Who We Are
Welcome to Trinity. We have been a Christian congregation welcoming other believers, seekers, and even skeptics since 1995. The best way to get to know any church and its beliefs and practices is to get involved in its community, yet the following information and resources should also help.
Characteristically, we are "evangelical" in that we emphasize the basic announcement of Jesus Christ himself, what has been called his "evangel" or "gospel". The summary of that message, found most clearly in the New Testament, is that the God who created the world has begun to redeem it through the historical life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. While that redemption will one day remake the whole world (the Bible refers to Christ bringing a future "New Heavens and New Earth"), its special focus is on the redemption of human beings as God re-fashions them into what they were meant to be: persons who delight to worship God and lovingly serve each other, beings who are intellectually, emotionally, and volitionally complete. The beginning of that redemption has been accomplished by Jesus Christ, whose death made possible a restored friendship with God, and whose perfect life is the ground for the new life that is progressively infused into his followers. "Evangel" is literally translated "good news", and in this case refers to the fact that humans can be fully reconciled with God, remade, healed, and destined for an eternity with God in his coming new world utterly without cost to them. The good news is that Jesus himself paid the cost that fallen people ought to have paid, and gives his salvation freely to those who are moved to personally seek it and trust him for it. If there is a cost to the believer, it is the cost of treating Christ as one's Lord, giving him the reins of one's life, and letting his commands (also found in the New Testament) be utterly determinative. However, Christianity would say that this burden is really a kind of freedom, for humans are most free, most vitalized, most joyful, when living with Christ as their Lord.
Since the gospel is our basic conviction, every other characteristic of our community is really secondary. You will find at Trinity a surprising mix of personalities, socio-economic positions, political views, artistic preferences, educational achievements, clothing styles, and senses of humor. Since we also see ourselves as a community in which to explore and investigate the Christian faith, non-Christians are also welcome in our midst, and no questions or doubts are out of place. You will be welcome here.
Organizationally, our church belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America, made up of about 1,300 churches across the United States. For more doctrinal specifics, see the Westminster Confession of Faith, which all pastors commit themselves to (though not necessarily all members).
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