Trinity Lutheran Church sits on New Hampshire Street in Lawrence, Kansas, in the South Park neighborhood, and it has been rooted there since 1867. A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Trinity describes itself as "a place of grace with a call for all to continue the work of Jesus." That phrase, set in the heart of its welcome, captures both what the church believes and how it practices that belief week to week.
Three Ways to Worship on Sunday
Worship is central at Trinity, and the congregation has built three doors into its Sunday morning. The first opens at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary, where the live service gathers the choir, the bells, the orchestral players and the assembly around word and sacrament. A recorded version of that same service is broadcast at 11:00 a.m. on KLWN for listeners across the area, and the service is also livestreamed on YouTube, with archived services available on the church's channel for anyone who wants to revisit a sermon or a hymn.
Weekly bulletins are posted online so members and visitors can follow along, and a "Taking Faith Home" resource carries the readings and reflections into the week.
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
Trinity is one of the ELCA's Reconciling in Christ congregations, a designation that signals an explicit commitment to welcome. The church states plainly that it is committed to racial equity and celebrates the diversity of its human family across race, ethnicity, background, age, political affiliation, faith history, economic and social status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, education, and physical and mental abilities. Members are united in Christ, and that unity is nurtured, the church teaches, by embracing difference rather than smoothing it over.
The congregation is also a Stephen Ministry congregation, equipped to walk alongside people through difficult seasons with trained lay caregivers.
Music Woven Through Worship
Music is one of the most visible threads running through Trinity's life. Sunday worship is shaped by the Trinity Vocal Choir, the Trinity Bell Choir and the Trinity Orchestral Group, with special music services appearing throughout the church year. The choir loft is led by Music Director Susan Hash-Hires, who grew up singing in her home parish in Marshfield, Wisconsin, went on to study voice at the University of Kansas and served congregations in Austin, Texas, including Round Rock Presbyterian Church and Triumphant Love Lutheran Church. Organist Levi Kelley, a doctoral student in church music - organ at KU, accompanies worship and teaches organ at the university.
The church's commitment to music reaches well beyond its own ensembles. Trinity hosts the Cantemos Youth Chorale, the Lawrence Children's Choir, the Music Clubhouse and several private piano studios within its building, turning the facility into a small music campus for the wider Lawrence community.
Pastor Jon Brudvig and the Staff
Pastor Jon Brudvig began serving Trinity on April 1, 2025. Before his call to Lawrence he served Lutheran congregations in Lenexa and Great Bend, Kansas, often alongside his wife, the Rev. Barb Jones. He came to ministry after seventeen years in higher education, with experience as a history professor, honors program director and administrator. His academic background includes degrees from Marquette University (BA and MA), the College of William and Mary (PhD) and Wartburg Theological Seminary (MDiv). He writes a blog, Walking to Golgotha, and is known for valuing cultural diversity, community engagement and lifelong learning.
Working alongside him are Kate Stephenson, Trinity's first Director of Congregational Life, an art graduate of Bethel College in North Newton who joined the staff in 2022; Susan Hash-Hires as Music Director; Levi Kelley as Organist; Kevin Cooper as Property and Maintenance Manager; and Jodie Garcia as Bookkeeping and Office Manager.
Children, Youth and Summer Camp
Trinity places a strong emphasis on its younger members. Kate Stephenson oversees the congregation's life together, and the church's youth ministry is anchored each summer by two camp partnerships. Camp Tomah Shinga offers two-day camps for children in grades 1 through 3 and five-day camps for grades 4 through 12, with generous Trinity donors helping to make attendance possible for kids in the congregation. The Hollis Renewal Center near Kansas City hosts a Summer Day Camp in early July for children looking for another week of faith-based programming.
Partners in Ministry
Trinity sees itself as one thread in a wider fabric of service. Its named partners include Lutheran Campus Ministries, which extends the church's reach to students at the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University; L.I.N.K. (the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen), which feeds the hungry across the city; Lawrence Family Promise, which supports families experiencing homelessness; and Justice Matters in Kansas, an advocacy network. The congregation also engages with Westwood, a KU-related ministry, and supports the work of Haskell Light, a ministry serving the Haskell community.
A Long Road from 1867
The congregation's 1867 founding places it among the older Lutheran bodies in Kansas, and after more than a century and a half it still gathers each Sunday around word, sacrament and song at 1245 New Hampshire Street. Visitors who want to give can do so through Trinity's online giving page, and anyone who wants to experience a service before coming in person can tune in to the KLWN broadcast on Sunday mornings or visit the church's YouTube channel to watch the livestream or catch up on past services.