From Kammin, Pomerania to Columbia Road
The story of Trinity Lutheran begins more than 180 years ago, in a small corner of northeastern Germany. In June 1843, a large contingent of Lutherans under the leadership of Pastor Kinderman set sail from Kammin, Pomerania to escape religious persecution in a homeland where Lutheran and Reformed congregations had been forced to merge into a single Union Church. After arriving in Buffalo in early September, part of the group traveled by barge through the Erie Canal into Wisconsin, where the travelers split once more: one band settled in Kirchayne, another in Lebanon, and a third founded what would become both the city of Cedarburg and Trinity Lutheran Church.
That first Wisconsin winter was harsh. The immigrants' hastily built log and brush cabins offered little shelter from bitter cold, but worship was uppermost in their minds. By 1844 a log church stood on the line between the farms of Ludwig Groth and Carl Frederich Dobberpuhl, at what is now the corner of Western Avenue and Evergreen Boulevard. Each farmer donated a portion of the property, including a cemetery that remains one of the oldest Lutheran cemeteries in Wisconsin. In 1877 the congregation raised a monument there to those buried in the ground; the city of Cedarburg has since taken it over as "Founders Park."
The little log church was soon outgrown. In 1853 a 30-by-40-foot fieldstone church was dedicated on Reformation Day, October 30, near the corner of Washington and Western Avenues, and the congregation adopted the name "Dreifaltigkeit," or Trinity. For the first decade the new building was simply known as "Die Kirche." By 1890 four churches crowded the same intersection, so the congregation purchased land on Columbia Avenue for $700 and set about building anew. The cornerstone was laid on June 14, 1891, farewell services for the old stone building were held on December 16, and the present church was dedicated on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 20, 1891, with three packed services. That Columbia Road building is still the home of Trinity today.
Worship at Trinity
Sunday worship is the heart of life at Trinity. The congregation gathers at 9 a.m. each Sunday in the sanctuary on Columbia Road, and the service is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person. Services follow a Lutheran liturgical pattern, with readings, prayers, congregational song, a sermon, and Holy Communion. The Worship Committee, chaired by Carol Anderson, works alongside the pastor and the Minister of Music to shape the rhythm of each season.
Once a month, on the second Saturday at 5 p.m., Trinity offers an alternative service built around Holden Evening Prayer, a mostly sung setting of evening prayer written by Marty Haugen. When weather permits, this Saturday service is held outside near the back parking lot. Communion is shared at every Holden Evening Prayer service.
The church year at Trinity is studded with special gatherings that give the same congregation many ways to worship together. There is an annual hymn sing Sunday, where favorites chosen in advance by members fill the air. There are summer Wednesday evenings of Campfire Church on the front lawn, with hot dogs to roast, camp songs, prayers, a short Bible story, and s'mores to close the night. Each August the congregation holds an outdoor worship service and picnic at 10 a.m., with brats, hamburgers, chips, and drinks provided and members bringing a side or dessert. The Trinity Brass and instrumentalists join in for the outdoor service, as they do for Easter and Reformation Sunday. Trinity also joins its EPIC partners, a cluster of ELCA Partners in Christ congregations in the Cedarburg area, for a shared outdoor EPIC Worship in the Park each summer at the Cedar Creek Park shelter.
Lent, Holy Week, and Easter
Trinity keeps a full Holy Week rhythm and joins neighboring ELCA congregations for shared events along the way. During Lent the congregation participates in a round-robin of Wednesday potlucks and Holden Evening Prayer services, rotating among Advent Lutheran, Faith Lutheran, and St. John Lutheran, with one Wednesday hosted at Trinity itself. Members bring a side dish or dessert for the 6 p.m. potluck and move into the sanctuary for a 7 p.m. sung service.
Palm Sunday begins with the 9 a.m. blessing of palms and a reader's theater of the Passion according to Matthew, then at 1 p.m. members gather at Advent Lutheran to make signs before processing with prayers and readings through downtown Cedarburg. Maundy Thursday worship includes communion and the solemn stripping of the altar; Good Friday worship gathers the congregation around the cross to hear the last words of Jesus and pray. The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday is shared with Grace Lutheran Church in Grafton, beginning with the lighting of a fire and candles and moving through the story of salvation history into the joy of Easter. Easter morning opens with a sunrise service at the outlook at Lion's Den Gorge with friends from Immanuel Lutheran Church, followed by the festival service at Trinity at 9 a.m. and an enhanced coffee hour in the dining room.
Pastor Erin Coutts and the Staff
Pastor Erin Coutts was called to Trinity as her third pastoral call. She grew up in the area and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after studying English literature and Classics, where involvement with a campus ministry group eventually led her to seminary. She earned a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a concentration in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry, after an internship in Austin, Minnesota. She has since served congregations in International Falls and Waupaca. Pastor Erin is passionate about liturgy and theology, and about helping people engage with scripture and faith in everyday life. Outside the parish she is an avid reader, podcast listener, crafter, baker, Dungeons and Dragons player, and hiker.
Johanna Brahm serves as Minister of Music, leading the Chapel Choir and coordinating special music and the Trinity Brass. Linda Staley is the Administrative Assistant and Treasurer, and Rick Halleman is the custodian. Prayer requests can be submitted to Pastor Erin through a dedicated email link or through the prayer request box in the building.
Christian Education for All Ages
Trinity takes seriously the call to walk with people of every age in their faith. On the second Sunday of each month from October through May, Pastor Erin teaches Sunday School at 10 a.m., and Trinity children are also welcome to join the weekly Sunday School program at neighboring Advent Lutheran (W63N642 Washington Avenue in Cedarburg) at 10:15 a.m., with online registration available.
Confirmation is a shared ministry of five ELCA congregations in the area. Classes gather 6th- through 8th-graders from Immanuel, Faith, Advent, St. John, and Trinity for dinner and class on Wednesday evenings at Trinity, September through May.
Adults have their own regular rhythms. The Men's Breakfast and Bible Study meets one Saturday a month at 8 a.m., September through May, with a rotating list of breakfast providers from among the men of the church. Ruth Circle, a women's Bible study, meets the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in the dining hall, September through May, and is open to all. A book group led by Pastor Erin gathers on the fourth Monday of odd-numbered months at 6:30 p.m. in the library at Faith Lutheran Church, choosing the next title together after each discussion. Recent reads have included "The Jesus Cow" by Michael Perry, "Miracle Creek" by Angie Kim, "Raising Hare" by Chloe Dalton, and "This Is How It Always Is" by Laurie Frankel.
Music That Gives Voice to Faith
Music is a living part of Trinity's worship. The Chapel Choir is open to anyone from high school age on up who loves to sing and can carry a tune; the choir sings roughly once a month and is a fixture of Christmas Eve, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday services. A handbell choir, led by Lizzy Dunfee, rehearses a few times before playing in worship and welcomes anyone who would like to learn. The Trinity Brass and Instrumentalists play for Easter Sunday, the August outdoor service, Reformation Sunday, and other festivals throughout the year, and there are many other opportunities for soloists and instrumentalists to share their gifts in worship.
The Library and the Coffee Hour
Downstairs in the Gathering Room, Trinity's library holds more than 600 books, plus children's, youth, reference, and devotional sections, and a small collection of DVDs and videotapes. The shelves cover biography, romance, historical fiction, mysteries, espionage, adventure, dystopian, nonfiction, and the occasional joke book. To check something out, members fill out the card in the back of the item and drop it in one of the labeled check-out boxes. Books can be kept as long as needed; DVDs and videotapes are returned within a week or two. The library also holds reference materials such as hymnals, Bibles, and Bible helps that are available for use in the room.
Coffee Hour is the congregation's weekly social glue. After the 9 a.m. worship service, September through May, the dining hall fills with conversation over coffee and treats. Members are encouraged to drop in regularly and to sign up to host for one or more Sundays. The coordinator is Donna Kramer.
Reaching Out Beyond the Walls
Service to the wider community runs deep at Trinity. The congregation keeps an ongoing list of items collected for outreach partners, including non-perishable food for the Ozaukee Food Alliance, hotel toiletries for Mr. Bob's Under the Bridge, eyeglasses for Lions Clubs International, aluminum pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House, gently used children's books for Next Door Foundation's Books for Kids, personal care and school supplies for Lutheran World Relief kits, used athletic shoes for recycling, batteries, ink cartridges, corks, Christmas tree lights for the Cedarburg High School German Club, yarn for community knitting projects, and more. The church does not collect computers, burned-out lightbulbs, or leftover prescription medications, but offers guidance on where those items can be dropped off in the community.
Members also give time. Quilters meet the first and third Mondays of each month at 9 a.m. in the dining hall to assemble quilts for Lutheran World Relief and other places in need, with donated sheets, fabric, and blankets welcomed. The Quilters will gladly teach beginners, and there is always work that can be done at home. Trinity partners with Faith Lutheran to prepare and serve meals at St. Ben's Community Meal in Milwaukee on the second Friday of every other month. The church hosts Versiti blood drives several times a year, and the congregation regularly gathers to pack 10,000 meals in a single morning with Rise Against Hunger. Pastor Erin and members participate in the annual Outreach for Hope Ride Run Walk, and the church supports All Peoples Church in Milwaukee through prayer, mission envelopes, and shared worship.
Life Transitions and the Building
Trinity accompanies members through every chapter of life. The church teaches that baptism is a sacrament, one of the places where God's grace becomes something we can touch in the waters of baptism. Trinity welcomes weddings both in its sanctuary and off-site, with detailed guidelines and the pastor's involvement at each step. Funerals can be held in the building or off-site, and the building is also available to host community meals, meetings, and other gatherings through its rental program.
Practical Details for Visitors
Trinity Lutheran Church sits at N60W6047 Columbia Road, on the east side of the intersection of Columbia Road and Washington Avenue, the main road through downtown Cedarburg. A driveway on the west side of the building leads down to a parking lot behind the church, with additional street parking on Columbia Road and nearby streets. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and can be reached at (262) 377-0610 or office@trinitycedarburg.org.
Sunday worship is at 9 a.m.; the second Saturday Holden Evening Prayer is at 5 p.m.; both services include Holy Communion. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and are available afterward on the same channel. Members and friends may submit prayer requests by email or in person, give online through the Vanco Mobile Faith App, and stay connected through the church's Facebook page and weekly reflections written by Pastor Erin.