This week our whole crew of staff, docents, volunteers and interns were invited to visit Trinity Lutheran Church in Soulard. Docent Dennis has been a member of Trinity all of his life, and when he’s not giving tours at Campbell House, he gives tours at church. Since Trinity was built around the same time the Campbells’ Second Presbyterian Church was constructed in the mid 1860s, he thought it would be a good place to host our quarterly docent meeting.
Trinity is significant because it is the traditional German-heritage Lutheran church in St. Louis. The congregation was founded 1839 by Saxon immigrants who were fleeing religious persecution in Dresden, and, after a stint in Perry County, it has flourished in its Soulard location since 1864. To learn more about Trinity’s history (and to see Dennis in action!), take a look at this YouTube video.
Today, Trinity is a vibrant part of the neighborhood, serving its spiritual congregation and the needs of the less fortunate in the area. They open their doors to give the homeless a place to sleep during the coldest months of the year, they operate a food pantry and soup kitchen, and they offer many more direct services to those most in need. Click here to read all of the important help Trinity offers the community.
After seeing the sanctuary and some of the church’s treasures (a fancy, sparkly chalice and an old church spire), Dennis took a few of us into the steeple to get up close and personal with the big bells that live there (not to mention the beautiful views of the neighborhood). Without further ado, the pictures: