Not every step in Trinity’s building history moved forward easily.
By the early 1960s, the church had dedicated its first permanent educational unit and continued to look toward future needs. On December 18, 1963, Clarence Pritchard, Chair of the Building Committee, reported on the committee’s investigation into construction of the new unit. The plan was to finish the existing building.
Architects Holloway and Reeves were hired to design the building and parking. Bids were opened on May 28, 1964.
They were rejected as “too high.”
It is a small line in the anniversary book, but it is one of the more relatable moments in the story. Trinity had a need. The church had made plans. Professionals had been hired. Bids had been received. And then the congregation had to pause because the cost was too much.
That kind of moment can be frustrating, but it can also be clarifying. The book records that although the first construction plans failed because of high bids, church leaders and members kept working to expand. During the rest of 1964, they explored other options, including different designs, to meet the needs of the congregation.
That is the real story here.
The church did not stop because the first answer was too expensive. It adjusted. Leaders kept working. Members continued looking for a path forward.
By December 16, 1964, the church approved the Board of Deacons’ recommendation to proceed with a $200,000 addition. Construction would begin on the back of the first permanent unit, adding classrooms, a kitchen, and a fellowship hall.
The rejected bids did not end the vision. They reshaped the path.
Looking back, this moment reminds us that faithful planning is not the same thing as getting everything exactly right the first time. Churches, like people, often have to revise plans, reconsider costs, and keep listening for the next faithful step.
In Trinity’s story, the high bids of 1964 became part of a larger season of perseverance. The church kept making room for ministry, one revised plan at a time.
Read More in 70 Years at Trinity
This story was drawn from 70 Years at Trinity: February 5, 1956 – May 3, 2026, prepared in celebration of the seventieth anniversary of Trinity Baptist Church.
For more about Trinity’s 1964 building plans, rejected bids, and revised path forward, see pages 21–22 of the anniversary book.
