans were accomplished. The ground breaking at this site was April 6, 1952.
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Dr. Peter Bercovitz became our pastor by the time the buildings became inhabitable. The new church buildings consisted of the present sanctuary, a pastor's study, a kitchen and two restrooms. The new building was dedicated and named "Trinity Presbyterian Church." The name "Trinity" was submitted by Edith Harrison, a soprano in the choir. Peter Bercovitz departed in 1955 and Rev. William M. Case was called as our interim
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Rev. George Telle was installed as our pastor in May of 1956. He was here during the roughest time and yet a time of great growth. In 1958 the new addition of all of the classrooms and the pastors study was complete. Soon our Sunday School was so over crowed that it forced us into double sessions. This growth happened when Trinity was in debt and the sanctuary was plain and didn't have any carpet. It was a time of struggle and a time of outstanding growth. At the same time Trinity had four active choirs, including a junior high choir of 18 and a senior high choir of 30.
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The Rev. Archie Marston came to us in 1963 just when the ecumenical movement was moving all denominations closer together. During this time the church owned manse was sold and the pastor was granted a housing allowance. The board of deacons was established in 1964 and the first Vacation Bible School was started. The response to the V.B.S. was overwhelming with forty teachers and assistants to called to do the work of the Lord. Rev. Archie Marston left in early 1970.
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Rev. Boyd Stockdale was called in to be our pastor. During Boyd's time with us many improvements were made to Trinity. The patio was covered and we now had a Fellowship Hall, Soon after it was completed in 1972 we purchased pews from a Catholic church in Del Paso Heights. There was a work party and the pews were cut down to fit our sanctuary and refinished. The stained glassed windows were designed by Betty Sokolich and the crew that helped cut and assemble the windows: Don Edwards, Jane Gibson, Floy Gleason, Charles Johnson, Karen Johnson, Lillian Kale, Susan Stockdale and William Pete Turner IV. During this time three of our youth went into service for the Lord. Diana Gibson and Dana Stout became ministers and Dennis Metcalf became a missionary for Campus Crusade for Christ, In the late 70's the youth program began a period of active mission outreach. Large groups went off to Arizona, Alaska, Arkansas and Idaho to work on various mission projects.
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With the help of the Self Development of People Grant, Trinity developed the Salud Clinic and Dental Programs, which enabled people in East Yolo to receive emergency medical treatment in the West Sacramento area.
Trinity hosted interns from San Francisco Theological Seminary. Peggy Cross arrived in 1978 and later served as assistant pastor for a year. When she departed in 1980, Scott Anderson arrived to fill the intern role for a year. In June of 1978, We made the final payment on the Grant Mortgage. On June 11, one day short of its 34th birthday, the church roasted the cumbersome mortgage over a barbecue grill at a post-service picnic. In 1981, after 11 years, Rev. Dr. Boyd Stockdale stepped down from the Trinity pulpit to accept a position with the Synod of the Pacific. The Rev. John Chendo filled in as interim pastor until the Pastor Nominating Committee found a new pastor to lead us into the future. |
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In the Fall of 1982, The Rev. Dave Templin , his wife Becky, 3-year-old daughter Sarah, and 3-month-old son, Joel arrived.
A group headed by Betty Sokolich designed and sewed the seasonal banners and gonfalons for the sanctuary. On the North wall the gonfalons framed the stained-glass windows Betty had designed a decade earlier. The Narthex was built, thanks to a memorial gift from the estate of Mrs. Smith and the Narthex was dedicated September 29, 1985. New leaders stepped up to regenerate Trinity's youth ministry. The afternoon Kids C.L.U.B. for elementary-school age children was started in 1986. The same year gave birth to the Youth C.L.U.B. which later changed its name to Power and Light Co. Vacation Bible School, under the direction of Melody Stockdale, was reborn after a hiatus of a decade. |
The annual Bazaar, originally begun by Linda Brooks and Cora Hocker in the late 70's, found new life under an army of volunteers, consistently raising thousands of dollars for the church in a single day.
In 1989 the Session studied and finally OK'd a plan to replace Sunday School with Thursday Night at Trinity (TNT), designed to meet the Christian Education and the logistics needs of the modern family. A meal, classes for all ages and special activities like choir and prayer groups. TNT used a format that would allow adults to come straight from work. Connie Johnson, the little girl who'd been so moved by the Spirit in the West Sacramento Clubhouse some 45 years earlier, became the biggest proponent for TNT.
The church hosted another seminary intern, Bob Epenshade, for the year beginning in 1989. Church members were part of trips to Laos in 1987 and Cameroon in 1990. Some of our youth took part in these trips. Hand Chimes were purchased for the choir in 1991. The front parking lot was built in 1995. That same year the office renovation was completed.
In 1994 Trinity embarked on a year long Celebration Journey of Faith to commemorate our fiftieth anniversary. Rev. Telle and Rev. Dr. Stockdale each returned to preach on Sundays that celebrated their particular time period at Trinity. Rev. Dave Templin had his turn on Heritage Sunday of 1995. On June 24 and 25 of 1995, all of these pastors - as well as Jean Broadley and a host of past and present members - gathered for a two day anniversary celebration.
In June of 1994, Rev. Dave Templin suffered seemingly minor injuries in a bicycle accident. More than a month later he was undergoing two surgeries for a "subdural hematoma". Or bleeding of the brain. It would be three months before he returned to work part-time, and Christmastime before he was able to approach full speed.
Dave's recovery illustrated God's healing power, and the power of prayer. Dave's ordeal taught us, among other things, the strength and resilience of God's people. It underscored again the love and faith that have been Trinity's foundation for over 60 years, ever since smoke and beer fumes filled the West Sacramento Clubhouse on Sunday mornings.
Dave served until 1997, his service lasting longer than any other pastor, when he was called to the Whidbey Presbyterian Church in Oak Harbor Washington.
During the next two years we were served by two interim pastors Rev. Lynne Vandercook and Keith Posehn.
In 1989 the Session studied and finally OK'd a plan to replace Sunday School with Thursday Night at Trinity (TNT), designed to meet the Christian Education and the logistics needs of the modern family. A meal, classes for all ages and special activities like choir and prayer groups. TNT used a format that would allow adults to come straight from work. Connie Johnson, the little girl who'd been so moved by the Spirit in the West Sacramento Clubhouse some 45 years earlier, became the biggest proponent for TNT.
The church hosted another seminary intern, Bob Epenshade, for the year beginning in 1989. Church members were part of trips to Laos in 1987 and Cameroon in 1990. Some of our youth took part in these trips. Hand Chimes were purchased for the choir in 1991. The front parking lot was built in 1995. That same year the office renovation was completed.
In 1994 Trinity embarked on a year long Celebration Journey of Faith to commemorate our fiftieth anniversary. Rev. Telle and Rev. Dr. Stockdale each returned to preach on Sundays that celebrated their particular time period at Trinity. Rev. Dave Templin had his turn on Heritage Sunday of 1995. On June 24 and 25 of 1995, all of these pastors - as well as Jean Broadley and a host of past and present members - gathered for a two day anniversary celebration.
In June of 1994, Rev. Dave Templin suffered seemingly minor injuries in a bicycle accident. More than a month later he was undergoing two surgeries for a "subdural hematoma". Or bleeding of the brain. It would be three months before he returned to work part-time, and Christmastime before he was able to approach full speed.
Dave's recovery illustrated God's healing power, and the power of prayer. Dave's ordeal taught us, among other things, the strength and resilience of God's people. It underscored again the love and faith that have been Trinity's foundation for over 60 years, ever since smoke and beer fumes filled the West Sacramento Clubhouse on Sunday mornings.
Dave served until 1997, his service lasting longer than any other pastor, when he was called to the Whidbey Presbyterian Church in Oak Harbor Washington.
During the next two years we were served by two interim pastors Rev. Lynne Vandercook and Keith Posehn.
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In 1999 Rev. David Huusko arrived. During David's stay he was instrumental in getting the church painted and the playground equipment installed. Under his direction we drafted a Mission Statement, and Communion was taken to shut-ins.
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In 2003 Rev. Steve Whitney arrived. In that time, the people of our church have gone from one worship service to three, installed our multi-media equipment, grown an amazing worship band, started our elementary school partnerships, gone on mission trips, started the Alpha course, built small groups, started reaching out in Spanish through our Latino Ministry, bought comfy chairs for the sanctuary, created the Kids' Choir and Drama Team, established Kids' Fun Day and Trunk or Treat, and begun our well-known Out of the Box food ministry. Steve's last year as Trinity's pastor was 2011
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As Pastor Steve's time at Trinity came to an end in late June 2011, the Session asked Dr. Thomas M. Smith to provide weekly sermons, emergency pastoral care, and to meet with committees and ministry teams. Dr. Tom as we call him is a minister member of the Presbytery of Sacramento, but has a full-time job as a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Dixon (www.drtomcares.com). He has been a long time 'friend' of Trinity, and began teaching the Bethel Series in the Fall of 2010.
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January 2013 was the start of a new year and a new era for Trinity. Pastor Eric Keller and his wife Jen joined our ministries. Both native born Californians, Eric and Jen had spent the previous ten years serving two churches; one in Des Moines, IA and another in Loves Park, IL.
Pastor Eric brought a strong sense of respect and honor. He always taught that respect is earned and honor is given. He demonstrated this by doing his best to earn the people's respect by giving honor. He visited people in their homes and hospital rooms and sent out thank you cards regularly. He reminded us that ministry is a partnership shared among the people. |
Eric had a passion for helping people get out of debt and facilitated several courses on Financial Peace University. As a former youth director he loved our youth ministry and helped coordinate youth mission trips. He and his wife Jen loved the Out of the Box and Latino ministries. He believed feeding people is good, everyday ministry and a practical way of sharing God's love. He said a few awkward phrases trying to speak Spanish which made the Latino ministry laugh and appreciate his honest attempts at trying to be a part of all ministries.
In the summer of 2016, Eric announced he believed God was calling him to new ministries beyond parish ministry. True to his desire to give honor, he thanked Trinity for bringing him home and encouraged us to carry out the Great Commission reminding us of Jesus' promise that Christ is always with us.
In the summer of 2016, Eric announced he believed God was calling him to new ministries beyond parish ministry. True to his desire to give honor, he thanked Trinity for bringing him home and encouraged us to carry out the Great Commission reminding us of Jesus' promise that Christ is always with us.