The early settlers, in their desire to establish a church in this area, appealed to the Lancaster Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium. A committee was appointed; committee members canvassed the area and found Lutherans who urged them to start a Sunday School. Space in the Patriots Order of the Sons of America building was rented for $4 per month, and the first meeting was held on February 7, 1909. At the time of the first anniversary in 1910, there were 7 teachers and 35 pupils on the attendance roll.

A recommendation was made to arrange church services and to search for a site to build a chapel. The first church service was held on August 7, 1910. After the service on August 21st, a constitution was presented and the name "Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Congregation" was adopted. The Reverend Frederick C. Krapf was nominated to become the first pastor. Pastor Krapf was installed on February 27, 1911. Pastor Krapf and the congregation soon concluded that it was imperative to purchase a lot and build a church in which to worship. There were skeptics, who felt that the community already had enough churches, with four active in the area.

On April 13, 1911, a down payment of $100 was made on two lots on the corner of Cocoa and Granada Avenues, with the understanding that a church would be built within one year, at a cost of not less than $4,000. Milton S. Hershey, when reminded that he had promised to donate the two lots for a church building, refunded the down payment.

The charter for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity was granted on April 12, 1912, and on May 18, 1913, the ground breaking was held during a hard rain. With loans of $3,000 from the Lutheran Mission and Church Extension Society and $4,000 from the Hershey Trust Company, construction proceeded; the cornerstone was laid on September 21, 1913. Organ music had a role in the church's history even at this early point, as a Tuscan reed organ was purchased in 1913..

Page 2