How Trinity Began...

In the year 1905 a group of Lutheran men met with the Rev. A. H. Klick to plan the building of a Lutheran Church in Valley View.  Lutheran church members living in Valley View at that time attended Friedens Lutheran Church in Hegins or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento.

The Committee of seven men appointed to raise money to build the church were William Lebo M.D., Wilson Schadle, Wilson Hartman, Andrew Hepler, David Snyder, Daniel Wolfgang, and Rev. A. H. Klick.  Fund raising was quite a problem in those days.  Several of the men on the Committee mortgaged their properties to make private loans.

On May 19, 1907 the cornerstone was laid and the constitution was adopted.  The first Church Council was elected on the same day.  They were Wilson Schadle, Wilson Hartman, Daniel Wolfgang, Andrew Hepler, John Huntzinger and George Toma.

The new church was dedicated on June 7, 1908.  Rev. I. B. Ritter, Rev J.W. Klinger, Rev. Ira T. Frankenfield, Rev. O.O. Bittner, Rev. M.M. Dry, Rev. G.F. Spieker, D.D.L.L.D., Rev J.S. Renninger, and Rev. D.E. Fetterolf were participants in the Dedicatory Services.  The same day a Sunday School was organized and the officers and teachers were elected.  Before they laid the cornerstone a Ladies Aid Society was organized.

Trinity Lutheran belonged to a parish including seven churches:  St. John’s Lutheran and Reformed Church in Deep Creek, Christ’s Lutheran and Reformed in Fountain, Friedens Lutheran and Reformed in Hegins, St. Paul’s Lutheran and Reformed in Sacramento, St. Matthews Lutheran and Reformed in Spring Glen, Zion’s Lutheran and Reformed in Klingerstown and Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley View.

The Rev. H. H. Klick was the first pastor.  He served Trinity Lutheran from the year 1907 to 1911.  When he left the parish was divided and the Sacramento Parish was formed.  This parish included St. Paul’s Sacramento, St Matthews Spring Glen, Zion, Erdman, and Trinity Lutheran in Valley View.

The Rev H. H. Klick and his wife were the parents of Rev. Luther Klick and Rev. George Klick.  The Rev. Edgar P. Xanders served from 1912 to 1918.  He and his wife were the grandparents of Rev. Edgar William Oestrich the son of Mary (Xanders) Oestrich.  When he served our church he would at times preach a sermon in the German language for the benefit of the older people.

From 1918 to 1922 we were served by the Rev. John. A. Latsha.  The Rev. Allen R. Appel served from 1922 to 1925.  During his stay the parsonage was built in Valley View which Trinity Lutheran, later on, bought from the parish.

In 1925 the Rev. Daniel I. Sultzbach PhD came to Trinity Lutheran.  He served the church until 1956.  In 1937 the congregation was chartered; in 1948 a basement and extra Sunday School rooms were added; in 1954 the interior of the church was renovated.

The Rev. Burlington B. Latshaw, Jr. came to Trinity Lutheran in 1957.  In 1958 Trinity Lutheran Church decided to withdraw from the Sacramento Parish.  They purchased the parsonage in Valley View from the other churches for $15,000.  Dr. I. E. Sausser* gave to the church a gift of $50,000 in 1959.  He gave it to build a new church as a memorial to his wife.

On May 7, 1961 the congregation voted and approved of the architect’s preliminary sketches and to make a loan to build a new church.  A fund campaign was directed by the Lutheran Laymen’s Movement in the fall of 1961 and the total commitments for the three year period amounted to $72,000.

On March 18, 1962 the ground breaking services were held.  There were five charter members who attended the services.  They were Mrs. Sally Conrad, Mrs. Lulu Herb, Mrs. Katie Yenser, Mrs. Jennie Hoffman, and Mr. Alger Koppenhaver.  The Rev. Richard Schlegel participated in the Ground-breaking Services.  On August 5, 1962 the cornerstone was laid.  Throughout the week of December 16th to the 23rd the new church was dedicated.

The first Trinity Lutheran Church was used as a Youth Center.  The community made itself responsible to support this project.

*Dr. I.E. Sausser was the father of Mrs Lois Harring (late wife of Dr. Maynard Harring).  There is a plaque outside the Nursery classroom.