Trinity Episcopal Church stands at 1415 Sixth Avenue South in Anoka, Minnesota, where the community has worshiped since 1858. The parish is known for its warm, relaxed hospitality, its worship grounded in God's Word and the sacraments, and a long record of service to neighbors facing hunger and housing insecurity. It is one of Minnesota's oldest Episcopal congregations, belongs to Episcopal Church in Minnesota, and has gathered in its Sixth Avenue building since 1965.
Holy Eucharist at Ten on Sunday
At 10 a.m. Sunday, Trinity celebrates Holy Eucharist. The deacon helps set the table, and Eucharistic Ministers assist at the altar, read Scripture as Lectors, lead the Prayers of the People, and distribute communion. Greeters welcome people and speak with new or returning visitors, while ushers help the service flow by distributing bulletins, gathering the offering, and inviting people to bring bread and wine to the altar.
The atmosphere is warm, relaxed, and welcoming. Trinity's motto is Community, Celebration, Spirit, Love, and the church welcomes people without exception. Its worship follows the liturgical tradition of The Episcopal Church and the Book of Common Prayer, while the congregation's music and the participation of lay ministers remain central to the Sunday gathering.
Morning Prayer is held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Trinity also offers a study and fellowship gathering, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available upon appointment. Services can be followed through Trinity's YouTube livestream.
A Parish Rooted in Anoka Since 1858
Trinity's history begins in September 1858, when Anoka had about 500 inhabitants and four other religious congregations. The new Episcopal congregation first worshiped in a local schoolhouse. Its first church, at Fourth Avenue and Jackson Street, was consecrated in July 1860 and seated about 90 people. An undercroft and parish hall were added, but the building was eventually outgrown.
The present church at Sixth Avenue and South Street was ready for services in time for Christmas 1965. By the end of January 1966, the Sunday school and church offices were in place. In 1989, the Johnson Room was built, the original parish hall was divided into several classrooms, and an industrial kitchen was added. These spaces continue to support worship, formation, hospitality, and the many activities that gather around the congregation.
Trinity observed the 150th anniversary of the Anoka faith community in 2008 and the 50th anniversary in this building in 2015. It is among the oldest Episcopal parishes in Minnesota, with a story that extends from a small schoolhouse congregation to a multigenerational community of worship, music, lay service, and neighborhood mission work.
Children and Youth Take Part
Children are welcome at Trinity's services and gatherings. The church offers Godly Play on most Sundays and sometimes includes a children's sermon. Children may come forward with their parents for communion or a blessing. On the third Sunday of each month, children are invited to join the clergy and Eucharistic Ministers around the altar. A play table beside the baptismal font and toys in the large gathering space give young children places to take part.
Trinity prepares children and their parents for baptism, older youth for confirmation, and adults for the sacraments. Older youth, age 12 and upward, may serve as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, or intercessors. Trinity also partners with nearby Episcopal churches for youth activities.
Coffee, Shared Tables, and Trinity Guild
Coffee and refreshments sometimes follow the service, provided by members of the parish. The time together offers a chance to catch up with one another, and the congregation occasionally shares a meal. Other gatherings are open to the wider Anoka community, with food and fellowship forming part of Trinity's pattern of hospitality.
Trinity Guild meets monthly from September through May. Its purpose is to enrich women's lives through fellowship and education while supporting one another and the parish family. A speaker presents a topic of special interest at each meeting, members share stories and concerns when they wish, and participants bring a bag lunch because beverages and dessert are provided. The guild also awards a yearly scholarship to a high school graduate. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The Laity as Ministers
Triny understands the laity as the first order of ministry in the Episcopal Church and one of four orders of ministry. The Baptismal Covenant calls the baptized to seek and serve Christ in all people, love neighbors as themselves, strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being. All baptized people are considered ministers of the faith community, and the church encourages people to use their gifts in daily life, family, work, worship, and service.
That ministry is expressed through prayer, Scripture, worship, study, integrity, compassion, respect for human differences, openness to strangers, and a willingness to pursue Beloved Community. Trinity's lay roles include:
- Choir members who share their musical gifts.
- Ushers who assist during worship and gather the offering.
- Greeters who welcome worshippers and speak with visitors.
- Gardeners and building caretakers who tend the church grounds and physical facilities.
- Hospitality volunteers who prepare food, serve refreshments, and clean up.
- Altar Guild members who care for vestments, vessels, linens, and the altar.
- Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, and intercessors who assist at the altar, read Scripture, and lead prayer.
- Lay Eucharistic Visitors who are trained to carry communion to parishioners unable to attend worship.
Healing Prayer and the Circle of Care
Trinity calls itself a praying church. The congregation is notified weekly about changing needs among parishioners, families, and the community, and a Prayer Chain is activated when necessary. The Healing Team gathers at the altar on Sunday to pray with people, while a healing service within the Eucharist is conducted quarterly.
The Sacred Circle Caregivers meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Its mission is to support parishioners in transition and to gather for prayer about the concerns they carry. The circle works alongside the church's other pastoral ministries and the wider care offered by its clergy.
A Mission Directed Toward the Margins
Trinity's Mission Team meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month, and everyone is welcome to join. Led by the passion of parishioners, the team focuses especially on people who are homeless or hungry. Its approach is to discern where Jesus is already at work, build relationships with community partners, and pursue activities that can be sustained through volunteers and financial resources. Most mission work reaches outward, while specific needs within the parish are also met as ability allows.
ACBC Food Shelf and Meals on Wheels
Trinity has long supported the Anoka County Brotherhood Council, known as ACBC, through recurring financial donations, food collections, and other items requested by the food shelf. ACBC provides emergency food and clothing to Anoka County residents while maintaining the dignity of those it serves. Its client-choice model lets families walk through the store and select their groceries.
Trinity members can also volunteer at the food shelf by greeting families, restocking shelves, working the checkout or clothing closet, accepting donations, sorting produce, accompanying a Retail Rescue driver, or delivering food shelf orders. The delivery work also provides social connection for homebound seniors.
Trinity has worked with Impact Services Meals on Wheels since 1976 and was one of its founders. Volunteers deliver meals for about a week every six weeks in Anoka and Coon Rapids, with a minimum of 10 volunteers needed for each delivery period. The meals provide nutrition, while the wellness check and friendly conversation are equally important to older adults and others at nutritional risk who may otherwise feel isolated.
Family Promise and Support for Housing Insecurity
Trinity partners with Family Promise in Anoka County to support families experiencing housing insecurity and help them build foundations of lasting independence. Family Promise began in 2009 with Anoka County residents, congregation leaders, and laypeople who recognized a community need. It opened in September 2010 as the 157th affiliate of the national Interfaith Hospitality Network and has grown into a continuum of programs for families experiencing homelessness.
Volunteer organizations such as Trinity take part throughout the month by purchasing specific items, gift cards, and other supplies. The Meal Train gives volunteers ways to cook a meal for a family, provide takeout, or deliver a gift card for a restaurant meal. Other support takes the form of baby-care boxes with diapers, wipes, and bath items; kid-care boxes with art and educational materials; adult self-care bags; and bags for holiday celebrations. Trinity's involvement joins practical assistance with the Family Promise model of community commitment to families in need.
Relief, Liberia, and the United Thank Offering
Another mission connection is the Headwaters Relief Organization, which connects volunteers with communities being served and supports initiatives involving books, education, disaster relief, medical and psychosocial support, public health, and human trafficking. Trinity also makes quarterly special donations for its sister church, St. James Church in Liberia.
Twice a year, Trinity collects the United Thank Offering, a ministry of The Episcopal Church devoted to gratitude and mission across the Anglican Communion. The offering encourages a daily discipline of noticing and giving thanks for blessings. One hundred percent of the amount collected supports innovative missions and ministries throughout The Episcopal Church and the Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
What Trinity Believes
The Book of Common Prayer provides Trinity's liturgies, prayers, catechism, and theological framework. As Episcopalians, the church believes in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world, and affirms that God loves all people and calls everyone to do the same without exception.
Trinity believes in the inclusion of all people in the life of the church regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, or sexual orientation. It understands leadership as a gift from God that can be expressed by lay or ordained people. Episcopalians belong to the worldwide Anglican Communion in the United States and are descendants of and partners with the Church of England.
The Episcopal Church seeks to see and serve Christ in all people, love neighbors as itself, strive for justice and peace, and respect every human being. Episcopal Church in Minnesota emphasizes discipleship, faithful innovation, justice expressed through Beloved Community, and congregational vitality. Beloved Community, rooted in the vision of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love, where poverty, hunger, homelessness, racism, and discrimination are not tolerated.
Welcoming Whole People on Anishinaabe and Dakota Land
The land on which Trinity stands is the homeland of the Anishinaabe and Dakota people. Trinity recognizes the lasting effects of genocide, slavery, and ongoing occupation on Indigenous communities, communities of color, immigrant communities, and others. It affirms the right of people who have experienced such trauma to bring their whole selves and their stories into the church. Its shared intention is to promote healing, respect, and love.
Clergy and Music Leadership
The Rev. David McEachron serves as Trinity's part-time pastor and as a curate at St. Matthews in St. Paul. He is involved with Episcopal Church in Minnesota's ministry innovation work, particularly the Movies & Chats initiative at St. Matthews.
Father Bob Pierson serves as Priest Associate. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1984 and received into the Episcopal Church in 2016, he chairs the Mission Outreach Team, leads the monthly Circle of Care meeting, schedules Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and serves as Sunday supply priest when needed. Deacon Eileen Harvala is a point of connection for mission work and lay ministry.
Erin Berg is Trinity's Music Director. A former elementary music educator, she also has experience in choir singing, solo performance, piano, and harp. Music Assistant Stephen Berg plays guitar, bass, drums, percussion, lute, and Irish bouzouki, and is also a songwriter and recording artist. Together they support the musical life of Trinity's worship.
Giving and Contact
Trinity's office is open Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. The church can be reached at 763-421-1196 or admin@trinityanoka.org, and its address is 1415 Sixth Avenue South, Anoka, MN 55303. Contributions may be sent through Venmo by adding Trinity Episcopal Anoka, or they may be mailed or delivered to the church. Trinity also maintains a Facebook presence and posts services on YouTube.
At the center of Trinity's life remains the pattern it has kept since 1858: Sunday worship at 10, Wednesday prayer at 9:30, and service carried from the parish into the wider community.