Trinity Episcopal Church has stood at 106 North Grove Street in downtown Marshall, Texas, since the 1850s, and in January 2026 the parish marked its 175th anniversary of continuous worship and service. Organized in 1851 with twenty-two charter members, Trinity is one of the oldest congregations in the East Texas Piney Woods and a steady presence in the life of Harrison County. Today the parish worships in a 1920s brick church that fronts Grove near the historic courthouse, gathers for formation in the connected Fry Hall, All Saints’ Hall, and Selcer Hall complex, and shares a long-running partnership with Trinity Episcopal School, which the church founded in 1954.
175 Years on North Grove Street
Episcopalians first gathered for worship in Marshall on Christmas Day 1850, led by the Reverend Henry Sansom, and within a year the group formally organized as Trinity Episcopal Church. Early services were held in rented rooms and the Masonic Lodge. In 1856 and 1857, Frances Cox Henderson, wife of Texas Governor and U.S. Senator J. Pinckney Henderson, led the campaign to purchase the land on which Trinity still meets. A first brick church rose on the North Grove site, but it collapsed in 1868, nearly ending the parish. Under the Reverend Edwin A. Wagner, a second church was built and dedicated in 1874.
The next great chapter began when the Reverend C. C. Kramer became rector in 1909 and dreamed of a more enduring worship space. Plans were delayed by World War I and resumed in 1920. The old wooden church was moved aside, and on July 25, 1926, Bishop Clinton S. Quin of Texas led a Service of Dedication for the present brick church. By 1928 a second building, Fry Hall, was added for education and fellowship. In 1959 the parish built All Saints’ Hall, now home to administrative offices and the parish hall, and in the late 1950s the Reverend Henry F. Selcer began a twenty-seven-year tenure that remains the longest in the parish’s history.
The 2000s brought a new capital campaign, the renovation of Fry Hall, and the addition of Selcer Hall, a complex that doubled Trinity’s education space and includes the Chapel of the Holy Family. As part of the 175th-anniversary season, the parish has begun a multi-year effort to preserve and update All Saints’ Hall, Fry Hall, and the church grounds, looking toward a second century of ministry. Trinity’s anniversary letter puts it plainly: the parish is “tending buildings, strengthening finances, nurturing leadership, and expanding service so that the Gospel may continue to be proclaimed and lived out in this place.”
Sunday Morning at Trinity
The rhythm of the week at Trinity centers on Sunday, and the Sunday schedule is simple enough for a first-time visitor to follow. At 9:15 a.m. adults gather for Christian Formation, a relaxed hour of Bible study, book discussion, and conversation about how Scripture and tradition speak into daily life. The main service follows at 10:30 a.m., and Coffee Hour begins at 11:30 a.m. The service is also livestreamed on the parish’s Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.
The 10:30 service is a Rite II celebration of the Holy Eucharist from the Book of Common Prayer, rendered in contemporary language. Greeters hand out a service booklet with the liturgy, prayers, Scriptures, hymns, and announcements, so newcomers can join in without flipping between prayer books. The order is recognizably Anglican: a procession led by an acolyte carrying the cross and followed by choir and clergy, a call-and-response liturgy with lay readers, hymns, the sermon, and Communion. In a small but important custom, the cross leads the procession at Trinity - Christ leads the Church, and all, clergy and laity alike, follow behind.
Holy Communion is celebrated every Sunday at Trinity. All Christians baptised in the name of the Trinity are welcome to receive. Anyone who prefers not to receive is welcome to come forward to the altar rail for a blessing; crossing the arms over the chest is the traditional signal to the priest. Some worshippers kneel, some stand, some make the sign of the cross, and some enter the pew in silence. Trinity’s own guidance is plain: “each person does what feels right for them - and we encourage you to only do what feels right and comfortable for you too.”
Welcome to the Table
Children are full members of the worshiping community at Trinity, and the parish takes seriously the question of when and how young ones join the Eucharistic feast. Trinity holds that the Eucharist is a gift of grace, not a reward for understanding, and that children are welcome to receive Holy Communion as soon as they are able to come forward and receive the bread, with the permission and guidance of their parents or caregivers. As children grow, the parish offers a First Informed Communion class - a gentle, age-appropriate introduction to the meaning of the Eucharist and to life at the Lord’s Table. The class is an invitation, not a prerequisite.
Children and youth also serve at the altar as acolytes, learning the rhythms of Episcopal liturgy and growing in confidence and responsibility. Each Christmas Eve, Trinity’s Christmas Pageant, introduced in 2024, has already become a beloved tradition. In its first year eighteen children participated, including children from parish families and Trinity Episcopal School, leading the congregation in a retelling of the Nativity. After the Easter service each year the parish hosts an Easter Egg Hunt, scattering a thousand eggs across the church grounds for parish families, school students, and Marshall neighbors.
The parish is honest about the present moment in children’s and youth formation. Like many churches following the disruptions of COVID, Trinity is in a season of rebuilding and renewal. What the parish does offer - acolyte service, Christmas and Easter family traditions, First Communion formation, and chapel life at Trinity Episcopal School - is a starting point from which the next chapter of children’s and youth ministry is being discerned. Families are warmly invited to reach out and help shape what comes next.
Growing in Faith Together
Christian formation at Trinity is built around the “three-legged stool” of Scripture, tradition, and reason that characterizes Anglican life. Sunday morning Adult Christian Formation at 9:15 a.m. is the parish’s main weekly gathering for adults to study the Bible, read together, and explore how the Christian story speaks into current life.
Beyond the Sunday hour, three recurring groups anchor the formation calendar. A Women’s Bible Study gathers weekly to explore Scripture, support one another in prayer, and grow in friendship; the office shares current dates and times with anyone who inquires. The Psalms Lectionary Study meets on Mondays at 10:00 a.m., reading the Psalms alongside the appointed Scripture readings of the church year in a thoughtful, conversational setting that is open to everyone. Trinity is also home to its own chapter of the Daughters of the King, a women’s order dedicated to thoughtful prayer and service.
Formation is also tied to the calendar. Trinity follows the standard Episcopal lectionary - readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament letters, and Gospels - that carries the parish through Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Reverend Dana chooses between optional passages in ways that fit the message she feels called to share. Seasonal offerings in recent years have included an Advent wreath-making series, a Nativity Gallery, Sunday School reflections on overlooked figures of the Nativity, a parish Christmas party, Shrove Tuesday pancakes, and a celebration service for the 175th anniversary.
A Parish Rooted in Outreach
Outreach is woven into Trinity’s identity rather than added on. The most visible ministry is the Blessing Box, a free pantry stocked with nonperishable food and hygiene items, available to anyone in the neighborhood at any time of day or night. Parishioners and neighbors keep it stocked together, and the simple, always-open cabinet is one of the most concrete ways the parish cares for Marshall.
On the third Sunday of every month, volunteers prepare and distribute more than forty lunch bags for people experiencing homelessness or food insecurity - about 480 bags a year. The parish’s flagship outreach, however, is the annual Thanksgiving meal. Each Thanksgiving Day Trinity prepares and delivers around 900 hot meals to individuals and families, the elderly, the homebound, local jails, and the Marshall police and fire departments. The ministry began in 1991 and has grown into the parish’s largest single act of hospitality each year, drawing volunteers from across the congregation on the morning of Thanksgiving itself.
Two seasonal outreach efforts round out the year. Throughout the year Trinity hosts clothing and school uniform swaps for families in Marshall, and during the holiday season the parish hosts a Toy Swap, inviting families to bring gently used toys to trade for “new to me” ones for their children. Both events extend Christ’s care beyond the church walls while giving parishioners a practical way to share what they have.
The Episcopal Tradition in Trinity’s Voice
Trinity belongs to the worldwide Anglican Communion through The Episcopal Church, and the parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, a diverse community of congregations across central, eastern, and northern Texas. The parish is joyfully aligned with the diocese’s vision, Faith in the Future, which calls its churches to be “relational, missional, and brave - a church that looks forward with imagination and courage.”
The parish describes its identity in four short statements. Trinity is liturgical, following ancient forms of prayer and praise drawn from the Book of Common Prayer. Trinity is sacramental, holding that Baptism and Holy Eucharist, the two sacraments Jesus commanded his followers to observe, are at the heart of the Christian life. Trinity is creedal, anchoring its teaching in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as faithful summaries of the core truths of the Christian faith. And Trinity follows the via media, the Anglican “middle way,” holding together the best insights of Catholic and Reformed Christian traditions while resisting extremes and seeking a faithful, balanced witness rooted in the Gospel.
The Bible, Trinity teaches, contains all things necessary for salvation and remains the primary guide for faith and life, read within the living tradition of the Church and with minds that engage the world courageously and critically. At Trinity, the parish adds, this identity shapes everything from Sunday worship to weekday ministry in Marshall, and the parish is “deeply rooted in the historic Christian faith and joyfully committed to participating in God’s mission in our community and in the world.”
Pastor and People
The Reverend Dana M. Jean has served as Priest in Charge since July 2025, when she was ordained at Trinity. A graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary (M.Div., 2024), Rev. Dana previously taught and developed bilingual curriculum in Mexico, led the Universal Learning Centre, and oversaw the creation of libraries in Haiti and Jamaica. She went on to serve in Texas parishes with a focus on social outreach, including launching a mobile food ministry, expanding youth and outreach programming during the pandemic, and developing a racial justice ministry centered on advocacy and systemic change. She is fluent in English and Spanish, with conversational French and Haitian Creole, and she has three adult children living in Austin, Chicago, and Guatemala.
Two lay ministers shape the present season of ministry alongside Rev. Dana. Darlene Dotson serves as Minister for Community Engagement, helping Trinity build relationships beyond its walls and deepening the parish’s presence in the wider Marshall community through ministries such as the Blessing Box. Mallory Waugh-Brown serves as Minister for Congregational Life, focusing on welcoming newcomers, strengthening relationships among members, and supporting gatherings that deepen the sense of belonging. Together the two roles reflect what Rev. Dana describes as a shift toward a more lay-led, mission-focused parish: “The work of the church does not belong to one person, it belongs to all of us.”
The Vestry, the lay leadership body that works alongside clergy, is led by Tony Pierce as Senior Warden, John Barbe as Junior Warden, Bill Kemp as Treasurer, and Tiffany Moore as Clerk. Members include Michael Campbell, Jeff Henderson, and Cindy McGeorge, with Rev. Dana serving as an ex-officio member. Christina Richardson serves as Safeguarding Administrator. The parish office is reached at (903) 938-4246, and giving - whether one-time gifts, pledges, or recurring contributions - is handled through an online giving portal and by texting TRINITYGIVE to 73256.
Trinity Episcopal School
In 1954 Trinity founded a kindergarten ministry that grew into Trinity Episcopal School, which today serves more than 250 students across two campuses, one for preschool and one for kindergarten through eighth grade. The school began meeting in what is now Fry Hall and remains one of the parish’s most significant partnerships. Through chapel life, pastoral presence, and close coordination with school leadership, the parish is invested in the spiritual formation of children across the wider Marshall community, and the school community joins the church at significant moments such as the Christmas Pageant and the Easter Egg Hunt.
Finding Trinity in Downtown Marshall
Trinity sits at 106 North Grove Street, near the corner of North Grove and East Austin, just off the historic Harrison County courthouse square. From downtown Marshall, North Grove is accessible from West Grand Avenue (Highway 80) and East End Boulevard (Highway 59), and a campus and parking map is available from the parish to help visitors navigate the buildings and adjacent parking. The closest reference points are simple and Marshall landmarks: head toward the historic courthouse and turn onto North Grove.
Visitors arriving on a Sunday morning are greeted at the door, handed a service booklet, and invited to follow along at their own pace. Worship is at 10:30 a.m., Adult Christian Formation begins at 9:15 a.m., and Coffee Hour follows the service at 11:30 a.m. Anyone with questions, a prayer request, or interest in learning more about Trinity is welcome to reach out through the parish’s contact page or by phone during the week. For 175 years and counting, Trinity Episcopal Church has been a place where the people of Marshall gather to worship, to learn, to serve, and to seek the kingdom of God right here in town.