Up until 1860 there were no churches and very few, if any, schools in the area established
as Ottawa County. In 1862 our forefathers, who were people of Christian faith, and
members of Evangelical and Lutheran Churches in Germany, had the desire to meet and
worship God as they did in the old country.
During the first years missionary pastors traveled the area (probably on horseback) from
Perrysburg to Marblehead attending to the needs of 14 congregations. They would go to
homes to baptize, confirm and give all whom wanted the services of a minister. If unable to
get there in time for a funeral he would speak a memorial over the grave. This was the
beginning of Trinity Evangelical Church, Elliston, Ohio.
After meeting in homes and the old Trowbridge School House the first church was built
in 1868. This was done on land that was purchased by Lorenzo Ellis (Elliston).
By this time many new settlers came to the area and the church membership was
over 300 families. In 1878 an addition was built on the church.
During the 1880’s congregations in Rocky Ridge, Williston, and Blackberry were formed.
The families living in those neighborhoods joined those churches, decreasing Trinity’s
membership. The German language was spoken in services until about 1916 when about
one half of the services were done in English.
In 1934 the Evangelical Churches and the Reformed Churches merged to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R). By 1957 an agreement was reached between the E&R church and the Congregational Christian church to form the United Church of Christ. We are now known as Trinity United Church of Christ, Elliston, Ohio.
Our church has been remodeled and enlarged several times to accommodate the congregation. We took on a large building project in the 1980’s by adding a Fellowship Hall, Sunday school rooms and offices. Also included in this project was the installation of an elevator to the sanctuary, making it handicapped accessible. The Fellowship Hall has been used to host many community dinners served by our members. These dinners plus many other activities helped to pay off our building debt.
Our small group ministry was currently revitalized! We have Sunday School classes for all ages, including an adult Bible Study Class.
A devotional and fellowship time is held at the Genoa Care Center for our seasoned men and ladies. Our men have a monthly Sunday morning breakfast. Our ladies meet monthly for a book study. There is an adult group that meets for a social gathering each month. Another adult group meets in a home for Bible study and fellowship together. Kids and Youth activities include Vacation Bible School, Youth event nights and Easter and Fall activities for all ages, We look forward to additional activities for adults, small groups and adding additional opportunites for our high school students in the near future.
We invite you to become a part of the present and future of Trinity United Church of Christ, Elliston, Ohio.