Trinity Church

Mission- Our mission is based on living into our Baptismal Covenant to seek and serve Christ in all people, loving our neighbor as ourselves. We seek to be in solidarity with our neighbor as we help meet the immediate needs of hunger and housing in Asbury Park and to organize within our community to prevent hunger and injustice in the future.

Vision- As we strive for justice and peace among all people and seek to respect the dignity of every human being,  we desire an Asbury Park that is dedicated to racial, economic, sexuality, gender, and environmental justice so that all its community members are empowered, have good affordable housing, high quality educations, and good jobs.

Social Justice at Trinity has an intersectional approach in its mission. We believe that all oppressions intersect with one other. We believe that the transformation of many unjust structures including colonialism, systemic racism, economic injustice, patriarchy, LGBTQIA+ injustices, and ableism helps to create a truly just society. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

We have a three-pronged program: 1. We ask why people are hungry and houseless in one of the richest countries in the world. 2. We continue to meet the immediate needs of hunger and housing until we live in a country and world where hunger and housing is a human right. 3. We organize in the community to make justice here and now, to bring the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.

The Light Brigade Collective organizes monthly benefit shows featuring punk, hardcore, hip hop, other independent music, and art showcases to support locally run community based social justice organizations. We look to raise awareness around racial, economic, LGBTQIAS+, disability, housing, environmental, indigenous sovereignty, direct democracy, animal welfare, anti-war, food, and feminist justice struggles. We are also looking forward to creating an all-ages venue to give youth creative ways to build community, express their art, and enjoy affordable inclusive events. We look to build community through the arts with an anti-oppression lens while also supporting large movements and organizations for collective liberation.

Light Brigade Yoga is a collaboration between Trinity Church’s Radical Well-being Program and the Light Brigade Collective. LBY features a rotating roster of teachers from all different backgrounds of Yoga study and methods who will offer a completely sliding scale class every weekend at Trinity Church. The goal of these classes is to offer an accessible, beneficial program for all levels of experience that is affordable for every person who has an interest in joining in. Light Brigade Yoga seeks to provide a space for the community to focus on their mental and physical health, and learn more about the traditions and wisdom of Yoga. All donations collected at these classes will go directly to the teachers and the well being program at Trinity, which provides assistance to those experiencing food , housing, and economic insecurities.

Trinity Church’s Radical Well-being Program (RWbP) is an intersectional, holistic housing program guided by the understanding that housing alone is not enough to create well-being. Wellbeing can only be achieved when physical and mental health, social support, treatment for and freedom from use disorders and addiction, communication skills, and financial literacy are addressed. the RWbP recognizes systemic racism, sexism, ableism, discrimination of LGBTQIAS+, and classism among other kinds of discrimination contribute to homelessness and have a significant impact on mental health. the RWbP offers holistic, wrap-around, and preventative services either in-house or through community relationships and partnerships which provide community members with resources while addressing societal forces: *Permanent housing *emergency housing and rapid-rehousing *Job training and local job placement *opportunities for physical exercise in relaxed environment *Community building conversations and casual walks in the community *Mental health Counseling (We will give referrals to local partnerships) *use Disorders and addiction counseling and meetings (We will give referrals to local partnerships) *Community organizing for powerful and healthy communities (with the Asbury Park Affordable housing Coalition) *Financial literacy trainings and tax assistance *Craft and hobby workshops *Movie and game nights *self-advocacy trainings. Much of the work done in the radical Well Being Program is one-on-one casework. Casework almost always starts with a comprehensive and holistic intake in order to assess community member’s needs, strengths and background history. this approach allows us to put together a goal driven plan based on the community members self determination, as well as their capabilities, strength, and willingness. long term sustainable housing and its foundational elements such as income, jobs and security are a priority, but the radical Well-Being Program is also stretching into life and recovery coaching as well. this involves, not only working on community members primary needs, but also on their secondary and tertiary needs or desires.

Our Food Pantry is open one day a week for three hours and makes sure everyone has access to fresh fruit, veggies, meats, eggs, dairy, and other necessities. We served about 24,000 meals this year, which is 4,000 more than last year! We also currently serve about 400 different individual community members each month. this year in collaboration with Food not Bombs we also created a 24/7 outside pantry for our community.

Our Saturday Community Meal (“Saturday Soup”) has been in operation for 32 years and serves a hot, healthy, free meal every week. We also have free acupuncture and social workers who are available for interested community members. We served 18,200 meals this year, which is 3,200 more than last year

Through our Food Justice Work Program we pay community members $11 an hour to volunteer in the pantry and soup kitchen to honor their labor and to help them pay rent or buy extra food. This year we supported over 42 community members in this program.

The Racial Justice Project at Trinity (RJP) was created with the understanding that, as long as systemic racism is alive and well, hunger and housing problems will always exist. We engage in public education and teach that racism is not only racial prejudice plus systemic power over one group from another. Last year we passed a resolution in the Diocese of New Jersey to adopt Indigenous Peoples Day, celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day for the second year in a row in Asbury Park, started a relationship and partnered with the Urban Revitalization Task Force to bring ESL classes and job training to the city of Asbury Park, started a working relationship with the Palestinian American Community Center and we also started a Monmouth County Task Force for Reparations.

Trinity has joined New Jersey Together, a community organizing group, to start a Monmouth County chapter. TJ Together is a growing broad-based, multi-faith coalition in new Jersey. They challenge ordinary people in our state to identify problems facing their neighborhoods and city, connect individuals and organizations to multiply their power, and mobilize people to bring about creative and effective change

Our Social Justice at Trinity Film series focuses on various social justice issues concerning racial, gender, health, LGBTQIAS+, economic, environmental, and disability justice issues. During this series we have parishioners watch the film in their leisure time and soon after we come together for a Zoom discussion led by Father Chase, Deacon Carolyn, and Derek Minno Bloom. This year we showed 12 diverse films and got to grow a core group of 12 to 25 regular folks in the knowledge of justice and intersectionality.

Our Sunday Bible Study is an in-depth look at scripture, exploring one book at a time. We are currently taking the winter of 2022 to learn about Exodus. We meet between morning services, at 9 am, in the Chapel. The class is offered in-person and online (hybrid).

Trinity Kids is our program to serve with and alongside children, youth, and families. We offer Sunday school (in-person and online) during our 10 am Holy Eucharist, with children coming back to church for communion.

The Trinity Choir supports worship at the 10 am Holy Eucharist and special feast days. The Choir rehearses from 9-9:45 am and 11:30 am-1 pm on Sundays. The Choir is directed by Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, a visionary choral conductor, new music advocate, and master teacher. We are open to new members of a variety of musical abilities. 

The Women’s Hospitality Network (WHN) was created at Trinity and is a multiracial network of churches that house women experiencing homelessness in the winter months. It is a transitional program that provides resources and case work to ensure that all the women have permanent housing by the end of the program.