2016 Annual Report

#WeAreTrinity Annual Report 2016 Transforming Our World Through the Love of God

Welcome to the 2016 Annual Report C.S. Lewis wrote of the sheer delight and pleasure that is innocently derived from pleasing someone we wanted (and rightly wanted) to please. My deepest conviction, as I look back upon this last year, is that I have witnessed our church family faithfully set our hearts on serving and pleasing God. As I pray in deep gratitude for each of you, I sense God’s pleasure in this courageous, intrepid, generous, forbearing, patient, Spirit-led band of pilgrims that He blessed with the name Trinity.

It has been an extraordinary year. Sunday by Sunday, the Lord has not once failed to provide a roof over our heads and neither has He ever failed to meet with us as we gather in worship. After many years of searching, through your Spirit-led generosity, together we were able to purchase a building that will be a magnificent Trinity ministry center, that we might be God’s greater blessing to the communities He has drawn us from. And as a very full year drew to a close, God’s generosity continued to flow through you as we more than covered our expenses and invited the whole community to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with us in the new Performing Arts Center at Greenwich High School, welcoming in many guests at our two Christmas Eve services. And who of us would say, “We did that!”? All I have heard, all I have witnessed, is praise and thanksgiving to our God for His goodness and faithfulness to us.

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us, including a soup kitchen in Stamford, the streets of New York City, and the slums and rural villages of Uganda.

I see a beautiful re-centering of our focus upon Jesus, His living word and His continuing ministry to the broken, the hurting and the lost. I witness us encouraging one another, building one another up in faith, praying with and for one another, and learning from one another.

Above all, we are beginning to live in the reality that we are truly loved by God—not a love that is predicated on our best behavior, but a love that embraces us at our weakest and most spiritually threadbare. And in that revelation of such a costly love, we cannot help but encounter one another like people who have just discovered that every single man and woman (including those seated around us on one of those curious plastic white chairs on a Sunday morning) is not just another face but is, in fact, our long-lost brother or sister. And I would dare to suggest that in our worship, we are beginning to discover the joy of encountering His Spirit— to run as fast as our hearts will carry us into the holiness of His living presence, hearts open and head-on!

myriad of different ways, I see the love of God growing in us.”

In a myriad of different ways, I see the love of God growing in us. I see His love shared in times of celebration and pain. I see relationships restored—where in the goodness of His mercy, mistakes aren’t rubbed in but are instead rubbed out. I see a new boldness in reaching out with His love wherever He leads

Corrie Ten Boom (the Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Holocaust during World War II and was imprisoned for her actions) wrote, “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.” It would appear to me that, together, we have been caught up in exactly this kind of Kingdom adventure. The gift of serving you in such a move of God’s Spirit remains the single most extraordinary ministerial privilege with which God has blessed me. Surely with Trinity Church in mind, Jeremiah wrote, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (Jeremiah 17:7, NLT).

In His great love, Drew Williams, Senior Pastor

“... the grace that is reaching more and more people...”

(2 Corinthians 4:15)

Central to this effort is the building which we purchased in 2016 at 5 River Road in Cos Cob. This Trinity-owned property will meet all of our midweek needs and it will provide consistent space for our current ministries to operate and expand. More importantly, it will be a place where you and others can gather, engage in and even launch new Trinity initiatives. This building is an answer to many years of prayer, and we praise God for His provision at this important moment for our church.

FAQ When will the 5 River Road ministry center be ready to use?

We hope that it will be open for use sometime in the second half of the year,

Will the 5 River Road building have auditorium space for Sunday worship services?

No. While it is not out of the question that Trinity will one day own an “everything” space, at this time we feel that God is leading us towards an office and meeting space. This is consistent with Trinity’s culture and the “asset-lite” manner in which we have chosen to steward our resources. In addition, the cost of an “everything” space in Greenwich remains prohibitive at this time. We will continue to rent space in Greenwich for worship services on Sundays.

What is a multisite church?

Our dream is to be one church that meets in multiple locations throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. A “multisite location” or “campus” would be a smaller Trinity congregation meeting in another town, holding Sunday services, and empowering ministry and community in its particular location.

How would becoming a multisite church help us join with God’s work and accomplish our vision as a Beacon Church in this region?

CALL: Being one church in multiple locations allows us to intentionally reach new people and new communities for Christ (“go and make disciples” Matthew 28).

COMMUNITY: The ability to be known and be in authentic community is most feasible in multiple,

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Launched in 2016, The Beacon Project is a strategic initiative to resource and strengthen our Greenwich congregation and, as God raises the desire and commitment in people’s hearts over time, multiply our Kingdom impact by launching new congregations in other towns as a multisite church. The heart of The Beacon Project is that more and more people might experience the grace of God, in the person of Jesus, through Trinity Church. Together as a community, we want to go deeper in this new season — in our faith, in our community and in our service. And we also want this transformative faith to be experienced by others, both in Greenwich and further afield. In the fall, we held a capital campaign and raised approximately $5.8 million to-date in commitments for The Beacon Project that will be fulfilled over a three-year period.

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smaller settings located near existing Trinity families.

CAPACITY: As God continues to grow the church, our ability to accommodate everyone in a single location diminishes.

Where will the first new location be? Has it been decided?

As of March 2017, no decisions have been made.

Members of the staff and Council continue to gather feedback and have discussions with individuals who have expressed an interest in having their town considered. The following criteria will be used to determine if and when a new Trinity congregation would be ready to launch in a particular town: P R E S E N C E A N D M O M E N T U M : Is there a core group of committed Trinity people already living in this area? Are these people enthusiastic about supporting a new site?

C U L T U R E A N D D E M OG R A P H I C : Given its history in Greenwich and the composition of our congregation, is Trinity equipped to reach new people in this town/area?

Are there enough similarities with our current culture and demographic to make this location fruitful?

L OC AT I O N A N D D I S TA N C E : Can centralized resources, programs and staff easily be shared with this location?

What if I don’t want to go to the campus in my town/ area?

The location you attend is completely your choice. If you feel most at home at the Greenwich location, you will always be welcome there. Equally, if you live in Greenwich but feel called to help launch a new site, you would be very welcome there.

In 1999, one hundred men, women and children stood together as the founding members of a brand new church. Led by Ian Cron, Trinity Church set out with a passion to “tell an ancient story in a brand new way” and help people investigate and celebrate what it means to follow Jesus Christ. People from around the area were drawn to this community that places a high value on worship, social justice, and children and students. Within the first few years, Trinity transitioned from having a Sunday evening worship service in the sanctuary of a local church to gathering at Central Middle School for a morning service. A hallmark of the first ten years was Trinity’s commitment to Rwanda, with more than 70 members traveling to Rwanda on trips, and partnerships with organizations that worked to improve education and health in the country devastated by the genocide. In 2009 we bid farewell to our founding pastor and welcomed in Drew Williams in the fall.

2015

Summarized here are some of the initiatives and investments Trinity’s Council and senior ministry have prayerfully enacted in faith in recent years, spurring on our continued growth, both in breadth and depth.

2016

2009 Year of leadership transition Drew Williams began in the fall, introducing Mission-Shaped Communities into our DNA

MINISTRY GROWTH

2010 Invested in Student Ministries and dedicated Worship & Arts program with addition of Brock Morgan and Dave Edwards, respectively Relaunched Alpha Course Launched new Prayer Ministry training/equipping

2011

Instilled Trinity’s mission to Connect, Grow & Serve Invested in and restructured Student Ministries based on highly-relational model to foster deeper connection with each student with additions of Kristen Olsen, Dylan Berry and Joe Biscocho Empowered congregants to grow as spiritual care leaders within new Stephen’s Ministry program Launched DivorceCare & GriefShare support groups Expanded the Worship team Broke new worship ground by celebrating both Easter & Christmas Eve at Greenwich Hyatt

Launched The Beacon Project campaign and purchased 5 River Road to be our midweek facility Held our first All-Church Worship Night Upgraded the events section of the Trinity website Established a new Sunday and midweek program dedicated to 4th & 5th graders Sent a team to Uganda to work with JENGA and our Trinity missionaries Initiated “Trinity Reads” and “Crucial Moments” short-term discussion groups Moved our Sunday worship venue to the campus of Christ Church Greenwich in September Restructured Trinity Kids with the addition of Laura Sider Relocated church office to 1 River Road Expanded capacity by holding our Christmas Eve services in the new Performing Arts Center of Greenwich High School

HISTORICAL GIVING TO O P E R AT I N G B U D G E T

Defined Trinity’s vision as “transforming our world through the love of God” Invested in Children’s Ministry program with addition of Andy Hayball Launched the Trinity@6 evening service Invested in dedicated Pastoral Care & Community Engagement with addition of Beth Bull

2012 Added a second Sunday morning service mid-year Invested in growth of Student Ministries with addition of Ben Valentine Started Sky Camp in partnership with Stanwich Church Launched midweek All-Stars program for grades 1-3

2013 Invested in dedicated Missions, Outreach & Justice initiatives with addition of Ruth May Invested in growth of Children’s Ministry with addition of Jonny Scott Initiated Trinity Kids retreats Launched midweek Sparks program for 4-year-olds - Kindergarten Launched Pastoral Care Team training/equipping Expanded Worship scale, celebrating Christmas Eve at Greenwich High School Expanded Trinity’s reach through investment in video and media

2014 Invested in growth of Student Ministries with additions of Josh Barton and Anne Valentine Invested in Connections Team and new member Welcome Breakfasts with addition of Katie Evans Launched midweek Young Adults program Designed new website and Trinity logo Further expanded Worship scale, celebrating both Easter & Christmas Eve at Greenwich High School Invested in Leadership Development with the launch of Trinity Leadership Summit

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2008

2009

2010

Transition of Leadership

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Added 2nd Sunday Service

Number of Giving Households with Annual Gifts of: Less than $1k

$1k to $9.9k

$10k to $19.9k

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$20k to $49.9k

$50k to $99.9k

$100k+

#WeAreTrinity

#WeAreTrinity FAQ How is the annual budget determined?

2 0 1 7 O P E R AT I N G B U D G E T S U M M A R Y Functional Allocation

Worship & Arts

($)

(%)

$1,240,984

34%

Description

Sunday rental space, musicians & technical team, equipment & supplies, holiday services, and worship & preaching staff

How do we think about staffing structure and our ministry leadership team?

Sunday and midweek programs, rental space, SummerQuest and youth retreats, 1-on-1 student contact, and staff

Children & Family

$221,494

6%

Sunday and midweek programs, rental space, Sky Camp & TK retreats, family events, caregiver team, and staff

Get Connected & Adult Groups & Spiritual Formation

$326,893

9%

Welcome to Trinity Breakfasts, Young Adults, volunteer Leadership Development, Alpha Courses and staff

Missions, Outreach & Justice

$457,515

13%

Administration

$676,126

19%

Unallocated

$30,000

1%

$3,603,000

100%

Total

Will Trinity ever own a building with a sanctuary?

Global/local grants to partners, trips, benevolence, and MOJ staff

13%

5%

No.

Pastoral Care, prayer ministry, support groups, adult retreats, and staff

$455,009

$194,979

Does Drew Williams or another member of the Trinity ministry staff know how much I give?

Trinity Church has existed as a church without our own Sunday worship space since day 1. While we are always open to the possibility of a building which has Sunday worship space that God may lead us towards, we see being a mobile church as a strength as it allows us the flexibility to pick up and change locations when needed. It also allows us the financial freedom from a mortgage and building maintenance for a large space.

A challenge of being a mobile church is that we may be meeting in as many as five different locations (plus homes) in a given week, dependent too on availability and affordability. In 2016 we purchased the building at 5 River Road in Cos Cob that, after renovations are completed, will be a ministry center that provid es consistent program space for midweek groups and for the Trinity community to gather.

Student Ministries

Care, Community & Prayer

Every year the Trinity operating budget is built from the ground up (“zero base”), based on the goals for the coming year and input from ministry leaders as to the needs of each initiative. Over the course of several months, the Finance Committee and the Council work in partnership to determine an appropriate total dollar amount for the budget.

General operating expenses and administrative staff Used throughout the year for unplanned expenses

The Council and Finance Committee see the church’s ability to hire a number of high-capacity staff as a huge blessing and can see how this investment has continually paid off in terms of transformed lives and many people being brought into the Trinity community.

Numerically speaking: Trinity has 24 paid staff, some of whom are part-time. Other local churches of a similar or slightly smaller size, but with permanent worship and program facilities, typically have 18-20 paid staff.

Compared to our peers (in size and income) around the

whole of North America, Trinity’s percentage spending on salaries is consistent with the average (39-52%).* In addition to the staff, Trinity could not operate without the countless hours given by volunteer leaders who lead adult groups and Bible studies, service teams, children and youth ministries, and people who serve on a regular basis in other roles such as greeters, Prayer Ministry team members and Care Team members. Every Trinity staff member recognizes that a significant part of his or her role is to support, empower and equip these leaders for ministry inside and outside the church.

I hear a number of British accents on the staff.

Is Trinity a church plant from the U.K.?

Trinity is homegrown—planted in 1999 out of Stanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich. Ten years later, Drew Williams accepted the call to serve as Senior Pastor. Drew came to Trinity from the Church of England where he served as a vicar in a large church outside of London. Prior to ordination in the Anglican Church, Drew was a litigation attorney in the U.K. While it’s true there are a few transplants from the U.K., there are more hailing from Florida, Arizona and California. You might be surprised to learn that more than a third of the Trinity staff were members of the church before being recruited to the staff team and another third lived in the NYC metro area before being called to Trinity.

What does Trinity believe?

From its earliest days, Trinity has affirmed the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed, and sought to be a church where anyone from any background can investigate and celebrate a relationship with Jesus.

As a community of faith, we desire to create a space where all who are far from God can come, experience His love and feel at home.

Is Trinity part of a denomination?

No. Denominations typically mean more to those already involved in a church community and we have always wanted those who do not regularly attend church to feel welcome and that they can “belong before they believe.” Despite being birthed out of a denomination, Trinity was intentionally formed to be an independent church and we continue to exist as a non-denominational church body governed by a Council. The primary responsibility of the Council is the spiritual welfare of Trinity Church and the Godly stewardship of its tangible and intangible resources. The Council is comprised of members of the church who serve for three-year terms. Council members are selected through a nominating process that is managed by a Nominating Committee of the church.

Meet the Council:

(left to right): Andrew Barnett **, Rod Bourgeois, Mike Cunnion, Jeff Eberwein, Stephanie Harbour (Co-Chairman), Georgia Higbie, Bill King (Co-Chairman), Jill Marchak, Irenee May, Barb Morris, Nicole Zasowski, not pictured; Drew Williams (Senior Pastor, Ex-Officio)

*Source: Leadership Network / Vanderbloemen 2014 Large Church Salary Report

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**nominee to be affirmed at the 2017 Annual Meeting

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Trinity Church (office) 1 River Road Cos Cob, CT 06807 203-618-0808

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