Trinity is a strong, vibrant, energetic congregation of God's people that has been abundantly blessed through its history. In 2007 we celebrate our 125th Anniversary. During this milestone period we reflect on our heritage and look forward to our future. We give God thanks for all of the blessings he has bestowed on our congregation and we ask for his guidance as we work to strengthen our Discipleship. We look to the future with great anticipation and a strong desire to continue to serve the Lord. We invite you to join us as we work to further our mission for our members, our community, and all of God's people.
Trinity is one of the oldest Lutheran Churches inMassachusetts.Our history traces its origins directly back to the settlement of Swedes who migrated to this region, in the 1870's.
In the late 1870's the few Swedish emigrants who had settled in the greater Lowell area began to meet as a congregation to worship God as Lutherans. Previous to this time, they had attended some of the other Protestant churches in the area such as the First Presbyterian Church on Appleton Street, the Primitive Methodist Church on Gorham Street, and St. Johns Episcopal Church on Gorham Street.
Gradually, lay leaders such as Martin E. Pihl, Anton W. Soderberg, and Martin Ahlberg emerged to organize this congregation into a viable Church of God. The first organization, called the Swedish Lutheran Society of Lowell, Mass., met on December 6, 1879 with 28 members present and elected Anton W. Soderberg as president.
On May 22, 1882 this Swedish Lutheran Society was re-organized as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran of Lowell, Massachusetts. On August 1, 1882 the church was incorporated under the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with Anton W. Sondberg elected as secretary-clerk. Martin Ahlberg, Charles Beausang, and Martin Pihl were elected deacons with Peter Ohlson, August Person, and Anders Thomasson elected as trustees. After two years, a lot on Meadowcroft Street in Lowell, near the Boston and Lowell Railroad, and Salem and Lowell Railroad, was purchased.
In the summer of 1885, the contract for the building of the church was given to Mr. E. G. Baker with a bid of $3,573.00. The church was officially dedicated on Sunday, February 10, 1886 by the Rev. E. E. Lindberg of Brooklyn, who was president of the New York Conference. At the time of the dedication, there were 130 adult members. C. A. Bloomgren, a student, was the first pastor.
Meadowcroft Street, Lowell
Building Exterior
Sanctuary
Pastors of Trinity Lutheran Church
Student Gustaf Rast - December, 1881 to Fall, 1882 *
Student J. A. Norlin - Fall, 1882 to May, 1883 *
Rev. A. Malstrom - June, 1883 to June, 1884 *
Student John F. Seedorf - December, 1884 to August 1885 *
Student Carl A Blomgren - October, 1885 to June, 1887 *
* No photo
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Records |
History of Trinity Lutheran Church as recorded by congregation members |
Trinity History
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© 2018 | Trinity Lutheran Church | 170 Old Westford Rd. | Chelmsford, MA | ELCA |
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Photos
In 2014, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our church building in Chelmsford.
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Marking the 50th anniversary of the building dedication, Trinity members comment on the history of the building, construction pictures and some special artwork.
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Chelmsford Church
GOD HAS USED OUR HANDS TO BUILD HIS HOUSE
Trinity Lutheran Church was once located in a section of Lowell known as "Swede Village". |
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As we followed our members to Chelmsford, we discovered new resources and opportunities for witness and growth. The building of a new church gave us the occasion to ask ourselves what it is that we believe, and to use that understanding as the basis for planning our building. |
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WE BELIEVE?WE EXPRESS OUR BELIEF
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The Lutheran church embraces the long tradition of Christian worship which we celebrate in the liturgy each Sunday morning. As we worship, the pastor, lay assistants, choir, and congregation all participate in word and song, joining their voices in praise to their creator. Liturgical worship is at the same time reverent and welcoming, inviting all to become part of our fellowship. Our architecture and furnishings support our worship. |
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From the time of Martin Luther, the Lutheran church has placed a strong emphasis on education. Lifelong learning is encouraged, and numerous opportunities for growing in faith are offered for both children and adults: Sunday church school, confirmation classes, vacation church school, adult forums, music ministries, and small group studies.
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The hallmark of Lutheran faith is that humans become reconciled to their creator through faith in the grace of God shown to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our worship, our education, and our devotional lives are centered around this central teaching. The written symbols of the faith, such as creeds and confessions, and the visual symbols, such as the cross, the baptismal font, and the altar, all bear witness to the God who comes to us in Christ, invites us into fellowship with God and with one another, and molds us through the Spirit into a new community of faith. |
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THE ALTAR AND THE PULPIT As we planned how the visual symbols of the faith in our worship space could express our belief, we considered the Lutheran teaching that the church exists when two conditions are present: when the Word of God is preached in its truth and purity, and when the Sacraments are administered rightly. These are the two ways in which God comes to us, and the pulpit and altar are visual expressions of that belief. Symbolically, then, by giving them equal visual weight, we are expressing the conviction that God comes to us in both Word and Sacrament. The pulpit and altar are placed where they point to the cross, which remains the central focus of worship. |
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As we sat down to determine how to put into form what we believe, we saw the altar (symbolic of the Word of God) and the pulpit (symbolic of the sacramental presence of God) as being means of God's grace or ways in which Christ comes to men (it might even be said that these are man's most effective ways of coming to God). Thus we have placed the altar and pulpit in positions where they "point to" or "lead up to" the cross.
Martin Luther said that the church is where the Word of God is preached in its truth and purity and where the Sacraments are administered accordingly. And so we have tried to be completely Lutheran in our expression of what the church is.
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Another manner of looking at the position of altar and pulpit is that in such positioning we tried to incorporate the best parts of two traditions; namely, that the pulpit should be central (as in most Reformed congregation) because it represents God speaking to us, and that the altar should be central (the liturgical tradition) because it speaks of the actual presence of God. THE CROSS The cross is probably the most unusual part of the entire church. Why were we so unconventional? The cross is a part of the chancel furnishing of the church, and as such had to be designed to fit in with the building in which it is to be housed. A traditional cross of two members would be lost in the dominant verticals of the redwood and the horizontals of the stained glass, and we didn't want the cross to be lost, because it is the most important symbol in our worship. Again, we looked at what we believe.
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We believe that the cross is a living thing; that our faith in the cross of Christ must be growing; it must never be static. We believe that the cross of Christ is a tree of life for all people of faith. We believe that the cross is not and never will be easy to see amid the confusion and distractions of the world; it is always there, but it is not always visible. We believe that the cross is never viewed in exactly the same way by any two people; thus our cross has a second plane and a third dimension, and does not look the same from any two seats in the nave. We believe that the cross must be central in Christian worship and faith; this is why it dominates our chancel and is made of precious and expensive metals: bronze and silver. We believe that the cross, far from being detached from the soil on which we walk, is grounded in the soil of the church: that it springs forth as a solid, immovable expression of God's hand reaching down and touching the soil on which we walk and the world in which we live. |
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Our cross expresses to us the length and breadth and depth of our faith. As early as Genesis 3 the "tree of life" is the symbol used for everlasting life. Christ spoke of himself as the "vine" to which all believers are attached as "branches"-drawing their very life from him. And the book of Revelation in the New Testament gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, where the tree of life provides healing to the nations. The early Christian church often represented the cross of Christ as a growing, leafing tree, providing salvation to all of creation. THE FLOWER STAND AND THE CANDELABRA |
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Our cross expresses to us the length and breadth and depth of our faith. As early as Genesis 3 the "tree of life" is the symbol used for everlasting life. Christ spoke of himself as the "vine" to which all believers are attached as "branches"-drawing their very life from him. And the book of Revelation in the New Testament gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, where the tree of life provides healing to the nations. The early Christian church often represented the cross of Christ as a growing, leafing tree, providing salvation to all of creation. The candelabra, in like manner, carry out the idea of life. More specifically, they speak of the light of Christ that gives meaning to life.
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THE BAPTISMAL FONT It has been said that our baptismal font is so near the entrance that someone who didn't know where he or she was going might run into it. This is precisely the idea. The font is placed near the entrance so that everyone who enters might be reminded that this is the way one enters the Christian life: through Holy Baptism. Baptisms are conducted during the service of worship so that the congregation will have the opportunity of being sponsors or godparents for the child. We are reminded that baptism is not an individual event; we are baptized into the Body of Christ, the whole Christian church.
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The font, as well as the pulpit and altar, are made of Chelmsford granite to symbolize an offering of the surrounding environment to our Lord. THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS Our windows, imported from Germany and France, make us aware of our connections to the world-wide church of Christ. Those near the baptismal font, illuminated during the morning hours, bear the colors of the morning sky, reminding us that our Christian life begins in baptism. The side windows are brilliant blues, speaking of God's warmth and strength, which follow us through our days. The chancel windows, illuminated in the evening, are deep reds, reminding us of God's loving action toward us in the cross of Christ. As we worship, we are surrounded by signs of God's presence, new every morning, different each day.
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Newspaper clippings (click for full view) |
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Revised 11-Aug-2000 Juliet Bongfeldt |
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The Mural in the Lowell Church
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