Trinity Episcopal Church is a small, lively, intergenerational, and joyful congregation in the heart of Charlottesville, Virginia. We are preparing to celebrate our 90th year, having begun as a Diocesan mission to the city’s “colored” community in the historically black neighborhood of Vinegar Hill in 1919. When that section of Charlottesville was razed in the 1940s as part of an urban development project, Trinity moved to another historically black area of town before moving to its current location in a more diverse neighborhood.

Trinity was active in the local civil rights movement, opening its worship services to all who came and opening a child care center for underserved populations. Over the years, our vicars have been local leaders in civil rights, builders of bridges across divisive social and humanitarian issues, and evangelists who have challenged us to follow Christ with regular steps in faith in the face of sometimes overwhelming secular pressure to the contrary. The heritage of our forebears remains paramount in describing Trinity’s identity.