Trinity Lutheran Church has been part of Evanston's North Shore since the 1890s, when Scandinavian immigrants first gathered on Golf Road to found a Lutheran congregation. More than 125 years later, Trinity remains a presence in the same neighborhood, now drawing members from many backgrounds and life experiences. The congregation is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and works within the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. Its mission statement, posted on the front of the building and at the top of every announcement, is simple: Transforming Lives by Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
Trinity is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, a designation given to Lutheran communities that commit publicly to the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people. The Statement of Welcome and Inclusion, adopted in February 2026, goes further: Trinity celebrates racial and ethnic diversity, welcomes immigrants and Indigenous peoples, embraces people with physical, mental health, and developmental disabilities as well as those who are neurodivergent, and includes seekers with deep doubts alongside long-time believers. The building itself is described in the statement as a safe and physically accessible environment. All are welcome, without exception.
Sunday Worship at 9:30 a.m.
One service gathers the congregation each Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m., in person in the Sanctuary and online. The service is livestreamed on the church's Facebook and YouTube channels, and recordings of previous services are posted to a YouTube playlist so anyone can catch up during the week. Bulletins and hymn sheets are printed for those in the pews and shared as PDFs online.
Worship at Trinity joyfully honors both tradition and innovation. The order of service follows the Lutheran liturgy, a set pattern of prayer, song, and Scripture that varies seasonally and is shared with many other Christian traditions. Because the word liturgy means work of the people, members regularly step into leadership roles as lectors, communion assistants, lay ministers, greeters, and ushers. Coffee Hour hosts set up between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. or clean up from 11:00 a.m. to noon, helping to make the Gathering Space a place of conversation after worship.
The flow of the service moves through four movements:
- Gathering opens with a prelude and congregational song, followed by Confession and Forgiveness and the Prayer of the Day.
- Word centers on readings from the three-year lectionary used across many Christian denominations, a sermon that interprets those readings in light of daily life, and a hymn that responds to the sermon's theme.
- Meal includes the offering, during which an instrumental selection is played, and the preparation of the altar for Holy Communion with wine and bread.
- Sending closes with a blessing and a sending hymn, sending worshipers out to be Christ's presence in the world.
Some Sundays feel more formal, others more relaxed, but every service aims to ground the assembly in grace and call it into lives of reconciliation, transformation, and joy.
A Season of Pastoral Transition
In July 2026, Trinity's longtime pastor, the Rev. Erik Christensen, was released from his call with joyful thanksgiving to begin his six-year term as Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. A Bridge Leadership Team of three retired ELCA pastors is now walking the congregation through the interim:
- The Rev. JoAnn Post serves as Pastor for Administration beginning July 31, working 15 hours a week mostly behind the scenes. A graduate of Wartburg College and Wartburg Seminary, she has served ELCA congregations in Alaska, Georgia, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and most recently Ascension Lutheran Church in Northfield.
- The Rev. Robin Brown serves as Pastor for Worship through October 4, presiding and preaching on Sunday mornings. She holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and previously served as ELCA Director of Congregational Generosity.
- The Rev. Peg Otte, a longtime Trinity member, serves as Pastor for Congregational Care beginning September 9, providing pastoral care through visitation, prayer, baptismal preparation, and memorial services.
A Call Committee, chaired by Kate Fester, is working with the synod to begin the search for Trinity's next installed pastor.
Music Ministry
Music is woven through every part of Trinity's life. Whether a person loves to sing, play an instrument, lead song, or explore new musical styles, there is a place. Opportunities include choirs, handbells, vocal and instrumental ensembles, and solo music leadership. Pick-Up Choir Sundays invite anyone to show up at 9:00 a.m. for a brief rehearsal and sing in the morning service. The Director of Worship & Music, Philip McPeek, also teaches a forum on the older craft of musical improvisation and memory.
Children, Youth, and Families
Trinity sees parents and the adults who raise children as the first and most important teachers of faith. The church supports them with programs for every stage.
Sunday School. Beginning around age 3, children are encouraged to be part of worship and the life of the congregation. A new mini Sunday School for ages 3 to 6 meets during the 9:30 a.m. service, with children heading out after the children's sermon for Bible stories, crafts, and fellowship in the Nursery.
Confirmation. The Confirmation program is open to 5th through 8th graders. The curriculum is designed to help young people begin to take ownership of their own faith, asking questions that help the whole community grow in the questions as much as in the answers. The class learns, serves, and explores faith together.
Hi-League. The high school youth group gathers for fellowship, service, and support as a Christian community. The teens help steer where the group goes.
Intergen. Once a month, families with children from kindergarten through high school come together for an intergenerational evening that runs from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Activities for K through 6th graders and adult conversations happen in the first hour, followed by a shared dinner, a short family worship service, and the Hi-League hang for older youth.
Lauren Busey serves as Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries and is the main contact for any family interested in getting involved.
Adult Faith and Fellowship
Trinity describes adult faith and fellowship as a lifelong journey strengthened in community. Several ongoing gatherings shape that journey.
Adult Forums. Most Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel, an hour-long forum explores Bible study, theology, spirituality, and current issues. Recent topics have included faith in place and environmental justice with Faith in Place, the work of Interfaith Action of Evanston, a global health perspective with Dr. Kenneth J. Schaefle, and the sacredness of solidarity with Arise Chicago. Guest preachers from partner organizations sometimes stay to lead the forum.
Men's Study. Men gather every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel for conversation, reflection, and spiritual growth around topics relevant to Christian life.
Women's Book Chat. Women meet monthly on Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. to discuss a selected book. Recent titles have included The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams, and Early by Sarah DiGregorio.
SALT (Senior Adults Learning at Trinity). This group organizes programs for older adults, including an annual evening at the Ravinia Festival and workshops such as a recent end-of-life planning seminar led by end-of-life doula Lori Hatton.
Anti-Hunger Ministry and Service to Neighbors
Service to neighbors is a defining mark of Trinity's identity. The Anti-Hunger Ministry coordinates the congregation's many efforts to fight food insecurity locally and globally.
Soup Kitchen at St. Paul's Lutheran. Trinity organizes and staffs the soup kitchen at St. Paul's Lutheran in Evanston roughly once a month, preparing and serving 65 hot meals and 65 bagged lunches. Volunteers help with cooking, driving, and serving.
Sack Lunches and Margarita Inn Dinners. Volunteers assemble 50 sack lunches at Trinity and prepare 35 dinners for the Margarita Inn, a program of Connections for the Homeless.
Little Free Pantry. A small food pantry sits outside the front doors of the church, stocked with nonperishable items that anyone in the neighborhood can take from or contribute to at any time. Monetary gifts are also welcome.
Seasonal collections. Trinity runs a Lenten 40 Items in 40 Days collection and a Trick-or-Treat for Cans drive each fall. The congregation also supports Feed My Starving Children, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Niles Township Food Pantry, and ELCA World Hunger. Each year Trinity designates ELCA World Hunger as a Mission Possible recipient and has raised funds through events such as the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner.
Refugee and Asylum Sponsorship. Trinity has helped resettle refugee families from many countries over the years and is currently partnering with other congregations to sponsor an asylum-seeking family. The congregation marks Global Refuge Sunday each year with a guest speaker from Global Refuge and an adult education forum on the changing immigration landscape.
Faith in Action and Community Witness
A Faith in Action Committee coordinates Trinity's social witness beyond the church walls. Members gather for Singing Resistance Evanston rehearsals to learn simple group songs of courage and resistance. Some Thursdays, Trinity members join the Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders at one of three intersections around the city for Shine the Light, a 30-minute public witness of solidarity with handmade signs. Indivisible Evanston postcard parties bring members together in the Gathering Space to write postcards to voters in nearby swing states. Trinity also co-sponsors community film screenings and panel discussions, including a recent Pride Month screening of the documentary 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture with Grace Lutheran Church and the Unitarian Church of Evanston.
Stewardship and a Mortgage Paid in Full
Trinity frames stewardship as a spiritual practice rather than simply a budget line. The annual appeal is guided by a written Ministry Plan that the congregation shaped together. Pledges sustain worship and music, faith formation for all ages, pastoral and spiritual care, community outreach, and the upkeep of the church home. For 2026, the congregation committed to a goal of $525,000 in pledges.
In 2026, Trinity also completed a separate Built to Last Special Appeal that far exceeded its goal and made it possible for the congregation to pay off its mortgage entirely. The achievement was celebrated with an evening of fellowship at a local brewery and marked a milestone that members describe as a shared accomplishment rooted in faith and generosity. Henri Nouwen's reflection on fundraising as a form of ministry - "a way of announcing our vision and inviting others into our mission" - is part of how Trinity talks about giving.
Visiting Trinity
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment on Friday. Visitors are warmly welcomed. Sunday morning is the easiest time to get a sense of the congregation: worship at 9:30 a.m., Adult Forum at 11:00 a.m., and coffee and conversation in between. The building is wheelchair accessible, and the church has invested in hearing loop technology for those with hearing loss. New members are welcomed into the community regularly.
Those exploring Trinity for the first time can sign up for the weekly email newsletter to stay informed about worship, events, and opportunities to get involved. Giving is available online through a secure portal, and donations can also be sent to the church office by check or through a bank's bill-pay system.
Trinity is part of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a Reconciling in Christ congregation, and a community that has been gathering on Golf Road in Evanston for more than 125 years.