Trinivia

Trinivia: In what year was the last regular German Service held in Trinity? (Give 'ya two years either way on this one). X-tra credit: Give the actual date.

Answer: On June 28, 1953 with 18 people in attendance, the last regularly scheduled German Service was held.

Trinivia: Many of us subscribe to "The Lutheran Witness", the Missouri Synod's English periodical. In what year was it first published? What was the name of it's German companion periodical and during what time span was it published? (Hint: The 1994 Lutheran Annual can give you the answers.)

Answer: The first issue of "The Lutheran Witness" was May 21, 1882. Its German companion periodical was "Der Lutheraner" which began in 1844 and ceased publication in 1974.

Trinivia: Trinity's church has always been known for it's beautiful stained glass windows. How many are there? Since some windows are in several parts we will define "a window" as one that is covered by one protective storm window. Go outside and count them (not now!!!), but don't count the sacristy, the basement windows, or the 2nd street entrance (because they are not stained windows).

Answer: There are 39 stained glass windows. The protective storm windows, by the way, have been a tremendous blessing in preserving the appearance of the windows. The protective windows were installed in 1972 and were a gift from the Karl Schewe family.

Trinivia: Trinity once had a Pastor whose father was president of the Missouri Synod. Who was he?

Answer: Rev. Lloyd Behnken was assistant pastor at Trinity from 1944 to 1948, during the era that his father, Rev. John W. Behnken, was President of the Missouri Synod.

Trinivia: Speaking of Presidents of Synod, which member of Trinity became President of the Missouri Synod?

Answer: J.A.O. Preus was a member of Trinity during the time he was president of Concordia Theological Seminary. He later was elected to the office of President of the Missouri Synod. In the way of Trinivia, the J.A.O. stands for Jacob Aall Ottesen.

Trinivia: Everyone knows Marlene Gunderson, Trinity's very able church secretary. But who was Trinity's first church secretary and in what year did she begin her service?

Answer: Trinity did not employ a church secretary until May 1946 when it hired Loulla Wanless (nee Klekamp). Now in Heaven, Loulla was Betty England's sister and Rick Wanless' mother.

Trinivia: Trinity's two massive bells really do sound better from the outside (as many of us realize as we scurry to get to church on time). Many Springfield folks believe that our bells sound the best among the city's churches. Could it be that the German inscriptions on them make them sound better? What are the German inscriptions and how do they translate?

Answer: Here's what is says on our church bells: (bigger bell, south side) CONCORDIA: GOTTES WORT UND LUTHERS LEHR, VERGEHT NUN UND NIMMER MEHR - God's Word and Luther's teaching, endure now and ever more-. (bigger bell, north side) CAST BY H. STUCKSTEDE & CO. ST. LOUIS, MO; EV. LUTH. TRINITATIS KIRCHE - Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church - SPRINGFIELD, ILLS; REV. G. LINK, SEN. PASTOR; ZUR KIRCHWEIH DEN 22t SEPT. 1889 - At the church dedication, September 22nd, 1889-. (smaller bell, north side) CAST BY H. STUCKSTEDE, ST. LOUIS, MO. 1889; EHRE SIE GOTT IN DER HOHE - Glory to God in the Highest-. The south side of the smaller bell is blank.

Trinivia: For many years, Trinity member, Mr. Herman Goerring, provided a valuable service to the church. What was his unique contribution? (Hint: He may have begun the practice because of the Volsted Act.)

Answer: Mr. Herman Goerring provided his home made wine for Holy Communion. Many still remember it as "the best tasting wine we ever used". Mr. Goerring may have started the practice because of prohibition when it became impossible to legally purchase wine.

Trinivia: For about a dozen years, (we skipped a year here and there) Trinity utilized ten vicars to assist (and to be trained by) Trinity's pastors. What period of time are we talking about here? Wasn't all that long ago. Okay, --of the ten vicars, name as many of them as you can.

Answer: From 1963 to 1975 the following vicars served at Trinity: Norman Nessett; Clark Gies; David Schroeder; John Hetlinger; Roy Kieschnieck; William Voelker; James Schnackenberg; Paul Devantier; Robert Preece; and Keith Brutlag. How many did you name?

Trinivia: Among Trinity's most cherished physical assets is its wonderful large pipe organ; so - a little trivia about our organ. What is our organ called (that is, what is the name of the firm that built it?)? How long has it been at Trinity? It has four main divisions; the Hauptwerk (Great Work), the Schellwerk (Swell Work), the Kronwerk (Crown Work) and the Pedal division. Make a guess (even a wild one will do) at how many individual pipes are in our organ (even if you get within 200, we'll call it correct).

Answer: Our Casavant Organ was installed in October of 1972 and has 2,388 pipes ranging in size from a small pencil to a 16 foot tube with a 12 inch diameter.

Trinivia: Trinity's present organ is certainly a tremendous and wonderful piece of equipment and a decided assest to the congregation; as was the organ it replaced in 1972. What was this organ called, what kind was it, and when was it installed?

Answer: Trinity's organ previous to the present one was called the Schoknecht Memorial Organ to honor the memory of teacher, organist, choir director, principal, and Walther League Counselor, Robert J. Schoknecht. It was an Austin organ that had been used in a private home in Brooklyn, N.Y., before its installation in Trinity in 1939.

Trinivia: Think time doesn't pass quickly? How many years ago did the following individuals, all alive and living in Springfield, first begin serving Trinity? Revs. Sommerfeld, Niemoeller, Rothe, Hoffman, Strong, Radtke, and Schroeder? How about Principal Gehrke, Marlene Gunderson, Alberta Whitcomb, and our organist Laura Fliege?

Answer: Rev. Martin Sommerfeld was installed forty-five years ago (2-20-49) and Rev. Lewis Niemoeller joined him forty-one years ago (10-11-53). Rev. Martin Roethe came to Trinity twenty-one years ago (10-1-73) while Rev. Hermann Hoffman has been here for sixteen (9-17-1978), the same number as Rev. Micheal Strong (10-10-78). Rev. Thomas Radtke came to us eleven years ago (2-20-83) and Rev. William Schroeder has been here for six years (1-17-88). Principal Gehrke began teaching here twelve years ago (Aug. 1982). Marlene Gunderson became the church secretary eighteen years ago (Aug. 1976), one year after Alberta Whitcomb began serving as our school's secretary (Sept. 1975). Laura Fliege has been our organist for fifteen years, since 1979. Many years of loyal service by dedicated individuals, but it does make us feel a little older, doesn't it?

Trinivia: The minutes for the Board of Christian Education for September 1953, taken by Arthur Brockschmidt, reveal that John C. Rodenberg had completed a study to determine the cost per year per student at Trinity School. Make a guess at what Mr. Rodenberg's cost figure was for 1953. What is the figure today?

Answer: In 1953 J. C. Rodenberg reported that the per pupil annual cost for each Trinity Student was $91.23. The figure for last year, 1993, was $1,868.00.

Trinivia: Most Trinitarians have heard and know about the German-Saxon emigration to Perry County, Missouri and the subsequent formation of the Missouri Synod. As far as we can ascertain, only one of those emigrants eventually became a member of our church. Despite poor eyesight he was accomplished artist and the Illinois State Historical Society has some of his works on file. He was also the first "Steward" for Concordia Theological Seminary. Who was he? Hint: His last name is German for Peacock.

Answer: The artist and multitalented gentleman, a member of the Saxon emigration, was Gustav Pfau. He and his wife became members of Trinity during the 1870's. After his death Trinity made several financial gifts to his widow who had become destitute.

Trinivia: Quickly now (you can count them later), how many rows of pews are on the main floor of our church?

Answer: There are 23 rows of pews on the floor of the nave in Trinity.

Trinivia: The name of Jacob Loose is firmly established in the history books of Springfield. He was not a member of Trinity, but his name appears regularly in the congregation's minutes during the latter part of the 19th century as we had to pay him for a certain commodity. What is Jacob Loose's claim to fame?

Answer: Mr. Jacob Loose opened Springfield's first coal mine. He sank a 237 foot deep shaft in 1867 just south of Highland Avenue where the railroads cross. For many years he supplied our church with coal during the winter months. His large headstone in Oak Ridge is right next to the Bressmer headstone.

Trinivia: What is inscribed on the cornerstone (not the stone nameplate) of the church and the cornerstone of the school? Be sure and take a look at them today. (You have to push the bushes aside at the school.)

Answer: The church's cornerstone, on the extreme south-west corner, simply says ERBAUT A.D. 1888, Erbaut is German for BUILT and A.D. is "anno Domini", in the year of our Lord. The cornerstone for the school is on the north side of the MacArthur Street entrance. Inscribed on it are Luther's Coat of Arms with the year 1953, below it.

Trinivia: There are two Memorial Plaques on the north wall in Trinity's gym. Which two men are honored by these plaques?

Answer: The plaque near the center door in the school's gym states that the gym was dedicated to the memory of Pastor Paul Schulz. The plaque near the west door was put in place when the bleachers were installed to honor Lou "Papa" Klekamp.

Trinivia: While we are on the subject of the gym, for many years there was a major problem in the afternoon when the sun streamed in the windows and the glare was almost unbearable. How was this resolved and who was responsible?

Answer: To block the glaring sun into the gym. Huge green automatic roller shades were installed on both east and west sides. They were a gift of the Hank Burge family. Also, the first electronic scoreboard was in memory of Hank Burge and donated by his widow Norma Burge Houlette. Also, the family donated the Communion Flagon when services were held in the gym and which is now being used at church. In addition they donated the two timpani which are used both in the gym and in the church.

Trinivia: Not only were there many windows in the gym, the entire school had an enormous square footage of glass windows. Our school was built in an era of plentiful and cheap natural gas and the architectural style of the day called for lots of windows. All the exterior windows were replaced with thermal windows not too many years ago. Now two trivia questions. What was the total number of panes of glass (in the windows, doors, hall-dividers, basement, etc.) before the thermal windows were installed? Think about it and take a wild guess. How many are there now? (We hope this subject is not too panefull for you!

Answer: Before the new thermal windows were installed at the school, Mr. Gehrke's math class totaled all the panes of glass and did some related math problems. There were 1,781 panes. Today, after the thermal replacement, there are 652.

Trinivia: In 1976, to honor the Bicenntenial Year of the United States, Trinity held a very special Thanksgiving. What was so special abut it, and who were the pastors and organists who participated?

Answer: The Thanksgiving Service in 1976 consisted of two similar services; the first was entirely in German and the second in English. During the German service, women and children sat on the east side and the men on the west, collection was taken using old long handled baskets, and the old German liturgy was used. In the German Service Prof. Fred Kramer gave the Sermon, Prof. Clarence Spiegel handled the liturgy, and George Derwig played the organ. In the English Service, Pastor Lewis Niemoeller was the liturgist, Pastor Wilbert Sohns delivered the Sermon, and H. Allen Herbst was the organist.

Trinivia: Which Governor of Illinois was attending a wedding in Trinity when, unfortunately, the organ completely failed?

Answer: Because his daughter was a bridesmaid, Gov. William Stratton was attending the wedding of Mildred Sears at Trinity when the organ went kaput. The Governor later told Pastor Sommerfeld that the hour delay, due to the organ failure, was one of the most peaceful, serene, and reverent hours he had ever spent, and he had truly enjoyed the surroundings of the church as the assembly waited.

Trinivia: This one ought to be easy. Name all the families in the congregation whose last name begins with the letter I.

Answer: The William and Carolyn Isham family, with offspring David, Aimee, and Keil, is the only Trinity family whose last name begins with an I.

Trinivia: In the narthex, those two smaller stained glass windows have the name C.F. May on the bottom. Who was C.F. May?

Answer: C.F. May, he name on the small windows in the narthex, was the architect for our House of Worship. His full name was Carl Frederich May.

Trinivia: Okay, here's the final Trinivia of the year and you better not miss it. What do the German words "...denn du bist bei mir..." mean?

Hope you enjoyed all the Trinivia this year. It was certainly fun preparing it for you. Maybe we'll do it again in a few years.

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