Trinity Begins Capital Campaign

To Preserve Historic Church

On Super Sunday, January 30, 275 members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown gathered to kick off a capital campaign to preserve the historic church on Main Street. Campaign Chairs Anne and Ted Clark announced a campaign goal of $900,000 at a brunch catered by the Fireside Inn.

The capital campaign, “With Faith In Our Future,” seeks to complete church restoration work and to expand and renovate church buildings to make them more accessible, welcoming and supportive of church and community programs which take place there.

On the 150th anniversary of the founding of Trinity parish in 1882, the congregation’s fifth building, an ashlar stone structure in the very center of the Borough Historic district, was consecrated. Though the building had been used since 1870, the consecration was postponed until the $60,000 debt for completing the structure was entirely paid. This ceremony marked the first restoration of Trinity Episcopal Church. The parish house was constructed in 1965 and it has been 40 years since the last major restoration of the church.

The 1970s found Trinity developing a significant outreach program which has continued to define the congregation’s commitment to the wider community. An extension of this outreach is the buildings which provide community groups with a comfortable and private meeting place. These groups include AA, Red Cross, the Trinity Day School, the Family Counseling Center, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Charlie’s Angels, and the Music at Trinity Concert series. The chapel is open 24 hours a day for anyone seeking a quiet place for reflection or prayer.

During the 1970s and 1980s the music program was enhanced with newly established youth choirs and an Austin Organ was purchased; also, a greatly expanded parish library was organized.

The Trinity Memorial Garden, located behind the church, was added in 1996, as a place for cremains and quiet meditation.

Trinity called the Reverend Kathleen E. Adams-Shepherd in 1996, beginning an era of growth and vitality. The addition of many new members, including young families, supports the need to restore the nave and to improve and refurbish church buildings to meet the growing demand for Christian education, outreach and programs.

The Campaign Steering Committee is led by Anne and Ted Clark, and includes Ruth and Peter Garret, Deborah and Ellsworth Stringer, Mary Henderson, Teddy Jameson, Connie Symes, Milda Kolesar, Rose Dowd, Pat Ehlers and the Rev Kathie Adams-Shepherd. Over 100 members of the church have volunteered to make this campaign a success.

Campaign brochures are available to anyone wishing further information. A pledge or donation can be mailed to the attention of Ted and Anne Clark at Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470.