Trinity Lutheran Church has stood at 40 West Nicholai Street in Hicksville, New York, since 1931, when its present stone sanctuary was completed. It is the oldest congregation in Hicksville and one of the oldest Lutheran bodies on Long Island, tracing its roots to a German Lutheran prayer meeting held on May 3, 1850. Today the church is a member congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, gathers around weekly Holy Communion in two distinct worship styles, runs a parochial school that has been in continuous operation since 1954, and houses a near life-size bronze replica of Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise at the entrance to its sanctuary. Its motto, "Rooted in Hicksville. Grounded in Christ," reflects an identity that has not strayed far from the vision of those early German Lutheran founders.
A Sanctuary with the Gates of Paradise
Most churches claim a stained-glass window, a bell tower, or a historic organ as their signature feature. Trinity's signature hangs on bronze hinges at the main entrance to the sanctuary. In 1971, when the church was expanded and renovated to accommodate a growing congregation, a pair of full-size bronze doors was unveiled as a memorial gift in loving memory of Katharine M. and Kenneth D., the wife and son of George C. Karlson.
Those doors are a replica of Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous East Doors for the Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista in Florence, Italy, the panels Michelangelo dubbed le Porte del Paradiso, the Gates of Paradise. Each door stands about 16 feet high, four inches thick and five feet wide, weighing some 2,550 pounds. They are cast entirely in bronze, an alloy of 90 percent copper and 10 percent tin, with the sculpted portions finished in gold using the ancient lost-wax method. The originals were completed by Ghiberti in 1452 and were once hidden from Nazi forces during the Second World War; the molds for the replicas were made by Bruno Bearzi, the official caretaker of Florence's art works, who later used them to cast the doors that now greet worshippers walking into Trinity on a Sunday morning.
What Sundays Look Like
Each weekend Trinity gathers for worship centered on the preaching of the Word and the celebration of Holy Communion, which the congregation understands as a sacrament in which the body and blood of Christ are truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine. As a "Family Church," Trinity extends the communion invitation to all who share this confession and who desire God's forgiveness and strength.
From September through June the Sunday schedule is:
- 9:00 AM Traditional Worship - a liturgy shaped by the Lutheran chorales, congregational hymnody, and choral anthems of the Trinity Choir.
- 11:00 AM Contemporary Worship - led by the Trinity Praise Band, drawing on music from artists such as the Newsboys, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Lincoln Brewster, and Jeremy Camp.
Both services are also broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook, and the recordings remain available for viewing at any time.
On the first and third Thursdays of each month at 7:00 PM the congregation gathers for a quieter Service of Prayer and Healing. Once the program year resumes each September, Trinity hosts a coffee hour between services with coffee, tea, juice, bagels, donuts, and other baked goods, and a children's table with juice and cookies. Members of the Praise Band describe their worship as drawing together musicians and singers both young and young at heart.
Coming as a Visitor
Visitors are not asked to follow a dress code; Trinity simply asks that clothing be respectful and honor God. Young children are welcome in worship, and "Comfy Bags" with coloring books and quiet activities are available in the church. A well-equipped Cry Room is open every Sunday morning for parents who want a place to take a restless child. Arriving a few minutes early gives visitors time to meet the pastor or members of the Trinity family and to get a feel for the building. The main parking lot sits between W. Nicholai and W. Marie Streets, with overflow parking in the Town of Oyster Bay lot next door to the school. From the Hicksville LIRR station, Trinity is a short walk, less than a quarter mile, to the southeast.
175 Years of Grace on Long Island
Trinity dates its formal founding to May 3, 1850, when a small group of German Lutherans on Long Island began gathering for worship served by circuit-riding pastors from Brooklyn. The earliest services met in the Frederick Heyne homestead on the west side of Newbridge Road and later moved to the Union Chapel on Broadway. In 1864 Rev. A. Weisel became the congregation's first settled pastor and oversaw construction of the first dedicated church building on the south side of West Nicholai Street - land that is now the Trinity Lutheran School playground.
The long tenure of Rev. P. G. L. Matschat, who served from 1876 to 1919, brought stability and a forward-looking vision. Under his leadership the congregation purchased land on the north side of West Nicholai Street and began laying the groundwork for a larger sanctuary. In 1915 the Rev. W. D. Rusch was called as Trinity's first assistant pastor to add an English-language service to the German-language congregation. He later became pastor himself, and during his time two daughter congregations were founded in the early 1920s: Trinity Lutheran Church in Glen Cove and Saint Paul Lutheran Church in Bethpage, both of which continue to this day.
In 1930 the cornerstone was laid for the present stone church. The last service in the old wooden building was held on November 14, 1931, and the first service in the new church took place the same day. The Rev. E. H. Stammel was ordained and installed as Trinity's assistant pastor in 1942 and became senior pastor a year later, beginning a thirty-one-year pastorate that saw the founding of Trinity Lutheran School in 1954, the establishment of Long Island Lutheran High School, and the planting of what became Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Plainview. The multi-use East Wing was added in November 1986 during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Krahn (1974 to 1988), and a parish center with expanded nursery and pre-K classrooms followed under Rev. Wayne Puls (1986 to 2012).
The Rev. Michael Henn was installed as Trinity's youth pastor in 2008, a role he filled for more than six years before stepping in as senior pastor from October 2014 to February 2016. After an interim period shared by Rev. Charles "Chip" Froehlich and Rev. Gregory Dwyer, the Rev. John Hopkins was installed on May 21, 2017, serving until his retirement in April 2023. On Sunday, June 30, 2024, The Reverend Dr. Johnson Rethinasamy was installed as Trinity's senior pastor. Dr. Rethinasamy holds degrees from the University of Madras, Annamalai University, and Serampore University in India, along with a doctorate from New York Theological Seminary. He has taught evangelism, world religions, and theology at Concordia College New York and several other institutions, and also serves as a Mission Executive overseeing church planting initiatives for a regional judicatory of the LCMS.
Two other expansions mark the recent story. In 2018 Trinity opened a licensed, flexible, home-based daycare program for children from six weeks to thirty-six months old. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the congregation shifted its services online, and the response from viewers well beyond Hicksville convinced the members that livestreaming worship was worth keeping as a permanent ministry. Generous gifts from the congregation funded the video and internet equipment now used every week.
Faith Formation from Pre-K through High School
Sunday School and Christ's Kids
Sunday School classes meet during the 9:00 AM service and are open to all children from age three through fifth grade. Children begin in worship alongside their parents before being dismissed to age-appropriate classrooms where they hear Bible stories, sing songs, make friends, and learn of God's love in Jesus Christ.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School runs each year in early August, with morning sessions from 9:00 AM to noon. The program is open to any child age four through just-completed fifth grade, regardless of church background. There is no cost to attend. VBS at Trinity uses a multi-day rotation through games, crafts, music, snacks, and Bible teaching, and each year's program gathers donations for the church's food pantry and Blessing Box.
Confirmation
Confirmation at Trinity is a three-year journey that begins in sixth grade and prepares students for First Holy Communion along the way and the public Rite of Confirmation at the end. Trinity Lutheran School students receive Confirmation instruction during the school day. Students from other schools meet on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM at the church. The three years cover Foundations of Faith (Bible basics, with First Communion preparation), Growing in Faith (how Scripture shapes daily life), and Confirmation Preparation (deeper Lutheran doctrine and the public confession of faith).
Youth Ministry
Trinity's youth ministry is divided into three age groups:
- Visions of Tomorrow's Youth (VOTY) offers Christian-values programming for children and their parents and welcomes community families.
- Jr. Youth (grades 6 through 8) centers on fellowship, games, and a short devotion. Activities include air hockey, pool, ping pong, table hockey, and Pacman, with occasional off-site events.
- Senior Youth (high school and beyond) emphasizes service and fundraisers that support larger mission trips, including past trips to the LCMS National Youth Gathering and servant trips to Buffalo and West Virginia.
Music Ministry
Music has long been a central feature of Lutheran worship, and Trinity's program reflects both the classical tradition and the contemporary. The Trinity Choir leads the 9:00 AM service with music that ranges from Gregorian chant and Bach, Handel, and Brahms to modern liturgical composers. Adult choir rehearses on Thursdays at 8:00 PM throughout the school year and is open to new singers. Handbell choirs and guest instrumentalists from the congregation round out the program.
The Trinity Praise Band leads the 11:00 AM Contemporary service and performs on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Led by pianist Wayne Hoeberlein, drummer Paul Viole, acoustic guitarist and vocalist Tim Prohinsie, bassist Binny Samuel, and vocalists Linda and Howard Hoeberlein, Betsy Lazarek, and Valerie Crispell-Sutcliffe, the band draws on the popular songs of contemporary Christian artists. The band has also performed at church and community events beyond its twice-monthly services.
In 2018 Trinity installed a large four-manual digital organ built by Walker Technical Company of Zionsville, Pennsylvania. Its range of voices supports the choir and congregation in leading the liturgy.
Comfort Dogs Abraham and Beloved
Trinity's comfort dog ministry is one of the most distinctive things about the congregation. In April 2019, Abraham, a golden retriever trained by Lutheran Church Charities, arrived at Trinity Lutheran Church and School as the very first LCC K-9 Comfort Dog placed in the state of New York. On April 10, 2022, a second golden retriever, Beloved, joined the team. The two dogs and their volunteer handlers visit schools, nursing homes, hospitals, first responders, military veterans, and people in crisis, sharing what LCC describes as the "mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ" with those who are suffering or in need.
The comfort dog ministry is part of a broader Lutheran Church Charities effort that also includes Kare 9 Military Ministry dogs partnered with veteran handlers and LCC K-9 Police Ministry dogs partnered with law enforcement officers. Trinity's dogs can be followed on the church's Facebook pages for Abraham and Beloved.
The Community Garden and Caring for Hicksville
Tucked behind Trinity at 46 West Cherry Street, the Trinity Lutheran Church Community Giving Garden was founded in May 2011 to help provide fresh produce to individuals and families in Hicksville and the surrounding communities who struggle with food insecurity. The garden now consists of thirty-three raised beds planted with a variety of vegetables and is open to all who live in the area, not only members of the church. Volunteer work days run on Monday evenings starting in mid-May at 6:30 PM, with additional special-project Saturdays announced through the church's email list. Tools are provided, all ages are welcome (with children accompanied by an adult), and no gardening experience is necessary. The garden's harvest is distributed to neighbors in need.
Trinity also collects non-perishable food for a Blessing Box and food pantry, with daily needs including canned soup, tuna, canned chicken, chili, stew, canned ravioli, cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, and peanut butter.
Adult Discipleship and Fellowship
Three regular Bible study groups meet during the program year:
- Tuesday Evening Ladies Bible Study - a women's study meeting by Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30 PM, beginning the first Tuesday in September and meeting weekly thereafter.
- Women's Wednesday Morning Bible Study - meeting at 9:30 AM in the Stammel Center, beginning the third Wednesday in September.
- Trinity Men - a monthly breakfast, fellowship, and Bible study for men at 8:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month at the Empire Diner in Hicksville.
For deeper devotional reading, lay deacon and writer Anthony Cavaliere contributes regular Bible-based devotions online, walking readers through the Psalms, Advent meditations, and teachings drawn from Isaiah, Zephaniah, Amos, and the Pauline epistles.
Service in the Liturgy
Trinity's worship depends on the work of lay volunteers. Deacons assist the pastor during worship with serving Holy Communion and with prayer. Outside of the sanctuary, the Lay Deacons of Trinity - Donna Haines, Betsy Lazarek, and Lynn Waldeck, all of whom have completed the two-year Atlantic District Lay Diaconate Program - engage in teaching, catechesis of youth and adults, shut-in and hospital visitation, hospitality, small group Bible study leadership, and various forms of outreach. Readers, Servers, and Acolytes take part in worship each week, with most volunteers serving roughly once a month. Ushers greet worshippers, hand out bulletins, direct communicants, and collect the offering.
The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) is the official women's auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Trinity's LWML chapter meets on the first Sunday of each month from September through June, immediately after the 9:00 AM service, and supports missions locally, nationally, and globally. The chapter is led at Trinity by Margherite Hoeberlein and Robyn Hoefling.
Trinity also sponsors Boy Scouts Troop 291, a boy-led troop with active patrols advancing in rank and character through scouting's traditional program of outings and leadership opportunities.
Trinity Lutheran School
Trinity's parochial school was founded in 1954 with Dr. R. H. Engebrecht as its first principal. The school has been in continuous operation ever since and now educates students from nursery and pre-K through middle school, with Trinity Lutheran School students receiving Confirmation instruction during the school day. Beginning in 2018, Trinity also operates a licensed home-based daycare program for children from six weeks to 36 months old. Together, the school and daycare are part of a wide-reaching effort to provide Christian education from infancy through Confirmation.
Weddings, Funerals, and Baptisms
Weddings
Couples who wish to marry at Trinity meet with the pastor for pre-marital counseling and work with a wedding coordinator who walks them through the service. A soloist may be arranged, and all music, readings, and vow options are provided when the ceremony is scheduled. The sanctuary, with its stained glass windows, stone walls, and bronze Gates of Paradise, is offered as the setting for the ceremony, although the doors and stonework also serve as a backdrop for wedding portraits.
Funerals
Trinity encourages families to contact the church office as soon as possible after a death so that the pastor can begin pastoral care and funeral planning. The pastor can preside at services either in the church sanctuary or at a funeral home and will help families select hymns, scripture readings, and life tributes.
Baptisms
Holy Baptism, the church teaches, is instituted by Christ for people of all ages, including infants. In the sacrament God uses plain water together with His Word to bring about new life, wash away sin, and adopt the baptized into His family. Adults not yet baptized may enroll in an Adult Information Class in preparation for baptism. The church maintains Baptism Request and Wedding Request forms on its contact channels.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity Lutheran Church is a member congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and accepts the doctrine of the evangelical Christian faith as presented in the Holy Scriptures and the Book of Concord. The congregation confesses and teaches that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that human beings are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ crucified and risen, and that the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are means of grace in which Christ is truly present. The vision statement of the congregation reads: "That all will know the Love of Jesus!"
Membership at Trinity follows four paths: Holy Baptism, Confirmation at the end of the three-year catechetical program, profession of faith through the New and Re-New Members Class, or transfer of letter from another LCMS congregation. Adults interested in membership are encouraged to contact the church office about the next Adult Information Class.
Practical Information
Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 40 West Nicholai Street, Hicksville, NY 11801. The church office is reachable at 516-931-2225 and churchoffice@trinityhicksville.org. Both Sunday services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and recordings remain available for viewing at any time.
By car, the church is reached from the Northern State Parkway (Exit 35) or the Long Island Expressway (Exit 41) south on Route 106/107, staying left at the Route 107 fork and turning right onto W. Nicholai Street at the third traffic light after passing under the LIRR trestle. From the Southern State Parkway, take Route 107 North past Hempstead Turnpike and turn left onto W. Nicholai Street at the first traffic light north of Old Country Road. By train, the church is a short walk southeast of the Hicksville LIRR station.
Members and friends support the congregation's ministry through regular offerings, online giving through PushPay or Zeffy, and designated gifts for the Comfort Dog Ministry and the Community Garden. The congregation publishes a weekly news sheet and a 2024-2025 Three Year Ministry Plan as a record of its goals and progress.
For nearly 176 years, Trinity Lutheran Church has gathered at the heart of Hicksville around the preaching of the Word, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the singing of hymns both ancient and new, the formation of children and youth in the Christian faith, and a wide variety of service to neighbors in need - all beneath the gaze of the bronze Gates of Paradise that open its sanctuary to the community it calls home.