A Place on Golf Road in Mount Prospect
Trinity United Methodist Church sits on the south side of Golf Road in Mount Prospect, Illinois, a third of a mile west of Elmhurst Road, where it has been part of village life for more than six decades. The motto of Trinity - Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors - sets the tone for everything inside: a Reconciling congregation that calls itself a Center for Community, with Christ at the Center. The grounds host a Pride witness and a back-to-school autism benefit in the same year. Inside, the Sanctuary, music, children, and outreach all grow out of that same welcome.
What sets Trinity apart is the breadth of what happens under one roof. The same building that hosts a blended 10:30 a.m. Sunday service also shelters a Korean-speaking congregation in the afternoon, a preschool during the week, Alcoholics Anonymous groups, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, a homeless shelter program, a community band, and the Chicago Brass Choir. Parents drop off children for Sunday School, commuters come back to a mid-morning service, and retirees who helped build the place still keep it humming.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
Worship is the weekly gathering point. A single Sunday service is held in the Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. in a blended format - traditional liturgy and hymns mixed with bell choir, brass, children's choir, youth choir, and a praise band. On any given Sunday a worshipper might hear the Chancel Choir singing gospel, the Trinity Brass playing a classical piece, or the children's band leading a contemporary number. Special music Sundays run throughout the year, including Gospel Sunday, Folk Sunday, Master Works Sunday, and Big Band Sunday.
Holy Communion is served on the first Sunday of every month and is open to everyone, including children. The bread is non-alcoholic, and gluten-free wafers are available for those who need them. The Sacrament is offered within the same service as the rest of worship, without a separate gathering.
Trinity takes accessibility seriously. American Sign Language interpretation is offered in the Sanctuary, and hearing devices and large-print hymnals are available from the ushers. The service streams live on Zoom and on Facebook Live, with closed captioning through the Zoom toolbar's CC button; an audio-only dial-in is also available. The dress code is informal: jeans and suits sit side by side. Before and after the service, the Narthex fills with coffee, conversation, and a Welcome center where newcomers can ask questions, and the pastor stands in the Narthex to greet people after the service.
A Sanctuary for Every Family
Families with young children are welcomed into the Sanctuary rather than sent out. The signature family accommodation is the PrayGround, a designated area at the front of the Sanctuary stocked with age-appropriate materials that help small children engage with what is happening around them. Coloring pages tied to the day's scripture, soft toys, and a small table allow a toddler to wiggle while still being part of the congregation. Parents and older siblings sit in nearby pews or on the floor with the children. The PrayGround is open throughout the service.
A nursery is available just off the Narthex, in three rooms arranged for infants, crawlers, and toddlers. The infant nursery is staffed by an adult caregiver beginning at 8:00 a.m. and is equipped with cribs, a changing table, and a carpeted floor. The toddler nursery is staffed by a paid caregiver and volunteers experienced with young children. Parents are welcome to leave specific instructions or, if they prefer, to step out to the Fireside Room with a restless child and still see the Sanctuary through the windows. Children are invited (but never required) to come forward for Children's Time, a short message designed for them, after which they are released to Sunday School.
Sunday School for Every Age
Sunday School is one of Trinity's oldest ministries. From September through May, Middle School, High School, and Adult classes meet at 9:15 a.m. Elementary and Preschool Sunday School begins at 10:45 a.m., during the 10:30 worship service; the children join the service at the start and are released to their classrooms after Children's Time. Curriculum rotates through the year, with recent fall programming using "Big Faith" lessons. Families worship together on the first Sunday of the month, when the children stay in the Sanctuary for the full service.
Music that Holds the Congregation
Music is at the heart of Trinity's identity. The Chancel Choir has been led since August 2007 by Tyrone H. Mitchell, Sr., Director of Music Ministries, who has been conducting choirs since the age of twelve and has led more than 250-voice choirs for Orchestra Hall, the Civic Opera House, and the Medina Temple. He trained in choral conducting at Roosevelt University. The new Chancel Choir season opens with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary, and no audition is required.
The Hand Bell Choir rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., beginning in late September, and welcomes both new and experienced ringers. Julie Junkel serves as Church Organist. Together with the Youth Choir, the Cherub Choir, and the Trinity Brass ensemble, the music program is one of the most active in the area.
Youth Group
Trinity's youth ministry is open to all junior high and high school students. The aim is simple: a place where young people can be themselves, ask honest questions, support one another, and build a lasting relationship with God. The group meets on Sunday evenings for fellowship, mission trips, and discussion. Students in grades 6 through 12 also gather in the Student Loft on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 9:30 a.m. Confirmation classes and trips are scheduled during the year, often in partnership with the wider Northern Illinois Conference.
Parenting for Faith and Family Resources
Trinity takes seriously the work of helping parents and grandparents pass faith along at home. A long-running Parenting for Faith ministry, drawn from the Bible Reading Fellowship's Parenting for Faith program, runs Sunday-morning Pop-Ups in the glass hallway during Sunday School. Tips, "I Wonder" questions, and short videos help caregivers build a daily rhythm of prayer and conversation with children. Recent themes have included Unwinding (helping children work through hard questions), Creating Windows (letting children see a parent's own prayer life), Framing, and Chat and Catch.
An extensive library of family resources curates craft videos, story videos, and articles for families with children in Pre-K through fifth grade, including a long-running series of Bible-based craft projects. Resources on race and racism, gathered with input from Deacon Christine V. Hides, link to recommended children's books and parenting articles. The Children's Community School, God’s Dream by Desmond Tutu, and A Kid’s Book About Racism are among the recommended titles.
On the first Friday of every month, Trinity offers Parents' Nite Out, a free drop-off evening for potty-trained children ages 3 through 10. Safe Gatherings-certified caregivers and a youth helper supervise from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with pizza, games, and crafts. The program is open to the wider community as an outreach ministry, with space for up to 10 children; reservations are taken by Ann Golding, Director of Children's Ministry.
Outreach in Mount Prospect and Beyond
Outreach is woven through the life of the church. Mi Casa a Su Casa - "from my house to your house" - is a furniture and basic-household-goods ministry serving families in need. Local agencies (school districts, village services, food pantries) refer families, who then visit the Trinity facility by appointment to "shop for free" for kitchen tables, dressers, bed frames, couches, dishes, and linens. Donations are coordinated by email; drop-offs are not accepted without prior arrangement.
Neighbors' Table is a free community meal offered on the second Friday of the month, extending the Summer Suppers program into the fall. The Missions Committee selects a different mission partner to emphasize each month; recent emphases have included NOMADS Mission Volunteers, a Christian RV ministry of retirees and other believers who travel the country doing construction, repairs, and disaster rebuilding for churches, camps, and communities.
Other outreach partnerships include PADS, the local homeless shelter program that has long used Trinity as a host site; English Language lessons offered to neighbors; and a continuing relationship with Community Consolidated School District 59. Members of Trinity bring canned and shelf-stable food to the Red Wagon in the Narthex; the Missions Committee delivers the contents to area food pantries.
A Reconciling Congregation
Trinity is a Reconciling Congregation, part of the Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Church. The church publicly affirms the sacred worth of all people regardless of age, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, family configuration, faith background, socioeconomic status, or physical and mental abilities. Trinity has hosted a Pride witness on its front lawn and now celebrates LGBTQIA+ History Month each October with a Gaym Nite - an evening of games, food, and fellowship organized with area Reconciling churches. The Child and Youth Protection Policy explicitly affirms LGBTQ+ youth as full members of the Trinity community and includes gender-inclusive restroom provisions and chaperone guidelines.
United Methodist Men and United Women in Faith
The men's and women's ministries are anchored in the two denominational organizations. United Methodist Men is a monthly fellowship of men of all ages that gathers for speakers, programs, and shared meals. The chapter is led locally by President Steve Cutaia and Treasurer Bruce Spiller and is part of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. Members participate in the Northern Illinois Conference's annual Spiritual Congress and the National Gathering.
United Women in Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) is a community of women who support the global ministries of the church. The Trinity chapter gathers as a whole twice a year and meets the rest of the year in three Circles: Esther Circle on the third Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Trinity Hall; Sarah Rachel Circle on the third Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room (childcare with advance notice); and Susanna Wesley Circle on the fourth Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room. Proceeds from United Women in Faith fundraisers go toward mission work.
The Sam Mool Korean Congregation
Trinity shares its building with the Sam Mool United Methodist congregation, a Korean-speaking faith community that worships in Korean at 12:45 p.m. on Sundays. Sam Mool also hosts Bible study and prayer services throughout the week, and is pastored by Reverend Misook Park. The two congregations share space, programs, and a commitment to making Trinity a true Center for Community.
Adult Learning, Bible Study, and the Book Club
Beyond Sunday School, Trinity offers a steady diet of adult learning. Lifechange Bible Study, led by Beth Carroll, meets on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. on Zoom, currently working through a 12-week study of the Gospel of Mark; a 6-week fall session begins in mid-October, and a 6-week winter session picks up in January. The book club has met for more than three decades, drawing together a co-ed, intergenerational group that reads fiction, nonfiction, and faith-based titles. Meetings are held monthly except in July and begin with a light supper at 6:30 p.m. before the discussion at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday mornings at 9:10 a.m., the Current Issues Sunday School Class for Adults gathers in the Fireside Room for a weekly conversation about the people, events, and circumstances shaping the world, led by Paul Brezinski and Sylvia Haas.
Trinity Quilters and Trinity Treasures
Trinity Quilters meets on the second Saturday of every month in Trinity Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The group is open to anyone interested in quilting - or any other handwork - and skill is not required. Trinity Treasures is a monthly lunch gathering for the women of the church, held on the second Thursday at 11:30 a.m., with occasional special outings such as a recent trip to a local puppet theater.
The Building and Its Many Guests
The Trinity campus has grown over more than six decades. The congregation bought the property in 1958, built the original church in 1960, and added a Sunday school wing in 1963, a parsonage in 1965, the present Sanctuary and office wing in 1972, a pipe organ in 1986, and a new nursery wing in 2000. A major HVAC replacement was completed in 2022, funded in part by the A Future With Hope capital campaign. On any given week the building is also home to Alcoholics Anonymous groups, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, a homeless shelter program, a preschool, the Chicago Brass Choir (which rehearses on Mondays at 7 p.m.), and numerous community meetings. The administrative office is entered through Door #2 on the southeast side; the main worship entrance is the north door facing the parking lot, and the doors to the office corridor are on the south side. Restrooms and a water fountain are immediately to the left of the main entrance.
"A Future With Hope": Stewardship and Capital
Trinity's ministry is supported by an annual stewardship commitment and by a multi-year capital and stewardship campaign titled A Future With Hope, after Jeremiah 29:11. The campaign, kicked off in 2021, raised more than $627,000 in pledges against an optimistic target of $600,000. It funded the HVAC replacement, contributed to building reserves, and provided four years of budget support ($60,000 per year) to underwrite expanded staff and program budgets. Generous members have historically underwritten every major building project - the 1958 land purchase, the 1960 original building, the 1972 Sanctuary, the 1986 pipe organ, the 2000 nursery wing, and the 2018 parsonage renovation - without bank loans.
Online giving is available through the church's secure giving portal. Members and friends can give to specific missions by noting the mission name in the note field. Asset-based giving, including stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, real estate, and planned gifts, is also coordinated through the church office.
Leadership
Trinity is pastored by Reverend Sam SangMyung Park, an Ordained Elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. Originally from Jeju, South Korea, Rev. Park holds degrees from Hansei University, McCormick Theological Seminary, and the University of Illinois Medical Center (Pastoral Care) and has served United Methodist congregations for more than 17 years. His ministry is shaped by a focus on pastoral care, visionary leadership, and inclusive welcome.
Tyrone H. Mitchell, Sr. has served as Director of Music Ministries since August 2007. Julie Junkel is the church organist. Ann Golding leads children's ministry and Holly Vosburgh serves as Director of Children's Ministry. Reverend Misook Park pastors the Sam Mool Korean congregation that shares the building.
Visiting Trinity
Trinity United Methodist Church is located at 605 West Golf Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056. Sunday worship is at 10:30 a.m. The building is easy to find: from I-90, take Elmhurst Road (IL-83) north to Golf Road (IL-58), then go west; the church is about a third of a mile on the south side. From I-294, exit at Golf Road. On-site parking is available. Visitors are greeted at the Welcome center in the Narthex; the pastor stands in the Narthex after the service to meet newcomers. The dress code is wear whatever you please. Children of all ages are welcome in the Sanctuary, and the PrayGround is open for those who want a quieter space. Closed captioning is available on the Zoom livestream, and American Sign Language interpretation is offered in the Sanctuary. The Sam Mool United Methodist congregation offers a Korean-language worship service at 12:45 p.m. The office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and is closed on Mondays. The phone number is 847-439-0950, and email reaches the office at officeadmin@trinitymp.org.