History

Trinity is one of 157 parishes in the Episcopal Church of Connecticut. The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion – a world–wide family of Churches comprising 85 million members. The Anglican Communion is part of the One, Holy, catholic, and Apostolic Church.

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Trinity was founded as a “sister church” of Old St. Andrews in Bloomfield on June 29, 1848. We began holding worship services in Mitchelson Hall on Elm Street in Tariffville. In 1856 we bought an old church building that had been abandoned by the Presbyterians on Main Street in Tariffville. The first resident pastor was the Reverend Henry H. Bates, who served until 1858. In those early years, the parish was strong and the Sunday School enrollment was 110.

In 1871, the railroad came through and the Church property was seized to make way for the tracks. It was then that the present sanctuary on Church Street was built. Bishop John Williams laid the cornerstone in June 1872 and consecrated the finished building on July 8, 1873. The new Church was built of Portland brownstone for a cost of $20,296.56. The bell was installed in 1876 at a cost of $560.

In the 1880’s, Tariffville had a severe economic crisis due to the bankruptcy of the village’s two major employers. Most residents had to move elsewhere for employment and Trinity Church nearly folded. But a faithful remnant kept the Church open during the hard times.  

​In 1891, an English firm purchased the mills in the village and began the manufacture of lace curtains. People began to return and the Church revived. In 1898, the present Tracker Organ, built by the Massachusetts J.W. Steere company, was installed. Our rectory was donated to the church in 1919. In 1932, the Parish Hall was built at a cost of $32,204. And in 1968, the Sunday school and office building were built.

During the 1970’s, Trinity became a lively center of community social life, with many community suppers, dances and house tours. In 1975, the Rev. Frances Howard became Rector. During his tenure, many important changes occurred. There was a conscious effort to establish a more spiritual retreat experience and emphasis on the healing ministry. For the first time in its history, Trinity hired assistant clergy with major responsibility for youth work. Fr. Howard retired in 1999.

In 2000, the parish called the Rev. Tom Furrer (one of its former youth ministers) to be the new Rector. Under his leadership, Trinity continued to be a Christ–centered Evangelical parish and a center of orthodox theology and spiritual renewal in the Episcopal Church. In 2003, the parish completed a major building expansion project to accommodate a rapidly growing congregation. During Fr. Tom Furrer's leadership, Trinity became a mission-minded church, supporting local outreach (Church by the Pond) and medical and educational projects in Nigeria, including the Kateri Clinic project and Africa Education Partnership. 

In 2013, Trinity Church Tariffville held the first Social Media Sunday, which has since become a national movement of sharing faith and being the church online. 

In 2018, Trinity welcomed our new rector, Father Taylor Albright, with a focus on outreach and connection to community. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021 hit, Trinity quickly pivoted to an active online and outdoor ministry, offering the Daily Office Monday - Saturday online, Sunday morning worship, bible studies, small groups, and fellowship events online.  Parking lot Fill the Truck food drives provided for our neighbors. The music ministries learned how to create digital music, and parking lot services were offered when the weather permitted, including a memorable Christmas Eve 2020 service, surrounded with thousands of white lights and the choir offering carols in their "singers' masks."

And God continues the work at Trinity in Tariffville.

We invite others to join us in the great adventure of serving a living, risen Lord.

Find more about Trinity's History on our Pinterest board here.