The first Lutheran services in Genoa were conducted in the home of Mr. W. Teyler on July 14, 1878 by Rev. R. Richmann of Elgin. Before that time, Lutherans in Genoa had attended services in Sycamore, Belvidere or Hampshire. This new congregation realized that if they were to grow and prosper, they would need to build a church of their own.
In 1881, they purchased two lots on North Washington Street. The house, which stood on one of the lots, was used as a parsonage and on the other lot they constructed a small church, which was dedicated on March 5, 1882.
The house has been in use continuously as a parsonage since 1881 although it has been remodeled and modernized.
Trinity's new church facility was built on five acres of land, donated by the Richard Watson family (Mr. Teyler’s great grandson).
On July 14, 1978 Trinity celebrated their 100th anniversary with services conducted by Rev. Harold Schmidt. A special “wooden” banner was designed for the 100th anniversary by Joanne Gustafson. She stained and finished the woods in tones to be similar to wood in the interior of the church. The symbols signify the three points of the Trinity: eternity, fellowship and love for God. This banner is now in the fellowship hall.
In 1995, Trinity recognized a need for educating the community’s youth in a Christian atmosphere and opened a Preschool. The congregation was behind this program and it was successful from the start. Many hours of volunteer efforts got the facilities modified to meet state specifications.
In April of 2000, Trinity celebrated new stained glass windows with a special dedication service. This was a four-year project dedicated to beautifying the house of God. The original designs of the stained glass windows were created by Pat Budzien, who is also the designer of the church banners. Jordan Klotz enlarged her sketches, added detail and transformed them into patterns for the stained glass.
In 2001, Pastor Schmidt retired after 40 years of service to the Lord’s church. He began his ministry at Trinity in 1964. The congregation planned a special event for his retirement including a guest speaker, special artwork and a dinner, and was able to keep it secret from the pastor for six months!
Also in 2001, Trinity built a new addition, which was needed for growth and provided more space for the Sunday school program, TLC Preschool, choirs, fellowship and more. The groundbreaking took place on April 29th, with construction beginning in May. A dedication service for the new addition took place just in time for the fall school year.
