(Information quoted from A History of the Trinity Lutheran Church, Seventy-Fifth Anniversary by Philip von Rohr Sauer, booklet held in the research room of the Beltrami County History Center, Bemidji, Minnesota.)
The first Missouri Synod Lutheran services in Bemidji were conducted by the Rev. Theodore Buenger in 1907. Buenger, who was pastor of Immanuel Lutheran church, Cass Lake, was also serving Frohn at the time. The services, all in German, were held in the courtroom of the County Court House at two o’clock on Sunday afternoons. The court house then stood on the corner of 4th of Beltrami Avenue.
Services were later conducted in the Baptist church and in the Bethel (Swedish) Lutheran Church. Among those who attended services were the Max Luebeck, Fred Westphal, Henry Schmidt, and August Golz families.
In 1911 and 1912, the Rev. Paul Roehr of Cass Lake serviced Frohn and Bemidji, but in 1912 Frohn had its first resident pastor O. H. Brauer, whose horse and buggy took him not only to Bemidji but also to Tenstrike and as far as Blackduck. He served Bemidji from 1912 to 1918.
The Rev. Louis J. Lemke, who served from 1918 to 1920, might be called the transitional pastor, for he was the last resident pastor in the Frohn parsonage and the first to occupy the parsonage of the parish in Bemidji. He conducted services in the Frohn Church and in the living room of the Bemidji parsonage which stood on the corner of Thirteenth and Beltrami Avenue at 1300 Beltrami Avenue.
Pastor Lemke left the Frohn parsonage to occupy the Bemidji manse sometime during his 1918-1920 pastorate. He left Bemidji to accept the pastorate at Louisville, Minnesota in May 1920.
The pastor who deserves the title “Founder of Trinity” was Rev. E. W. Frenk. In 1920, he accepted the call and was ordained and installed at Frohn in August 1920. One October 5, 1921, he was married and the young couple lived in the large frame parsonage which then stood at 1300 Beltrami Avenue.
About 75 members of the congregation met at the parsonage to welcome the young couple on their return from their travels in the east.
In the fall of 1922, Trinity Lutheran Church was formally organized. The original three families, according to Mrs. Frenk, were those of Oscar W. Olson, Ed Hillert, and Mrs. Caroline “Grandma” Meyer. Among the first members who signed the constitution were H. A. Toensing, John H. Rodekuhr, O. W. Olson, H. H. Maag, Edward Hillert, George M. Heny, Adolph F. Ehrenberg, Adolf Danowsky, and Eugene O. Hensel. Those who signed subsequently were John Golz, Paul Page., George Burr, W. F. Peabody, Charles E. Koenig, S. L. Braaten, August Luedtke, Sr., August Luedtke, Jr., Fred Luedtke, and Max Luebeck.
For a while, Trinity rented the Norwegian Lutheran Church, and later services were held in the Trinity Parsonage. A church was needed. In June, 1922, Pastor Frenk attending a meeting in St. Paul and urged the Mission Board to grant a loan. Thanks to a gentleman who loaned the board $5,000, it was possible to start on the building of a new church. The large parsonage was moved to the rear of the lot on Beltrami and 13th. The members began to excavate for a new church. Paul Pagel directed the excavation; O. W. Olson hauled the dirt away.
Laying of Cornerstone of New Church Sunday
Bemidji is soon to have a new church building. Work on the new Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church Thirteenth Street has been going on for some time and from now on, the construction will be more rapid, at least as far as the erection of the building is concerned.
Arrangements have been completed by Rev. Erdmah Frenk, pastor, for the laying of the cornerstone next Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock to which the public is invited. Services are being held in the parsonage chapel until the new building is ready for use. The growth of this church is evidenced by the fact that the chapel has proven too small to accommodate the congregation and that a modern new building is required. Rev. Henry Nuoffer of Cass Lake and Rev. Heine Martin of Tenstrike will speak at the cornerstone laying ceremonies Sunday afternoon. In addition to the local charge, Rev. Frenk conducts services in a number of nearby communities, including Frohn and Puposky. (Oct 19, 1922)
In the summer of 1923 the church was completed and dedicated. There were about 125 people present at the dedication. Pastor Frenk left at the end of 1925.
Following Pastor Frenk was the Rev. P.J. Seltz, who served from 1925 to 1937. The Depression years were difficult years for the church and its meager budget. Nevertheless the church continued to grow. Rev. Pal Huchthausen succeeded Pastor Seltz and served about a year and a half. His successor, the Rev. C. A. Joesting served Trinity for twenty years: 1938-1958.
The members constantly repaired the church and parsonage, volunteered free janitor service and even provided free fuel. During World War II, the members held wood-cutting bees. Each fall for several years members cut enough wood on the Riley and Dietrich Wolf farms to heat the church and parsonage.
The church debt was paid off and the mortgage burned in a ceremony in 1957. Pastor Joesting left in 1958. In August 1958, Rev. R. T. Koehler accepted the call to Trinity. The first project was a new parsonage built at 1805 Beltrami Court, as the old 1920 parsonage was converted into a parish house.
Because of crowded conditions, outdoor services were held at the Timberlane Theater in 1958 in addition to services in the old church. In a special meeting on April 28, 1963, the congregation voted to erect a new church. Ground was broken on July 22, and the cornerstone laid on November 29, 1963. The new Trinity Lutheran church was dedicated in a formal ceremony on May 10, 1964, when a procession moved from the old to the new church.