On the corner of East Court Street and North Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Janesville, Wisconsin, Trinity Episcopal Church has stood as a continuous witness of the Episcopal Church for nearly two centuries. The parish was organized on September 18, 1844, when Janesville's population was about 200, and it was the twelfth parish organized in the Wisconsin Territory. Today Trinity gathers each Sunday at 9 a.m. for Holy Communion, opens weekday mornings with prayer, and quietly supports a network of local ministries for people who are homeless, sick, hungry, or recovering.
A Parish with Deep Roots in Wisconsin
The Rev. Thomas J. Ruger was the organizing force behind Trinity and served as its first rector until 1855, when he resigned to become Janesville's first postmaster. Janesville's Ruger Avenue is named for him. The first bishop who oversaw the territory, Jackson Kemper, was both the first Episcopal missionary bishop of the Northwest Territory and the first bishop of the Diocese of Wisconsin. Trinity has the distinction of having had the first pipe organ in Janesville, the first marble altar in the Wisconsin Territory, and the first vested choir in the West.
The congregation originally worshipped in a brick schoolhouse on Bluff Street (now Parker Drive) and then in the Old Stone Academy on South High Street. On July 5, 1847, the Vestry voted to build a brick church forty-two feet wide by seventy feet long. That building was consecrated in 1848, when the second Convention of the Diocese of Wisconsin met at Trinity. It stood on the northwest corner of Laurel and North Jackson Streets until it was torn down to make way for the construction of Centerway Avenue.
A second parish, Christ Church, was organized on the east side of the river in 1859 and built its church on the present Trinity grounds. Christ Church closed in 1919. Under the long rectorship of the Rev. Henry Willmann (1907 to 1932), Christ Church reunited with Trinity. The present Trinity Episcopal Church building was constructed in 1930 on the same spot Christ Church had stood and was renovated in 1978-79. Ortmayer Hall, the parish's meeting and education facility, was built in 1964 and named for the Rev. Ronald Ortmayer, who served Trinity from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Sunday Worship in the Episcopal Tradition
Trinity's Sunday liturgy follows the Book of Common Prayer. The 9 a.m. service is a eucharistic celebration, and the congregation invites worshippers into a deliberate counter-rhythm to contemporary life: rest in God's presence, contemplative silence, slow communal prayer, attention to the sacredness of creation in bread and wine, and the recognition of Christ in one another. All are welcome at God's table. The church's stated motto is "Love God, Love People, Show It."
The service is live-streamed on Facebook, and large-print bulletins are available. Worshippers are provided with a bulletin that contains everything needed, and both the Book of Common Prayer and the Hymnal are in the pews. Children are welcomed as full participants; a dedicated children's area in the side chapel to the right of the altar is available for parents who want it. The parish encourages children to draw, follow the Prayer Book, and learn the responses alongside the congregation.
The music reflects the lectionary readings of the week and ranges across the Episcopal hymnal's repertoire. Christopher A. Smith serves as Director and Minister of Music and welcomes those interested in choir or offering a gift of special music.
Weekday Prayer and Faith Formation
Morning Prayer is offered in the church Tuesday through Friday at 10 a.m. and is shared on Facebook and YouTube. After the Sunday service, coffee hour and Faith Formation for All gather in Ortmayer Hall, where adults dig into the great stories of the Christian tradition and wonder together about what they mean. On the first Sunday of each month the schedule shifts to an All Parish Breakfast that brings old friends and newcomers around the table.
Children's Faith Formation uses the Bible in Life curriculum from David Cook, a Bible-based and theologically sound program focused on real-life application. Classes are taught in an environment where parents and caregivers can observe. The parish also shares in diocesan youth events such as the EpiscoWisco Youth Fall Lock-In, a weekend retreat for students in grades six through twelve held at parishes across the Diocese of Wisconsin.
Adult Faith Formation offers topical series throughout the year on deepening faith through understanding. Episcopal 101 is an introduction to Episcopal identity and practice for newcomers.
The Community of St. Anthony
The Rev. TJ Humphrey has launched a shared ministry between Trinity and St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Beloit called the Community of St. Anthony, open to anyone in the wider community. Its purpose is spiritual formation through a threefold rule of life: continual recollection (a practice of unceasing prayer rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition), fasting calibrated to the Episcopal Church's accessible and customizable approach, and daily prayer for one's enemies. The group gathers in person on the first Friday night of each month at 6 p.m., alternating between St. Paul's and Trinity.
Daughters of the King
The Order of the Daughters of the King is a lay order within Trinity whose members commit to prayer, service, and evangelism. Members are known affectionately at Trinity as "Joy Ninjas" for the way they bring encouragement to those they visit. The local chapter offers a confidential prayer ministry and welcomes newcomers.
Recovery, Outreach, and the Lucile Wells Scholarship
Recovery groups meet in Ortmayer Hall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Trinity partners with several Janesville and Rock County organizations to serve neighbors in need:
- ECHO (Everyone Cooperating to Help Others), Janesville's umbrella agency for those in need.
- GIFTS (God Is Faithful Temporary Shelter), Janesville's men's shelter, which began at Trinity and now operates out of its own facility; Trinity partners with First Lutheran Church to serve the shelter two weeks each year.
- HealthNet of Rock County, providing medical, dental, and psychological services.
- Jail Chaplaincy, including Christmas presents for children whose parents are incarcerated and visits to those in jail.
- Project 16:49, supporting and sometimes housing teens without a home.
- CROP Hunger Walk, the annual hunger-relief walk.
Trinity also maintains the Lucile Wells Scholarship Fund in memory of a Janesville math teacher who lived to 103 and died in 1998 at St. Elizabeth's Home. The scholarship supports participants in the Trinity community who are pursuing higher education in a degree or certificate program.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity's statement of belief runs: "We believe in God who is creator of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in Jesus who is God in our midst. We believe in Holy Spirit, the force that unites us as one body. We believe that all creation is made in God's image, and that image is Love. We believe that the church is the people sent into the world to do the work that God gives us to do: to continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers; to persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord; to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being."
Trinity is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin, the body formed in 2024 when the historic dioceses of Fond du Lac, Eau Claire, and Milwaukee rejoined as a single statewide diocese within The Episcopal Church. Governance of the parish rests with the Vestry, made up of nine elected members plus a Senior Warden and Junior Warden, with the Rector as the presiding leader.
Sacraments, Pastoral Care, and the Labyrinth
Trinity celebrates the central sacraments of the Episcopal Church. Baptisms are typically scheduled for the Easter Vigil, the Day of Pentecost, All Saints Sunday, or the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, though other Sundays are possible. Confirmation groups form as needed ahead of the bishop's visit. The parish welcomes both same-sex and opposite-sex couples for marriage, and acknowledges the pain of divorce with prayers and formal recognition when desired. End-of-life care, anointing, and funeral planning are coordinated through the priest; a Trinity Funeral Planning document is available from the office.
Eucharistic Visitors take communion to those who cannot attend Sunday worship. Home and hospital visits are arranged through the office. A small prayer station sits in the back of the church by the statue of the Madonna. Behind the church, near door 2, the parish maintains a labyrinth for walking meditation.
Liturgical Year and Worship Rhythms
The church follows the seasons of the Book of Common Prayer: Advent in blue, Christmas in white, Epiphany in green, Lent in purple, Holy Week with Palm/Passion Sunday through the Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, and the long green season after Pentecost culminating in Trinity Sunday and the Sundays after Pentecost. On Good Friday the parish hosts a Prayer Vigil from 9 a.m. until noon, and the season of Lent is marked by the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday.
Visiting Trinity: Practical Details
Trinity sits at 409 East Court Street in Janesville, across from the Rock County Courthouse. Parking is in the lot at the northwest corner of Atwood Avenue and East Court Street, and on Sundays worshippers may also park in the Rock County Courthouse lot across East Court Street on Wisconsin Avenue. To enter the church, use door 1; door 3 is the handicapped-accessible entrance. Coffee hour, Faith Formation, and the All Parish Breakfast take place in Ortmayer Hall on Atwood Avenue, reached by door 8 (stairs) or door 11 (elevator). The Garden sits under the trees between the offices and Ortmayer Hall, and the Labyrinth is behind the church near door 2.
Lisa-Marie Bartlett serves as Office Manager and is the main point of contact. The Rector is The Rev. TJ Humphrey, who also serves as rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Beloit and hosts the sermons on his YouTube channel Episcopalianish and in podcast form. The Rev. Gregg Schneider and The Rev. Louise Austin serve as deacons.
The parish is currently in a Capital Campaign to fund building and ministry work, and donations may be made online through Tithe.ly or by contacting the office. A newsletter is available by email subscription.