Trinity Covenant Church on Hackmatack Street
Tucked into a residential stretch of Manchester, Connecticut, Trinity Covenant Church has been gathering at 302 Hackmatack Street since 1962. The congregation that meets there today is the spiritual descendant of a small group of Swedish immigrants who organized themselves into a church in 1892. More than a century later, Trinity still calls the same town home, still centers its life on the Word of God, and still identifies itself with the Evangelical Covenant Church, the Swedish-rooted fellowship it joined in 1948. Average Sunday attendance hovers around 200, and the building has grown alongside the people, with classrooms, an educational wing, and a renovated worship space added over the decades.
130 Years on Hackmatack Street: A Timeline of Trinity
The story begins on a winter Sunday in 1892, when twelve Swedish immigrants met in Manchester and organized a new congregation. Early services were held in Swedish in the Methodist Church and in Cheney Hall, until the first building - a modest structure on Spruce Street - was erected in 1893 at a cost of $1,400. By 1903 the membership stood at 31, supported by a new pump organ and the steady rhythm of prayer meetings.
In 1933 the congregation decided to use both Swedish and English in morning worship, and by 1941 Swedish had been replaced entirely by English as membership continued to rise. The congregation officially affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church of America in 1948, rooting itself in a wider Swedish-American revivalist movement that had begun in the mid-1880s. As the Spruce Street location became too small, members voted in 1959 to relocate, and the current Hackmatack Street building was erected in 1962. A second worship service was added in 1978, an educational wing in 1980, and a renovated worship space along with new classrooms in 1999.
Sunday Morning at 10
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 AM and typically runs between an hour and an hour and a half. The music is blended, drawing on both contemporary songs and traditional hymns, with announcements, prayer, and a biblical message with practical life application woven throughout. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month. The elements are placed on a table at the front, and everyone who professes faith in Jesus is invited to come forward - members and visitors alike.
What people wear runs the full spectrum. On any given Sunday you will see shirts, ties, dresses, and heels alongside jeans and sandals. The trend, as at many congregations, is toward the informal. Coffee is available in the lobby before the service, and the welcome team greets newcomers at the door. A nursing mothers' room is set off the sanctuary with the service livestreamed on a TV inside, so parents of infants can still follow along.
For those unable to attend in person, the service is livestreamed each Sunday morning, generally starting a few minutes before 10:00. An online Connect Card, the Sunday bulletin, and a weekly newsletter called The Loop are all available online.
Trinity Kids: Seedlings, Sprouts, and Saplings
Children are a centerpiece of life at Trinity. The children's ministry is built on three simple values: that God loves every child, that their church loves them, and that learning about God can be fun.
The nursery, called Seedlings, cares for babies from six months through age two with background-checked, trained volunteers. Little ones play with peers, hear a Bible story from The Beginner's Bible, and practice a little time away from mom and dad.
Sprouts is the preschool classroom. Children follow a simple preschool-style routine of play, a short game or activity, a Bible lesson, and a coloring page. The goal at this age is simple: to hear, over and over, how much Jesus loves and cares for them.
Saplings covers Kindergarten through sixth grade. Each week, children leave the sanctuary after announcements to gather in Founder's Chapel for an age-appropriate Bible lesson and time with their teachers, returning to the service after the sermon. Sunday School for K-6th grade meets at 9:00 AM, and the same age groups are cared for during the 10:00 worship hour.
Security is taken seriously. Trinity uses KidCheck for check-in, with kiosks in the lobby to the right of the foyer. Each child receives an adhesive name tag and each parent receives a matching receipt that must be presented at pickup. All volunteers working with children are background-checked, and members of the church Security team circulate the hallways during every service.
Youth at Trinity
Programming for young people is split across two rooms and two nights a week. Club 56 and the Middle School Youth Group meet on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Youth Room. The High School Youth Group meets on Sundays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the same space. High school students also have their own Sunday School at 9:00 AM. Both groups have active Facebook and Instagram presences where teens and parents can stay connected to events and announcements.
Hope 4:10: A Church for Our City
Hope 4:10 is Trinity's outreach arm, named after Matthew 25:40 - "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." The ministry is run entirely by volunteers.
Free Food Fridays happen on the third Friday of every month. Recipients who sign up through the Hope 4:10 Facebook page drive through and receive a box of shelf-stable and perishable goods, with cleaning supplies and hygiene items added every other month. A "free table" of additional items is also available.
Seasonal Sharing provides Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gifts to families facing financial challenges. Hope 4:10 partners with Keeney Street School and MACC Charities to identify families in need.
An elementary mentoring program places about a dozen volunteers in classrooms at the neighboring Keeney Elementary School for between one and four hours a week, offering extra attention to students who need a little extra encouragement.
Small Groups and the Pathways
Trinity describes itself as a "church family," and most of the deeper community life happens outside the Sunday gathering. Community Life Groups are the backbone: gatherings of eight to twelve people who meet regularly to study God's Word, share meals, and pray together. Groups are organized for men, women, young adults, families and couples, and mixed groups of all backgrounds and stages.
For those newer to Trinity, a series called Start Your Journey walks through four steps: a Welcome Brunch with the pastors and leaders, the four-week Discovering Trinity class (which covers the church's history, beliefs, mission, and membership), the three-week New Life in Christ class (which explores the foundations of the Christian life using a resource by J. Wilson Herrera and Katie Isaza), and an invitation to join a small group and consider baptism. Adult Discipleship Classes meet on Sundays at 9:00 AM from September through June.
Men, Women, and Primetimers
Men's Ministry at Trinity gathers men of all ages for Bible studies, small groups, prayer and accountability partnerships, and periodic retreats and conferences aimed at fostering Christ-centered relationships and equipping men to lead with integrity.
Women's Ministry, whose vision statement is built around the word RISE - drawn from Acts 26:16 - meets for a Rise & Share Breakfast on the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 to 11:30 AM, with food, fellowship, and a time of spiritual refreshment.
Primetimers is the fellowship for the men and women of Trinity who are 60 and older, gathering for shared meals and times of spiritual encouragement with others in a similar stage of life.
MomCo: Twice a Month for Moms of Littles
Trinity hosts a chapter of MomCo (Mom Community, formerly MOPS), a twice-monthly meetup for mothers of young children. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays from 9:15 to 11:15 AM, in line with the Manchester School District calendar, beginning in September and running through the end of the school year. Dues of the practical teaching through a speaker, demonstration, or video, occasional craft projects, and community service. Childcare is provided for children from six months through age five by background-checked volunteers - mostly grandmothers and seasoned moms. The vision, in MomCo's words, is "no mom alone." The group is open to women of any faith background.
The Library and Other Resources
Trinity maintains two lending libraries inside the building - an Adult Library on the lower level near the lower-level exit doors, and a Children and Parents Library just outside Fellowship Hall. The collections are cataloged on LibraryThing, and volunteers are available to help visitors find resources on the Christian faith, the Bible, and related topics. Beyond the library, members have access to a subscription to RightNow Media, a streaming library of more than 10,000 discipleship videos for kids, youth, and adults, free to anyone connected with the church. The bulletin and previous sermons are also available online.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity's statement of faith centers on six core affirmations. The church affirms the centrality of the Word of God, accepting the Bible as "the Word of God, and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct." It affirms the necessity of the new birth, holding that people become Christians through a personal response to what God has done in Jesus rather than through family heritage or religious ritual. It affirms a commitment to the whole mission of the church - both seeing lost people found and helping hurting people. It affirms the church as a fellowship of believers, with membership coming through a personal confession of faith in Jesus. It affirms a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, who convicts, gives gifts, and enables witness and service. And it affirms the reality of freedom in Christ - focusing on what unites followers of Jesus and staying humble on debatable matters while remaining clear on the central truths common to all Christians.
As an Evangelical Covenant Church, Trinity belongs to a denomination founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants seeking spiritual renewal. The ECC values the Bible as the Word of God, the gift of God's grace and a deepening spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ, the extension of God's love and compassion to a hurting world, and the strength that comes from unity within diversity. Today the ECC numbers more than 850 churches across the United States and Canada, with ministries on five continents.
Getting Started
Newcomers are invited to fill out an online Connect Card, attend a Welcome Brunch, and consider the Discovering Trinity class. The church can be contacted at info@trinitycovenantchurch.org or (860) 649-2855. Sunday worship is at 10:00 AM, Sunday School is at 9:00 AM from September through June, and the service is livestreamed for those joining from home. For more information on any of the ministries described above - from Trinity Kids and Trinity Youth to Hope 4:10, MomCo, Small Groups, Men's Ministry, Women's Ministry, or Primetimers - visitors are encouraged to explore the church's online resources or stop by the welcome center on Sunday morning.