Trinity Lutheran Church, a new congregation of the American Lutheran Church, was organized on March 7th, 1965, with forty-two baptized and twenty-two confirmed members. The organization culminated seven months of meeting together as a Group, working towards this goal.
The Rev. Lawrence R. Juull was called by the Home Mission Department of the American Lutheran Church to begin work in the Clovis area in August, 1964. The first worship service was held on September 20th of that year, with a temporary location at the Clovis Women’s club. Thirty-one people participated.
Construction of the church building began in September, 1964, utilizing funds provided by the ALC Home Mission. The building was completed in March of 1965, the first worship service was held that very same day. That evening, the congregation was formally organized and officers were elected to the Church Council. Rev. Juull was called as our first Pastor. In April, Trinity was accepted as a member of the ALC by the District convention and we became a mission church.
As a mission church, we received a monthly subsidy from the ALC. May of 1979 proved to be a critical time for our church. The residing Service Mission Director requested an evaluation of our church. Our church and parsonage costs were significant when built; and the ALC considered taking us off mission status. The Service Mission Director proposed forgiving a portion of the outstanding dept, if we could meet a balance of $52,140. We agreed to these terms. A pledge drive among our Trinity members and sisters congregations of the Panhandle Conference Lutheran churches yielded a significant amount. In addition personal notes from members and friends, and a loan from the Lutheran Endowment Fund of the Southwest allowed us to reach our goal.
The following churches assisted us with gifts of money and prayers:
- Oslo Lutheran Church, Gruver Texas
- Shepherd King Lutheran Church, Lubbock Texas
- Grace Lutheran Church, Slaton, Texas
- St. John Lutheran Church, Wilson, Texas
- Trinity Lutheran Church, Lockney, Texas
We are most Grateful for these past contributions from our sister congregations in the Panhandle Conference!
On September 16, 1990 the loan was repaid and we celebrated by burning the mortgage. TLC-Clovis was no longer a mission church.
In 1988, the American Lutheran Church merged with two other Lutheran bodies to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a federation of 10,000 Lutheran Churches across the United States organized into 65 geographical administration regions known as Synods. TLC-Clovis (despite being in New Mexico!) is part of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod.
Through the years, our pastors have been:
- Rev. Lawrence F. Juull server from 1965 to 1969
- Pastor Bruno Gaskamp was called to serve in September of 1969
- Pastor Thomas Hudson was called July 6, 1975
- Pastor Larry Henrichs was called on November 2, 1977
- Pastor Russell Zeiner was called on May 5, 1980
- Pastor Ray Saathoff was called in 1983 and served to retirement
- Pastor Michael Ross was called in October 1988
- Pastor Rev. Gordon Christiansen 1992-1998
- Rev. Tom Wilson 1999-2004
- Pastor Bonita Knox 2004-2017
- Vicar Eric Saed 2017-current
Our congregation’s numbers have varied during the years, primarily due to changes in the economy and the assignments of military personnel. These dedicated men and women of the armed forces and their families continue to be a wonderful asset to our church family. We miss everyone we have lost through the years as they are transferred away, but also look forward to welcoming and worshiping with the newly assigned to Clovis.
Our children –our future – are most important to us, and their religious training has been most paramount. Our community services have also varied with our membership to include Bible Schools Advent and Lenten services, and more. Our congregation whole-heartedly enjoys traditional Fellowship activities, potlucks, picnics, programs, and projects.
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