THE HISTORY OF TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

On October 26, 1960, a group of residents of the Back Mountain Area met for the purpose of discussing the need for a Presbyterian Church in the area.

This group, with an intense sense of divine direction, held meetings in the following months, consulted nearby Presbyterian ministers and sought support of other residents in the area.  Simultaneously, vital statistical information concerning population growth and projections were compiled.

By mid-January a decision was reached to petition the Presbytery of Lackawanna for permission to establish a church in the Dallas area.  On February 11, 1961 Lackawanna Presbytery created a committee to study the project, consulting with the executive of the Synod of Pennsylvania and the Board of National Missions of New York.  At the same time a request for permission to start new work in the Back Mountain Area was presented to the Northeastern Regional Committee of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, (Comity).  Statistics regarding the population trends and over-all economy of the area were studied by the committee, and neighboring United Presbyterian Churches were consulted.  Pastors of churches of other denominations were called on and gave their approval of having a Presbyterian neighbor.

On April 29, 1961 the Presbytery, after receiving Comity approval, set in motion plans to start the new work.  The first worship was conducted on September 24, 1961 in the Dallas Junior High School gymnasium by the Rev. Dr. Peter K. Emmons, D.D., pastor emeritus of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, Scranton, Pennsylvania.

After 27 years serving as Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Rev. Andrew Pillarella decided it was time to retire in 1989. 

Rev. Robert Upton served as the interim Pastor until Rev. Robert Murdoch joined our congregation as Pastor from 1991 – 1995. 

Our Associate Pastor Rev. Lucy Stafford-Lewis became interim pastor until Rev. Mark Harper was hired as Pastor of Trinity for the next five years.  At that time Rev. Harper and his family relocated to the state of Georgia and Rev. H. Chase Page became our interim.  In the year 2006, The Rev. Roger E. Griffith became Pastor of Trinity until 2012.

Rev. Kathleen Jamhoury served as Interim Pastor from 2012 until December of 2014 at which time Trinity called Rev. Jennifer Baer as the new full time Pastor.

Pastor Jen and her family relocated to Dallas Pennsylvania and began her service at Trinity in January of 2015.