Significant Events in the History
of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

• 1911 - Reverend Dr. J.L. Morgan (Lutheran missionary to the state capital) organizes a loosely structured Lutheran "students of faith" group at UNC.
• 1915 - A UNC Lutheran Sunday School class for students was established with Professor N.W. Walker, president of UNC summer school, as one of the participants.
• 1924 - Dr. J.L. Thornburg, first pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Durham, organized a campus ministry program for graduate students from UNC and Duke.
• 1942 - Pastor Dorus P. Rudsill, becomes the first Lutheran campus pastor in Chapel Hill; the ranks of UNC's Lutheran Sunday School grow to around 150 students.
• 1946 - University Lutheran congregation is formed with 32 people (charter members) having pledged membership.
• 1946-1952 - The young congregation meets every Sunday in Gerrard Hall on UNC's campus. Great efforts were exercised to set up and clean up after every service, to deliver meals to Lutheran students on campus, and to find Sunday morning parking.
• 1950 - After six years of fundraising from eager Lutherans throughout North Carolina, enough money was raised to match the generous donation of the Aubrey Mauney family. Shortly after, the groundbreaking for the sanctuary at the corner of Pickard Lane and Rosemary occurred.
• 1952 - There was an elaborate dedication ceremony for the new church building. The new church featured a cry room where parents could see and hear the service, a public address system wired for radio broadcast, and Oregon red wood beams in the ceiling. In 1959, Holy Trinity became the first church in Chapel Hill to have air-conditioning.
• 1953-1959 - After the solid foundations for Holy Trinity had been secured through the strong leadership of pastors Dorus P. Rudsill (1942-1946) and Edgar C. Cooper (1946-1953), Pastor Wade F. Hook continued building the church through the 1950s. Hook, who was known for his profound sermons, also played a strong role in the education of children, helping establish a church school. Mrs. Hook took the children's choir to a new levels of participation and performance.
• 1960s - Pastor Frank C. Perry served Holy Trinity during the these years. He is especially remembered for his skill in counseling; Mrs. Perry was a stalwart member of the choir. The 60's also saw the building of a new parsonage and the purchase of a sizable piece of property adjacent to the church. The National Lutheran Campus Ministry formed in 1963. After Holy Trinity constructed a new parsonage in 1964, the Luthern Campus Ministry (LCM) group occupied the old parsonage. The Lutheran Lantern began in 1966 as the newsletter for Holy Trinity.
• 1970s - In 1976, Pastor John Fogelman was called as the first full-time campus pastor. In the late 1970s, the congregation was devoted to building a Christian Education and Campus Ministry addition onto the existing sanctuary. The new addition was named after Aubrey Mauney, who made significant financial contributions toward its construction. Children's sermons were introduced in 1977 and have become a central component of every worship service. During this time, Holy Trinity was also one of the first Lutheran congregations to adopt the new Lutheran Book of Worship.
• 1980s - In 1982, Pastor Larry F. Hartsell took over as campus pastor. Hartsell, an English major, is remembered for leading several outstanding LCM plays. He also helped LCM students get connected with the congregation. In late 1985, Pastor Louis E. Bauer accepted a call to Holy Trinity, after Pastor Perry resigned in order to form a new congregation in Wilmington. During Pastor Bauer's tenure (1985-1996), Sunday attendance continually increased. Sheaffer House, an emergency residential facility for the children of Orange County came under the care of Lutheran Family Services in 1981. Ever since, Holy Trinity has a been a partner in support of this vital ministry. The Helen Miller Peacock Library, so-named in 1983 in honor of its founding librarian, has grown to be the largest church library in Chapel Hill.
• 1990s - In 1990, Holy Trinity purchased the "Yellow House" at 303 East Rosemary Street and now rents the rooms to college students (many of whom are participants in LCM). The 1990s saw expansions in the church's staffing as leaders for lay ministries, education, and youth were all hired. Pastor Dianne Amidon served as the interim pastor at Holy Trinity from 1996-1998. She was succeeded by Pastor Terry Morgan who resigned in December 2000 in order to take an administrative position in the Ohio Synod of the ELCA. Pastor Mark Coulter became campus pastor in the spring of 1999. Mark was an active member of LCM during his college years at UNC. Under his pastoral leadership, attendance in LCM has blossomed.
• 2000 and beyond - Three significant events of the past few years were the purchase of the Theta House property across the street from the church, the creation of a strategic plan for the future, which was unveiled at the end of the summer (2001), and the search for and calling of the new congregational pastor, David Hood, in early 2002.  Plans for the Theta House property are to build a Worship Center (2006) that will include a sanctuary and narthex, a crib and a toddler nursery, a music room, and High School and Middle School rooms.  Additional parking will be behind the building.  Later, the current church building will be remodeled into a Ministry Center for Campus Ministry, offices, classrooms, and a fellowship hall.  The building and renovation plans are a response to a growing ministry that has resulted from implementing the Strategic Plan.  This plan, together with God's steadfast guidance, will help Holy Trinity write many new chapters in its history of service to God, its members, and the community.

A special thanks to Dana Quade and Marian Huttenshine, the authors of the three historical documents used to create this historical summary. The titles of the three publications are: Dreams, Faith, and Fruition: An Informal Chronicle of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (1946-1976), The Fourth Decade: The Continuing Chronicle of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (1976-1986), and Our Congregation at Its 50th Birthday (May 1997).