Why Should I Support Trinity?

Because God is transforming lives through our ministry ….

Our worship and community life make a difference.  Together we find courage to love boldly in a hurting world, renewed hope when life is hard, inspiration to make a difference, and God’s deep love for each one of us that holds us tenderly no matter what happens on our life journey.

Worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. continues to be at the heart of our life together.  Through music and prayers, stories from the bible and stories from life, silence and sacrament, we experience God’s presence.  That shared experience strengthens our relationship with God and with one another helping us to respond faithfully to the joys and challenges of our everyday lives.

Small groups such as our Friday Study group, Sunday Evening Video Study, the United Church Women (UCW), “Epic Fail” Retreat, Sunday School, Senior and Junior Choir practices give us a chance to reflect on our faith journeys with others.  Sharing our life experiences helps us find deeper meaning.

Joining us in person is always best.  There’s something that happens when people are together face-to-face that technology cannot duplicate.  Yet, we know that it can be hard to connect in person as much as we would like and that some of our friends live at a distance, so we also use technology to enhance and expand our reach.  We have a Youtube channel (“trinityportage”) where we post videos of most Sunday sermons as well as other content occasionally. We continue to engage people through our webpage, our Facebook Group, Twitter account (@ChurchPortage) and Instagram feed (“trinityportage”).  God’s wisdom can be shared in many ways.

Because we all need a little support along the way ….

Our United Church creed begins “We are not alone!”  That’s always true because God is with us but it helps sometimes for God to have “skin”.  That’s where our church community can help.

Whether its celebrating the joy of a new birth, helping a couple prepare for marriage, or supporting those who are coping with job loss or illness, the church is here.  Every time a new member joins, we remind each other of our commitment to be companions on the journey of life through all its ups and downs.

Some days that’s lots of fun.  Some days it breaks our hearts.  All the time, it is holy and life-enhancing.

Because we love to serve our community ….

Trinity’s historic building is a happening place.  We’re busy all the time.

Here’s a few examples from a typical week:

• Nursery school children learn through play upstairs in our West Wing
• A Food Matters meeting explores how to improve food security in our city
• A Big Brother/Little Brother bake cookies in the kitchen after school
• 12 step recovery groups meet
• Portage Girl Guides practice pitching tents in the auditorium
• The Islamic Association of Portage la Prairie prays in the lower hall
• A Sewing Circle makes ribbon skirts for a gathering of Indigenous elders
• And the church uses space from time to time as well

Some days it feels like grand central station but we believe that’s the way it should be.

Trinity people also serve throughout our community.  If you check out the volunteer lists of many local organizations, you will find Trinity people there.  As a congregation, we are delighted to be involved directly in projects like Habitat for Humanity, Games Night and the Soup Kitchen.  However, our biggest impact in the community comes from the many ways that our members are out there living their faith in their work and volunteer lives.  Trinity people make a difference and our congregational life helps to inspire and support that work.

Because we connect people in a divided world …

Our mission goal is to welcome each person as a child of God.  We are an Affirming Ministry within the United Church of Canada declaring our commitment to offer an intentional welcome for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.  We also replaced the aging lift to our sanctuary and office areas so that our building remains accessible. We continue to learn and grow as we seek to not just welcome but value every person who chooses to be part of our life together.

Trinity people come from all walks of life.  We are rich and poor, gay and straight, old and young, employed and retired.  We represent the full political spectrum.  We have many different abilities, ideas and passions.  We don’t all think the same. We celebrate our differences.

Together we foster caring relationships which value diversity and encourage each of us to develop our own gifts.  As we grow together in faith, we find ways to explore and work towards God’s dream for our lives, our community and our world that go deeper than our differences.