AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – For nearly two centuries, one church in Augusta has stood as both a spiritual home and a cornerstone of Black history.
Trinity Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, known as Mother Trinity, helped shape not only a denomination but generations of faith, leadership and culture. As the historic structure undergoes renovation, its story continues to inspire a new chapter.
Early beginnings under brush arbor
In 1840, before brick walls stood, faith did. That marked the beginning of Trinity CME Church, when 125 enslaved and free African Americans made a bold move to form their own place of worship, breaking away from St. John Methodist Church, a white church.
“They wanted to start their own congregation, so they marched to the new location and began worshipping under a brush arbor,” said Erik Montgomery, a local historian with Historic Augusta…