Sixty years!
This year marks 60 years of ministry and the charter of Trinity Presbyterian Church. At our recent retreat, we had opportunities to look back and look forward.
Looking back, we shared pictures, stories, and memories, including:
The names of many saints of the church were invoked - those who have passed, and many who are still with us. We have 60+ years full of people who have been making a difference in the world and in people’s lives, by sharing the light and love of Christ.
Our commitment to welcoming and affirming all of God’s beloved children has shaped who we are since the beginning.
Guided by the four marks of the church - nurture, fellowship, mission, and worship - we’ve followed God’s call into many different forms of ministry.
Trinity has been a family of love and support for so many of us!
Looking forward, we were invited to share our hopes and dreams for Trinity’s future. Here is some of what was shared:
Continuing to show God’s love for the world and everyone in it.
I hope we are a place for children, youth, families, single people, old, and young to come and experience authentic community marked by God’s extravagant and inclusive love.
Engagement for those who worship though live away and for other online worshipers to stay engaged
Growth as the body of Christ, welcoming those of all ages, welcoming old and new neighbors
The Spirit of God to continue moving in, among, and through us as the living body of Christ loving our God, selves, and neighbors as we have been so deeply loved.
Where in the real world, weeping can turn to laughter and lament to hope, as in the best of families.
Stay on the “cutting edge” of ministry: confronting racism, systemic poverty, gun violence, gender issues.
I pray for Trinity to be a safe space for more people who struggle with mental illness.
Trust in God’s providence to keep us faithful and thriving in our ministry.
I hope we go to Legoland.
Those are just a few of the hopes and dreams shared. Some might be able to guess who wrote that last one. :-) I include it because many of the hopes and dreams envisioned ministry with all ages, and especially with more youth and young people. I’m grateful for a church community that can welcome, love, and accept us all, just as we are.
By God’s grace we’ve had more than 60 years of vibrant ministry as part of the family of God. May we continue to dream and discern God’s vision for our present and future, and remain open and flexible to go where God leads. As long as we are grounded in the love of God and sharing that love in all we do, I trust that the Holy Spirit will lead us in wonderful and exciting ways as the body of Christ!
Grace and Peace,
Stephanie