Trinity Presbyterian Church, located at 607 Hospital Road, does more than host Sunday services. It excels in offering diverse classes and community service opportunities.
Pastor Buren Blankenship said the church was founded around 1973 during the civil rights struggle and is social-justice oriented.
“Trinity has a very open and caring congregation who reach out to people who have had bad experiences with church and religion. We are also open to other religions and faiths,” Blankenship said.
Kay Brocato, Ph.D. associate professor of the College of Education and active member of Trinity, said Trinity is a progressive, spiritual and peaceful place.
“From the time I’ve been affiliated with the church, there have been guest speakers in almost every faith. There have been Jewish, Hebrew, Mormon, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic people who have spoken. We’re an open congregation who have an intellectual understanding of a variety of faiths,” Brocato said.
In January and February of last year, Trinity hosted a lesbian, bisexual, gay, transsexual and questioning (LBGTQ) unit where different people spoke, voicing their personal stories or opinions on the subject.
In addition, Brocato said Trinity holds three adult classes each Sunday of this year.
“One class is titled ‘The Edge,’ a provocative, more academic class, the other is titled ‘The Seekers,’ which is a current event discussion and the last is ‘Journeys and Faith,’ which is a more biblical discussion,” she said.
Brocato said these classes present a diverse view of the world and enable an understanding beyond what is seen.
Cade Smith, active member of Trinity and teacher of The Edge class said he has been a member since 1997. He serves on the session, the local governing body of the church.
“An interesting thing about Trinity is that we have a category called Friends of Trinity. In this group, people choose not to be a member, however, they are still very active in the church as far as community service and other activities go,” Smith said.
Charles Sparrow, professor emeritus of chemical engineering and active member of Trinity, said he and his wife have been members for 35 years, and Trinity presents a comfortable and diverse setting to draw people in and not turn anyone away.
“We pride ourselves in being a congregation really involved in community service. Our members serve in the Cotton District’s Arts festivals, in the 5K and 10Ks,” Sparrow said.
Sparrow said the congregation is volunteer-oriented and has about 58 habit houses within Habitat for Humanity.
Trinity also offers a college class for young adults and college students taught by Robert Jackson, grad student and landscape architecture major.
“There has not been a class like this in a long time at Trinity, and we’re just getting it started. Our latest topic has been ‘Can you be spiritual but not religious?’ And it’s only one of many topics to come,” Jackson said.
Jackson said this class is not an actual college course, but he encourages students and young adults to join. The class is held every Sunday at 11 a.m. at Trinity.
Pastor Blankenship said Trinity will hold ‘Intergenerational’ Sunday school on Sept. 29 at 11 a.m.
“On fifth Sunday, Trinity will hold a special Sunday school that invites children of all ages to get together and learn together,” Blankenship said.
Trinity holds worship every Sunday at 9:30 a.m., followed by Sunday school at 11 a.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church offers a welcoming environment.
