[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 129 (Thursday, September 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

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                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 2010

  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing the 175th anniversary of the Trinity United 
Methodist Church in West Frankfort, Illinois.
  In 1835, the same year that noted American author Samuel Clemens--
better known as Mark Twain--was born, a dedicated group of Methodists 
in Frankfort, Illinois gave birth to a new church and constructed a log 
structure as a place of worship. While the earliest history of the 
church existed as oral narrative, the church was known as the ``Old 
Frankfort Methodist Church.''
  The first pastor of record was the Reverend J.P. Crawford. As the 
church and the Methodist denomination evolved, there were several name 
changes. In 1853, the church was named the Methodist Episcopal Church 
and then, in 1939, already over 100 years old, it became the Trinity 
Methodist Church. In 1968, it was named the Trinity United Methodist 
Church, after the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist 
Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.
  As the congregation grew, the old log church could no longer meet its 
needs and a new frame church was built around 1875. Further structural 
changes were made after the Second World War, when the church was 
bricked and the parsonage was remodeled. A new parsonage was 
constructed in the 1960s.
  The 175 year history of Trinity United Methodist Church has not been 
without some lean years. In the early part of the 20th century, it was 
feared the church would cease to exist but, through the dedicated 
efforts of a few determined parishioners, the church got through those 
tough times and has continued as the oldest church in what is now West 
Frankfort, Illinois.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 175th 
anniversary of the Trinity United Methodist Church and wishing the best 
to the congregation for many years to come.

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