CHRIST TRINITY CHURCH
Sheffield, Massachusetts
OUR CHURCH IS ALIVE!
OUR VISION
We are a progressive church, united in our goal to reach out to those on the margins of society and those broken by life’s circumstances. We are an open, present, visible, community in Christ, serving others through our stewardship of God’s gifts.
OUR HISTORY
The Protestant Episcopal Society of Sheffield was founded in 1814. That society eventually evolved into a church in 1866 known as Christ Church Episcopal. In 2000, Trinity Lutheran Church was founded as a mission congregation in the Southern Berkshires without a permanent church building until in 2007, Trinity joined with Christ, worshiping and serving together as a single congregation in all aspects except on paper where they still existed as two separate entities. In 2019 a unanimous vote to "Federate" was passed and now Christ Trinity Church is a single congregation in every way, still fully connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church. Now, blending a rich heritage of Episcopal and Lutheran traditions, we share worship, governance, budget and mission outreach. A recent update to our original welcoming statement was also passed unanimously, specifically adding a welcome to our LGBTQ+ neighbors onto the welcome statement first expressed at the Consecration of our church building in 1868:
We are a progressive church, united in our goal to reach out to those on the margins of society and those broken by life’s circumstances. We are an open, present, visible, community in Christ, serving others through our stewardship of God’s gifts.
OUR HISTORY
The Protestant Episcopal Society of Sheffield was founded in 1814. That society eventually evolved into a church in 1866 known as Christ Church Episcopal. In 2000, Trinity Lutheran Church was founded as a mission congregation in the Southern Berkshires without a permanent church building until in 2007, Trinity joined with Christ, worshiping and serving together as a single congregation in all aspects except on paper where they still existed as two separate entities. In 2019 a unanimous vote to "Federate" was passed and now Christ Trinity Church is a single congregation in every way, still fully connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church. Now, blending a rich heritage of Episcopal and Lutheran traditions, we share worship, governance, budget and mission outreach. A recent update to our original welcoming statement was also passed unanimously, specifically adding a welcome to our LGBTQ+ neighbors onto the welcome statement first expressed at the Consecration of our church building in 1868:
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We have a building capable of seating one-hundred persons and would be glad to see the space filled, whenever services are held. The seats are FREE and we assure the inhabitants of this and adjoining towns, that the church was not built simply to accommodate “ourselves”, neither are the services or Sunday school conducted with any such intention… Our idea was that its use and purpose should be to further the cause of Christianity, believing that one soul in the site of God and the angels is the peer of any other, whether it be possessed by a person of mean estate, or a high degree; whether he be black or white, artisan, farmer, merchant, priest or king, provided he lives acceptable in God’s sight… Each and every, of whatever faith, or of no faith, will find a generous welcome.
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OUR LOCATION
We are located in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in the southwest corner of Massachusetts bordering Connecticut and New York, an easy two-hour drive to Boston or New York City. Our church serves several rural communities blessed with access to farms, hiking trails, nature preserves, ski slopes and magnificent cultural venues featuring art museums, music centers, dance stages and historical sites. It is no wonder that the Berkshires, which we call home, has also been a year-round vacation spot for generations.
We are located in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in the southwest corner of Massachusetts bordering Connecticut and New York, an easy two-hour drive to Boston or New York City. Our church serves several rural communities blessed with access to farms, hiking trails, nature preserves, ski slopes and magnificent cultural venues featuring art museums, music centers, dance stages and historical sites. It is no wonder that the Berkshires, which we call home, has also been a year-round vacation spot for generations.
OUR STRENGTHS
We are a harmonious, strong and energetic faith community. We are both progressive and willing to experiment with being the church in our world today. We laugh easily, don't take ourselves too seriously and are genuinely kind to one another. We have demonstrated our flexibility and openness to change by looking through obvious the obvious differences of being two separate congregations and agreeing nevertheless to join with one another in every way. The success of that federation proves our ability to work together and we continue to look for other partners both in places you might expect like our neighbor, Old Parish Church, and in places you might not expect, with regular Beer and Hymn celebrations at Big Elm Brewing. We weave together programs of worship, fellowship, education and outreach with and for all ages. Our choir, music director and organist make music an integral part of our worship. As we approach challenges, we are comfortable drawing from two proud Protestant traditions. We care about each other and are actively involved outside the church. We are growing in visibility and we are open and welcoming. We listen and are guided by the Holy Spirit. There is energy; there is activity; there is commitment; and there is a willingness to move forward and to try new ideas. Not the least, our small church is beautiful, proudly boasting two Tiffany windows.
We are a harmonious, strong and energetic faith community. We are both progressive and willing to experiment with being the church in our world today. We laugh easily, don't take ourselves too seriously and are genuinely kind to one another. We have demonstrated our flexibility and openness to change by looking through obvious the obvious differences of being two separate congregations and agreeing nevertheless to join with one another in every way. The success of that federation proves our ability to work together and we continue to look for other partners both in places you might expect like our neighbor, Old Parish Church, and in places you might not expect, with regular Beer and Hymn celebrations at Big Elm Brewing. We weave together programs of worship, fellowship, education and outreach with and for all ages. Our choir, music director and organist make music an integral part of our worship. As we approach challenges, we are comfortable drawing from two proud Protestant traditions. We care about each other and are actively involved outside the church. We are growing in visibility and we are open and welcoming. We listen and are guided by the Holy Spirit. There is energy; there is activity; there is commitment; and there is a willingness to move forward and to try new ideas. Not the least, our small church is beautiful, proudly boasting two Tiffany windows.
OUR CHALLENGES
The world in which we serve is quite different from the world of the Protestant Episcopal Society of Sheffield in 1814 and it's even different that the world when Trinity Lutheran was formed in 2000. Our challenge is to honestly see and serve the world outside our doors today. That means trying new ways to reach people who are looking for a caring and compassionate community but might not think to look for that in a church. It means seeing the growing retiree demographic of our area as an opportunity and seeking ways to meet the needs of that group of people. It means holding onto the founding, welcoming, loving DNA of our congregation and letting it evolve so those same qualities are easily seen by our neighbors in this day and age.
The world in which we serve is quite different from the world of the Protestant Episcopal Society of Sheffield in 1814 and it's even different that the world when Trinity Lutheran was formed in 2000. Our challenge is to honestly see and serve the world outside our doors today. That means trying new ways to reach people who are looking for a caring and compassionate community but might not think to look for that in a church. It means seeing the growing retiree demographic of our area as an opportunity and seeking ways to meet the needs of that group of people. It means holding onto the founding, welcoming, loving DNA of our congregation and letting it evolve so those same qualities are easily seen by our neighbors in this day and age.
