HISTORY
Reaching The Community
For Christ since 1963!
The desire to establish a Presbyterian church in North Fort Myers was fulfilled on May 26, 1963 when a group led by the Rev. Dolphus Allen met at the North Fort Myers Civic League building on Piney Road. Following that initial meeting a service of organization was held October 20, 1963 when 63 charter member were enrolled. At the same meeting officers were elected and the name Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church was chosen. On December 8, 1963, the Rev. Dolphus Allen was installed as pastor.
With the aid of the Home Mission Committee of Westminster Presbytery, land was purchased on Pondella Road. Ground breaking was held on April 19,1964 with a service of dedication on March 21, 1965.
Following the resignation of Pastor Allen in April 1967 the Rev. Joseph Wagner was called as pastor and served until December 1968. In June of 1969 the Rev. Harold R. Waters was called as pastor.
The church grew with additional Sunday School room and the fellowship hall being enlarged with the a ground breaking on October 21, 1973. In January 1974 our beloved Pastor Waters was met with an untimely death.
In June of 1974 the Rev. R. Craig Countiss was called as Pastor. Three years later, on October 26,1977 he helped lead the celebration of the burning of the mortgage on the original building and the fellowship hall, making the church debt free.
The first church building on Pondella Road was small. Under the leadership of Pastor Countiss, the church had quickly outgrown its original location. Construction began on a second church on March 1, 1979 with the first worship in the new sanctuary on February 24, 1980. During the 1980's and early 1990's the neighborhood changed and a decision was made to sell the property and relocate the building once again.
The church building sold much faster than expected but the North Fort Myers Elks Club came to the rescue with a temporary location until the church could relocate. Property was acquired at 19251 Pondella Road (our present location) for 1/2 of the appraised value! The last worship at 940 Pondella Road was on September 1, 1995 with the first worship at our new location on Palm Sunday, March 23, 1997. Shortly afterward we added the fellowship which is a manufactured building that was obtained at minimal cost from another church.
After 32 years of faithful service to the Lord the Pastor Countiss retired on July 31, 2006. With his retirement the congregation bestowed on him the honor of Pastor Emeritus.
On November 2, 2006 the Rev. Dr. Russell Hickman began to serve as a part time Stated Supply pastor during which time the sanctuary was remodeled and the beautiful stained glass window was added. Pastor Hickman retired on December 31, 2011.
The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bell began to serve Holy Trinity on March 19, 2012 as full time Stated Supply pastor. It was quickly determined that Pastor Bell was a perfect fit and she was installed as pastor. The congregation quickly grew and thrived, growing out of its current space.
A vision team was formed in October 12, 2012 and developed plan to erect a Christian Education wing. Simultaneously, Dollar General (recently built next to the church) donated 1.69 acres, providing even more room for growth.
Groundbreaking occurred on January 26, 2014 and on June 22, 2014 a dedication was held for the new expansion, living into our new mission statement of "Living for Christ Through Worship, Discipleship, Service and Fellowship."
In 2018 Pastor Bell accepted a call in Arkansas. During the interim period it was determined that the overwhelming majority of the community surrounding Holy Trinity is 55 and over. This resulted in a shift in ministry to the baby boomers and beyond. On June 1, 2019 the Rev. Dr. Clinton Cottrell accepted a full time call as pastor to Holy Trinity. Membership remained steady or grew, even during the COVID pandemic of 2020 and 2021. Pastor Clint retired in December of 2022.
We thank the Lord for vibrant ministry to the people of North Fort Myers since 1963 and look forward to many more years to come.
Sanctuary Chancel
Stained Glass
As part of our Sanctuary renovation in 2011, an anonymous gift from a Holy Trinity Member provided the funds to have a large stained glass piece designed and installed on the back wall soffit of the Chancel. A special frame was put in place to secure the piece and back lighting provided since there was no window to allow natural lighting.
After many months of planning, which included creating the design and selecting the colors, the stained glass piece was finally delivered and installed in the Spring of 2011. Since the piece is over 6 ft. in diameter, it took special equipment to hoist and set it in place. This beautiful stained glass piece is now the focal point of our Sanctuary.
Below is a listing that explains the colors, and symbolic message of this stained glass piece:
- Red, White and Blue: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- Celtic Cross & Trinity Knot: Scot heritage
- Orange: Four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
- Red Diamonds: Twelve Apostles- Peter (born Simon), Andrew (brother of Peter), James (son of Zebedee), John (brother of James, son of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Judas Thaddeus (also known as Jude), Simon the Zealot (also known as Simon the Canaanite), and Judas Iscariot.
- Purple: The color of royalty – Christ the King
- Brown: Jesus’ time on earth
- Green: Pastures for God’s flock
- Shades of Yellow: HIS radiant light.