Ministry and Outreach

Trinity's clergy and laity are actively involved in a variety of ministry and outreach services. The sick are visited, the needy are assisted, community is built and humanitarian issues are addressed. Our campus is used by a number of community groups in need of a welcoming place to meet, among them Alcoholics Anonymous (two chapters), DUI Victims Panel, and the Downtown Caring Community. Rehearsal space is also provided for music groups, such as the Sacred Music Chorale. We provide office, warehouse and food bank space for Northwest Harvest. Many people who visit the food bank also make use of the Trinity Thrift Shop. There are many opportunities for interested persons to participate in connecting Trinity Parish to the local community, and beyond to international issues.

Home and Hospital Visits

Our deacon, The Rev. Judy Mullins, coordinates home and hospital visits to those unable to come to church or who would like to receive communion, prayers for healing, or other such services. Both clergy and lay people make these calls, and we have both men and women who do so. When lay Eucharistic ministers take communion to those unable to attend Sunday services, they try to do so on Sunday, though occasionally this must be done on Monday. The clergy will make calls or visits whenever they are needed. Contact Deacon Judy at 206-624-5337. If you are unable to reach Deacon Judy, please ask for Fr. Paul.

Funerals

The clergy of Trinity Parish offers help and services to those requesting them. Please contact one of the clergy if you are in need or have questions. The Church courtyard is a Memorial Garden where the ashes of deceased members who have chosen to have their ashes interred are buried. Parish members are encouraged to meet with the clergy to be able to make service and bequest plans ahead of time, and to have them on file in the Church Office so that their wishes are known and honored when the need arises.

Trinity Thrift Shop

The Thrift Shop is an ecumenical outreach ministry established in partnership with Seattle First Baptist Church that has operated continually since being founded in 1981. It is co-managed and staffed by volunteers of both Trinity Parish and Seattle First Baptist. Originally located in the basement of Trinity Parish Church, since 2001 the shop has been located on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Cherry Street in a vintage house that previously served as the Parish rectory.

The Trinity Thrift Shop provides used clothing and household items to the community through a voucher system, as well as offering an attractive shopping experience for thrift shop devotees. On average, 65 persons a week are served through the voucher system. Income from the Thrift Shop is used to support nine downtown social service agencies, as well as both sponsoring churches. The shop is a flourishing enterprise that continues to meet the needs of the immediate community and beyond.

Trinity Thrift Shop is open from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Donations may be delivered to the shop during regular business hours or on Tuesday between 10:00 A.M. and 12 Noon. When the shop is closed, donations may be left in the donation cupboard next to the Church Office.

Those interested in volunteering in the Trinity Thrift Shop are invited to contact the Thrift Shop Manager, Carol Webb, at (206) 264-1698. 

Downtown Caring Community

The Downtown Caring Community was formed as a citywide evangelical renewal program, initiated originally by Fr. Allan Parker during his time as rector. The Trinity group grew out of two of these neighborhood groups-the Denny Regrade group and the First Hill group. The Downtown Caring Community meets every third Sunday of the month from 6:00 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. in Trinity's Parish Hall. The Community has dinner and prays together, conducts book or Bible study, and ends the evening with the Compline service. Members have seen each other through many of life's challenges. We joyfully welcome new participants.

Persons interested in the Downtown Caring Community may contact Brother Marvin Taylor, OCP.

Amnesty International

Trinity Parish Church is part of the Urgent Action network of Amnesty International. Once a month, a bulletin outlining concerns for an individual(s) provides specific current and background information about a concern, along with names and addresses of persons or persons in a government to whom to address concerns. An announcement, including an invitation to write, is made during our 10:30 A.M. service. Air grams and pens are provided along with a copy of the Urgent Action bulletin. Writers are asked to briefly and specifically address the issues, request an investigation or similar action, and to be courteous in their correspondence. Parishioners pray for the person(s) during the following month, but prayer needs hands and feet. The letters we send are prayers in and of themselves.

Amnesty International, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a well-respected organization with powerful influence. Issues presented are well researched and deal with issues of human rights violations-death threats, "disappearances" into prison, the need for proper medical and legal attention for prisoners, etc.

If you are interested in knowing more about this ministry, please contact Peggy Burt by email or at (425) 775-0928.

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship is committed to responding to the violence that permeates our society, and to working to establish God's kingdom here on earth. As a member of Episcopal Peace Fellowship, one joins with other Episcopalians who seek a deliberate, Christian response to violence that is in keeping with our baptismal covenant to "strive for justice and peace among all people."

Episcopal Peace Fellowship has groups and members throughout the United States. Some groups form around a particular concern, some around an overall commitment to working for the peaceful resolution of conflict. Some simply join the national organization as individuals. The Seattle area group, formed decades ago, was inactive until the build-up to the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting held in Seattle. The group presents issues from the national agenda as opportunity arises.

For more information about Episcopal Peace Fellowship, please speak with Constance Trowbridge, or go to www.episcopalpeacefellowship.org.