Forest Park Presbyterian Church sits on South Sunny Slope Road in New Berlin, a suburb west of Milwaukee, and has been part of the community since 1928. The congregation describes itself as small, but its reach is wide: Sunday worship draws on the Presbyterian hymnal and a full music ministry, and the church's mission work stretches from neighborhood schools to college campuses to disaster response kits shipped around the world. Newcomers are welcomed warmly, and the congregation centers its life on two commandments - loving God with heart, soul, strength and mind, and loving neighbor as self - that the children in the pews summarize simply: "EVERYONE."
Sunday at Forest Park
Worship begins at 9:30 am every Sunday, both in the sanctuary and online. The service is traditional in style and liturgy, with hymns from the Presbyterian hymnal supported by an adult choir, a handbell choir, a children's chime choir, soloists and instrumental ensembles. Scripture, sermon and music carry the Word, and video screens help the congregation follow the service. Communion is served on the second Sunday of each month and at certain special services; worshippers receive bread (with a gluten-free option) and grape juice at their seats, and children are welcome to partake as their parents see fit.
Online worship is livestreamed every week on the church's YouTube channel, so members who are traveling, ill or simply at home can stay connected. After the service the congregation gathers for fellowship, and on second Sundays (September through May) the whole church stays for "Brunch with the Bible," a free intergenerational meal and occasional mission project.
The Prayground: All Ages in the Sanctuary
Forest Park is built on the conviction that worship is best when children and adults share it. At the front-left of the sanctuary sits the Prayground, a table stocked with age-appropriate materials where young children can draw, look at books and engage quietly while remaining part of the service. During worship, Pastor Kim Trimboli invites the children forward for a short conversation just for them, and other adults from the pews join them at the Prayground to help with projects.
Children and teens are also woven into the wider life of the church. They take part in the annual hygiene-kit project for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, join intergenerational events like Brunch with the Bible, and are welcome at the mission outings the congregation organizes.
Weekday Rhythms: Bible Study, Yoga and Handbells
The week has its own gentle cadence at Forest Park. Two Bible study groups follow the same curriculum - currently the Nooma video and discussion series, named from the Greek word for "wind" or "spirit." The Tuesday group meets at 6:30 pm on Zoom, and the Thursday group meets at 1:30 pm in the conference room. Each lesson stands alone, so newcomers can drop in when they are able.
Other regular rhythms include a Women's Circle that meets on second Mondays for study through Presbyterian Women (currently working through Sacred Encounters: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ in Luke-Acts), a Lunch Bunch that visits a different local restaurant each first Monday, and Chair Yoga on Thursdays at 11 am in the hospitality room, taught by Betty Marr, a certified yoga instructor and member of the church. The Handbell Choir rehearses on Saturday mornings at 8:30.
Worship and fellowship are also enriched by occasional joint services. Forest Park gathers with other Presbyterian congregations in the Presbytery of Milwaukee several times a year for combined worship.
Mission Across New Berlin and Beyond
Mission is a defining mark of the congregation. Forest Park runs Gathering for a Cause as a major spring fundraiser for local nonprofits. Members fill backpacks and Angel Tree gifts for children in the West Allis - West Milwaukee school system, and a volunteer team visits a local elementary school to read with students. Each year the congregation assembles more than 500 hygiene kits that go to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program for use in relief efforts.
The church also reaches into the wider church through its campus work. Members travel to Pres House at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and to Carroll University to serve meals and worship alongside college students. Forest Park hosts Loved Ministries, a program for teens in foster care group homes, by providing meeting space in the building and supporting the program in other ways.
A Congregation with Deep Roots
Forest Park Presbyterian began in 1928, when a small group of worshippers met in their homes. That same year the first church building was constructed. The current sanctuary and campus on South Sunny Slope Road were built in 1956, and photographs from the groundbreaking - with church and presbytery leaders turning the first spade of earth in October 1955 - still hang in the church's archive. A fuller account of the congregation's history is available in a PDF on the church's history page.
Governed by a Session and Deacons
The church is led by Pastor Kim Trimboli, who joined Forest Park in 2020 after years of ministry in Florida, the Carolinas and Ohio, with experience in youth ministry, Christian education, transitional ministry and consulting. Music Director Nick Narloch oversees the choirs and instrumentalists, and Communications Manager Mya Giuliani handles the church's newsletter, Pew News, and other communications.
Like every Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation, Forest Park is governed jointly by the pastor and elected elders who form the Session, and cared for by an elected board of Deacons. The Session oversees the mission, finances, building and grounds, and fellowship of the congregation, while the Deacons assist with worship, prepare and serve communion, provide hospitality, and care for members who are ill, homebound or in crisis. Forest Park belongs to the Presbytery of Milwaukee and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies within the PC(USA).
First-Time Visitors
Sunday morning is the easiest way to meet the church. Parking is available on site, the dress code ranges from casual to dressy (members wear what makes them comfortable), and the congregation encourages newcomers to introduce themselves. Anyone can submit a prayer request by phone or email, and requests are included in Pew News for three weeks. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8 am to noon, and the building can be reached at (262) 786-5850.