A Brief History of Trinity Lutheran Church
Newsletter and Calendar
The Lutherans in southwestern Utah were first served by vicars and pastors who traveled the circuit from Kanab to St. George to Cedar City. Vicar Victor Meyer placed a newspaper advertisement in 1974 which started the process of gathering Lutherans together. In early 1975 three families began having Lutheran services in their homes. The group was recognized as a mission church in 1976, thanks to the efforts of Fay Burns, and was served by several young vicars until 1979 when Reverend Dale Schultz began serving congregations in St. George and Cedar City. It was in 1983 that Reverend Greg Williamson became the first called pastor of Trinity. The congregation met in various commercial sites before building in Fiddler's Canyon.
In the year 1985 Trinity officially became a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (lcms.org). Two years later, in 1987, ground was broken for a church building, erected with help from the "Laborers of Christ." The church was dedicated on October 25, 1987. The second Trinity pastor, Reverend Tom Johnson, started a Christian Day elementary school in the fall of 1991. Under the leadership of Reverend John Manweiler from 1992 to 1998, Trinity continued to grow and serve.
Reverend John Jaster became our pastor in 2002. Rev. Jaster has extended the reach of the Lutheran Church by serving as minister in Richfield, Utah, with Sunday afternoon services following the morning ones in Cedar City.
In July of 2007 a loan of $251,000 was accepted to add a new sanctuary onto the church. By the January of 2008 the new sanctuary, although not completely furnished, was in use. Thanks to a hard-working Design Committee, chaired by Diane Molnar, items such as the communion rail, cross, chancel chairs, and stained glass windows were soon installed. A new electronic piano/organ was added in the fall of 2008.
The long-awaited dedication took place on May 30, 2009.
Under the spiritual guidance of Pastor John Jaster, Trinity Lutheran has continued to grow. A Lutheran membership directory of 1983 showed just over 60 married couples and single individuals in southern Utah and adjacent states, with approximately 25 of these in Cedar City. Today the membership of Trinity Lutheran is much higher with steadily increasing attendance.
In February 2013, Pastor Jastor retired and Pastor Bob Sharp began his spiritual guidance of our congregation. Under his leadership, the congregation has continued to grow and has added a Nursery and children's Sunday School. He has also led the congregation in several outreach events, including an annual Rally Day in September and a continuation of the annual ladies' Valentine Tea each February.
Another exciting event in 2016 was the remodeling of our kitchen and serving area. A grant from LWML, combined with fundraising activities and donations from the congregation made it possible to add an expanded floorplan, new flooring, two new stoves with ovens, an additional refrigerator with icemaker, as well as two overhead microwaves and lots of cabinets. Now outreach events are even better!
Contact Pastor Bob Sharp:
pbob022212@cedarlutheran.org
Please contact the webmaster with any questions or corrections:
webmaster@cedarlutheran.org
410 E. 1935 North
Cedar City, Utah 84721
Sunday Service at 10:00 AM
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