Many of you know Trinity best from your time in church on Sunday, whether in person or online. But since the creation of Trinity Commons, the expanded ministry of the cathedral has happened throughout the rest of the week as well. In fact, over the last year we have seen a steady increase in the breadth and number of events that happen during the week, and we look forward to even more new—and continuing—events.
Since we spend an increasing amount of our staff time supporting and balancing the needs of many partner and community organizations, I thought I’d offer a snapshot of just a few examples.
This past year, we continued to support our longstanding partners with the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program (NLDP) and the Community Development Corporation Leadership Program, as well as numerous support groups, all of which have been meeting at Trinity Commons since it was built. We also continue a robust relationship with PFLAG, which meets monthly for regular and special events. We frequently host partner concerts with the Cleveland Chamber Choir, and welcome organizations that use our spaces for concerts or rehearsals, including the Men of Independence Choir and the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Choruses. The board for the Campus District (our local neighborhood improvement organization) meets here regularly, and the LGBT Community Center advocacy group has met here a number of times as well.
We’ve held community meetings for groups such as the residents of the Rainbow Terrace apartment complex and a voter celebration event for Project Halo during Ohio’s primary election.
Looking ahead, we are planning to welcome the community for docent-led tours during Cleveland History Days later this month, we’ll host the Greater Cleveland Congregations’ Annual Meeting on June 25, and serve as the site for You Can Escape the Box, a financial literacy camp being offered by a community nonprofit. We are also working with campus ministry leaders to create fall gathering opportunities for United Protestant Campus Ministries, an ecumenical student ministry organization.
We manage this through our Facilities Events team, made up of three staff members—Jon Silvis, Eric Travis, and Emily Butler—who have an eye to both operations and programming.
Is all this programming on top of our cathedral ministries of pastoral care, music, witness, and Christian formation? On the contrary, I believe this is our ministry and vocation as a cathedral: to create a sacred space where the community can come together, seven days a week, to promote the love and mercy of God in the lives of our neighbors.
The ministry of Trinity Cathedral and Trinity Commons is alive and vibrant on Sunday mornings, but throughout the whole week as well!
Faithfully,
