We adhere to the ECCT guidelines, which can be found in the Commons Companion on the ECCT website.
Diocesan Compensation Info https://www.episcopalct.org/administration

Trinity’s Rectory is one of the local area’s lovely homes, a landmark of the Southport Historical Society. Our 3-bedroom rectory was built in 1832. Home to our Rectors and their families since 1893, this five-column early nineteenth century Greek Revival style home is located directly across the street from the Church. Fairfield’s highly regarded schools (including our own award-winning nursery school) provide clergy with young families with an ideal living situation.

Trinity offers a blend of liturgical styles and practice, in which music plays a significant role.
We follow Rite 2 liturgies at our 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM services. From April 15 to October 15, we gather at South Pine Creek Beach for our 8:00 AM service, weather permitting.
Trinity Meditation Room meets on Sundays at 5:30 PM weekly online for fellowship and contemplation using Centering Prayer, Lectio/Ars Divina. A second space for silent meditation (in-person in our chapel and online) is offered on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Twilight, a modified compline service with chanting and meditation, is likely to be resumed on Sunday at 5:00 PM.

We are an open, welcoming community of highly educated, faithful seekers and servant leaders who have repeatedly withstood natural disasters and other tests of time.  Our iconic, towering gothic Spire is perceived as representative of the stability and strength that our beloved community has demonstrated. We are generally recognized as the spiritual anchor of Southport.

Trinity's mission is to provide a vibrant 21st Century Episcopal community that inspires spiritual growth, nurtures genuine connections, and promotes charitable service. Each of these three pillars of strength plays a significant, interrelated role at Trinity. They are palpably visible in the clergy and lay leadership that jointly drive the parish forward.

Leveraging these strengths, our historic parish is beginning its next century of service guided by a multi-year strategic planning process, the goal of which has been to determine our priorities and where to focus our energy and investments to ensure our community remains vibrant and relevant for another thirty decades. Approved by our Vestry in 2020, the plan’s recommendations are in various stages of implementation. (A one-page summary of the plan is available upon request.)

Relying on our strengths, we are successfully addressing these challenges:

• Declining giving and volunteerism
• Attracting youth and young families into our values-driven Christian community
• Increasing connection and combating the isolation that many people experience
• Balancing the role of a "full-service" church with the need for focus and specialization
• Enhancing outreach efforts and addressing community needs
• Adapting to changing demographics and declining participation in organized religion

Recognizing that people may no longer find the traditions and liturgy of the Episcopal Church meaningful, but are still looking for other ways to experience spiritual growth, we founded Trinity Spiritual Center, a community alongside ours that offers support for individuals whatever their beliefs and practices may be.

We are also focused on integrating new residents of Southport (who are COVID refugees from New York City) into our beloved community.  As we undertake this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand our parish, we will be looking for new ways to manage our revenues and expenses so that we preserve our historic legacy while creating a firm financial foundation as we lean into the future.

The person we call as our Priest in Charge must be rooted in faith and prayer to us to lead and work with us to know Christ and share God’s love.  He or she must be pragmatic, recognizing the financial challenges and realizing that not all programs and projects are possible.  We remain resolute in our conviction that if we allow the Spirit to move through us, we will not only be able to meet the challenges of these times, but we shall thrive in new ways that we have yet to fully comprehend.

Check out the parish website here.

Amber Page Gehr

Diocesan Transition Minister

Phone: 203-639-3501 ext 131

Email: apagegehr@episcopalct.org