Holy Trinity's History

Holy Trinity got its start in 1869 when a group of lay people met at a home on West Market Street, elected a vestry, and picked the name St. Barnabas for Greensboro’s first Episcopal parish. The cornerstone for the Church was laid May 31, 1871, at the corner of what is now Friendly Avenue and Greene Street, the site of the current Elon University law school.

In 1891, a group left St. Barnabas to form St. Andrews mission, which became a parish in 1893. In May of 1910, the two parishes consolidated as Holy Trinity. The new congregation worshipped in the St. Barnabas Sanctuary for two years, then split again, with a group re-forming St. Andrews and a group remaining at Holy Trinity.

Holy Trinity bought the current site on Greene Street and Fisher Avenue in 1919, and built a much-needed parish house. Famed architect Hobart Upjohn designed the three-story building that included an assembly hall and offices. The congregation continued to worship at the old sanctuary until 1930, when the parish house assembly hall became today’s All Saints Chapel.

Holy Trinity thrived in the years after World War II, raising money to build the current Sanctuary, which was started in 1949. The first services were held Easter Sunday 1950. Construction on the Parish House was completed in 1962. A capital campaign in 1990 raised money to build a Columbarium and renovate the office space and Parish House. A 2017 campaign funded Parish House upgrades and added the terrace and additional parking. In 2022, a capital campaign provided funds to address leaks in the sanctuary and fund a maintenance endowment.

Today, more than 100 years after its founding, Holy Trinity thrives with more than 2,000 parishioners.