Thank you to Larry Cenotto for his extensive research into this history.
By 1895, newspapers give terse references to "church services" and the start of a mission, but the first definite reference appeared in a January 6, 1897 issue of Sutter Creek's Amador Record. It briefly referred to a church or mission just getting started and services at the Methodist Church in Sutter Creek. The same paper, that June 24, noted that a prayer service was held on June 20, with a Mr. C.M. Scott conducting. Until evidence of an earlier date appears, this June 20, 1897 service is considered the church's nativity.
Probably responsible for establishing the church was the Rev Webster Loring Clark, an outstanding visitor priest, who received the mission assignment from Bishop Anson Graves. Surely in response to Bishop Graves' October urging that women take a larger role in church affairs, Rev. Clark called a meeting in Sutter Creek on Dec. 11, 1897. The report of that meeting is the first entry in the minute book of the Trinity Guild. It reads:
Ladies interested in the Episcopal Church work met at the residence of Miss Ida B. Herman for the purpose of discussing the advisability of forming a Guild. On account of the inclemency of the weather, very few were in attendance.
The Rev. Mr. Clark was present and expressed himself clearly on the subject. He advanced the opinion that the forming of a Guild in this town might possibly further the interests of the Church, thereby making it possible to contribute to the support of an Episcopal rector in this county.
The following January 15, 1898, at its second meeting, the Ladies Episcopal Guild named itself Calvary Guild - changed a month later to Trinity - adopted and signed the constitution, and pledged themselves to assist the Rector (still Rev. Mr Clark) and officers of the mission with temporal necessities.
Until it had its own church, the mission found it difficult to arrange for a regular place for services, holding them at the Masonic and IOOF lodge hall on Main Street, Free Methodist Church, Methodist Church and other available places.
Soon after he took over the mission of both St. Augustine's in Jackson and Trinity Episcopal in Sutter Creek in May, 1900, Rev. Mr. William Tuson met with the Trinity guild to consider buying a lot and building a church. That November the mission decided to buy member and widow Jane Truran's lot on Amelia Street. Designer-builder C.W. Swain would build new churches in both Jackson and Sutter Creek.
When construction fund-raising fell short, member Mrs. Gill (mother and grandmother of late church members, Jane Boitano, and Eleanore Battaglia) offered to loan $200 at 7% so the work could proceed. It did.
The first service in the new church was on November 24, 1901. The new church was dedicated by The Rt. Rev W. T. Moreland, Bishop of Sacramento.
In 1986, The Rev. William J. Adams was called to be the rector of Trinity Church. After nearly 10 years under his leadership, and after two expansion projects, the parish outgrew the Amelia Street church in 1995. The last Eucharist there was in a special 9:30 a.m. service on May 28, after which all pews, altar, baptismal font, bell, Stations of the Cross, and virtually the entire contents of the church were transported a mile or so to the new church, formerly owned by the 7th Day Adventist Church.
After extensive remodeling of the new site, the congregation held its first services in it on June 4, 1995 or Pentecost Sunday. Bishop Jerry Lamb visited on Sunday, July 2, 1995, for its dedication. The Church has grown nearly 150 percent in the last 10 years.
Currently, Trinity Episcopal Church, Sutter Creek, has a nationally recognized Health Ministries program, a budget of approximately $350,000, and has been distinguished by the National Episcopal Church Center as one of four "Jubilee Parish Centers" in Northern Calfornia due to it's extensive outreach into the community. Father Adams is in his 21st year of service to Trinity Church, and the parish proudly announces the arrival of the first Associate Rector of the parish, The Rev. Michael W. Kerrick. Fr. Kerrick will have charge of Pastoral Care in the parish as well as Evangelism and Growth, including our very active New Comer's ministry. He is an asset, and we expect continued growth in the years ahead.