Annual Report: 2015

#WEARETRINITY Annual Report 2015 VISION

Transforming Our World Through the Love of God

MISSION

To be a church where every person connects with others, grows in their relationship with Jesus and serves our world

#WEARETRINITY

Dear friends, I cannot begin to adequately thank all of you – the entire Trinity family – for everything you have done to support, encourage and sustain me and my family through past several months of challenge. By the sheer grace of God (and the endless patience of my wife and family), I know I have been supported by a great cloud of prayer warriors.

As I reflect on all that God has made possible in 2015, I find myself overwhelmed by His provision for every single ministry of our church family. Without breaking stride, the ministries of our congregation have not just been “treading water” but have realized significant blessing and growth.

Three areas in particular stand out for me: 1. Outstanding leadership: Our Council members, who provide support and oversight of all our ministries, have continued to listen carefully for the Spirit‘s leading at every turn. Led by Regg Jones, they have prayerfully and practically supported our remarkable staff, under the able direction of our gifted Executive Pastor, Andy Hayball.

2. Deepening engagement: We have seen more people discovering and deploying their God-given gifts in service to one another than ever. Whether helping on Sunday mornings or serving in any of our weekday ministries, we have experienced growth in numbers of new attenders as well as an increase in the ranks of our committed servants.

3. Faithful stewardship: One of the most remarkable advances has been in the area of your faithful stewardship of God’s resources. As you will read herein, with more people giving more generously, we were able not to just meet our 2015 expenses, but even to slightly exceed our 2015 budget.

As I have prayed for Trinity in the year ahead, I was reminded of the people of God as they prepared to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. Joshua said to them, “…tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things for you.” (Joshua 3:5).

May our wondrous God, who has so richly blessed and sustained the Trinity family, fill us with hope and expectation for all the “amazing things” He has for us in 2016.

In His great love and with so much gratitude, Drew Williams, Senior Pastor

As a church family, God met us in numerous wonderful ways in 2015. I believe that we have grown both deeper and wider, not only in the number of people actively participating in the life of our community but in our faith, individually and corporately, and how it is expressed through the ways we are connecting, growing and serving.

Throughout the year we saw God move us closer and closer to the dreams that He has put in our heart for our church and the wider community. The time, talent and treasure of the Trinity family has enabled us to do everything outlined in the table on the right that was presented on Vision Sunday in October... and much more! We are excited for all that God has for us in 2016.

Financially speaking, we are also hugely encouraged and grateful. We saw broad participation from across the church family. Each gift -- large, small and everything in-between -- made a difference and enabled us to enter 2016 on a strong footing. Specifically, we received a total of over $3.55MM, which is $200,000 more than our goal for 2015 and $400,000 more than what was received in 2014. We also saw 403 households giving to God’s work at here-more than ever before in Trinity’s history.

Please join us in celebrating the generosity that God has put in the hearts of our congregation and all that He has done through those resources in the last year!

Andy Hayball, Executive Pastor 2

#WEARETRINITY WE DREAM O F A D AY W H E N . . .

There are worshipping expressions of Trinity Church in towns across Fairfield and Westchester counties

PROGRESS IN 2015 Established relationships with churches across the country that worship in multiple locations (“multi-site” churches) to study their experiences

2016 GOALS Complete all planning and preparation to launch one additional worshipping expression of Trinity Church

Prayed through Trinity’s unique model and potential locations for new sites

The Trinity community is resourced from a larger, “everything but Sunday” ministry center in the Greenwich area

Explored the viability of 12 potential properties (lease or buy) for Trinity’s use

Faithfully pray for God-given opportunities to emerge

Trinity is distinguished by God’s abundant generosity and compassion to the poor and marginalized, locally and further afield

900 hours served in local mission with partner organizations

Every group and MSC to serve in some capacity either at Trinity or with a partner organization

Three overseas support trips to partner organizations

Take four overseas support trips to partner organizations

Leaders in every sphere of influence are equipped and released by Trinity to play their unique role in the advance of the Kingdom of God

Three gatherings for the leaders of Trinity’s various groups, courses and committees

Launch new discipleship and spiritual gifts classes to help equip new leaders from within the congregation

B E A C O N PA I N T I N G Late at night, on the eve of our family’s departure to the U.S. and my taking up the position as Senior Pastor at Trinity, there was a knock at the door from a slightly embarrassed member of my U.K. congregation. The lady on the doorstep was a woman of great prayer and an accomplished artist. She nervously thrust a rolled piece of paper into my hand and told me, “In my prayers for you, Drew, I have painted as best I can what I believe the Lord is calling you to build for Him in the U.S. This is His design for Trinity!” Time and again we have returned to this pictorial representation of the Lord’s heart that Trinity should be for Him a beacon of His light, a place from which the love of Jesus might touch multiple places. What has always made me smile about this painting is that I could not dissuade my previous congregation from the idea that I was headed for Greenwich Village in NYC! My artistic friend was under the same misapprehension and yet, at least in my view, she had captured the Greenwich coastline in an extraordinary way.

- Drew Williams

3

God-willing, identify and secure an “everything but Sunday” property

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM

P R A Y E R

The Women’s Retreat grew by 25% and feedback from attendees centered around their desire to make changes in their lives through spending more time with Jesus, growing strong roots in Him to weather the storms of life, and being a “shelter” for others. The Men’s Retreat gave men time to connect with one another as well as be challenged to make Godly choices.

There were three “First Loved to Love” Weekends offered this year to the broader Trinity family. New in 2015, was one offered in Temple, Maine as a missional opportunity to reach a part of New England where retreats like this are seldom offered. Participants on these weekends experience and receive the love of the Father and learn to give it away.

In the spring and again in the fall, women of Trinity and beyond came together for a special multi-generational night of worship and prayer just for women. This evening was initiated and organized by college student Troone Marchak. The allwomen worship band, led and mentored by Katie Nelson, was a platform for some of our younger musicians to really shine.

BETH BULL

Care & Community Pastor beth.bull@trinitychurch.life

ELENA WILLIAMS

Prayer Ministry Director elena.williams@trinitychurch.life

C A R E

&

C O M M U N I T Y

GriefShare and DivorceCare, two 13-week support groups, were offered for the first time and both were places of hope and encouragement, meeting a need within our church family and the wider community.

At least 15 prayer blankets were given to Trinity family members and their loved ones who suffered from various long-term physical and emotional health issues.

These blankets often go beyond the Trinity community to bless the unchurched.

Fall 2015 saw the launch of Stephen Ministry, an international program that equips and empowers lay caregivers to provide high-quality, confidential, Christcentered care to people who are hurting. As Trinity’s first steps, four Stephen Leaders were immersed in the training and the selection process resulted in an initial team of 15 Stephen Ministers to be trained.

The heart of Trinity continues to be strengthened by ever increasing opportunities for prayer. Prayer ministry is offered at both Sunday morning services, at every retreat and at every worship event. On average the prayer ministry team prays for 20 - 30 people each Sunday during Communion and one hour healing prayer appointments are available on request during the week.

In the spring, Karen Chin and Irenee May spearheaded a half-day interactive forum on prayer and in the fall Elena Williams led a four-session class on “Praying through the Lord’s Prayer.”

Each month, 24-7 Prayer at Trinity House produced testimony of God’s healing, comfort and movement in the lives of participants. Some months focused on a theme with resources for prayer, and provided options to pray alone, with a prayer partner or in a small group. Over 200 hours were spent in prayer last year by more than 80 participants.

2016 GOALS

BUDGET

Our first team of Stephen Ministers will undergo thorough training in the first half of the year then be connected with care receivers.

DivorceCare and GriefShare groups will be offered twice.

We will continue to build out teams of men and women who are prayerful, gifted and trained to put on retreats and special events.

For those who would like to learn more about prayer and deepen their prayer life, whether or not they then feel called to be a Prayer Minister, we will offer the Prayer Ministry training course twice a year.

2015 Actual: $158,090 % of total expenses: 5% 2016 Budget: $157,757 % of total budget: 4%

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/CARE

4

E V E LY N V I A N A

Volunteer Admin Assistant evelyn.viana@trinitychurch.life “‘We love because He first loved us’ (1 John 4:19) is a familiar passage. But it wasn’t until this weekend that the full meaning of this simple verse moved fluidly from the head to the heart. I really got it!! -- and it was deeply impactful.”

- a First Loved to Love retreat participant “I’m entering a new phase of life, and the talks, small group and prayer all helped me build a strong conviction of my need to be in the Word routinely and let God be God by letting go of control and relying more on Him.” - a Women’s Retreat participant “I was recently prayed for by two members of the prayer team at a healing prayer appointment. It was a life changing experience. After years of struggling with issues of deep emotional pain it was as if the iron bands that had constricted my heart and stopped me from feeling alive were suddenly removed and I was able to breathe again. I was overwhelmed with peace and for the first time in my life truly felt God’s unconditional love for me.”

- a member of Trinity

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

“[My Men’s Bible study] fosters spiritual growth. The men are completely open. Experiencing the fellowship, the men being willing to share, praying for one another and responding to each other’s needs feels uplifting.”

Growth in all areas of the church meant we saw an increase in the number of groups offered, including Young Adults, and men’s and women’s Bible studies. Our wide variety of small groups, Bible studies and MissionShaped Communities are vehicles through which people connect with each other, grow in their faith and serve the wider community.

There was an increase in the number of shortterm groups and courses formed. The groups ranged from women’s Bible studies flowing out of the Women’s Retreat to co-ed groups on discipleship to book groups around social justice.

“My ‘Journey of Generosity’ retreat surprised me. The message I heard was about generous living, not about money. It was entirely about my posture toward life and living with an open heart. The lesson was about recognizing the opportunities that God presents us every single day. Some of these opportunities are small and easy to miss, while others are larger, obvious and challenging. I loved that no one gave me a solution or a prescription of how to be generous. I realized that each person’s experience and journey is entirely personal. Most importantly, I realized that the journey of living generously is no different than my faith journey -- a personal journey with God where God’s only goal is to be closer to me.”

- Bill King

TEAM

2015 Actual: $75,829

K AT I E E VA N S

By investing in leadership development, we hope to see an increase in the number and breadth of small groups and Mission-Shaped Communities, particularly in the number of Young Adult groups and mid-week Bible studies.

B E N VA L E N T I N E

Associate Pastor ben.valentine@trinitychurch.life

K AT H Y N E L S O N

Volunteer Staff Assistant kathy.nelson@trinitychurch.life

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/GROUPS

5

% of total expenses: 2% 2016 Budget: $116,295 % of total budget: 3%

G R O U P S

Connections Pastor katie.evans@trinitychurch.life

2016 GOALS We hope that every first time visitor on Sunday morning has the opportunity to get connected within the Trinity family and will be able to find a place where he or she experiences true connection with others and growth in their relationship with Christ. We continue to develop new systems to make these connections possible and hope to see an increase of volunteers on the Connection Team who can help with follow up.

BUDGET

A D U L T

More than 160 individuals served in a leadership capacity at Trinity, through small groups, Trinity Kids, Alpha, and other places! Over the course of the year, we hosted two training and support events, and a celebration dinner to honor our leaders.

The Leadership Summits continue to be an opportunity to invest in our incredible network of leaders.

- Bob Martin

C O N N E C T E D

80 people attended one of our bi-monthly Welcome to Trinity Breakfasts to learn more about our church and discover how they can connect, grow and serve as part of the Trinity family.

G E T

395 adults and children identified themselves as newcomers and were welcomed by our trained Connection Team on a Sunday morning.

“Trinity has something for everyone. I have found my desire for knowledge, theology, support, accountability, fun and worship all met. … The way [my Alpha leaders and fellow guests] treated me, the tone in which they spoke, and the Christlike attributes being exhibited softened my heart. It was a safe place to be.”

- Joe Polwrek

M I S S I O N S ,

O U T R E A C H

&

J U S T I C E

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM

In 2015 we continued to serve locally through a number of organizations. We had two great food drives in May and at Thanksgiving, as well as a gift drive in December for Kids in Crisis. We continue our monthly serving at New Covenant Center in Stamford – and Trinity was the first volunteer team to serve a meal in their new facility! Individuals and Trinity groups regularly serve at Neighbor to Neighbor, Neighbors Link, Inspirica, Chester Addison and Elinor Martin House, and on the boards have local non-profit organizations. We saw a number of new opportunities develop through House On Beekman in the Bronx and the Bowery Mission in Manhattan.

Our partnership with International Justice Mission has resulted in the creation of the 6:8 MSC, a group that seeks to support, educate and inspire around the subject of justice. We now hold a monthly prayer meeting between the services on the second Sunday, led by members of the 6:8 group. In April a delegation from Trinity went to IJM’s Global Prayer Gathering in Washington and a larger group will be attending in 2016. The developing partnership with IJM has continued to fuel a desire to respond to issues of human trafficking in our locality.

We gave grants totalling $264,000 to our local and global partner organizations.

Also, out of the incredibly generous end-of-year giving at Trinity, we gave a onetime gift of $15,000 to Samaritan’s Purse to support their work responding to the international refugee crisis.

Our Missions, Outreach and Justice partners that received grants in 2015: Alpha USA Grace Church Bridgeport Center for Hope and Renewal (Greenwich) Chester Addison Community Center (Stamford) Elinor Martin Residence for Mother & Child (New Rochelle)

FOCUS Fairfield County International Justice Mission JENGA Mission Collective Neighbor to Neighbor (Greenwich) Neighbors Link (Stamford) New Covenant Center (Stamford) Operation Love the Children of Haiti Partners in Health

2016 GOALS

World Vision Young Life Greenwich Young Life Stamford Our mission partners, Alan and Christy Valentine

BUDGET

We will take our first overseas mission trip to work with JENGA in Uganda to support our mission partners, Alan & Christy Valentine.

It is our desire to see every member of the congregation find a place to serve, whether through a partner organization, as part of a team at Trinity, or in their own community.

As a church, we will seek to increase the number of hours we are serving, specifically through encouraging every group and MSC to serve as a community.

We will build on the development in 2015 of opportunities for Student Ministry to serve locally, developing a culture of justice and service throughout our young people.

2015 Actual: $395,541 % of total expenses: 12% 2016 Budget: $429,323 % of total budget: 12%

We plan to increase our grants to $282,000.

We will continue to articulate the missional call of the church to transform our world through the love of God. HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/SERVE

6

R U T H M AY

Ruth May, Missions & Mobilization Pastor ruth.may@trinitychurch.life

“As a family, we love that we get to join God in His work of renewing the world. Our decision to serve as a family started there, but it hasn’t ended there. It sounds cliché to say, but we have been more richly blessed than we have blessed others. Perhaps God designed it that way!

In addition to the “good feelings” and sense of God’s presence with us, serving together has opened the door for many conversations with our children about the brokenness of our world and how we can join God in addressing these challenges.”

- Julia Eberwein

2015 MISSIONS, OUTREACH & JUSTICE COMMITTEE: Brian Meredith (Chairman) Rob Bull Julia Eberwein Mason Evans Lesley King Linda Koe Terry Laughren Doug Lind Ruth May Scott Simon John Young

TEAM

2015 HIGHLIGHTS The Alpha Course was held centrally on Sunday evenings and Monday mornings, as well as in home groups, including a home-based course for young adults.

Our 2015 Pentecost Retreat Day combined the Holy Spirit retreat for Alpha Course guests with an open series of talks for anyone interested in learning more about the Holy Spirit, all in the context of refreshments, worship and prayer ministry.

On Wednesday mornings, there were two multiweek book studies, Phillip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace? & Tim Keller’s The Prodigal God.

Monday night lectures from St. Paul’s Theological Centre (SPTC) in central London continued to offer advanced theological study for adults interested in seminary-level training.

2016 GOALS

An online and in-person Membership Class will be established to provide the steps for becoming a voting member of Trinity Church.

For personal spiritual growth and to aid in knowing in what ways an individual is uniquely gifted by God to serve others, we will introduce an online and in-person Spiritual Gifts class.

BUDGET 2015 Actual: $176,064 % of total expenses: 5% 2016 Budget: $172,634

“I think it’s critical to be studying Scripture in community, and I enjoy being a part of a Trinity couples’ Bible study that meets every other week.

We are currently studying Acts, which has been a wonderful opportunity to explore the history and witness of the early Church.”

- Beau Harbour

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/ALPHA

7

% of total budget: 5%

F O R M A T I O N

Desiring that all would have the opportunity to explore the Christian faith and have a setting in which to wrestle with some of the big questions, we will increase the reach and number of Alpha Courses throughout the year.

- Jaclyn Tyler

HILLARY BERCOVICI

Senior Fellow - Trinity Institute hillary.bercovici@trinitychurch.life

S P I R I T U A L

Our C. S. Lewis Study Group looked at The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity, with gratitude for the kind hospitality of Dave & Rebecca West.

“Even though I had grown up in church and had intellectually accepted Christ before, Alpha showed me how to have a day-today relationship with Christ! It even changed our relationship with one another by opening up communication so [my husband and I] could actually talk about the Bible together.”

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM

More than 80 students and leaders got away for Winter Summit, a weekend retreat we helped organize with other local youth groups. We had many students accept Christ for the first time and many more experienced the Holy Spirit’s healing power.

SummerQuest, our incredible summer camp experience for middle school and high school students, had the highest participation yet as 100 students and 20 adults spent six days at a lakeside camp playing, worshipping, and growing in faith -- walking through the story of Jonah and how God uses our failures, He’s with us in our pain and suffering, He’s a God of second chances, and we are all “10”s in God’s eyes.

Our relationship-driven approach to youth ministry was enhanced by the hiring of three dynamic young youth workers in the fall: Dylan Berry, Joe Biscocho and Kristen Olsen.

Huddles (our small groups by grade and gender) have been a place of important growth for our high school students. With the addition of Dylan and Kristen we introduced huddles for middle school students.

JOSH BARTON

Student Ministry Pastor josh.barton@trinitychurch.life

B E N VA L E N T I N E

Associate Pastor ben.valentine@trinitychurch.life

S T U D E N T

M I N I S T R I E S

In September we started Student Leadership Cohort (SLC), a brand new year-long leadership program for our high school students.

“In the fall of my junior year I was asked, “What is the Good Life?”. I was at youth group, surrounded by the most incredible high school students, volunteer leaders, and youth pastors I have ever met. They have spoken truth into my crazy life and have never given up on my busy schedule. In that moment, feeling engulfed in a sea of love, the answer was easy. For me, the “Good Life” would be anywhere that I could live life with the people who bring me closer to God. That night, I was told that the things I prioritize are going to be the things that will dictate my future. I returned home, knowing that something in my life needed to change so that God would be my priority.

- Phoebe Morris

JOE BISCOCHO

High School Coordinator joe.biscocho@trinitychurch.life

A N N E VA L E N T I N E

“I have a bad habit of dealing with things on my own and being depressed over obstacles I’ve had in my life and not looking for help, not surrounding myself with people who love me. I learned [this week at SummerQuest camp] that we are meant to be in community.

We are meant to be there for each other, to have compassionate hearts and empathy. Being vulnerable strengthens our relationships and strengthens our relationship with God. God does not want us to isolate ourselves and get depressed over our problems. He wants us to be surrounded by people who love us and can help us get through things. We walk together towards God. We stand by each other and encourage one another in faith. We are meant to love one another in the good times and the bad times.”

- Sophia Amarillo-Giraldo

2016 GOALS

High School Coordinator anne.valentine@trinitychurch.life

KRISTEN OLSEN

Middle School Coordinator kristen.olsen@trinitychurch.life

BUDGET

Through a new program we’ve developed called Senior Project, we will equip, encourage and teach our seniors practical skills for life after high school.

2015 Actual: $453,665 % of total expenses: 14%

Our goal is to have every student at Trinity connected to a huddle so they are known, not just by name, but by story.

DYLAN BERRY

4th / 5th Grade & Middle School Coordinator dylan.berry@trinitychurch.life

2016 Budget: $479,909

We will have a whole program of SLC put together for the 2016/2017 school year that develops high school students to be leaders in the youth group, their peer groups, and in the community.

% of total budget: 13%

4th & 5th Grade will be fully assimilated into Student Ministries with its own programming and point leader.

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/YOUTH

8

A N N PA R K

Admin Assistant ann.park@trinitychurch.life

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM

We had an awesome year in our Sunday mornings!

In our Sparks and All Stars midweek groups, kids encountered Jesus through many mediums, including “The Peanuts Movie” and “Inside Out.” Combined, our teams had connections with more than 140 kids.

Trinity Kids enjoyed running several social events for families, such as ice skating and apple picking.

Our Easter Egg Hunt event was a wonderful introduction to the Trinity community as families brought friends and neighbors along with them (some of whom then joined us for Easter and have stayed ever since).

Sky Camp, our four-day summer camp, kept growing! Between the two separate weeks, around 350 three-year-olds through 5th graders and another 100 teen and adult volunteers were immersed in Sky Camp’s theme of conquering challenges in God’s mighty power through teaching, songs, activities and games.

In November we transitioned our 4th and 5th graders into a program geared specifically for them, bridging the experience between younger elementary grades and middle school.

“I love this church and [Trinity Kids].

It has really changed my life. I really have learned a lot about God and our religion through you guys. You have made a BIG impact on me.”

- a 4th grade boy in an email thanking Jonny Scott [“Our children] have this ingrained knowledge that Jesus loves them, He’s there for them, He’ll answer their prayers and He helps them -- and that’s definitely TK.” - Deborah Ganser “The staff here has been super excited about our kids, which then pours into our kids sharing a passion for Christ and we see that reflected throughout the week. They’re excited to come back the following Sunday -- it’s like a little reunion to be back with their teachers and friends. It’s been a blessing.”

BETSY KEARNS

Early Childhood Coordinator betsy.kearns@trinitychurch.life

A N N PA R K

Admin Assistant ann.park@trinitychurch.life

- Peter Philbrick

- Gil Ohls

To promote connection among Trinity moms with young children, we will launch a group for mothers of toddlers.

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/KIDS

9

2015 Actual: $212,599 % of total expenses: 6% 2016 Budget: $307,257 % of total budget: 9%

K I D S

“I wish All Stars was four hours long!”

We will provide a minimum of four opportunities for children and families to serve, whether with a - a 7-year old boy local partner organization or with the wider church family on a Sunday morning through a food drive or our annual Operation Christmas Child box packing event.

BUDGET

T R I N I T Y

“I love that my children are exposed to faith. I love that they’re taught 2016 GOALS about Jesus in a way that they can absorb and identify with, and that is To take a more rounded approach to our curriculum fun. I love that they have examples of by going through the Bible front-to-back over the all ages in front of them and around course of three years and bringing what is taught on them. I think it’s important that the a Sunday into the rest of the week, we will be using people who are teaching them can The Gospel Project curriculum. It comes with many connect on their level.”

tools to equip parents with practical applications and activities that can be enjoyed at home.

JONNY SCOTT

Children & Family Ministries Director jonny.scott@trinitychurch.life

2 01 5 H I G H L I G H T S The worship and tech teams grew to 26 people. We prepared for inclusion of more musicians, technical artists, and leaders for the purpose of operating on multiple sites at one time. On the Sunday morning of both adult retreats, we had two teams leading worship at the same time (a first for us!).

We began developing a student ministry worship team, led by three of our students.

Our partnership with Nyack College students for Sunday youth group events was fruitful, with energized worship musicians coming to Trinity to minister to our teens.

We repurposed and added to older sound equipment, outfitting us with a mobile student ministry tech trailer that also serves other church-wide events.

W O R S H I P

&

A R T S

2016 GOALS Because we believe so strongly that God’s Spirit forms and empowers us to love those around us, we are creating more opportunity for extended times in God’s presence through a series of all-church worship nights.

In further expanding the team of volunteer and paid musicians, a focus will be on having three trained worship leaders and an additional band leader ready to lead worship for a variety of events.

We will continue mentoring and developing student musicians with the aim to have them fully lead a night of worship at SummerQuest (our six-day summer camp for students).

We will make tech upgrades needed for aging equipment.

TEAM “For me, singing is a means of expression and comfort. But singing praise is a whole thing unto itself.

What I’ve found is that when music is applied to prayer, I have a heightened awareness of God’s presence. There is definitely something about singing to and for Him. In singing praise there is an honesty that I get to with God and with myself that I don’t always get to with praying alone. It’s where the rubber meets the road — where my weakness meets His strength. My experience is that when I come willingly, willing to reveal my brokenness, the truth of who I am, He shows up and reminds me who He is — a loving and gracious Father. ” - Karene Madden “We are exceedingly blessed at Trinity with a staff of amazing leaders and a Senior Pastor who opens our minds and hearts to dwell upon God’s purpose and plan for our lives. In addition, I love community worship through song.

My heart is restored through the music and words of praise. I sense God’s pleasure as together we sing and the fellowship shared is like a vitamin for a healthy life.”

- Nancy Feetham

10

D AV E E D WA R D S

Worship & Arts Leader dave.edwards@trinitychurch.life

K E L LY L A L LY

Admin Assistant kelly.lally@trinitychurch.life

K AT H Y N E L S O N

Volunteer Staff Assistant kathy.nelson@trinitychurch.life

BUDGET 2015 Actual: $1,203,549 % of total expenses: 36% 2016 Budget: $1,184,959 % of total budget: 33%

FA C I L I TAT I N G M I N I S T RY 2015 saw the creation of a centralized Communications Team that supports all the ministries of the church through creating assets and disseminating information through a variety of mediums and channels, including printed materials, slides and videos shown on Sunday mornings, posts on the website, weekly emails, and social media. The launch of the new website and the introduction of the Trinity Life mobile app were important milestones. Three issues of Trinity Life magazine had pages filled with inspiring stories of Trinity people, stimulating and practical articles, and helpful information for newcomers. Senior Pastor Drew Williams was asked to be a regular contributor to the new Greenwich Sentinel weekly newspaper, adding to his ongoing commitment as a contributor to Greenwich Time newspaper. New in 2016 is the weekly email and website feature, “Drew’s Blog.”

JULIEN JARRY

K AT I E S TA L L A R D

Storyteller / Videographer julien.jarry@trinitychurch.life

Administration & Communications Director katie.stallard@trinitychurch.life

K E L LY T E U F E L

Graphic Designer kelly.teufel@trinitychurch.life

Generosity has the power to bring freedom, purpose and joy. At Trinity, we desire to be generous people with our “time, talent and treasure” and that will look differently for each one of us. This year we want to explore together the “why” and “how” of infusing generosity into our daily lives and the life of our church. One of the avenues will be through holding even more Journey of Generosity retreats that are facilitated by a non-profit whose sole aim is “to help people live radically generous lives through encountering the Biblical message of generosity in conversations with peers.” A number of Trinity people who have participated have found the time to be inspiring, pressure-free and thought-provoking. A new initiative for 2016 is the creation of a short, interactive course that looks at giving and tithing from a Biblical perspective.

Finance Committee:

Stewardship Committee:

Bill King (Chairman) Dean Allen John Bai Hannah Bible Mitch Dickey Jeff Eberwein Andy Hayball (Executive Pastor) Georgia Higbie (Treasurer) Mike Iodice (CFO) Jennifer Meredith Gil Ohls Andrew Tucker

Jeannie Cunnion (Chairman) Stephanie Harbour Andy Hayball (Executive Pastor) Matt Hultquist Bill King Jennifer Meredith

MIKE IODICE

KARA THOMPSON

CFO mike.iodice@trinitychurch.life

Finance Admin / Bookkeeper kara.thompson@trinitychurch.life finance@trinitychurch.life

HTTP://TRINITYCHURCH.LIFE/GIVING

11

HISTORICAL GIVING AND MINISTRY GROWTH

2007

2008

2009 Transition of Leadership

2010

2011

2012 Added 2nd Sunday Service

2013

2014

2015

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 as Senior Pastor in the fall.

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

2011 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

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

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 mid-week All-Stars program for grades 1-3

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

2013 Invested in dedicated Missions, Outreach, & Justice with addition of Ruth May Invested in growth of Children’s Ministry with addition of Jonny Scott Initiated Trinity Kids retreats Launched mid-week 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 mid-week Young Adults program Designed new website/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

2015 Instilled Trinity’s mission to Connect, Grow & Serve Restructured Student Ministries based on highly-relational model to foster deeper connection with each student 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 Hyatt

#WEARETRINITY FAQ How is the annual budget determined?

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.

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

No. Will Trinity ever own a building with a sanctuary?

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. 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. We are currently searching for a larger “everything but Sunday” facility which will provide consistent program space for midweek groups and for the Trinity community to gather.

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

The Trinity Council and Finance Committee see the church’s ability to hire a number of highcapacity 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 22 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 the 160 volunteer leaders who lead adult groups and Bible studies, service teams, children and youth ministries, and much more. An additional 80+ people 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 some transplants from the U.K., there are an equal number of transplants hailing from Florida, Arizona and California. You might be surprised to learn that 52% of the Trinity staff were members of the church before being recruited to the staff team and another 20% lived in the NYC metro area before being called to Trinity.

Is Trinity part of a denomination?

No. 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.

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.” 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.

MEET THE COUNCIL The four nominees to be affirmed at the 2016 Annual Meeting:

STEPHANIE HARBOUR

BARB MORRIS

MIKE CUNNION

I R E N E E M AY

Front (left to right): Nicole Zasowski, Margaret Simon, Georgia Higbie, Jeff Eberwein Back (left to right): Rod Bourgeois, Regg Jones (Chairman), Jill Marchak, Bill King Not pictured: Drew Williams (Senior Pastor)

15

Trinity Church (office) 15 Sherwood Place Greenwich, CT 06830 203-618-0808 http://trinitychurch.life