114 Years of History 1896 - 2008

Built by Faith & Love
     In 1877, W. C. Venner, Sr.'s family of eleven emigrated to Forney, Texas from England. The extended family, including in-laws and grandchildren, provided the nucleus for a church of their choice. The need was present and the request made for an Episcopal priest to conduct services. The need was present and the request made for an Episcopal priest to conduct services. The funeral of W.C. Venner, Sr., in 1893 was the first time an Anglican clergyman ever conducted services of any kind in Forney, Texas.

A New Mission
     On February 19, 1896, an application was submitted to ask the Bishop's consent to organize a mission in Forney. the name was to be Holy Trinity, named after a church in England attended by Mrs. Venner in her youth. The next day, the request was granted and officers were appointed. It was one of the first missions established in the new Diocese of Dallas and was received at its first convention. 
     Mr. Robert H. Slack of new Bedford, Massachusetts, a noted American architect in the early 1900's answered a Texas advertisement seeking an architect for the new church. After working over several years through correspondence, the plans arrived and the building was started on three donated lots. One notes the New England style of architecture with a very steep roof to shed the snow.
     From 1896 to 1902, services were held at different denominational buildings in town by the Rev. Hudson Stuck, Dean of St. Matthews Cathedral in Dallas and the Rev. Edwin Wickens, General Missionary of the Diocese. The services of the clergy were determined by the weather as most traveled by horseback.
     Letters were sent to Mrs. Nellie Smith of the Massachusetts Altar Society, Boston, to arrange for Altar hangings. Donations were received from various sources for the building fund plus a grant from the American Church Building Fund Commission.
     Subscriptions ranging from 25 cents to $5, were taken to buy a bell from the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio for $125, but Mr. Bell donated half of the cost. When the bell arrived it was found to be too large to swing in the bell tower so the tower had be be remodeled. The Altar rail was a gift from St. Paul's Church of Riverside, Connecticut.
     The organ was purchased by the church for about $60. Dean Hudson Stuck gave a set of Altar brasses, in the name of his recent confirmation class. The entire church building, fixtures, and furnishings were completed at a cost of about $2800.

Modern History

With the advent of Lake Ray Hubbard and the resulting population growth a decision was made to move the church building to a more central location.  On July 1, 1972, Bishop A. Donald Davies appointed The Rev. Donnell E. White to be Vicar of Holy Trinity, Rockwall-Heath-Forney.  Many Episcopal churches gave financial assistance and four acres was purchased on FM 1140 as the new site. Legal requirements and problems were solved. A basement was built and the membership grew in anticipation.  On August 1, 1973, the steeple was removed, along with the bell, from the church building, and both wings were removed.  The route chosen for transportation to Rockwall required crossing over Interstate 20 and crossing a number of bridges.  The telephone company took down and replaced 96 telephone lines and the electric company did the same for 110 highlines. A great deal of time, money and effort were spent to save a 71 year old church with a seating capacity of 100.

On Aug. 15, 1981, the Rev.  James Galbraith came as the sixth Vicar to Holy Trinity, Rockwall-Heath-Forney.  The congregation has experienced a steady growth and on Oct. 2, 1982 at the 87th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Dallas, Holy Trinity was granted parish status. The Rev. James Galbraith became its first Rector.

     The church was expanded in 1998 to hold 200 persons per service. At the same time a new parish hall was built to allow table seating for 100 persons. Total cost of the project was $700,000.

 Holy Trinity Episcopal School was founded in 1994 and thrived for ten years. A new Educational Facility of nearly 8,000 square feet was completed the end of 2004 after a $1.5 million capital campaign as a joint-project between the church and the school. A new playground was also constructed in 1998. Regrettably, the school was closed In May of 2005 due to a complication of financial and staff matters. The Christian Education Building, in keeping with the Parish Master Plan, has since been used for youth and adult Sunday school and various other youth and adult education activities.  While it provided a wonderful venue for the school, its primary purpose of Christian education continues to fulfill our mission for the parish and for the community. In addition to Sunday School, the church also uses the building for Children's Chapel and other mixed uses. Church offices were relocated to the original educational wing and the old Undercroft has been transformed into a Youth Space.