So,Who are we anyway?
Trinity is an open, loving community of faith that genuinely welcomes all who enter our doors; but we also strive to go beyond our building to engage with our neighbors, meeting them wherever they are.
As such, Trinity is dedicated to service and seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us by feeding those who hunger, caring for those who are sick, welcoming those who are marginalized, and living out our Baptismal Covenant to seek Christ in all persons, to strive for justice and peace in our world and respect the dignity of every human being.
Have questions? Get in touch.
Our Mission and Vision
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God…For if we love one another, God abides in us, and God’s love will be perfected in us.” (1 John 4:7, 12)
Love is at the very core of Trinity Church. Through our faith and ministry, we seek to share Jesus Christ’s unconditional, revolutionary love for all of God’s creation and people.
We demonstrate love in action by respecting the dignity of all, practicing radical hospitality, standing in solidarity with the marginalized, advocating for peace and justice, dismantling structural racism and every system of oppression, embracing inclusivity, maintaining our sacred space as a spiritual and physical sanctuary, and pursuing ecological sustainability.
Strengthened by joyful worship, prayer, lifelong spiritual formation, stewardship of resources, pastoral care, and fellowship, we commit to follow Jesus in the Way of Love.
Our Parish Leadership
The Rev. Chase Danford
Rector
The Rev. Chase Danford is Rector of Trinity Church and Executive Director of the Trinity Center for Community. Before coming to Trinity in June 2020, he served for five years at Grace Church, Broadway, in New York City–first as Assistant Rector and then as Associate Rector. In addition to his parish role, Chase served at Grace Church School as Chaplain to the Early Childhood Division and adjunct faculty member of the Lower School Religion Department. He also previously served as Priest Associate at Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights, Curate at St. John’s Church in Larchmont, New York, and as a development officer with the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization.
Chase serves the wider church and community as a member of Diocesan Council and a founding member of the Monmouth Housing Coalition. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the GO Project, an educational equity and enrichment program for New York City public school students, as well as the Board of Incarnation Camp and Conference Center in Ivoryton, CT. He has also been a member of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Board of Missions in the Diocese of New Jersey.
Originally from Texas, Chase is a graduate of Rice University and Virginia Theological Seminary. He and his husband, Giuliano Argenziano, are grateful to call Asbury Park their home.
The Rev. Geoff Curtiss
Assisting Priest
Geoff has been retired for the past twelve years. His wife, Linda, and he retired to Bradley Beach having owned their house here since 1985. They have been familiar with Trinity over the years as their oldest son worked in the summer camp when he was a teenager and also was married at Trinity.
Linda runs the Bradley Food Pantry and they share interests in several community activities. Geoff has been engaged in community organizing in a variety of ways for the past 60 years and support the work of the Industrial Areas Foundation in NJ. Geoff volunteers at the Monmouth NJ Reentry program and work with the Monmouth Affordable Housing Coalition. He is currently chair of the Democratic Club in Bradley.
Geoff’s interests in the dignity of every human being has led him to resist both Christian Nationalism and Christian Zionism. Serving the board of a human rights organization named Cristosal. Cristosal works in the Northern Triangle. He has had a long relationship with the work of Sabeel and is working to create a chapter of FOSNA in New Jersey. This comes from his interest in both liberation theology and contextual ministry.
Geoff’s interest in Bible Study encourages him to teach regularly. He is also involved with two local book groups. One is hosted by the Asbury Book Cooperative around the issues of Social Justice and the other is a non-fiction group with a particular focus on history.
The Rev. Lucille Donohue
Assistant Ecumenical Pastor
Pastor Lucille became a member of the Trinity family in 2008. She began her ministry as an assistant pastor and moved on to complete studies to become a chaplain. She served as Chaplain and Director of an interfaith Aids Ministry, then as a hospice chaplain until she retired. While working for hospice, Lucille met and worked with Deacon Gail, who invited her to come to Trinity. Lucille currently serves as volunteer clergy here at Trinity and can be seen assisting in many church activities.
Lucille continues to support others in their times of illness and death. She is very active in her 12-step program, Overeaters Anonymous. Lucille spends 2 months per year in Florida at a treatment center, assisting others new to recovery in finding their spiritual path. Lucille is very grateful to have two of her sisters and their husbands worship here at Trinity with her.
She is also thankful to everyone in the Parish for their ongoing love and support. It brings her great joy to be a part of this loving and accepting community!
The Rev. Tom Pivinski
Asst. Ecumenical Pastor
Fr. Tom was ordained a Catholic priest in 1975 and after leaving active ministry joined the community of Trinity Church as an Assistant Ecumenical Pastor in 2005. Fr.Tom has joined the Trinity environmental group, EARTH, and is interested in encouraging Trinity members to consider the Legacy Project in order to sustain not only the preservation of its buildings but to empower future Trinitarians to be the face and hands of Christ on earth especially to the poor and underprivileged among us.
Fr. Tom and his husband, Malcolm, of 30 years have lived in Asbury Park for 25 years. They live a bi-ritual existence sharing Polish and South African cuisine and celebrating the Jewish and Christian holy days religiously.
Their home has been the refuge of as many as 6 rescue dogs at a time (Bojkie, Lily, Rosie, Chloe, Sebi and Big Momma.) Today, their visitors are welcomed by Sebi, Nikki and Curry.
Malcolm and Tom have traveled to almost every continent except Antarctica and South America, but their favorite is South Africa, Malcolm’s original home and still the site of his immediate family.
TIM SEXSMITH
Property Supervisor
As Property Supervisor, Tim is in charge of the care of Trinity’s buildings and grounds. He manages the operations of the church’s buildings,
Tim is an honorably discharged US Navy Submariner with extensive supervisory, managerial, and technical experience gained as a small business owner, marine service engineer and quality assurance program manager. Tim lives in Bradley Beach with his amazing wife Susan and their dog Iggy. He is most at home outdoors, whether it be hiking, camping, boating, or swimming. He also enjoys listening to music, cooking, and playing with Iggy.
Derek Bloom
Director of Community Engagement and Organizing
Derek is working as Trinity Church Asbury Park’s Food and Social Justice Director. Over the last ten years, he has worked on food and housing justice issues with low-income people and people experiencing homelessness. Believing that our baptismal covenant calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, Derek is compelled to help meet the immediate needs of hunger in Asbury Park and to organize at the community level to prevent hunger and injustice in the future.
Derek self identifies as a white settler cisgendered male who lives on Sand Hill Nation Lenni Lenape territory known today as Asbury Park, New Jersey, and was part of a solidarity collective called Black Mesa Indigenous Support that works against settler and resource colonialism in joint struggle with the Dineh (Navajo) people who are resisting a forced relocation in northeastern Arizona.
He also currently is part of the Light Brigade Collective, a founder of Trinity’s Radical Well Being Program, the Asbury Park Transformative Justice Project, the AP Affordable Housing Coalition, the Monmouth Housing Coalition, the Green Team for the City of Asbury Park, the Equaity Committee of Asbury Park, the Rent Leveling board of Asbury Park and the Racial Justice Project at Trinity. Derek is also a parent to River and a lover of reading, surfing, family and chosen family!
Kris Hlatky
Case Manager
Kris spends his days at Trinity working with people experiencing homelessness as well as providing case work and counseling. He received his MSW from Monmouth University in 2011 and has background in mental health, substance use and community organizing. In his spare time he spends time with his two children, Pippa and Margot, and his lovely wife Dallas. His interests are poetry, biking, music, philosophy and gardening. One of his favorite quotes is from Mr. Rogers, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people that are helping”.
Frankie Lane
Trinity Center for Community Caseworker
Code Blue Lead Safety Facilitator
Originally from Newark, NJ, Frankie has dedicated his career to supporting vulnerable populations, particularly youth transitioning out of foster care. His experience includes working with various nonprofits, where he served as a spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Essex County, advocating for homeless youth.
Frankie later transitioned to working with adults affected by displacement, driven by his belief that everyone deserves a safe and healthy environment, free from barriers such as housing and food insecurity. He takes great pride in being a supportive presence within the community, providing essential services that empower individuals to become better versions of themselves.
Frankie currently serves as the Lead Safety Facilitator in Trinity’s Code Blue Warming Shelter and as a Caseworker for The Trinity Center for Community. In each of these positions, Frankie brings his passion for advocacy, support and empowerment to our community members and works to provide resources and guidance to those experiencing housing, food, health, and economic insecurity.
Dr. Deborah Simpkin King
Director of Music and Arts
Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D., is a conductor, new music advocate, and master teacher. She plays an active role in the vibrant Manhattan choral scene and serves the national and international music community through her guest conducting and body of published work.
Her current conducting affiliations include those as Founding Artistic Director of the semi-professional Ember, of Ember Choral Arts; Director of Choirs at Manhattan School of Music; and Director of Music and Arts at the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, NJ.
Ember Choral Arts is the parent organization of PROJECT : ENCORE™, an international advocacy initiative founded by Dr. King that promotes post-premiere performances of new music. Through PROJECT : ENCORE, and through the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab, she is at the leading edge of the new music industry, working with composers in finding post-premiere performances, and performing many premieres and post-premieres, herself.
Dr. King’s commitment to nurturing the next generation in the arts can be seen through the arts education initiatives at Ember Choral Arts, her long standing leadership of the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival, and the expansion of the New York Choral Consortium’s (which she Chairs) work to embrace and highlight young singers through the Big Sing Jr.
Dr. King is a conductor within Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and a frequent guest conductor of choral festivals and workshops. As a monthly columnist with ACDA’s The Choral Journal, and host of public radio’s Sounds Choral, (syndicated through WWFM), Dr. King serves the music community internationally. King also serves as Chair of the New York Choral Consortium (NYCC), served as coordinator of the NJ-ACDA HS Choral Festival between 1994 and 2018, and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on choral consortia and new music. Connect with her at DeborahSKing.com.
At Trinity, Deborah enjoys supporting Fr. Chase’s vision of worship and liturgy with musical selections for choir, congregation, organ and piano. And she is grateful to share in Music Ministry with the dedicated singers of Trinity’s Adult Choir.
Siobhan Noland
Development Manager for Grants
Siobhan Noland is the Development Manager for Grants at the Trinity Center for Community. Since 2021, she has written grant proposals for the Trinity Center’s programs that address housing, food insecurity, and economic empowerment, in addition to capacity building and general operations, as well as ADA accessibility for the Trinity campus. She is inspired by the work of her colleagues to tell the stories of the Trinity Center in a way that encourages action and secures funding. Siobhan’s previous experience includes grant writing for environmental organizations and a municipal Environmental Commission, research, program management, donor outreach, and creating marketing materials for mission-driven organizations.
Siobhan and her family settled in Ocean Grove after years of living in San Franciso, NYC, and South Orange, NJ. She enjoys yoga, travel, reading, and frolicking in the ocean as often as possible.
Jennifer Berger Brown
Development Manager – Donor Relations
Jennifer Berger Brown is the Development Manager for Donor Relations at Trinity Center for Community, where she helps connect donors to the mission through thoughtful communication, data-driven systems, and personal outreach.
Her background spans nonprofit operations, law, and consulting, with past roles at Impact 100 Jersey Coast, Accenture, and in private legal practice. She holds degrees from Duke University (B.S., Computer Science) and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., cum laude).
She was drawn to Trinity’s work because it reflects her core values—community, compassion, and action. Originally from North Carolina, Jennifer has also lived in Savannah, Georgia, and now calls Monmouth County home with her husband, two sons, and their lab-golden mix. Outside of work, she enjoys reading (and runs a local book club), skiing, and planning travel.
Jill Osis
Director of Operations
Jill has worked at Trinity for close to 30 years, currently serving as the Director of Operations for the parish and the Deputy Executive Director of the Trinity Center for Community.
Jill oversees the daily operations of the facility and its programming. She works to support the parish in all areas including finance, building use and maintenance, youth programs, fundraising, community engagement and ministry coordination. She helps guide the Trinity Center for Community as it works in solidarity with community members to achieve justice through housing, economic, food security, and health initiatives.
Jill lives in Neptune with her husband Dave. They have 4 adult children and 4 amazing grandchildren. She enjoys being outdoors hiking, kayaking and being in and around the water as much as possible.
Courtney Pearson
Operations Manager
Courtney has been the Operations Manager for a few years now, but has a long history as part of the Trinity Family. Courtney works to support the Director of Operations, the rest of Trinity, and the Trinity Center for Community in a myriad of ways including administration, fundraising, design, fun, games, and even boulder building. Outside of Trinity, Courtney lives in Neptune and is a toy inventor! WooHoo!
The Vestry
Brice Byham
Gregory Curatolo
Donna Griffin
Wendy Jaghab
Mary Perez
James Pillar
Andy Place
Maria Tassiello
Adrienne Wert
Bill Presutti, Warden
Carol Scollay, Warden
Our Parish Leadership
The Rev. Chase Danford is Trinity Church’s Rector. Before coming to Trinity in June 2020, he served for five years at Grace Church, Broadway, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City–first as Assistant Rector and then as Associate Rector. In addition to his parish role, Father Chase also served at Grace Church School as Chaplain to the Early Childhood Division and adjunct faculty member of the Lower School Religion Department. He also previously served as Priest Associate at Grace Church, Brooklyn Heights, Curate at St. John’s Church in Larchmont, New York, and as a development officer with the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization.
Chase serves the wider church and community as a member of Diocesan Council and a founding member of the Monmouth Housing Coalition. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the GO Project, an educational equity and enrichment program for New York City public school students, as well as the Board of Incarnation Camp and Conference Center in Ivoryton, CT. He has also been a member of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Board of Missions in the Diocese of New Jersey.
Originally from Texas, Chase is a graduate of Rice University and Virginia Theological Seminary. He and his husband, Giuliano Argenziano, are excited to make Asbury Park their home.
Geoff has been retired for the past twelve years. His wife, Linda, and he retired to Bradley Beach having owned their house here since 1985. They have been familiar with Trinity over the years as their oldest son worked in the summer camp when he was a teenager and also was married at Trinity.
Linda runs the Bradley Food Pantry and they share interests in several community activities. Geoff has been engaged in community organizing in a variety of ways for the past 60 years and support the work of the Industrial Areas Foundation in NJ. Geoff volunteers at the Monmouth NJ Reentry program and work with the Monmouth Affordable Housing Coalition. He is currently chair of the Democratic Club in Bradley.
Geoff’s interests in the dignity of every human being has led him to resist both Christian Nationalism and Christian Zionism. Serving the board of a human rights organization named Cristosal. Cristosal works in the Northern Triangle. He has had a long relationship with the work of Sabeel and is working to create a chapter of FOSNA in New Jersey. This comes from his interest in both liberation theology and contextual ministry.
Geoff’s interest in Bible Study encourages him to teach regularly. He is also involved with two local book groups. One is hosted by the Asbury Book Cooperative around the issues of Social Justice and the other is a non-fiction group with a particular focus on history.
Pastor Lucille became a member of the Trinity family in 2008. She began her ministry as an assistant pastor and moved on to complete studies to become a chaplain. She served as Chaplain and Director of an interfaith Aids Ministry, then as a hospice chaplain until she retired. While working for hospice, Lucille met and worked with Deacon Gail, who invited her to come to Trinity. Lucille currently serves as volunteer clergy here at Trinity and can be seen assisting in many church activities.
Lucille continues to support others in their times of illness and death. She is very active in her 12-step program, Overeaters Anonymous. Lucille spends 2 months per year in Florida at a treatment center, assisting others new to recovery in finding their spiritual path. Lucille is very grateful to have two of her sisters and their husbands worship here at Trinity with her.
She is also thankful to everyone in the Parish for their ongoing love and support. It brings her great joy to be a part of this loving and accepting community!
Fr. Tom was ordained a Catholic priest in 1975 and after leaving active ministry joined the community of Trinity Church as an Assistant Ecumenical Pastor in 2005. Fr.Tom has joined the Trinity environmental group, EARTH, and is interested in encouraging Trinity members to consider the Legacy Project in order to sustain not only the preservation of its buildings but to empower future Trinitarians to be the face and hands of Christ on earth especially to the poor and underprivileged among us.
Fr. Tom and his husband, Malcolm, of 30 years have lived in Asbury Park for 25 years. They live a bi-ritual existence sharing Polish and South African cuisine and celebrating the Jewish and Christian holy days religiously.
Their home has been the refuge of as many as 6 rescue dogs at a time (Bojkie, Lily, Rosie, Chloe, Sebi and Big Momma.) Today, their visitors are welcomed by Sebi, Nikki and Curry.
Malcolm and Tom have traveled to almost every continent except Antarctica and South America, but their favorite is South Africa, Malcolm’s original home and still the site of his immediate family.
As Property Supervisor, Tim is in charge of the care of Trinity’s buildings and grounds. He manages the operations of the church’s buildings,
Tim is an honorably discharged US Navy Submariner with extensive supervisory, managerial, and technical experience gained as a small business owner, marine service engineer and quality assurance program manager. Tim lives in Bradley Beach with his amazing wife Susan and their dog Iggy. He is most at home outdoors, whether it be hiking, camping, boating, or swimming. He also enjoys listening to music, cooking, and playing with Iggy.
Derek is working as Trinity Church Asbury Park’s Food and Social Justice Director. Over the last ten years he has worked on food and housing justice issues with low-income people and people experiencing homelessness. Believing that our baptismal covenant calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, Derek is compelled to help meet the immediate needs of hunger in Asbury Park and to organize at the community level to prevent hunger and injustice in the future.
Derek self identifies as a white settler cisgendered male who lives on Sand Hill Nation Lenni Lenape territory known today as Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is part of a solidarity collective called Black Mesa Indigenous Support that works against settler and resource colonialism in joint struggle with the Dineh (Navajo) people who are resisting a forced relocation in northeastern Arizona.
He also currently is part of the Asbury Park Transformative Justice Project, the AP Affordable Housing Coalition, the Racial Justice Project at Trinity, and the AP Dialogue Group.
Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D., is a conductor, new music advocate, and master teacher. She plays an active role in the vibrant Manhattan choral scene and serves the national and international music community through her guest conducting and body of published work.
Her current conducting affiliations include those as Founding Artistic Director of the semi-professional Ember, of Ember Choral Arts; Director of Choirs at Manhattan School of Music; and Director of Music and Arts at the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, NJ.
Ember Choral Arts is the parent organization of PROJECT : ENCORE™, an international advocacy initiative founded by Dr. King that promotes post-premiere performances of new music. Through PROJECT : ENCORE, and through the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab, she is at the leading edge of the new music industry, working with composers in finding post-premiere performances, and performing many premieres and post-premieres, herself.
Dr. King’s commitment to nurturing the next generation in the arts can be seen through the arts education initiatives at Ember Choral Arts, her long standing leadership of the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival, and the expansion of the New York Choral Consortium’s (which she Chairs) work to embrace and highlight young singers through the Big Sing Jr.
Dr. King is a conductor within Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and a frequent guest conductor of choral festivals and workshops. As a monthly columnist with ACDA’s The Choral Journal, and host of public radio’s Sounds Choral, (syndicated through WWFM), Dr. King serves the music community internationally. King also serves as Chair of the New York Choral Consortium (NYCC), served as coordinator of the NJ-ACDA HS Choral Festival between 1994 and 2018, and is a frequent presenter at professional conferences on choral consortia and new music. Connect with her at DeborahSKing.com.
At Trinity, Deborah enjoys supporting Fr. Chase’s vision of worship and liturgy with musical selections for choir, congregation, organ and piano. And she is grateful to share in Music Ministry with the dedicated singers of Trinity’s Adult Choir.
Kris spends his days at Trinity working with people experiencing homelessness as well as providing case work and coaching . He received his MSW from Monmouth University in 2011 and has a background in mental health, substance use and community organizing.
In his spare time he spends time with his two children and his lovely wife Dallas. His interests are poetry, biking, music, philosophy and gardening. One of his favorite quotes is from Mr. Rogers, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people that are helping”.
Originally from Newark, NJ, Frankie has dedicated his career to supporting vulnerable populations, particularly youth transitioning out of foster care. His experience includes working with various nonprofits, where he served as a spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Essex County, advocating for homeless youth.
Frankie later transitioned to working with adults affected by displacement, driven by his belief that everyone deserves a safe and healthy environment, free from barriers such as housing and food insecurity. He takes great pride in being a supportive presence within the community, providing essential services that empower individuals to become better versions of themselves.
Frankie currently serves as the Lead Safety Facilitator in Trinity’s Code Blue Warming Shelter and as a Caseworker for The Trinity Center for Community. In each of these positions, Frankie brings his passion for advocacy, support and empowerment to our community members and works to provide resources and guidance to those experiencing housing, food, health, and economic insecurity.
Siobhan Noland is the Development Manager for Grants at the Trinity Center for Community. Since 2021, she has written grant proposals for the Trinity Center’s programs that address housing, food insecurity, and economic empowerment, in addition to capacity building and general operations, as well as ADA accessibility for the Trinity campus. She is inspired by the work of her colleagues to tell the stories of the Trinity Center in a way that encourages action and secures funding. Siobhan’s previous experience includes grant writing for environmental organizations and a municipal Environmental Commission, research, program management, donor outreach, and creating marketing materials for mission-driven organizations.
Siobhan and her family settled in Ocean Grove after years of living in San Franciso, NYC, and South Orange, NJ. She enjoys yoga, travel, reading, and frolicking in the ocean as often as possible.
Jennifer Berger Brown is the Development Manager for Donor Relations at Trinity Center for Community, where she helps connect donors to the mission through thoughtful communication, data-driven systems, and personal outreach.
Her background spans nonprofit operations, law, and consulting, with past roles at Impact 100 Jersey Coast, Accenture, and in private legal practice. She holds degrees from Duke University (B.S., Computer Science) and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D., cum laude).
She was drawn to Trinity’s work because it reflects her core values—community, compassion, and action. Originally from North Carolina, Jennifer has also lived in Savannah, Georgia, and now calls Monmouth County home with her husband, two sons, and their lab-golden mix. Outside of work, she enjoys reading (and runs a local book club), skiing, and planning travel.
Jill has worked at Trinity for close to 30 years, currently serving as the Director of Operations for the parish and the Deputy Executive Director of the Trinity Center for Community.
Jill oversees the daily operations of the facility and its programming. She works to support the parish in all areas including finance, building use and maintenance, youth programs, fundraising, community engagement and ministry coordination. She helps guide the Trinity Center for Community as it works in solidarity with community members to achieve justice through housing, economic, food security, and health initiatives.
Jill lives in Neptune with her husband Dave. They have 4 adult children and 4 amazing grandchildren. She enjoys being outdoors hiking, kayaking and being in and around the water as much as possible.
Courtney has been the Operations Manager for a few years now, but has a long history as part of the Trinity Family. Courtney works to support the Director of Operations, the rest of Trinity, and the Trinity Center for Community in a myriad of ways including administration, fundraising, design, fun, games, and even boulder building. Outside of Trinity, Courtney lives in Neptune and is a toy inventor! WooHoo!
Brice Byham
Gregory Curatolo
Donna Griffin
Wendy Jaghab
Mary Perez
James Pillar
Andy Place
Maria Tassiello
Adrienne Wert
Bill Presutti, Warden
Carol Scollay, Warden
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. Land was deeded by James Bradley and 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. It was lost to fire.
The building as we now know it today was built over a period of several years — with the cornerstone laid on December 30, 1908. The task of raising money to pay off “all debts and encumbrances” 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, was only 27 years when he designed our church. He is still well-known for several notable works, including the beautiful Capitol of Puerto Rico. His prominent local family included the founders and publishers of the Asbury Park Press, many of whom worshiped at Trinity and endowed the building with beautiful memorials. Mr. Brazer conceived of our church as a “stone edifice in the best style” of English perpendicular Gothic, which flowered in England from 1350-1550.
The building he designed is filled with magnificent artistry. The windows are of Antique English style with delicate limestone tracery, and are enriched by stained glass created by some the best artists of the United States, England, and Germany. The terracotta tile in the sanctuary was created by artists at the Moravian Tile Works.
The Aeolian Skinner organ is one of the finest instruments in New Jersey. When completed, the building cost $42,790, a huge sum at the time, and Trinity Asbury Park was widely recognized as one of the great church buildings in New Jersey. 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 countless thousands seeking God, and a beacon of outreach and hope to the people of Asbury Park and beyond.
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 and has re-achieved that scale in the early part of the 21st century. 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 past two decades, Trinity has re-engaged in a dramatically changed Asbury Park community, looking for new ways to serve. Our membership has 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 a strong, healthy parish.
The parish continues to grow in its constituency — deliberately and willingly inclusive. Members, leadership and staff are white and black, gay and straight, rich and poor, liberal and conservative, women and men, 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.
