Trinity Episcopal Church

Trinity Episcopal Church has enjoyed a long and colorful history in the West Branch area.  Founded on January 13, 1901, six families met in Dr. C.L. Nauman's hall.  It wasn't long before prominant families within the community were attending regular services in the old Congregational building.  A new church was completed in February 1904, on East Houghton Avenue in downtown West Branch.

In 1923 the Trinity Parish Hall was completed to accomodate increasing interest in both the church and its social activities.  It was a real social center for West Branch and the community.  Social activities included Friday night dances, which quickly became popular among area residents.

In 1964, a faulty foundation prompted the church to make plans to build the present church on East Houghton Avenue.  Four years later, in 1968, the building process was complete and the current facility was occupied. The new church features all but one of the original stained glass windows, which mysteriously disappeared with the church bell.  Neither have resurfaced since then.

We are a small congreagation, with an average Sunday attendance of 29.  We are located in Ogemaw County, one of the rural counties of northern lower Michigan, with a county population of about 21,000.  The city of West Branch is the county seat.  The clergy (one priest and one deacon) of Trinity are members of the Ogemaw County Clergy Fellowship, a volunteer ecumenical clergy orgnization which supports a county food pantry and a financial assistance fund called the Good Samiritan Fund.  The food pantry and Good Samaritan Fund office are both located at Trinity,  The food pantry is open on Wednesdays for two hours and served about 5000 people, or about 25% of the county population, in 2014.