Trinity Church- Asbury Park, NJ


About Trinity Welcome \| Who we are \| Where we are and where we are going \| What we believe \| Our Worship \| Our history Welcome We know it is a pretty big step to explore connecting with a community of faith. With that, we work hard to help newcomers and seekers feel comfortable attending worship for the first-time. We won't ask you to stand up and introduce yourself in worship! But, we will deliberate in providing opportunities for you to inquire further at your own pace by offering frequent newcomer courses; a festive coffee hour each week right after church; social events like softball games, parish picnics and spaghetti suppers. Such gatherings offering people the opportunity to meet others. When you are ready, we hope you will contact our priest or deacon and set up a time to ask questions, tells us about yourself and what you are seeking. To do so, simply contact the parish office. Who we are We are a colorful tapestry of faith, weaving together both believers and seekers. We say: we are a church, which is loose around the edges and solid at the core. We mean that we hold to the fullness of the Christian faith as we have received it, but we try to practice the openness that Jesus displayed in his own life. He rejected judgmental religion and believed everyone had a right to a relationship with God and a welcome in the community. So do we. Where we are and where we are going Trinity Church is a Church of Jesus Christ, where we join with billions of Christians around the world in seeking the truth and loving justice of God's reign in our own lives and in the life of the world around us. We move with the mainstream of the Christian movement throughout the ages. We stand at the center of our city. We are called to do something with those intersecting facts. We reject church decline and irrelevance and are committed to growing in membership and in depth of spiritual commitment. We are expanding the ways we offer our sacred space and truth to more and more people. As servants of Christ, we try to listen to the pain of those in need and to serve others. We seek an honest and powerful spirituality for ourselves and others. We practice a radical welcome. We let our worship be joyful. What we believe We believe that God is the loving and purposeful Creator of the universe. We believe that in Jesus Christ, God gave a singularly lavish gift to human-kind. That in Christ, God makes real the promise of reconciliation of all. That the Church is the living reality of that reconciling love in the world, and therefore the Church is to welcome all persons. That the Holy Spirit of God is active and alive today. That the Church- God knows-is not perfect. That there are no easy answers. That getting the questions right takes time and help, and that the right questions are themselves a gift. That regular worship and prayer in community with others really changes lives. That, with God's help, we are called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. That we are called to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. And that it is a joyful privilege to invite you to join us in the journey toward this faith. Our worship At the heart of our life is worship. We gather together for the Holy Eucharist (also called Communion, the Lord's Supper or Mass). Our worship is grounded on the two pillars of Word and Sacrament. Through scripture and preaching, through prayer and proclamation, the offering of beautiful music, and through the sharing of holy food and drink, we respond thankfully to God's love for us in Christ. Sundays at 8am, Eucharist is celebrated in the beauty of our Lady Chapel -- a simple, traditional service to begin the morning. The service is Rite II (contemporary language) taken directly from the Book of Common Prayer. At 10am, we worship in the church with favorite hymns and the Trinity Choir singing uplifting anthems. The liturgy is designed to use inclusive language where appropriate. Do you enjoy a more quite contemplative worship service? Then, Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm is especially for you. In the winter months Eucharist is celebrated by candlelight. Find out more about our worship here (put link to our worship page). Our historic building The first Episcopal services in Asbury Park were held in 1873 in the main office of none other than James A. Bradley, founder and benefactor of the City. One year later, the first "regular service" was held in a tent on what was later known as Library Square. Permanent and summer residents alike joined in deciding to erect a church building on the lot located opposite the tent, on the corner of Asbury and Grand Avenues where our present church stands. By July 23, 1875, the 30 by 60 foot wooden Gothic-style structure was completed. The interior of the church filled about one-half the area of the present building. The wooden church was consecrated by Bishop John Scarborough on September 14, 1880. Sadly it was lost to fire. The building as we now know it today was built over a period of several years - from 1906 to 1910. The task of raising money to pay off "all debts and incumbrances" so that the church could be consecrated then took 9 1/2 years; finally, on June 15, 1919, the current building was formally consecrated as "Trinity Church." The architect, Mr. Brazer, only 27 years old at the time, conceived of our church as a "stone edifice in the best style" of English perpendicular Gothic, which flowered in England from 1350-1550. The windows are of Antique English style with delicate limestone tracery. When completed, the building cost was 42,790K! The cost today to build such a glorious structure would be phenomenal. But, the real value of this space is that it has been a sanctuary for thousands of people over the years seeking to encounter the Sacred. Throughout the middle of the 20th century, Trinity experienced continued growth, as well as the dramatic expansion of church facilities -- including renovation of the Church and office wings and the building of a new education wing and gymnasium. In terms of attendance, the parish reached its largest numbers in the mid-sixties. Like many urban areas in New Jersey, however, Asbury Park suffered greatly during the seventies and eighties. Loss of tourism and industry led to increased poverty rates -- which led to absentee landlords and the loss of much of Asbury's middle class. Throughout the last decade, Trinity re-engaged in a dramatically changed Asbury Park community, looking for new ways to serve. Our membership has since grown in both numbers and diversity. Our outreach toward the surrounding community has increased substantially, with a number of new programs being instituted. We are once again on our way to a strong, healthy parish. The parish continues to grow in its constituency -- deliberately and willingly inclusive. Members, leadership and staff are white and African American, gay and straight, rich and poor, younger and older. We have come to see in God's call to us a model of Christian life that sees holiness in diversity and change, in service and humility, in love and care freely given, and without expectation of reply. We can no more anticipate the future than could those who came before us, but we know, that so long as the people of this Church listen for that small voice of love, which is God in this world, our future is secure.

About Trinity

Welcome | Who we are | Where we are and where we are going |
What we believe | Our Worship | Our history

Welcome
We know it is a pretty big step to explore connecting with a community of faith. With that, we work hard to help newcomers and seekers feel comfortable attending worship for the first-time. We won't ask you to stand up and introduce yourself in worship! But, we will deliberate in providing opportunities for you to inquire further at your own pace by offering frequent newcomer courses; a festive coffee hour each week right after church; social events like softball games, parish picnics and spaghetti suppers. Such gatherings offering people the opportunity to meet others. When you are ready, we hope you will contact our priest or deacon and set up a time to ask questions, tells us about yourself and what you are seeking. To do so, simply contact the parish office.

Who we are
We are a colorful tapestry of faith, weaving together both believers and seekers. We say: we are a church, which is loose around the edges and solid at the core. We mean that we hold to the fullness of the Christian faith as we have received it, but we try to practice the openness that Jesus displayed in his own life. He rejected judgmental religion and believed everyone had a right to a relationship with God and a welcome in the community. So do we.

Where we are and where we are going
Trinity Church is a Church of Jesus Christ, where we join with billions of Christians around the world in seeking the truth and loving justice of God's reign in our own lives and in the life of the world around us. We move with the mainstream of the Christian movement throughout the ages. We stand at the center of our city. We are called to do something with those intersecting facts. We reject church decline and irrelevance and are committed to growing in membership and in depth of spiritual commitment. We are expanding the ways we offer our sacred space and truth to more and more people. As servants of Christ, we try to listen to the pain of those in need and to serve others. We seek an honest and powerful spirituality for ourselves and others. We practice a radical welcome. We let our worship be joyful.

What we believe
We believe that God is the loving and purposeful Creator of the universe. We believe that in Jesus Christ, God gave a singularly lavish gift to human-kind. That in Christ, God makes real the promise of reconciliation of all. That the Church is the living reality of that reconciling love in the world, and therefore the Church is to welcome all persons. That the Holy Spirit of God is active and alive today. That the Church- God knows-is not perfect. That there are no easy answers. That getting the questions right takes time and help, and that the right questions are themselves a gift. That regular worship and prayer in community with others really changes lives. That, with God's help, we
are called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. That we are called to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. And that it is a joyful privilege to invite you to join us in the journey toward this faith.

Our worship
At the heart of our life is worship. We gather together for the Holy Eucharist (also called Communion, the Lord's Supper or Mass). Our worship is grounded on the two pillars of Word and Sacrament. Through scripture and preaching, through prayer and proclamation,

the offering of beautiful music, and through the sharing of holy food and drink, we respond thankfully to God's love for us in Christ.

Sundays at 8am, Eucharist is celebrated in the beauty of our Lady Chapel -- a simple, traditional service to begin the morning. The service is Rite II (contemporary language) taken directly from the Book of Common Prayer. At 10am, we worship in the church with favorite hymns and the Trinity Choir singing uplifting anthems. The liturgy is designed to use inclusive language where appropriate. Do you enjoy a more quite contemplative worship service? Then, Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm is especially for you. In the winter months Eucharist is celebrated by candlelight. Find out more about our worship here (put link to our worship page).

Our historic building
The first Episcopal services in Asbury Park were held in 1873 in the main office of none other than James A. Bradley, founder and benefactor of the City. One year later, the first "regular service" was held in a tent on what was later known as Library Square. Permanent and summer residents alike joined in deciding to erect a church building on the lot located opposite the tent, on the corner of Asbury and Grand Avenues where our present church stands. By July 23, 1875, the 30 by 60 foot wooden Gothic-style structure was completed. The interior of the church filled about one-half the area of the present building. The wooden church was consecrated by Bishop John Scarborough on September 14, 1880. Sadly it was lost to fire.

The building as we now know it today was built over a period of several years - from 1906 to 1910. The task of raising money to pay off "all debts and incumbrances" so that the church could be consecrated then took 9 1/2 years; finally, on June 15, 1919, the current building was formally consecrated as "Trinity Church." The architect, Mr. Brazer, only 27 years old at the time, conceived of our church as a "stone edifice in the best style" of English perpendicular Gothic, which flowered in England from 1350-1550. The windows are of Antique English style with delicate limestone tracery. When completed, the building cost was 42,790K! The cost today to build such a glorious structure would be phenomenal. But, the real value of this space is that it has been a sanctuary for thousands of people over the years seeking to encounter the Sacred.

Throughout the middle of the 20th century, Trinity experienced continued growth, as well as the dramatic expansion of church facilities -- including renovation of the Church and office wings and the building of a new education wing and gymnasium. In terms of attendance, the parish reached its largest numbers in the mid-sixties. Like many urban areas in New Jersey, however, Asbury Park suffered greatly during the seventies and eighties. Loss of tourism and industry led to increased poverty rates -- which led to absentee landlords and the loss of much of Asbury's middle class. Throughout the last decade, Trinity re-engaged in a dramatically changed Asbury Park community, looking for new ways to serve. Our membership has since grown in both numbers and diversity. Our outreach toward the surrounding community has increased substantially, with a number of new programs being instituted. We are once again on our way to a strong, healthy parish.

The parish continues to grow in its constituency -- deliberately and willingly inclusive. Members, leadership and staff are white and African American, gay and straight, rich and poor, younger and older. We have come to see in God's call to us a model of Christian life that sees holiness in diversity and change, in service and humility, in love and care freely given, and without expectation of reply. We can no more anticipate the future than could those who came before us, but we know, that so long as the people of this Church listen for that small voice of love, which is God in this world, our future is secure.

At the center of our life is worship.

At the center of
our life is worship.