Trinity Evangelical Free Church

Church commemorates 125 years with celebration

By Megan Burrow, Managing Editor

Teaneck Suburbanite, June 4, 2015, p. 3

TEANECK - Over its 125-year history, Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Teaneck has seen many changes.

It was originally founded in Hoboken in 1890 as the Norwegian Evangelical Congregational Mission Society by recent Swedish and Norwegian immigrants. Shortly after, it became affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church Fellowship.

In 1920, a mission church was started in Teaneck. At the time the church was about 90 percent Norwegian, said Pastor Steve Lorenz.

Now, Trinity is attended by families from 14 different nations, including China, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru and the Philippines. A Korean congregation also meets at the church in the afternoon.

Lorenz, who has been the pastor of the church for the past 10 years, said the church moved to Teaneck after the Norwegian, Swedish and German families began moving to the area from Hoboken.

The roots of the Evangelical Free Church date back to the migration of many Norwegian and Swedish families to the United States in the 1800s seeking religious freedom from the countries’ state churches.

Many of the immigrants were farmers, and settled in the Midwest. But some, who had experience working on ships stayed on the East Coast and eventually started the church, said Lorenz.

"They called it ‘free’ because they weren’t under the authority of the Lutheran Church anymore," he said. The church still has some of the original handbooks, written in Norwegian.

In 1932, the Hoboken and Teaneck groups merged and formed a new congregation. The new church purchased property in Teaneck and moved to its present location on Teaneck Road.

Within a few years, the name of the church was changed to Trinity Evangelical Free Church. Construction of the current sanctuary was completed in 1952, with most of the work being done by craftsmen in the church.

"They built the sanctuary themselves. They dug the basement by hand," said Lorenz.

The church’s educational building was completed in 1966.

In the 1970s, the congregation’s demographics began changing as many of the early Norwegian members either passed away or moved west. Bill and Eleanor Johnsen are the last original Norwegian family in the church, said Lorenz. Eleanor's father helped design the current sanctuary.

Last weekend, the church held a lunch after its service to celebrate the anniversary. Former pastors and members were invited back, and special music was performed.

A display of old pictures demonstrated some of the milestones and changes the church has seen throughout its long history.