“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” may be a fairly recent slogan of The United Methodist Church, but it’s been true here at Trinity for a long time.
We can’t claim to be perfect, or even exemplary, but Trinity Methodist Church was the only church in Idaho Falls to open its doors to Japanese-American citizens who had been interned in the area during World War II. The minister at the time was Dr. Carl Davidson, who served Trinity from 1939 to 1945. His leadership in Christian witness to the community resulted in, among other things, about 60 Japanese-Americans joining our church in 1941. Dr. Davidson said later, “It was the most creative and memorable experience in my ministry here.”
Many in the Japanese-American community still consider Trinity their church home, even if they don’t attend regularly. Those who do worship here regularly have been an integral part of our life as a congregation.
Thank you, Dr. Davidson, for welcoming these precious souls who have been such an important part of Trinity for more than sixty years!
