FAQ

Sunday Services:

Indoor:    10:15                   Join us in the Sanctuary!

What is worship like?
Our Sunday Service is traditional, but relaxed.  While we do worship with liturgy and hymns, we worship with spirit! We use several liturgies for our Service throughout the year, varying in style, depending on the season. The pastor normally preaches a sermon lasting for about 10-15 minutes, and we celebrate Holy Communion on most Sundays. We sing hymns, but they are of a wide variety. Some of our hymns are the old classics that we grew up with, but we’re not afraid of new things! We also sing songs that are more recently composed in the contemporary period, and some that originate in other cultures around the world! You’ll notice right away that we are a congregation that likes to sing! It doesn’t matter if you can carry a tune or not, we’d love to have your voice join in songs of praise with ours!

What should I wear to Sunday worship?
Whatever you’re comfortable wearing! Some of us prefer to wear our “Sunday best,” but others among us wear blue jeans and more casual clothes! You’ll see suits & ties, but also jeans and sandals…and maybe even Eagles, Ravens, or Steelers jerseys!

Is Sunday worship family-friendly?
Yes! Trinity is definitely a “family church” and the sound of children in worship is a joyful sound to the Lord! Don’t worry if your child cries or makes a fuss! We always have small children worshiping with us, and it would be rare to hear a pin drop in our sanctuary! We have a nursery with toys, tables, a crib & changing table. Our nursery gets used all the time! We also offer a monthly “children’s church” during worship, when children can engage in a lively and fun way during the sermon and prayer time.

How does Trinity serve the community?                                                                                      Fed by Christ, we are called to feed those around us with good news.  We respond to God’s amazing grace by hearing Jesus’ call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and care for the sick.  And so, we continually seek ways to serve our community, including the following:  1)  We share a free Community Meal on every last Wednesday of the month at 6:00.  We invite one and all to come and eat with us, free of charge!  2)  We have a very active Quilting Group that sends much-needed quilts to various parts of the world through Lutheran World Relief.  Our quilting group meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday mornings.  Join us!  3)  We partner with Harvest of Hope Food Pantry, along with other local area congregations to support this important local feeding ministry.  We take collections of both monetary and food donations, and we volunteer to help distribute food to families in need.  4) We maintain a fund to help those in our local area who are in need of assistance.  5)  We provide space for a weekly meeting of a women’s Narcotics Anonymous group, the only all-women’s N.A. group in York County.  6)  We host an outstanding preschool program, the Jefferson Center for Preschool Children, which has prepared children for kindergarten for 38 years!

I’m not Lutheran. Can I take Communion?
As a congregation of the ELCA, we welcome ALL baptized Christians to the Lord’s Supper. It’s not our altar table, but God’s, and God’s love and grace are for all, not just for us Lutherans. And so, if you are a believer from another Christian tradition, you are certainly most welcome to join us in the Lord’s Supper!

What music ministries can I take part in?
We have a chancel choir that sings an anthem and leads congregational singing every Sunday! We also have a chime choir that offers special music on occasion. If you are interested in either of these groups, just let our choir director know!
If you would like to offer your talents in the form of special music (vocal and/or instrumental solos, duets, or groups), that can be easily arranged, especially in the summer months when our chancel choir is on break.
If you play contemporary instruments (drums, guitars, keyboards) and would like to start a praise band, just let the pastor know!

Does Trinity work with other churches?
Absolutely! We are pleased to partner with the other two churches in Jefferson: Christ U.C.C. & Bethlehem U.M.C. The three churches of Jefferson worship together for a Community Thanksgiving service, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and an outdoor Community Service in July. We also partner ecumenically with other community churches for our annual mid-week Lenten series.

Additionally, our denomination (the ELCA) is in a relationship of full communion with six non-Lutheran denominations: the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church, the United Church of Christ, the Reformed Church in America, the Presbyterian Church-USA, & the United Methodist Church. Full communion means that, while we have some theological differences, we are able to worship together in pulpit and altar fellowship. St. Paul writes, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all. (Ephesians 4:5-6).”

Why do you start worship with Confession & Forgiveness?  For us, this is integral to the proclamation of the Gospel!  It’s not a “downer”, but Good News!  We come together recognizing that we are, each one of us, sinners.  But for us Lutherans, the emphasis isn’t on “confessing correctly” nor on “doing penance” but on hearing God’s words of pardon and entire forgiveness of ALL our sins (those known and unknown, those remembered and forgotten).  The words of pardon are NOT the words of the pastor (a mere human being, and indeed, a fellow sinner), but the declaration by the pastor of the forgiveness that comes from God alone.  Hearing this pardon in a spirit of repentance, we can believe in God’s declaration to us with peace in our hearts, which then leads us to joyful worship!  This is why “confession and forgiveness” is part of our worship:  because we can then truly celebrate the great gift God has given to us in Christ alone!  Praise God for his awesome gift!

Do you offer Sunday School?
Yes! We offer faith formation & Sunday school classes for all ages from approximately Labor Day to Memorial Day. (Sunday School takes a summer break.) We offer three lively and well-attended adult classes, a youth class, a children’s class, and a small child class in the nursery.

How many people attend on a typical Sunday?                                                                   Our worship attendance averages between 90 and 95.  Small enough to feel like a family where you’ll get to know everyone, and big enough to be dynamic!

Am I going to find people my age at Trinity?                                                                      Short answer: yes!  While we are a small community church, we are truly an inter-generational congregation, and we have active members in every decade of life.

Is Trinity a conservative or liberal congregation?   Theologically, our teachings are traditionally Lutheran, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures & the Confessions of the Lutheran Church in the Book of Concord.  However, we do not align ourselves as a congregation with political terms like “liberal” & “conservative.”  We have active members of our church family from across the political spectrum.  Therefore, you will find a Lutheran church home here, regardless of your political persuasion.

What denomination is Trinity?
Our theological confession is Lutheran & our denominational affiliation is Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Here is a link to our denomination’s website: http://www.ELCA.org