www.trinitypresdenton.org
Trinity Presbyterian Church
2200 N. Bell Avenue
Denton TX 76209
(940) 382-8815
trinity@trinitypresdenton.org
fax: (940) 382-7985
Trinity Welcomes You! |
Trinity Welcomes You! |
Trinity Welcomes You! |
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www.trinitypresdenton.org |
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Trinity Presbyterian Church was organized in 1960. When it was determined that there was a need for a Presbyterian church in the northeast section of Denton, members of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church volunteered to colonize a new church. Most of the fifty-eight charter members came from St. Andrew to begin Trinity Presbyterian Church.
The first worship service was held at Jack Schmitz Chapel, and church school classes were held across the street in the Eleanor Green Dance Studio, but later moved to a "coffee house" with a bizarre decor that required many hours of renovation and redecoration. In September of 1961 the congregation moved into the first unit (former fellowship hall and educational wing) which was designed by architect-member Roland Laney at the present site - 2200 Bell Avenue.
In 1979 the congregation determined that it needed to update its facilities and began a building fund drive. Ground was broken for the present sanctuary on August 5, 1979; the congregation dedicated the new sanctuary on April 20, 1980. In 2000 a new fellowship hall with handicapped-accessible restrooms and kitchen were added as well as renovation of offices and classroom spaces. The church celebrated its 40th anniversary in July, 2000, filling the new hall with current and former members, family, and friends.
Trinity has had pastoral leadership from the following ministers: Paul Young (1960-1966), Kenneth Wright (1966-1970), John Pierce (1971-1976), William Spearman (1977-1982), Val Fowler (1983-1990), Jim Lappen (Interim Supply, 1990), Kent Miller (1992-2005), and Dr. E. Corinna Nation Interim, 2005-2007. Our current pastor is Craig Hunter
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Trinity Presbyterian Church takes very seriously the following statements which guide our efforts toward inclusiveness:
...from The Scriptures...
I Corinthians 12: There are many
members, yet one body.
Acts 10:
God shows no partiality.
Ephesians
2: He has broken down the dividing wall, that is the
hostility between us.
...from the Book of Order...
The Church
and its Mission - G-3.0401b:
The church is called: to a new openness to its own membership, by
affirming itself
as a community of diversity, becoming in fact as well as in faith
a community of women and
men of all ages, races, and conditions, and by providing for
inclusiveness as a visible
sign of the new humanity.
Diversity and Inclusion - G-4.0400:
The church in its witness to the uniqueness of the Christian
faith is called
to mission and must be responsive to diversity in both the church
and the
world. Thus the fellowship of Christians as it gathers for
worship and
orders its corporate life will display a rich variety of form,
practice,
language, program, nurture, and service to suit culture and need.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) shall give full expression to the
rich
diversity within its membership and shall provide means which
will assure a
greater inclusiveness leading to wholeness in its emerging
life. Persons of
all racial ethnic groups, different ages, both sexes, various
disabilities,
diverse geographical areas, different theological positions
consistent with
the Reformed tradition as well as different marital conditions
(married,
single, widowed, or divorced) shall be guaranteed full
participation and
access to representation in the decision making of the church.
...from A Brief Statement of Faith...
line 26
In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone,
male and female, of every race and people,
equally in God's image to live as one community.
line 52
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers in the one body of
Christ, the church.
line 65
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage...
to unmask idolatries in church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work for justice, freedom, and peace,
...from Trinity's Statement of Mission...
We are
committed to the fellowship of the Body of Christ:
and we will
endeavor to involve every member of our congregation in the
church's loving
fellowship:
Goal 10 - By
encouraging the development of a sense of community within our
congregation
that embraces people of all ages and social, economic, and
ethnic
backgrounds.
...and...
We are
committed to the work of Christ in the world:
and we will
endeavor to involve every member of our congregation in this
vital work:
Goal 23 - By
engaging in acts of compassion, teaching and advocacy to heal
brokenness
affecting individuals, families and society.
Therefore, we at
Trinity Presbyterian Church will act in the light of this
wisdom, welcoming, and building
each other up in love, regardless of the
differences that may exist among
us in age, abilities, disabilities, sex,
sexual orientation or family
structure; or in racial, ethnic or national
background; or in social,
educational or economic status. We will foster
inclusive ways of thinking,
speaking, and acting, both within the church
family and as we meet the world in
witness and mission.
To be a church which worships,
educates, comforts, challenges, works, and
plays in a truly inclusive manner
requires a commitment to ongoing
consciousness raising on the part
of the whole church family, modeled and
nurtured by both ruling and
teaching elders. These intentional
consciousness-raising efforts
demand a listening heart and a willingness to
be changed and challenged by new
understandings, sometimes those evoked by
unexpected teachers in surprising
places.
As a church committed to
affirming our unity in the midst of diversity, we
acknowledge that this assertion,
when taken seriously and acted upon,
opens us wide to controversy and
risk within and without. Thankfully we can
also trust that as we speak and
act in the spirit of loving community, the
mind of Christ is discerned among
us and we are shown fresh ways to honor
each other before God.
We have faith that those fresh
ways will be revealed in every area of our
church's life:
-
as we struggle with the language we employ in worship and in our
educational programming, so that
we further develop our respect for both God
and God's created order in line
with our Christian beliefs;
-
as we build programs to meet needs within the church family, so
that we
remember our diversity and ask
questions, refraining from making assumptions
that we all think and feel alike;
-
as we relate to persons on the receiving end of our mission
projects,
that we learn from listening to
the realities of their lives and be inspired
by their strength and faith;
-
as we reach out to make contact with potential new members, that
we
convey a genuine welcome that is
not based on any assumptions about how they
might "fit in";
-
as we work and play together, that we speak the truth to each
other in
love, that we might help each
other grow in awareness of the distinctions
between those behaviors and
attitudes which divide and hurt and those which
bring wholeness and healing.
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adopted by the congregation in January, 1990
We are each committed to God's Son Jesus Christ.
We will witness to the value of a deep personal commitment to Christ.
We will strive corporately to follow Christ in a life of costly and joyous discipleship.
We are committed to the fellowship of the Body of Christ.
We will endeavor to involve every person in our community of faith in Trinity's loving fellowship.
We will encourage others to join us.
We are committed to the work of Christ in the world.
We will endeavor to involve everyone in this vital mission work.
Trinity’s purpose is:
to communicate the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ
to all people;
to provide worship, nurture, and fellowship for all;
to promote social justice and demonstrate life in the Kingdom of God;
to honor Christ
in all dimensions of our lives and worship.
[adopted February 2004]
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As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), in reliance on the promise of God's grace, we make the following affirmations about our faith and our church:
We affirm faith in Jesus Christ who proclaimed the reign of God by preaching good news to the poor, binding up the broken-hearted and calling all to repent and believe the good news. It is Christ whose life and ministry form and discipline all we say and do.
The church we seek to strengthen is built upon the hospitality of Jesus, who said, "Whoever comes to me I will not cast out." The good news of the gospel is that all -- those who are near and those who were far off -- are invited; all are members of the household and citizens of the realm of God. No one has a claim on this invitation and none of us becomes worthy, even by sincere effort to live according to God's will. Grateful for our own inclusion, we carry out the mission of the church to extend God's hospitality to a broken and fearful and lonely world.
The people of God are called to be "light to the nations." As God's people, we have a commission rather than a privilege. We believe that the place of the church is in the world and for the world: living the good news, proclaiming grace, working with others for justice, freedom and peace. Thus Christian faith has an inevitable public and political dimension. Because we believe that God is at work in culture and community beyond the church, the church need not be afraid to look and listen for God's voice from outside its own sphere.
The words of scripture provide life and nourishment; as the psalmist says, they are desirable, delicious, sweet. The Bible is the evidence of God's long, patient and persistent relationship with communities and persons of faith. It is the one true, reliable witness to God's self-giving in Jesus Christ. The process of discerning God's Word in the words of scripture depends on the faithful reading of the Bible by those who seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are committed to the ongoing task of finding in scripture God's call to live out the Christian life in our day and time. We embrace gifts of scholarship, research and dialogue as we seek to understand the Bible's relevance to the ever-changing needs of the world and to circumstances which scripture does not explicitly address.
We seek the gift of unity among all who confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord. Unity is Christ's prayer for those who would follow him, "so that the world might believe." We hope to maintain communion fellowship with all whose lives are guided by the Christian creeds and by the confessions of Reformed faith. We pledge to strengthen our ties to those who are at risk of being excluded by recent legislative actions of our church. We also want to live in unity with those whose views are different from ours.
Because nothing in life or death can separate us from God's love, we pray that the issues before us will not separate us from one another.
COVENANT STATEMENT
Therefore we covenant together to:
1. welcome, in the name of Christ, all whom God calls into community and leadership in God's church;
2. reach out in solidarity and compassion to all who are wounded or excluded by recent legislative actions of our church;
3. continue to be faithful to the Presbyterian Church (USA), supporting its mission in Christ's name to God's world;
4. reaffirm our denomination's historic understanding that "God alone is Lord of the conscience" (G-1.0301) both for ourselves and for those with whom we disagree;
5. trust sessions and presbyteries to ordain those called by God, through the voice of the church, who are "persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord" and whose "manner of life demonstrates the Christian gospel in the church and the world" (G-6.0106a);
6. seek pastoral and theological solutions to division in the church;
7. maintain dialogue, study, and prayer in the spirit of Christ with those with whom we differ, seeking to understand the deeper roots of our disagreements;
8. seek God's will for the Church through the presence of Christ, the study of scripture, the guidance of our historic confessions, and the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit;
9. encourage officers and governing bodies of the church to join us in this covenant.
As we covenant together in Christ, we commit ourselves to encourage one another through prayer, counsel, and mutual support, through times of challenge, controversy, and hope.
For more info
visit Covenant Network of Presbyterians online.
WITH AMERICAN MUSLIMS
September, 2005
As members of the Christian clergy of Denton, Texas, we share our nation’s grief and shock at the acts of terrorism that took place September 11th in our land.
We also find ourselves deeply saddened that these terribly evil acts have given rise to acts of terrorism directed against the Muslim community in our nation, in Texas and in Denton.
We come to stand and speak against violence directed at anyone or any group as a result of hatred or reaction in fear to terrorism.
We come to stand and speak against violence and attacks upon any house of worship and the threat this poses to all places of worship.
We come to stand and speak for the freedom all people have to worship as they choose without fear of harm.
When violence comes against you, it is a threat to our neighborhood.
When violence attacks your mosque, it is an threat to our churches.
When violence threatens your worship, it threatens our gathering.
We come as neighbors to offer our support, our prayers and our voices calling for peace. And we come as religious leaders to call the whole community to take responsibility for upholding the freedom we all have to worship as we choose.
Therefore, we gather in person and by signature to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community of our city, state and nation and against terrorism turned inward on any of our citizens or residents. We denounce and reject any hate crime against a Mosque or Muslim or Arab American!
We call on all Americans to seek justice, not revenge, and to protect the freedoms that we hold so dear and the rights of every citizen.
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| Page placed August 1, 1999. Last updated Sunday, August 14, 2005 |
Copyright © Carolyn S. Brim |
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