About Trinity / Who We Are
Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish has existed in this community since 1843, and has approximately 160 members who live in the East Village/Lower East Side. We are a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We are 5 million Christians in 11,000 churches. Our faith is centered in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. We celebrate Holy Communion weekly because we take seriously the command of Jesus to "Do this in remembrance of me."
We welcome women and men into ordained ministry, and are respectful of our bishops. We train lay people for committed lives of service and consecrate them as deacons. We are enthusiastically ecumenical. Although not perfect, we regard ourselves as made holy by Jesus, through whose death and bodily resurrection we receive eternal life. We welcome everyone into membership, regardless of race, economic means, political preference, married/single status or sexual orientation. We live our Christianity in word and deed.
To carry out our ministry of Word, Pastor Phil Trzynka leads us as pastor, and we worship every Sunday morning, with special services throughout the year. We offer Sunday school and summer programs to the children. Bible study, confirmation, and retreats are organized for adult education. We visit the sick and take Holy Communion to those in hospitals or confined to their home. An elected church council meets monthly to plan for and oversee the ministry.
To carry out our ministry of Deed, we have a separately incorporated non-profit, Trinity's Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH), which operates our soup kitchen, food pantry, and referral center. It has four full-time employees. The pastor serves as Chairman of the board. SAFH receives in-kind space donations from Trinity, and pays a portion of shared space costs.
Trinity continues to offer a youth hostel program for high school and college groups who desire to come into the city and work in our soup kitchen or serve in other areas of social service. Each year Trinity houses approximately 25 groups from all over the country.
Our church governance is congregational, meaning we make our own decisions about who will be our pastor, how best to proclaim the gospel in our community, and how to spend our money. But we are not independent. Our local office of the ELCA is the Metropolitan New York Synod, which has a full-time bishop and staff who lead us in mission. We are bound together by a common constitution, confession, and mission.