Trinity has been blessed with strong lay and pastoral leadership throughout our long and rich history. In our first 100 years we had only three rectors who laid a firm foundation for the parish.

In 1732 Newtown's Congregational minister, the Reverend John Beach, converted to the Anglican Church, causing considerable turmoil in the town. He sailed to Britain, where he was ordained by the Anglican bishop, and upon his return, he conducted his first service as rector of what was to become Trinity parish.

By all accounts, John Beach was a giant of the early Anglican-Episcopal tradition in America. Unpopular though it was, Beach supported the Crown throughout the American Revolution, surviving threats both to his life and to his ministry. He died in 1782, the year before the Revolution ended and the year before the formal establishment of the American Episcopal Church.

When the Reverend Daniel Burhans, D.D., became rector in 1799, Trinity was the largest parish in the diocese, with 300 communicants. Trinity grew physically as well. John Beach's first church was a 28 foot by 24 foot structure near the corner of Main Street and Glover Avenue. In 1746 a larger building was built on the west side of Main Street. Then, in 1793, Bishop Samuel Seabury consecrated a third building which served as our church until the present stone structure was built in 1870.

The 1970s found Trinity developing a significant outreach program, as we helped fund the construction of a parish house for St. Luke's, New Haven, an inner-city church. At the same time, the Eucharist became central in the church's spiritual life.

The Reverend Stephen Gushee guided Trinity through the liturgical changes of the decade. We studied and used the "trial liturgies" made available by the national Church, so that we were ready to embrace the new prayer book when it was finally adopted in 1976. The interior of the church was remodeled to accomodate a free standing altar, underscoring the fact that the Eucharist had become the focus of our worship.

The Reverend Frank Dunn was rector at Trinity from 1979 to 1992. During his rectorship, Trinity's membership grew, and we became known for strong lay ministry. We established a Pastoral Care program to enable parishioners to help each other in times of crisis.

The decade of the 1980s saw us purchasing a two-manual 26-rank Austin organ, establishing youth choirs, and organizing and greatly expanding the parish library.

The position of Church School Director was added to our salaried staff in the 1970s, that of Administrative Assistant in the 1980s, and that of Youth Director in the 1990s.