The Trinity Story

Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here!

We are so glad you joined us to celebrate our relationships with each other and with Jesus! Our expectation is that worship will be a time in which you experience a taste of the incredible grace and presence of God.

We are committed to open hearts, open minds, and open doors.

All are accepted and all are welcome!

We develop these relationships by inviting people, investing in them, and then inspiring them to use their God-given talents to transform lives, the community, and the world. We believe there is a place for everyone in God’s family.

We partner with Kansas Wesleyan University and other Salina United Methodist Churches and envision vibrant, thriving, teaching congregations which are developing relationships with Jesus and for Jesus.

The Trinity Story

In the summer of 1962, with significant support from Salina’s First United Methodist Church and the Salina District of the Kansas West Conference, a new church was planted in south Salina. Land had been purchased by the Conference Board of Missions on East Neal and a parsonage had been built in the Bonnie Ridge addition of south Salina. The Rev. Jay B. Schwartz was appointed as the first pastor and began meeting with families in the church parsonage. On September 9, 1962, the first worship service was held at Grace E. Stewart School. At the close of the service, the hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” was sung by the congregation and 79 persons answered the call for membership in the new South Salina Church.

On October 14, 1962, a Church Conference was held following worship to select a name for the new church. Eighteen names were proposed and a ballot was taken to narrow the choices to three. The top vote getters were Faith and Aldersgate with Agape and Trinity tied for third. Each subsequent ballot eliminated one name until Trinity won the election over Aldersgate by 2 votes. Trinity United Methodist Church was chartered on January 20, 1963 with 136 members.

The church grew quickly and a building committee was formed to plan a facility to be constructed on East Neal. The congregation took trips to Wichita, Wellington and Beatrice Nebraska to look at various churches to determine what type of building was most desired. The preliminary plans providing for a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, class rooms, office and rest rooms were estimated to cost $135,000. After many attempts, Lee Spellman was able to secure a loan from Homestead Savings for $110,000.

On a cold day with the temperature hovering around 12 degrees above zero and a 40 mile per hour wind, a ground breaking ceremony was held on January 12, 1964. It was necessary to hold most of the ceremony inside, but nearly 100 people braved the cold for the ground breaking itself. The most memorable moment came when the ground breakers had to unite their efforts to pull the shovel out of the frozen ground.

The new church building was completed in November of 1964 and the first service in the sanctuary was held on Thanksgiving Sunday. A service of consecration was held on January 10, 1965 with Salina District Superintendent Dr. Glenn Matthew preaching on “The Dimensions of Trinity church.”

The sanctuary has a very unique design. As one sees the building, the roof is spread out like the wings of a hovering bird. It symbolizes the hovering presence of the Holy Spirit over the place of worship. The three crosses on the outer and inner forward wall of the worship area represent the three crosses of Calvary. The semi-circular seating arrangement of the nave and the free standing altar with congregation, choir and pastor surrounding it symbolize the unity of the worshipping family and signify that God, His love, His grace, His word and the sacraments are available to all people.

On September 9, 2012, Trinity United Methodist Church celebrated her 50th year in ministry. Since those early years, Trinity has continued to grow in both spirit and size. Two new additions were built onto the original facility to accommodate the need for classroom space and fellowship area. A major renovation of the sanctuary was completed in 2007. Choir seating was expanded to accommodate more than 50 singers. New and improved technology was added to enhance the worship experience. As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration in 2012, Trinity embarked on the largest building expansion in her history, a 2.5 million dollar addition that included new Sunday school and office space, a new kitchen, additional parking and a 6,600 square foot multipurpose room. The addition was completed in February of 2014.

Trinity has grown into a vibrant congregation of more than 800 members and averages around 400 in worship on Sundays. It is a progressive community of faith that values education, mission, music and an inclusive spirit that welcomes all people seeking answers to life’s questions.