TRINITY UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

    Our church was born in racial controversy on January 31, 1954 through the courage, faith and vision of Mother of the Church Irene V. Mandexter and other founders some 106 days preceding the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas overturning the century old doctrine of “separate but equal” enunciated in Plessy v. Ferguson that affirmed the practice of racial segregation in the Southern United States. TUPC joined her sister Catholic, Episcopal and United Methodist Churches as an Afrocentric church in a Eurocentric denomination. We thank Almighty God and celebrate the goodness of the Sixty-five (65) years of existence of TUPC in this community. While we are small in number, we desire to do great things for our Lord and Savior through our love, compassion, service to others and in bringing all humankind to know Christ.

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    It has been said appropriately that “Birth even for a church is a long and painful process.” The original process for Trinity United Presbyterian Church began in 1949, shortly after the arrival on the Florida A&M University (FAMU) campus of Miss Irene V. Mandexter. Upon her arrival in Tallahassee, she was amazed to find that there was only one Presbyterian church in the city and that was the First Presbyterian Church which was for white worshippers only. Having grown up in the Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Miss Mandexter went to see the pastor of First Presbyterian, the Reverend Dr. William P. Martin, about a place for worship. She was told: “I wish I could say to you to come to our church, but if I did my deacons would not seat you.” However, Rev. Martin agreed to meet with her and other black Presbyterians to explore the possibility of establishing a black church in the city. Although there were quite a number of persons of color with Presbyterian Background in the city, most had joined other churches or had not affiliated with any church. So, after considerable effort to find interested black Presbyterians, only three—Miss Irene Mandexter, Miss Ethel Carey, and Mr. Everett P. Blake joined Reverend Martin at this initial meeting. 

 

    They agreed to meet monthly and seek others as they worked to lay a solid foundation for a new church. In addition to the monthly meetings, during the summer of 1950, a Summer Bible School was held with the assistance of personnel from First Presbyterian Church in Polkinghorne Village on the FAMU campus. In the Spring of 1951, the late Dr. Alex R. Batchelor and the Reverend Lawrence W, Bottoms, representing the Division of Negro Work of the Board of Church Extension of the Presbyterian Church, conducted a survey in Tallahassee to determine the feasibility of establishing a black Presbyterian Church in the City. After finding that Tallahassee was fertile ground, Dr. Batchelor returned in early 1953 with plans calling for the establishment of a new church in the fall. Progress toward the establishment of a new church moved more rapidly than had been anticipated. On July 29, 1953, the Reverend J. Metz, the holder of the B.A. and B.D. degrees from Johnson C. Smith University, became the first pastor to this small band of Christians seeking to identify with the Presbyterian Church. Reverend J. Metz Rollins conducted the first public workshop service on Sunday evening, August 23, 1953, in the sanctuary of the St. Michaels All-Angels Episcopal Church. 

 

    The first regular morning service was held on August 30, 1953, at the Manse, 2023 South Boulevard Street, Tallahassee, Florida. Since the majority of interested persons were still on vacation, only three attended this meeting. By the next Sunday, however, several more persons were in attendance--most of whom joined as charter members. The group voted to name this church Trinity Presbyterian Church. Dr. Sylvia Lyons-Render became the first church secretary and Miss Irene V. Mandexter, the first church treasurer, a temporary position to be held until a suitable deacon could be elected. The first elders were nominated and elected in the followed order: Dr. Russell L. Anderson, Mr. Everett F. Blake, Mr. Robert Daniels and Mr. Wilbur Bate. In September of the same year, Miss Thelma Hayes took up residency on the FAMU campus to begin Christian Fellowship work among the students. After nearly one year of preliminary planning and organizing, on Sunday, January 31, 1954, in the Bond School Cafetorium, the Trinity Presbyterian Church U.S. was formally organized and declared a part of the Presbyterian Church U.S. This organizational service was conducted by the Reverend C. C. Fisher, Reverend F. M. Williams and Elder Sutton – all members of the Central Alabama Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church U.S. At that time, elders R. L. Anderson, E. P. Blake, R. P. Daniels and Wilbur Bate were ordained and installed. Also, the Rev. J. Metz Rollins, Jr., was installed as founding pastor of the infant church which at the time claimed thirty-three (33) charter members.

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     In mid-February 1954, Mr. Ernest D. Fears and Mr. R.G. Lewis were ordained as deacons by Rev. Rollins and soon Mr. Lewis became the first elected treasurer. Through the influence of the First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee, the Presbytery secured a lot on Barbourville Drive on which the future edifice was to be built. Occasionally, the congregation would have outdoor service on the lot. When the congregation grew too large for the manse living room, services moved to the Bond Cafetorium and were held there until the present sanctuary was completed. At the beginning of the Tallahassee bus boycott in 1956, which began after two FAMU coeds refused to observe segregated seating patterns, Reverend Rollins became one of the foremost leaders in the struggle for civil rights. As Treasurer of the Inter-Civic Council (ICC), he was directly involved in payments for the bus boycott. As a result, the Presbytery of which Trinity was a member withdrew all financial support and took back the land on Barbourville Drive. Trinity then petitioned the North Florida Presbytery, Synod of the South (Northern) for membership. The congregation was accepted and thus the church became Trinity United Presbyterian Church U.S.A. With the aid of the National Mission Board and the North Florida Presbytery, a plan was drawn up for financing a new structure. 

 

    The first fifteen “Family Units” to pledge financial support for a new Sanctuary were: Dr. & Mrs. R. L. Anderson, Miss I. V. Mandexter, Mr. & Mrs. Bate, Mr. E. Fears, Mrs. B. Reeves, Dr. A. Bowman, Miss D. Wilson, Dr. & Mrs. C. U. Smith, Miss L. James, Mr. & Mrs. J. Black, Mrs. J. Q. Blake, Mr. & Mrs. N. Nims, Mr. & Mrs. N. Saylor, Mrs. M. Jackson and Mr. J. Gresham. This small group pledged a total of $7,850. The years between 1960 and 1979 were marked by many changes. The Reverend Dr. Charles A. Hunter was Trinity’s pastor from 1959-1962. On Sunday, April 29. 1962, the new church edifice was finished and dedicated. On October 2, 1962, Reverend Milton E. Cox became the pastor of Trinity. For nearly fifteen years, he gave a dedicated and enlightened ministry to the church. He spearheaded several additions to the church, namely, carpeting, pews, pulpit furniture and a baptismal fountain. As a result of his leadership, on Sunday, October 17, 1976 an $80,000 Educational Annex was dedicated. Within a year after the dedication, Reverend Cox died on June29, 1977, after a brief illness. Reverend Cox loved Trinity and thus left a substantial endowment in his will for its perpetual support.

 

    For two and one-half years after the death of Reverend Cox, Trinity was without a permanent minister. However, the congregation was assisted by two effective interim Moderators, Reverend J. H. Johnson and Reverend Jack Ahlers and ministers in the community. After an extensive search, Reverend Tracy Moore, a recent graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, was elected Pastor and Minister of the Word and served in this capacity until his resignation in 1984. 

 

    After another search of nearly two years, Reverend William Charles Harris, a retired Chaplin Major from the U.S. Army and the holder of the Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Seminary, served Trinity from June 1986 to December 1988 when he resigned and subsequently assumed a teaching position in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Florida A&M University. In mid-1989, Reverend Haimdat Sawh became the Pastor and Minister of the Word at Trinity and brought a highly spiritual, evangelical, and community-oriented ministry to the church. He offered a very active ministry which included preaching, teaching, visiting, counseling, as well as youth leadership and evangelism. Unfortunately, his leadership ended with his untimely death in an automobile accident in 1998 while he was on vacation in Canada. For two years after Reverend Sawh’s death, Reverend Doctor Leo Sandon, a professor of Religion and American Studies at Florida State University served as Trinity’s supply pastor. 

 

    On October 1, 1999, Reverend Danny D. Mitchell was called to provide the pastoral leadership at Trinity. Reverend Mitchell stated upon accepting the call: “I am an evangelist and I love to share the good news of the Gospel in appropriate situations.” In 2004, he provided the uplifting spiritual guidance and leadership as Trinity celebrated its 50th Anniversary. His years of Christian service at Trinity continued until his resignation in April of 2005. From 2005-2008, local pastors again served Trinity until Reverend Dr. Richard Mashburn, Associate Pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee became Trinity’s Interim Pastor for 18 months. In the meantime, the search continued for a permanent Presbyterian pastor until September 2008 when Reverend Michael A. Askew, Sr. became Trinity’s eighth permanent Pastor.

 

    In 2010, Reverend Askew initiated a successful food distribution program in partnership with Families Restoring the Home Front (FRHF), a community organization. In 2011, he resigned from his position as Trinity’ pastor. Once again, several supply ministers provided spirit sustenance for Trinity until Reverend Lee B. Johnson, who was not Presbyterian, became Trinity’s first part-time pastor on July 27, 2014. In a short period of time, Reverend Johnson, brought in many new members and the number of children involved in the church’s programs also increased. In September 2017, Reverend Johnson’s pastoral relationship with Trinity ended. On March 14, 2018, Reverend Theodore R. Houston became Trinity’s current pastor. Since that time, Reverend Houston has provided outstanding pastoral care and worship leadership. New outreach ministries have been developed, and existing programs have been enhanced.