As 1940 dawned, the war in Europe was spreading and the “Trinity Chimes” and District News contained items seeking aid for countries in peril.
Trinity Chimes 1/21/1940 noted that “Finland’s population is 96.5 percent Lutheran.”
The District News reported in January a resolution from the Board of Directors “To encourage our pastors to urge their members to make their contributions to Finnish Relief through our Synodical Relief Committee in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Trinity Chimes 5/26/1940: “The present condition of the world calls loudly to us Christians to repent. Therefore we are planning to have a special day of humiliation and prayer on Sunday, June 30, in connection with our regular Communion service.”
The pastors also felt the effects of the increasing military build-up as this note appeared in the District News of October 1940:
“In the present national rearmament program all of our pastors who hold commissions in the Chaplains Reserve Corps have been offered a year’s extended active duty with the Regular Army by the War Department.”
It further noted that during the absence of those answering to the call to duty, the Mission Board would supply the pulpits vacated. Still, Trinity and other churches in the Southern California District continued on with the work of the church.
The District News reported concerning Lutheran schools in the District that “At enrolling time children had to be turned away everywhere. . .our enrollment could have easily been far above the 1,000 mark were our congregations able to accommodate all comers.” In the minds of many at Trinity the dream of having a school must have begun. (Trinity Lutheran School opened in September of 1943.)
Trinity Chimes 8/18/1940: “Our communicant membership now is slightly in excess of 200.”
After many meetings, fundraising and research, Trinity ordered a new organ for the sanctuary in November of 1940.
-Pauline Hiles, Fall 2011