2030 VISION

SPIRITUAL FORMATION: GROWING A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS AND DISCIPLES

Spiritual formation refers to all we do as a community, encouraging lives of deep faith, commitment, and reflection Growing out of three of the five promises in our Baptismal Covenant, we ask:

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent, and return to the Lord?

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

We answer: We will, with God’s help

Honoring the God-given diversity of our members, we nurture spiritual growth in a multitude of ways. Prayer partners and identity-based and topical small groups provide nurturing mutual support

Classes and study groups explore our faith and view current events through that lens Our annual all-parish retreat, planned and led by members, is one of our most well-attended activities, fostering a deep experience of God’s presence. We welcome the richness of interfaith gatherings and annually offer the Toledo Faith Speaker Series

These gatherings build meaningful relationships and a more respectful understanding of the wide diversity of faith traditions throughout Toledo and the world We are delighted when visitors say we are different due to what we offer.

We encourage members to try new things and ask for what they need The result: a vibrant and dynamic spiritual community with multiple opportunities for visitors as well as new and longtime members

CHILDREN & YOUTH: ALL ARE WELCOME AND WANTED

Our commitment to the spiritual formation of our children and youth can be seen in worship All ages worship together, even our youngest, so they grow up knowing that they are valued These hands-on worship experiences provide developmentally appropriate learning and tangible connection to our rich traditions

Trinity’s children and young people know without a doubt they are wanted and welcome Before or after our primary worship services, we offer formation opportunities for all ages Our youth group is vibrant, involved in service, social, and formation activities locally as well as in diocesan youth events and the triannual Episcopal Youth Events

SOCIAL JUSTICE/SOCIAL SERVICE: RESPECTING THE DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING

Our commitment to social justice and social service is based on Jesus’ example and the final two questions of our Baptismal Covenant. We ask: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

We answer: We will, with God’s help Our affirmative response encourages us to lean into the Way of Love We learn through our own and other faith traditions, and we strive to be a welcoming, justice-seeking people, propelled by God’s love for us, and our love for God

We make a clear distinction between social justice and social service With social justice, we educate ourselves and work to dismantle the structures that allow some groups to benefit while other groups are oppressed With social service, we work with other organizations, providing direct services to our neighbors in need. Both parts – working to dismantle oppressive systems while also providing support to those in need – are part of the work God has called us to do

Today we embrace a model built on mutual respect and a generosity of spirit We reach out to make connections with people in need. We walk side by side, offering our support and in return discover radical transformation Our lives continue to be forever changed as we embrace kinship with our siblings and an ethic of working together rather than doing for others alone

We believe God calls us to freedom, and no one is free until all are free. We urge all members of our community to use their hearts for caring, their feet for marching, their souls for praying, and their resources to support our collective holy work. In support of this call, the Trinity Response Team connects our faith community with opportunities to mobilize for community issues and events requiring education, conversation, advocacy, and witness. Over the past 10 years, we have focused on gun violence, food insecurity, racism, human trafficking, young adults who age out of foster care, and LGBTQIA+ adolescents at high risk of being without shelter

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS: CHANGING THE WORLD TOGETHER

To seek and serve Christ in all persons, we identify unmet needs in our community, partnering with others to extend our reach This process led us to offer free laundry services and haircuts to unhoused individuals, and use of our commercial kitchen by social entrepreneurs Our community commitment is long term and nimble enough to respond to needs as they arise. We invest in relationships with area organizations, including other service-minded faith communities, Toledo Public Schools, agencies serving children and youth, food/employment providers, and housing advocates.

We recently celebrated a decade of support to young adults exiting foster care. We offer this often-invisible group, whose marginalization we ’ ve long recognized, an innovative groupmentoring model launched years ago at Trinity We recently had our 25th participant finish this program, and our Better Together Toledo ministry is widely identified as a high-impact program

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: BEING THE CHURCH IN AND OUTSIDE OF OUR WALLS

Music and the arts expand our community engagement for activism and advocacy. We sponsor free community concerts, workshops, and lessons for all ages and abilities Our partnerships with schools and arts organizations have led to programs such as our resident artist program, bringing in diverse artists for a season of workshops, master classes, performances, art installations, readings, and lectures. Both our sanctuary and community performance space are in high demand, reserved months in advance We offer flexible options, ranging from one-time space rentals to integrated programs with full Trinity partnership.

Our building -- literally an offering to the community -- provides creative spaces for public use indoors as well as on our newly redesigned plaza. Our fees are clear, reasonable, and elastic when necessary

The greater Toledo community uses our space in many ways: a nondenominational small-church music conference; dinners and event receptions; organizational retreats; performer auditions; concerts, recitals, plays, and poetry slams; and monthly dinners for youth aging out of foster care People come as visitors, and many stay, finding a place of meaning, belonging and authentic community- a spiritual home.