At Trinity, we believe that every human being-NO exceptions-is a beloved child of God (1 John 3:1). You do not have to earn God’s love. You cannot lose God’s love. We strive to help our members know this truth deeply. We seek to learn why this is, what it means, the challenges we face in the world that makes us doubt that we and/or others are beloved children of God, and we seek to learn how to live in response to the gracious gift of God’s love.
We know we are not perfect, and that we can always deepen our love of God and of neighbor and be more and more conformed to the image of Christ that is in all of us. We also know that the world is not perfect, and that we live in economic and social systems that harm the children of God. We seek personal transformation so that we can transform the world into the Reign of God.
Through the study of the Holy Scriptures of Christianity, spiritual practices, service to others, theological education, and above all our common worship, we believe we can be fully transformed into the people God created us to be so that we can heal others and the world.
Worship in the Episcopal Church emphasizes beauty, reverence, and the ancient traditions of the Christian church. Through it, we connect both to the richness of our Anglican roots and to the creative ways that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives in the here and now. Our worship strives for good music, a sense of flow and grace, poetry and drama, prayerful reflection, and sometimes even a sense of silliness and play. We learn and express our beliefs first and foremost through the words and actions of worship. We believe that praying shapes believing and that as we pray, so we believe.
We believe that every person is capable of having their own relationship with God, and is able to use the tools of our tradition to answer questions, define their ethics, and seek the truth. Our clergy guides us, but does not dictate what we must believe. The fundamental source we use for forming beliefs is the Holy Bible, which we do believe to be the Living Word of God. However, we also know the Bible is not easy to interpret. Therefore we also encourage people to use the tools of our tradition (our prayers and worship practices, the writings of theologians, ideas that have generally stood the test of time, etc.) and our God-given reason to aid us in forming beliefs, ethics, and practices. We also believe that seeking the help of other believers is an important aspect of seeking God’s truths.
Episcopalians value a middle way between extremes. We seek a balanced, reasonable approach to life. It is a life in which prayer, work, study and play have a rhythm, taking into account the whole of experience, ambiguity and all. We follow Jesus by being compassionate and responsive to the needs of our local and global siblings. Some of the things we do:
Our spirituality is expressed in an open-minded, searching approach to faith. Engagement with God and the church is intended to open us to the mystery that is God. So doubt, questioning, exploration and openness to new insights is a path to God and wholeness of life. We also are comfortable holding opposites in tension. We believe that what appears to be differences may contain a balanced truth. Living in this way means developing a tolerance of differences in thinking and practice.
We’re on the corner of Grant and Kirkwood.
Join us for a service or stop by for a visit.
111 S. Grant Street, Bloomington, IN 47408
