Trinity Baptist Church was constituted on June 2, 1974. The service was held at Northside Baptist Church, 1303 Sunset Boulevard, West Columbia, South Carolina.
A new church was born on a balmy Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1974. The power of "The Trinity," God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, was present in divine perfection. The people were prepared to accept the challenge presented, namely to be a Christ-centered church with a plain and a purpose. (Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31)
The majority of the 129 baptized believers at the time of Trinity's constitution were former members of the Holland Avenue Baptist Church, 12th Street and E and F Avenue, Cayce, South Carolina. An article published in the West Columbia - Cayce Journal on the 25th Anniversary of Holland Avenue, aptly describes prevailing circumstances in the early 1970's. A paragraph from the historical record reads as follows:
"The 70's ushered in a new era in the history of Holland Avenue. A restless year for expansion went unchecked. A growing church had reached maturity. By 1974 the church arrived at the crossroad. An evangelic fervor and restless spirit within the membership resulted in a portion of the membership severing ties with the Holland Avenue family. This group of Christians, devoted to a cause, formed the Trinity Baptist Church, Out of confrontation came two philosophies, and two churches but two members in one body - the body of Christ.
It cannot be said that God wills these differences. Rather, our all-powered God can take existing circumstances, a repentant, dedicated and willing people and use them for His glory. Such has been the case with the Body of Christ called Trinity. The restless spirits in the group of God's children compelled action and climaxed in February 1974. A group of men met on several occasions for prayer, shared ideas and discussed procedures to use to withdraw from one fellowship and begin another. These men testified, ten years later, that the Spirit of Jesus was the binding force, which united them in the "Fellowship of Amazing Love."
In spirit of amazing love approximately 100 people gathered at Bill Bingham's office building on 12th Street, Cayce, for considering the possibility of starting a new church. Following a bountiful love feast (typical Southern covered-dish affair), time was spent in testimony, prayer and discussion. The theme of the devotional period was taken from God's Word: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and never faint." Isaiah 40:31.
During this initial gathering, plans were made to meet April 7, 1974 at the American Legion building, B Avenue and Marble Street, West Columbia. This group of baptized believers agreed to meet for a period of sixty days and continue to seek God's leadership for future plans. The end of the sixty-day waiting period approached. The group had grown in number. The unanimous decision to constitute was made at a called conference May 29, 1974. Following a period of suggestions, by unanimous action "Trinity" was chosen as an appropriate name.
Line Street Church with about fifty active members approached Trinity about a merger. "Line Street was struggling to keep the church going. The ones left there were extremely overworked. They wanted to merge with Trinity and deed their facilities to Trinity. ..The entire merger had been accomplished with little friction..."
Membership grew from 129 in 1974 to over 1550 in 2005. Facilities have grown from the Line Street Sanctuary which seated 300 to the current Worship Center which held the first worship service on November 18, 1990 and seats 1800.
Reverend Alvin Bozard served as Interim Pastor from December 1974 to April 1975. In April 1975, the church called the Reverend Donald P. Davis as pastor. He served until his retirement in April 2005. On June 18, 2006, Doctor Rob H. White was called as Senior Pastor.
Exerts from "Twenty - Five Years in His Service"
