Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church - Clawson

Pastor Henry Hoesman was the first full-time pastor of Trinity, and served the congregation from 1926 until 1929. During his pastorate, the church purchased a cement block building, which served as a house of worship until a new church was dedicated on September 29, 1929. The church stood at 14 Mile and Custer, and seated about 135 persons. Around 1950, the population of Clawson and the surrounding areas began to experience rapid growth. The congregation, under the leadership of Pastor Waldo Egbert became aware of the need to expand.
The present church sanctuary was dedicated in 1956. In 1962, under the leadership of Pastor Edwin Wagstaff, an educational unit was added to the church. The narthex was enlarged and offices for the pastor, secretary and Sunday School were also added. The unit was dedicated in April of 1962. The Bell Tower was dedicated on October 9, 1966. In 1979, the parsonage at 104 South Bywood was sold. In May of that same year, fire gutted the sanctuary, and worship services were temporarily moved to Kenwood School. The sanctuary was restored and remodeled. The congregation celebrated a joyous rededication service on June 15, 1980 with Bishop Holle as the guest speaker. In November 1991, Trinity installed an elevator, which serves the needs of disabled or handicapped worshippers. This project was dedicated in January of 1992.
In 2001, Trinity celebrated its 75th Anniversary! As part of the celebration we undertook a large building project. Bishop Robert Rimbo of the Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA, was on hand for our 75th anniversary celebration on Sunday, October 28, 2001. He blessed the work being done on Trinity's expansion-renovation project. Our 75th anniversary project addressed the current need for additional space by providing our members and visitors with a warm welcoming center and an easily accessible entrance to our church.
After serving Trinity for over a decade, Pastor Matthew Lash left Trinity on April 10, 2005. Trinity was served by two Interim Pastors (Pastor Cynthia Stengel and Pastor Lisa Hayes) from 2005 until November 18, 2007 when Pastor John Burow was welcomed as Trinity’s next Pastor. When Pastor John retired in February 2014, Interim Pastor Jan Marvar led the congregation through the call process.
On March 8, 2016 Pastor Ken Fouty was installed as Trinity’s new Pastor. With a vision of being more missional in our community, Pastor Ken is leading a rekindled spirit within the church. Starting September 11, 2016 with our 40-Day Journey following the book “What On Earth Am I Here For?” Trinity celebrates 90 years as a congregation, and looks forward to our next 90 years building a strong foundation of faith in the Clawson community.