A Growing Fellowship in Western Florence
Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church sits along South Ebenezer Road in the western part of Florence, South Carolina, sharing a stretch of pavement with a fire station that newcomers often use as a landmark when they first visit. The church's mission is to make disciple-makers who gather for the teaching of the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship, and then scatter for ministry, service, and proclaiming the Gospel from Western Florence to the ends of the earth. That missionary impulse is visible in everything from the bilingual services on the campus to the church's partnerships with missionaries on four continents.
Trinity belongs to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, a Reformed denomination whose Essentials of Faith the congregation affirms. The church describes its identity as a dynamic fellowship that loves Jesus Christ and unites cultures and generations through the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel to love and transform individuals, families, and communities. The mood is intentionally contemporary: members are greeted as casual dressers, the worship team leads in a current style, and the staff includes a Director of Congregational Engagement who helps newcomers find a place to serve.
Sunday Mornings at Ebenezer Road
The weekly rhythm at Trinity EPC centers on Sunday morning. Sunday School for all ages meets at 9:30 AM, followed by the worship service in the Sanctuary at 10:30 AM. The sanctuary is the building with the large steeple at the back of the property, and greeters help first-time visitors find their seats. Members and regular attendees wear whatever is comfortable - jeans, dresses, and business-casual suits all appear on a given Sunday - and the music is contemporary.
First-time guests are encouraged to arrive about fifteen minutes early. The main entrance is off Ebenezer Road next to the fire department; visitors can park in either the large lot straight ahead or the smaller lot to the right, with spaces marked by a round green sign bearing a "V." Children are welcome in worship and can also be checked in at the security desk for nursery through third grade care during the service. For anyone unable to attend in person, services are available to watch online.
Children, Tweens, and the G Building
Children's ministry at Trinity EPC meets in the G Building and is built around a single aim: to provide a loving and secure environment where children can experience God's truth and love through the Holy Spirit and the Gospel. Sunday School for infants through sixth grade meets at 9:30 AM, and a children's program for infants through third grade runs during the 10:30 AM worship service. The Sprout Sundays gathering meets on Sunday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 PM for infants through sixth grade, and Tweens (fourth through sixth grade) meet on the fourth Sunday of the month at 10:30 AM.
Curriculum is drawn from The Gospel Project and A Discipleship Journey Kids, both chosen to support the vision God has given the church for the children entrusted to it. Every volunteer who serves in children's ministry is screened with yearly background checks. Corey Fowler leads the ministry as Director of Children's Ministry.
Students: 7th Through 12th Grade
Youth ministry at Trinity EPC exists to help students grow and develop into mature disciples who will impact future generations of the church and their surrounding community. Students in grades seven through twelve gather in the C Building for two weekly touchpoints: Wednesday Discipleship from 6:30 to 7:30 PM and Sunday Night from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, though the location and time may shift depending on the week's focus. The group uses the BAND app to stay connected and to communicate schedule changes.
Zeek Marquez, who also directs the worship ministry, currently serves as Interim Director of Student Ministry while the church searches for a permanent Director of Student Ministry.
Young Adults
The young adults ministry exists for college students, young professionals, and other adults ages 18 to 35 who want to grow together in Christ and then go and impact the places they live, work, and serve. Discipleship meets on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM in a setting designed to be fun and discipleship-focused, and a meal is served on the last Thursday of each month. Because the meeting location occasionally shifts, participants are invited to join the BAND group for current information.
Women, Men, and the Life of the Church
Women's ministry at Trinity is built around the desire to grow together and encourage one another as a community of women, drawing closer to God through Scripture. The Women's Book Club gathers on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and a Monthly Women's Meeting is also held on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. A 55+ Ladies Coffee and Fellowship meets on selected Monday mornings for older women in the congregation, and a 55+ Country Meal brings that group together for an evening out a few times a year.
Men's ministry centers on a recurring Men's Breakfast held on Saturday mornings, a relaxed time for the men of the church to gather around a table. The church's commitment to a community of believers who discover and use their gifts is embodied in a roster of directors who shape the various ministries, including a Director of Congregational Care (Heather Walton), a Director of Leadership Development (Bill Allen), and a Director of Congregational Engagement (Susan Starling).
Crossing Cultures: The International Ministry
The International Ministry welcomes all nationalities in the Florence area by worshipping together, sharing the Gospel, and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Trinity seeks to serve the international community through leadership development and service opportunities in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, and offers weekly worship services in both Spanish and English.
Sunday worship in Spanish and English meets at 1:00 PM in the C Building. A bilingual prayer gathering, Noche de Oración, meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM, and a Ladies Bible Study in Spanish (Estudio Bíblico de Mujeres) meets on Friday evenings at 7:00 PM at the home of Diane Wolff. Annette Diaz directs this ministry.
Sending Out: World Missions
Through its missions work, Trinity assists in the fulfillment of the Great Commission by proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, making disciples, planting churches, and training and equipping Christian leadership. All members are encouraged to serve by supporting, praying, sending, or going.
The church currently supports five missionaries serving in Africa, Asia, Guatemala, and the United States. Some of these missionaries grew up in the Trinity EPC congregation, while others serve with various Christian mission organizations. Short-term mission teams have traveled to Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and beyond, with projects that have included building houses, providing medical supplies for new mothers, and serving alongside local churches and teachers. A short-term mission trip to the Center for Intercultural Training in Union Mills, North Carolina, part of the United World Missions family, is another example of how the church invests in missionary preparation and care. The King's Academy, a related ministry of the church, also organizes mission trips throughout the year.
Beliefs Rooted in the Westminster Confession
Trinity EPC holds that all Scripture, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is self-attesting Truth requiring unreserved submission, and that the Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. The congregation affirms the historic Essentials of the EPC: belief in one God, eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the incarnation of the Living Word, Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, who died on the cross for sin and rose bodily on the third day; the saving work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts, regenerates, indwells, and seals believers; salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone; the Church as the body of believers united in faith and visible in local congregations where the Word is preached and the sacraments administered; the personal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ; and the Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. These Essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Joining the Life of the Church
Newcomers who want to make Trinity their church home can sign up for a periodic New Members Class, an afternoon gathering that introduces the vision, beliefs, and ministry opportunities of the church. Classes include a meal and time for questions, and they are advertised through the church's events calendar and weekly bulletin.
The church office at 1021 S Ebenezer Road is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Fridays from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Visitors and members can give online, by texting trinityepc to 73256, by mail to the church address, or in person at the church office. A monthly newsletter and a weekly bulletin keep the congregation informed, and prayer requests can be submitted through a form on the church's online worship page.
Trinity EPC is pastored by Rev. Matt Walton, who has served as Senior Pastor since 2009 after joining the staff in 2008 as youth minister. Under his leadership, and alongside a staff team that oversees worship, children, students, international ministry, congregational care, congregational engagement, and leadership development, the church continues to grow as a fellowship that gathers around the Word and scatters into Florence and the wider world.