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• 1 media/Trinity Bible Church 2012.JPG 2018-12-07T16:18:42+00:00 Trinity Bible Church 7 With its many changes, Trinity Bible Church has grown into an impressive landmark in Glassboro that is rich with a complex history. image_header 2018-12-14T02:59:28+00:00 39.700363, -75.112832

  Beginnings of the Trinity Bible Church

  The Trinity Bible Church was first established in 1829 under the name "Ebenezer Methodist Protestant Church". As of 2018, it is 189 years old. When it first began, the church met in an old schoolhouse on the corner of Malaga Pike, now know as Delsea Drive, and Main Street. The congregation at the start of the church was only 14 members, and was led by Rev. Thomas Pierson. Many of the members of the initial congregation were glassworkers, woodworkers, and other men of humble backgrounds. Their form of worship was viewed as fanatical and reformed, so they underwent much ridicule from other residents of the town. Eventually, this caused the owners of the schoolhouse to refuse usage of their space any longer, so the small church was forced to move elsewhere. Thankfully, Walter DonLevy, who was both a successful farmer and friend of the church, has recently purchased a piece of land from the original Stanger Glass Works. On the land stood a pot house (a small tavern), which was refurbished and used as the church building. Around the 1840s, the members of the Ebenezer Methodist Protestant Church also worshiped at the Bethlehem Reform Church, since it was right down the street. 

  
  The Church is Built

  In 1840, ground for the first church was purchased by church trustees Abram Simmermon, John Simmermon, S.H. Stanger, and Isaac Sharp. This is the also the location of the current church. The address is 115 S Main St (39.700389, -75.112697). At this new location, the church continued to grow in size, both in people and in physical state. In 1856, the first parsonage was built north of the church. In 1882, extensive additions were put onto the church, including new stairs, a new steeple, and a new bell tower. New improvements continued to be made over the coming years, such as a new tin roof to replace the leaky wooden roof in December of 1883, and a new coat of paint in 1897. Another significant change was the dropping of "Ebenezer" at some point between 1849 and 1950. On June 20, 1923, the iconic steeple was struck by lightning and destroyed during a bad thunderstorm. The tower that still exists as of 2018 was built from July to September of 1923 by Frank L. Suplee. 
  
  
  
  In October of 1929, the name of the church was changed to Trinity Protestant Church following the church’s choice to not merge with the Methodist Episcopal conference. The church then formed the Eastern Conference of Bible Protestant Churches. Between 1970 and 1971, plans for a new education wing were made. Construction began in 1972 and the new wing was opened for use in September of 1973. In 1978, the name was officially changed to its current Trinity Bible Church.

  Reflections at Trinity Bible

  In travelling to Trinity Bible Church, the first thing you see is the tower. The size of its bell tower is quite impressive. It looks dwarfed in comparison to the old steeple in the 1908 picture, so I was expecting it to be smaller. It makes me wonder how immense the old steeple was. Doing the re-photography was interesting, especially being able to see visibly some of the changes that have taken place over the years. Unfortunately, the angle that I had to take it at did not show the new education wing, which was not present in the 1908 picture. It's still fascinating though, since the church itself is a piece of Glassboro history. The original building has not evolved too much, with many of the original features still existing, such as the stained glass windows.
  
  The cemetery was particularly interesting. It's one of the biggest out of the churches we chose, next to St. Bridget's Cemetery. It extends all the way back to Church Street (the street in the back of the picture), with some graves almost overlapping with the house next to the cemetery on Church St. The older graves contain many of the Stangers, though they are most likely descendants of the original Stangers, since Solomon Stanger is buried at the old St. Thomas' Episcopal Church cemetery. Most of the older graves face away from Main St., most likely because of Main Street not existing during the time the church was built. 
  
  Overall, this location is lush with Glassboro history and is definitely worth a visit.
  
  Article by Sarah McClure
  
  References:
  Walton, Edward H. “Trinity Bible Church: 150 Years Old and Still Going Strong”. The Enterprise, December 19, 1979.  
  Trinity Bible Church. "A Brief History of Trinity Bible Church." Accessed December 5, 2018.  https://www.trinitybiblechurchglassboro.com/history.html