Trinity United Church: This is who we are
“The question for serious Christians is this: Can the Christian movement distinguish itself from Christendom with enough imagination and daring to help humanity find a way into the future beyond the demise of the modern vision and the spent imperialism of the ‘Christian’ West?”
To the Governance Commission of Northern Waters Presbytery,
It is with joyful anticipation that we offer you, on behalf of the Council and Congregation of Trinity United Church, our proposal and application for a grant with The Presbyteries of Toronto Conference Corporation.
Last winter, the main set of front steps to our flagship entrance to the church, collapsed. After over a hundred years of service, they had done their time. But having removed the crumbled brickwork, and taken time for careful consideration, an exciting new venture presented itself. At the same time we were contemplating the entrance to the church, we were forming partnerships in the community with other faith traditions, the local farmer’s market, 12 step meetings, Syrian refugees, teachers of spiritual practice, musical groups, and artists and artisans of every kind. We noticed the traffic going in and out of the church with Guides, Brownies, Kairos, and ESL gatherings alongside the usual church activity. And as we did, we began to imagine our church as a refurbished, reborn centre for the community. We saw that a well-designed entrance to the eastern side of the church was the nexus of our renaissance.
The head of property, Michael Hoffman, and myself, formed up a visioning team of five enthusiastic people who were excited about leading this revitalization of the church - with its focus on outreach to the community. In the year 2017, the movement is not from the community to the church, but, following in the footsteps of Jesus, from the heart of our Christian faith out into the community – building relationships one person at a time, and forming partnerships with other like-minded groups whose focus is the greater good. We have called our project: Space and Spirit – One Step at a Time. We believe that that we can create space that reflects the spirit of Christ – hospitable, generous, compassionate, beautiful in form and spirit, metaphorically holding its arms open to the community in welcoming embrace. And, putting one foot in front of the other, working steadily towards our goal of an enlivened church, we can accomplish this, one step at a time.
We brought our collective ideas – and enthusiasm – to Garth Wilson, a well-respected designer in our area. Along with his considerable gifts, he is also a lover of God, with a deep affection for the church, and a hope in its collective resurrection. Mr. Wilson took all our ideas of welcome and created for us a beautiful front entrance.
We submit our application in the hope and prayer that you will find it worthy of consideration and support. Space, when married to the right spirit, can offer resurrection to all those in its vicinity. In the Lenten season, we dare to hope that our church can once again offer the Easter promise of endless possibilities.
May grace abide.
Rev. Candice Bist
Michael Hoffman (Head of Property)
Ann McAlpine (Chair of Council)
Paula Cameron (Secretary of Council)
Whitney Hoffman (Worship Committee)
what we have done this last year,
and continue to do
we worship
We respond to current events
“I pray that all is well.
Once again, thank you for the awesome event yesterday evening. It was truly a memorable experience. We wanted to invite you over at one of our Islamic Centres here in Brampton...”
we invite, and our invited to,
interdenomonational and interreligious conversations
we invite, support, and showcase local musicians, artists, and artisans
we partner with the local farmer's market and food producers
Our Town of Shelburne
