History

Our land

Watch a YouTube video below, explaining a brief history of our church land, prepared in April 2020 by church member Rich Dykstra. It focuses on different eras of the past occupation of our land, from the time when the First Nations roamed the Grand River Valley of Michigan up to the time that the Bishop Whittemore Foundation took ownership of our 10 acres on April 1, 1959.

The slides in this video are also posted on a bulletin board in the Narthex (lobby) of the church. You can see the actual deed showing the transfer of ownership from the seller to the Bishop Whittemore Foundation.

Learn how we are considering new uses for our 10 acres on our page about The Commons.

Historical timeline of the life of our parish

May 13, 1957: Twelve “founding families” meet with Bishop McNeil to establish the Holy Trinity Mission. (A Mission is a congregation supported financially by the Diocese.) According to some of the original congregants, the church had first begun meeting at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. However, that church building was located in the way of the to-be-built US-131. Thus, the reason to find a new space.
May 26, 1957: We hold our first service in a chicken coop, Morning Prayer conducted by lay reader Walter Palmer. We worship there for almost five years.
Jan. 3, 1958: Our first Vicar, The Rev. Everett F. Ellis, arrives. He serves from 1958 – 1966. The priest in charge of a mission church is called the Vicar, not the Rector.
April 1, 1959: 10 acres of property are purchased at 5333 Clyde Park Ave., SW, Wyoming, our present location. At the time, Wyoming was still a township; it became an incorporated city in 1966.
August, 1961: Ground is broken for the new church building.
March 4, 1962: We hold our first service in our new church building.
May 1, 1962: Bishop Bennison officiates at the Dedication of the new church building and a service of Confirmation.
May 20, 1965: In just three short years, Holy Trinity becomes self-sustaining, no longer a mission but a parish of the Diocese of Western Michigan, with Fr. Ellis as our first Rector.
Oct. 30, 1966: Fr. Ellis leaves Holy Trinity to accept a call as Rector of St. James Church, Wilmington, Delaware.
Jan. 15, 1967: The Rev. Roderic D. Wiltse, was installed as the second Rector of Holy Trinity. He serves from 1967 to 1973.
Dec. 1967: We break ground for the new Rectory.
March 1, 1973: Fr. Wiltse leaves Holy Trinity to accept a call as Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Coldwater, Michigan.
April 15, 1973: The Rev. Peter Gray becomes the third Rector of Holy Trinity. He serves from 1973 to 1975.
May, 1975: The reconstruction of the interior of the church building begins.
Nov. 1975: Reconstruction is completed.
March 3, 1975: Fr. Gray leaves Holy Trinity.
June 14, 1976: The Rev. D. Edward Emenheiser becomes the fourth Rector of Holy Trinity. He serves from 1976 to 1994.
Aug. 1986: Hallelujah! We pay off the mortgage on the church building.
1989: We begin construction on an addition to our sanctuary, adding a new altar space and sacristy behind it, and the beautiful columbarium beside the altar. A new parish hall and kitchen is added downstairs.
May, 1994: The Hope Network house is moved to the church property.
1994: The Rev. Henry Mikaya becomes the fifth Rector of Holy Trinity. He served from 1994 to 1999
2001: The Rev. Roy Myers becomes the sixth Rector of Holy Trinity, serving from 2001 to 2004.
2008: The Very Rev. Dr. James Croom becomes the seventh Rector of Holy Trinity. He served from 2008 to 2016.
July, 2018: The Rev. Peter Homeyer is named Priest-in-Charge of Holy Trinity.
March, 2020: The Vestry officially names our 10-acre parcel The Commons.

Our deacons

During the life of Holy Trinity we have been blessed by the service of several ordained deacons:
Henry Idema, 1975 – 1976
Christine Tillman, 1985
JoAnne Parkhurst, 1996 – 1999
Everett Klein, 2001 – 2002
Brad Allard, 2009 – 2019

Our interim priests:

During the life of Holy Trinity the congregation has been blessed with the service of several Interim Priests listed here:
The Rev. Caroline Bain, 1992 – 1996
Fr. John English, 1999 – 2001
The Rev. William Hamm, 1999 – 2001
The Rev. Larry Bradford, 2005 – 2007
The Rev. Valerie Ambrose, 2007 – 2008, Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. David Brower, 2016 – 2018