There's a place for you at Trinity. Relax, feel welcome, nobody's taking attendance. We invite you to see what Trinity has to offer.
What some of our members have to say about their introduction to Trinity:
I originally came to Trinity Episcopal Church because they offered an early morning service on Ash Wednesday. I liked it so much that I came back on Sunday. That was 17 years ago and I'm still attending! Why? Because of the wonderfully non -exclusive atmosphere.
Lent is a very special time for me and Good Friday particularly. You enter this beautiful church and see that the altar has been stripped bare the night before. The statues are veiled. It is a solemn occasion and there is silence. Silence so deep that I can hear what God wants me to know. The Good Friday service is a very moving experience. I know that in a couple of days the darkness will turn to light. But right now, I just sit and listen and contemplate. I reflect on how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, surrounded by welcoming people that help emphasize the spirit of community. I know that this is THE place where I feel closest to God. I realize it really is a Good Friday.
My partner and I came to Trinity because we both had been estranged from the Catholic Church. We were both divorced. As a child my partner was never even baptized. He was divorced five years ago. I was divorced ten years ago. Neither of us agreed much with the rules of the Catholic church.
I did not think the church should command me to stay in a horrible marriage, or dictate how many children I should have. I did not think I should be punished from receiving the Eucharist because I made some wrong choices earlier in my life. At Trinity Episcopal Church I found all the beliefs I was raised with, without severe rules or prejudice.
Trinity Episcopal Church welcomed us both with friendship, kindness, and understanding. Trinity welcomes all walks of life without judging or being condescending. My partner was baptized as an adult. He filled that void in his life which now makes him feel more spiritually complete. He now attends Trinity, and offers assistance when his schedule allows. Now I walk up to the altar and receive communion, without being made to feel I am unworthy of that act. I have become active in my church and enjoy the worship, the singing, and all our events. I have enjoyed meeting new and diverse people in our congregation, and I appreciate the hard work of Father Smith and all involved.
Ten years of my life passed by before I found Trinity. If you identify with any of the information above, you can find Trinity Episcopal Church in ten digits: 201-943-1034.
The following text is from a course entitled Anglican Essentials - a Course of Adult Catechesis developed by the Diocese of Alabama and is used with permission. Trinity Church wishes to thank the design team of clergy and laity from the Diocese of Alabama who created this document.
The Episcopal Church in the United States is a true part of the one Church of Jesus Christ, which he established by his death and resurrection, empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and through which God works for the redemption of all creation. Members of the Episcopal Church, like all Christians everywhere, follow Jesus Christ, confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share in his eternal priesthood.
Adult inquirers are likely to be familiar with the proposition that the Anglican way is a "via media" or middle way between Catholic and Protestant and to be aware that the Episcopal Church is a part of the Anglican Communion and stems from the Church of England. In two sessions devoted to church history, it is the aim of this curriculum to build on these understandings and to deepen them. Session One is on the English heritage and Session Two on the American Church. In both sessions, the emphasis is on what is distinctive about Anglicanism, not on what is held in common with all other Christians. The central lesson of both sessions is that the Anglican via media is not merely a compromise, but a distinctive approach to living the Christian life. Throughout these sessions, the recurring themes are those of balancing competing claims and living in the tension between opposites: English and Catholic, Protestant and Catholic, community and individual.
1.English Christianity existed as a distinctive branch of the trunk of the apostolic Church from the earliest times of the Christian era. It synthesized Celtic practices and Roman practices into a distinct Ecclesia Anglicana long before the Reformation.
2.The first British Christians were Romans, but with the withdrawal ofthe Romans from England in the Fifth century, Christianity survived in the Celtic areas of the west of England, Ireland, and Scotland. In the centuries during which Celtic Christianity was separated from Roman, the Celts developed a distinctive form of monasticism and church polity and a spirituality centered on creation and the cross.
1.The Church of England came to the English colonies in North America with the first settlers at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Since the New England colonies were the creation of Puritans dissatisfied with the established Church at home, they were never Anglican, but the southern colonies gave a privileged position to the established Church of England.
2.During the two and a half centuries from 1607 to 1776, the English never consecrated a bishop for America, and even in the southern colonies there were many Anglicans who were not eager to see them appointed, since they were regarded as unwelcome extensions of royal authority. Laymen on vestries acquired much greater control over their clergy and parish affairs than in England.
Worship is central to the life of the Episcopal Church and Anglican tradition. An experience of Anglican worship is what initially draws many people into the fellowship of this Church. As we shall see, from the beginnings of the Church in England as a distinctive ecclesiastical body, it was the activity of worship that united various beliefs into one Church. In large part worship still identifies who we are more than any other factor.
The Anglican tradition is not confessional. That is, we have no official systematic theology or officially defined set of beliefs other than those expressed in the Book of Common Prayer, which we voice through our common worship. For instance, one can say that Anglicans believe in one God who is a Trinity of persons not because we have an academic statement that says so but rather because when we worship we profess the Nicene or Apostles' Creed, both of which witness to the Holy Trinity. In another instance, we believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and regard as mystery how that is accomplished beyond what is indicated by Eucharistic prayers. Our beliefs are given voice by the content of our worship, which continues to re-enforce our beliefs. None of this is to say that all Anglicans have always worshipped in the same way any more than Anglicans have always believed exactly in the same way.
Early in church history, St. Augustine formulated the understanding that God performs the sacraments; the minister is merely the human agent. Thus the validity of the sacrament is not dependent upon the virtue or spiritual merit of the minister performing the physical action. By the time of St. Thomas Aquinas there were seven sacraments recognized by the Roman Catholic Church: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, ordination, marriage, penance, and unction. Luther held there were only three: baptism, Eucharist, and penance. When pressed he said that only two of these were real sacraments, because penance had no "sign." Calvin said there were only two, baptism and the Eucharist.
1. The word polity refers to the structure of a church and how it is organized.
2. Examples of different kinds of polity are congregational, presbyterian, episcopal.
3. The polity of the Episcopal Church USA is Anglican, a unique blend of representative government and the unity achieved through our common worship and the role of the historic episcopacy.
4. The major unit of organization in the Episcopal Church is the diocese. It is a geographical unit under the leadership of a bishop.
5. Some dioceses have more than one bishop. The Diocesan Bishop is the chief priest, pastor, ecclesiastical authority and executive officer.
6. Only bishops confirm members of the Episcopal Church (or receive members from another church that has an historic episcopacy).
7. The Diocese is made up of all the Episcopal parish churches, mission, ministries and worshipping communities in a given geographical area. A province is a group of dioceses. A map of the Episcopal Church, showing its dioceses and its nine provinces can be found in the most recent Episcopal Church Annual.
St. Paul always greeted and closed with the words, "The peace of God be with you" in his pastoral letters. This is an appropriate way to greet fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and so we say, "The peace of the Lord be with you" and respond, "And also with you." We then pass this greeting of peace to one another. At the passing of the peace we should earnestly desire God's peace upon each person we greet. The passing of the peace is also a sign of obedience to Jesus' words that we make peace with one another before offering our gifts at the altar (Matt. 5:23-24).
The people of Trinity talk about why they come here.