Church History

Trinity: A Short History

After years of planning, Episcopalians in Searcy voted in 1899 to build “a small but neat, comfortable Chapel” on two lots located at the southeast corner of Elm and Arch Streets. Charles Thompson, a renowned and prolific architect in Little Rock, was commissioned to design the new building. Construction was begun in 1899 and the Church House was completed and furnished at a cost of $1,200.00. The congregation named the Church House “Trinity Church.” The new building was consecrated on June 14, 1900, and the first service was held in the building on September 09, 1900.

Disaster occurred on the Wednesday morning of Holy Week in the year 1902 when lightning struck the Church House, causing it to burn to the ground. Thankfully, much of the furniture was saved, albeit rain damaged. Most of the furniture that was saved is still used today. The Church House was insured in the amount of $640.00, but more funds were needed to construct a new Church House. The congregation of St. Thomas Parish Church in New York City was so moved by the loss that it donated the sum of $5,000.00 to help rebuild.

On June 24, 1902, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for the construction of the new Church House. On September 30, 1902, the Vestry of the Church voted to name the new Church House "St. Thomas Mission Church", in honor of the financial assistance received from St. Thomas Parish Church in New York City. Construction of the new Church House was completed in early 1903. The first service in the new Church House was held on March 01, 1903. On St. Thomas Day, December 21, 1905, the new Church House was consecrated.

The Church House completed in 1903 still stands today. It was designed with an asymmetrical narthex, a nave, a projecting chancel, and a sacristy. It is the only surviving example in White County of the English parish style church.

An 1882 Pilcher tracker pipe organ was received as a gift in 1903 from Christ Church in Little Rock. The pipe organ is still in use today.

In 1935, a Parish House was constructed adjacent to the Church House. A loft was later constructed above the Parish House.

Although thankful for the financial assistance received from St. Thomas Parish Church in New York City, parishioners long yearned to change the name of the Church back to its original name. The yearning came to reality when on January 03, 1940, at the annual meeting of the Diocese of Arkansas, the Convention voted to allow the Church to change its name to “Trinity Mission Church.”

Growth of Trinity Mission Church in the intervening years allowed the Church to change from a “mission” to a “parish.” In 1980, at the 108th meeting of the Diocese of Arkansas, the Convention voted to admit the Church to the Diocese as “Trinity Parish Church (Episcopal), Searcy, Arkansas.”

On July 23, 1992, the Church House of Trinity Parish Church was selected to appear on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005, Trinity Parish Church was added to the registry of Historic Episcopal Churches in the United States.

In 2006, a patio and columbarium were constructed in front of the Church House. A statue of Christ was placed in the area beside the Shepherd Window. The statue was received as a bequest from the Estate of Ralph R. Randall, Jr., an Atlanta architect and a native of Searcy.

In 2009, the Vestry of the Church voted to construct a new Parish Hall and Educational Building on the southeast corner of Elm and Market Streets. Barry Hoffmann, an architect from Searcy, was commissioned to design the building along the lines of the plans developed when the Church House was built.

The new Parish Hall and Education Building was completed in the Spring of 2010. The first floor of the building consists of a meeting room, a nursery, and a kitchen. The second floor consists of a youth room, a classroom for children, a classroom for adults, and an office for the Rector.