At 503 Asbury Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Trinity Episcopal Church is known for traditional and choral Holy Eucharist in a richly detailed English Gothic sanctuary, and for taking its call to unconditional love into the streets around Asbury Park. The parish worships in a liturgical style, welcomes people of every faith and none into community life, and anchors that hospitality in food, housing, employment, recovery, and justice work through the Trinity Center for Community. Its roots reach to 1873, and its present building was consecrated in 1919.
A Gothic Sanctuary Shaped by Asbury Park
The first Episcopal services in Asbury Park took place in 1873 in the main office of James A. Bradley, founder and benefactor of the city. A year later, the first regular service was held in a tent in what became Library Square. Bradley deeded land opposite the tent, where Trinity stands, and a 30-by-60-foot wooden Gothic church was completed in July 1875. Bishop John Scarborough consecrated it on September 14, 1880. The wooden church was later lost to fire.
The present building grew from a cornerstone laid on December 30, 1908. Paying off the debts needed to consecrate the new church took nine and a half years, and the building was formally consecrated as Trinity Church on June 15, 1919. Its architect, Mr. Brazer, was only 27 when he designed the stone edifice in the English perpendicular Gothic style that flourished from 1350 to 1550.
Antique English-style windows with delicate limestone tracery hold stained glass created by leading artists from the United States, England, and Germany. Sanctuary terracotta was made by artists at the Moravian Tile Works. The three-manual Aeolian-Skinner organ, installed in 1967 as a memorial to Rita Newton from her husband Fred, is one of the church's most distinctive furnishings. When completed, the building cost $42,790 and was widely recognized among New Jersey's great church buildings.
Trinity continued to grow through the middle of the twentieth century, adding renovated church and office wings, an education wing, and a gymnasium. Asbury Park's severe losses in tourism and industry during the seventies and eighties brought poverty, absentee landlords, and the departure of much of its middle class. Trinity responded by re-engaging with a changed community through new outreach programs. Its membership has grown in number and diversity, with white and Black, gay and straight, rich and poor, liberal and conservative, women and men, and younger and older members and leaders.
Holy Eucharist at the Center
The Holy Eucharist, also called Communion, Mass, and the Lord's Supper, stands at the heart of Trinity's worship. Scripture and preaching, prayer and proclamation, music, and the sharing of holy food and drink shape services grounded in Word and Sacrament.
- Sundays: The 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist is a simple, traditional spoken service using the Book of Common Prayer, Rite II. The 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist is choral, with joyous music and preaching that relates the Gospel to today's questions. It is also livestreamed as a weekly YouTube livestream.
- Wednesday: The 6:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist is quiet and contemplative, with a Healing Service on the first Wednesday of each month.
- Friday: Morning Prayer is held in person at 7:30 a.m. Resources for joining Morning Prayer at home are available on weekdays at 7:30 a.m.
A Service Anyone Can Follow
All are welcome at Trinity, whether baptized or not, including people from other religious traditions. Services follow a common liturgical order and use the Book of Common Prayer, with Scripture and Eucharist as the foundation of worship. A service leaflet helps visitors follow the service and gives basic instructions for participation. Practices for sitting, standing, and kneeling vary, and the leaflet and officiant offer direction.
Trinity recognizes Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick as sacraments. Baptism is not required for attendance. The church teaches that all people are divinely and wonderfully made, and it welcomes divorced people to worship, receive Communion, and seek marriage in the church with the bishop's permission. Sacramental confession is optional.
Music Made for Participation
Music is integral to Trinity's worship, and congregational participation is its governing principle. Whether singing an anthem or a hymn from the pew, people are invited into the musical life of the parish. The Adult Choir welcomes all levels of musical ability, offers repertoire from centuries of choral music, teaches music reading when needed, and sings regularly for Sunday Eucharists, occasional Evensongs, Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve, and Holy Week. Its Sunday block runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., combining worship, warm-up, and rehearsal for the next month of services.
Director of Music and Arts Dr. Deborah Simpkin King supports the rector's vision for worship and liturgy through music for choir, congregation, organ, and piano. King is a conductor and new music advocate who founded Ember Choral Arts and PROJECT : ENCORE, an international effort promoting post-premiere performances of new music. The 1967 Aeolian-Skinner organ is in the American eclectic style and includes an unusual floating Swell division enabled by its compact chamber.
Nursery Care and a Faith Formation Generation
Nursery care is provided every Sunday throughout the year from 9:45 to 11:30 a.m. for children from six months through three years. Two loving caregivers are always present, both background-checked, and a camera records the room. The nursery has age-appropriate toys, puzzles, and games, and parents may come and go as needed. Rocking chairs at the back of the church let parents or guardians keep newborns with them during worship.
Sunday School runs from September through June with a dedicated team of teachers and age-appropriate lessons for children and youth. Sensory learning, hands-on activities, interactive discussions, weekly affirmations, Bible stories, scripture, and creative expression are used so faith is not only taught but experienced. The children and youth program emphasizes that young people are present members of the church's life now, not merely its future.
Young people serve as acolytes, readers, ushers, and greeters, helping lead the liturgy in a reverent and engaging way while taking ownership of worship and deepening their connection to the church community. Confirmation is offered periodically to youth in seventh grade and above through cohort-based discussion and reflection, culminating in a service when they publicly affirm their faith and are welcomed more fully into the church.
Unconditional Love, Radical Hospitality, and Belonging
Love is at the very core of Trinity Church. Through faith and ministry, the parish seeks to share Jesus Christ's unconditional, revolutionary love for all God's creation and people. Trinity says it demonstrates that love by respecting human dignity, practicing radical hospitality, standing with marginalized people, advocating for peace and justice, dismantling structural racism and systems of oppression, embracing inclusion, preserving its sacred space as a spiritual and physical sanctuary, and pursuing ecological sustainability. Joyful worship, prayer, lifelong spiritual formation, stewardship, pastoral care, and fellowship support that mission.
Trinity's welcome extends explicitly to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual people. It welcomes queer and trans people into all aspects of church life, celebrates same-sex marriages, and has a significant LGBTQ+ presence in the parish. The wider Episcopal Church declared LGBTQ+ people to be children of God with full and equal claim to the Church's love, acceptance, pastoral concern, and care in 1976, and made marriage available regardless of gender in 2015. Trinity presents its own community as a living example of that inclusion.
Clergy can be of any gender, women serve as priests, deacons, bishops, and other church leaders, and clergy may marry and have children. The parish also welcomes divorced people, permits married couples to use birth control, and describes sacramental confession as optional rather than required. These commitments are part of Trinity's public welcome, not a separate program from its worship and service.
The Trinity Center for Community
The Trinity Center for Community is how Trinity puts unconditional love into action. Its mission places the church in solidarity with neighbors by meeting immediate needs involving hunger, housing, employment, and physical and mental health in Asbury Park and Monmouth County while also organizing to change systemic injustice. The vision is an empowered community devoted to justice and wholeness for people of every race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and economic background.
Food security is the most visible expression of that work. A Tuesday food pantry and the Saturday Soup community meal serve people throughout Asbury Park and Monmouth County, with the meal open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Volunteers also staff the meal from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., welcome social workers, and bring in an acupuncturist, helping guests address immediate hunger while connecting with broader resources. The pantry and kitchen seek healthy, local, and organic food.
Housing is treated as a human right. Caseworkers assist community members with placement into safe, stable housing, while the Radical Wellbeing program adds life-skills and financial-empowerment coaching, mental health support, job placement, and recovery support. Trinity also offers job and leadership training, financial literacy and empowerment, recovery and wellness coaching, and arts and culture initiatives.
Code Blue is Trinity's emergency winter shelter. When temperatures fall below freezing, residents of Asbury Park and Monmouth County are invited to stay overnight in the church building, with on-site casework support designed to connect an emergency stay with longer-term help.
Trinity is a founding member of the Monmouth Housing Coalition and works on racial justice, transformative justice, affordable housing, and other community organizing. Its long-running Jersey Shore Ride for Food Justice channels cycling support into the food pantry, community meals, Code Blue, and homelessness prevention. People of all faiths, and people with no religious affiliation, are welcome to volunteer with the Center.
Coffee Hour, Homebound Communion, and Bible Sharing
Parish life extends beyond the liturgy. At the 10:00 service, parishioners share celebrations and prayer concerns, then gather for Coffee Hour, conversation, and refreshment. Church-wide and small-group gatherings occur throughout the year, on and off the church campus, and fellowship itself is treated as a spiritual practice.
Trinity Cares supports people who are sick, grieving, or unable to reach the church easily. Clergy and trained lay volunteers visit hospitals, care facilities, and homes. Lay Eucharistic Visitors carry pre-consecrated Communion to hospitalized parishioners, people who are permanently homebound, and those temporarily incapacitated by surgery or illness. Bereavement support is offered through Deacon Gail.
Spiritual education includes weekly lay-led Bible Sharing on Wednesday evenings before the 6:30 p.m. Eucharist. Each session stands on its own, so newcomers can join whenever they are able. Seasonally, the Rev. Geoff Curtiss offers an in-depth, scholarly reading of scripture on Monday evenings. Trinity also offers retreats, faith discussions, and other learning opportunities for newcomers and long-standing members.
Sacraments in Joy and Sorrow
Trinity's ceremony ministry supports major moments of joy and grief. Baptisms may be held for adults or children at any time of year, and the church normally baptizes at the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist once a month, with multiple candidates welcomed. English-language baptisms are celebrated at the 10:00 service, Spanish-language baptisms at a 9:00 a.m. Sunday service, and the 8:00 service is another option. Sunday beach baptisms are also possible.
Adult candidates and parents of young children meet with clergy for preparation. A candidate needs at least one baptized sponsor, and may have as many as four; the church can help a family find a parishioner to serve as sponsor. There is no baptism fee, although those seeking baptism are expected to make Trinity their spiritual home through ongoing financial support. Weddings may also be held throughout the year, subject to the church schedule, and clergy assist families with funeral planning.
There are no attire requirements for baptisms. Trinity parishioners often dress casually, and a baptism candidate is not expected to wear white or a special gown. Families attending a baptism are encouraged to arrive 20 to 30 minutes early to allow time for parking, especially in summer. During baptisms, photography, video, and phone recording are not allowed, so that people can remain present for the ritual.
Clergy, Music, and Organizing at the Center
- The Rev. Chase Danford is Trinity's Rector and Executive Director and President of the Trinity Center for Community. He also serves as Dean of the Monmouth Convocation of 27 Episcopal congregations in the Diocese of New Jersey, sits on Diocesan Council, and helped found the Monmouth Housing Coalition.
- The Rev. Tiffany Campbell serves as Curate and as the Bishop and Diocese of New Jersey's Missioner for Churches. Her ministry follows 26 years in federal law enforcement and formation through the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey School for Ministry.
- The Rev. Geoff Curtiss is Assisting Priest, a regular scripture teacher, and a community organizer involved in reentry and affordable housing work.
- The Rev. Lucille Donohue and The Rev. Tom Pivinski serve as Assistant Ecumenical Pastors. Donohue is a former chaplain and hospice chaplain; Pivinski is a former Catholic priest.
- Deacon Gail leads bereavement care, while Dr. Deborah Simpkin King directs music and arts and brings a career in choral conducting and new music to Trinity's worship.
- Derek Bloom directs community engagement and organizing and serves as Food and Social Justice Director, connecting daily assistance with work on racial justice, transformative justice, housing, and hunger prevention.
Stewardship for the Long Future
Trinity's stewardship is presented as a spiritual practice as well as a way to plan its budget. Donations can be one-time or recurring, can be directed to a particular program, and can be sent by mail. The annual pledge funds the church's operating expenses, while the Trinity Legacy Society encourages planned estate gifts that strengthen the church for future generations. Trinity says it is not supported by the diocese or the wider Episcopal Church and instead shares a portion of its resources to support ministry across the wider church.
That pairing of sacramental worship with public service is the continuing shape of Trinity Episcopal Church: a community that asks how faith can become love in action, from the altar to the food pantry, from homebound Communion to housing and economic justice in Asbury Park.