Our History

As Melbourne's first church of any denomination, Holy Trinity has a long and proud history. In the 1880's, most of the first families to settle in Melbourne were Episcopalians of English descent, and there were only about 50 people living in the town. Services were held in a store until a parishioner from Connecticut donated property and cash for a church building in south Melbourne. In 1886, there was a ground breaking to build a chapel on the south side of Crane Creek. In 1898, the church was dismantled and moved by barge to a more central location on US Highway 1.  In 1949, Holy Trinity was declared a parish and in 1953, anticipating tremendous growth in the area because of the start of the space program, the parish purchased the present site on Strawbridge Avenue to construct a new building with room to grow. The campus was begun with the new sanctuary, seven class-rooms, a living room, two offices, a kitchen and a thrift shop. The classrooms were used for Christian education on Sundays, and by an overcrowded public school system during the week. In 1957, five more classrooms were added, and Holy Trinity Parish Day School opened.

Five years later, the Episcopal Church Women funded moving the original church structure to the Strawbridge Avenue site to serve as a chapel. The building is set in the Memorial Garden and has since been designated as an historic landmark of Brevard County. 

The years that followed saw a huge amount of growth in church membership and facilities. Holy Trinity Day School enrollment also continued to grow. The parish provided the seed money for two more local Episcopal churches, both which are still in service. In the early 70's, three buildings in downtown Melbourne that comprise 550 apartments were dedicated and serve to provide lower income housing for the elderly.  In the 90’s, new offices, a second living room, and a library were added to the church campus and a nearby house was purchased to serve as the Episcopal Counseling Center. 

The 2000s saw more renovations; the addition of Pearson Hall which houses space for children’s ministry and a choir room, and the purchase of additional property attached to the existing campus to rehome and expand the Holy Trinity Thrift Shop.  Through a capital campaign that was completed in 2020, the Historic Chapel was fully restored, a new bell tower was erected, and the church worked to beautify the grounds surrounding the new property.