Service to Others

As one member said recently, we “take that gospel stuff and apply it to the people who are alive today.” We are well known for our hospitality: our commitment to the unhoused and hungry; to LGBTQ+ members looking for an affirming spiritual community; to our neighbors who straddle the Delmar Divide, one of the starkest lines of racial segregation in the country.

Our church’s most significant outreach program is the Trinity Food Ministry (TFM), which has been active for 50 years. TFM’s Wednesday Café and Sunday Hot Lunch offer seated restaurant-style dining. At the food pantry (open Tuesdays and Thursdays), community members choose the food items they want and can also take away a hot meal. Clothing and other necessities are often available. TFM provided groceries and meals for approximately 9,000 people last year. Most people whom TFM serves live at or below the poverty line. Almost everyone who comes to Trinity for groceries or meals also seeks community and fellowship. This is a holy and sacred space for them.

TFM functions via support from the members of Trinity as well as an extensive network of community partners. Congregations and businesses from the neighborhood and beyond support the ministry through volunteering and donations. Despite this generosity, need is still acute. The number of community members whom TFM serves has grown significantly, with a 30% to 40% increase this year over last; we are also recognizing the need for related ministries.

Almost all the other service work we do connects to or stems from our work in our food ministry. This summer, members of the parish received training on administering Narcan, and we installed a box by our parking lot, where anyone can retrieve a dose and instructions on using it. We have a nurse on site during Food Pantry, and we direct TFM members to other services as needed.

In addition to these services, we also share our space with community groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Al-Anon. Our substantial and sustained practice of our faith in solidarity with and service to others is a major reason that congregants from around St. Louis go out of their way to join us at Trinity.