![Trinity Cheltenham](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Trinity_Cheltenham.jpg)
Trinity Cheltenham is an
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
,
charismatic Anglican church in
Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
. It was originally known as "Trinity" when it was first opened but later "Holy Trinity" before reverting to its original name. As well as being part of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, it is a major contributor to the
New Wine
New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian evangelical organization based in the United Kingdom, that assists Christian churches with organizational leadership training and fundraising. The organization also holds its own annual summer conferences, ...
network. The Church has around 1000 members, making it one of the largest churches in the UK. A recent article cited it as the 11th largest church in Britain.
Christianity Magazine article
Location
The main church building is located on Portland Street,
Cheltenham. The church also owns Trinity House and Trinity Fusion, behind the church building on Trinity Lane, and its offices are located in Winchcombe House.
Senior Leadership and Staff
* Reverend Andrew Blyth - Lead Pastor & Team Rector
* Reverend Tim Grew – Pastor & Team Vicar
* Hils Grew - Pastor
* Reverend Nick Stott - Pastor
* Reverend Simon Fellows - Pastor & Curate
* Liz Lang – Churchwarden
* Barry Lambert – Churchwarden
Trinity also employs a number of staff on a full-time or part-time basis, and all of its events and activities are facilitated by a large number of volunteers.
Trinity Cheltenham Website - Meet The Team
History
Trinity Church came into being in 1824 as an overflow from the Parish Church in the town center. The first minister was the Rev
Francis Close
Francis Close (11 July 1797 – 18 December 1882) was the Anglican rector of Cheltenham (1826–1856) and Dean of Carlisle (1856–1881).
Biography
Close was born on 11 July 1797 in Frome, Somerset, the youngest son of the Rev. Henry Jackson Cl ...
,
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Cheltenham and later
Dean of Carlisle Cathedral, after whom the
Dean Close School
Dean Close School is a public school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest privat ...
was named. The Church was opened with an address from the Rev
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon (24 September 1759 – 13 November 1836) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric.
Life and career
He was born at Reading, Berkshire, in 1759 and baptised at St Laurence's parish church on 24 October of that year. He was the ...
.
In 1976, Trinity Church was on the point of closure. However, under the ministry of a retired missionary (Canon Lawrence Totty), change had slowly begun to happen. The threat of closure was removed and under two subsequent vicars, Rev John Risdon and Rev Paul Harris, the church continued to grow and start to reach out into the community.
Current Activity
In 1994 Mark Bailey was appointed as a pastor, and since then the church has undergone major renovations: pews have been replaced with chairs, carpet fitted, pipe organ removed, and the décor changed to enable greater flexibility in the building's use. In 2000, ''Trinity House'', the three-storey building immediately behind the church, was purchased. The additional space has greatly increased the opportunities for ministry. As well as the Sunday services each week, the church members participate in a large array of mid-week activities, which include the
Alpha Course, 'King's Table', Life Groups and Kids, Youth and Student activities. There are now more than 1,000 people who worship on a regular basis.
Continued growth presented logistical problems, and by the end of 2004 the church started holding multiple services each Sunday. In January 2005 the 'Trinity Growth Project' was launched and most of the staff and administrative team moved out of Trinity House to offices in Winchcombe House. In 2008 the church purchased the Fusion Building next to Trinity House on Winchcombe Street, and in 2009 began a refurbishment of the main church building to increase the capacity to nearly 650.
Mark Bailey resigned as team rector and accepted a two-year suspension from ministry by the Bishop of Gloucester in 2016.
Premier news website
References
External links
* [1
Trinity Cheltenham Website
{{Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Churches in Cheltenham
Church of England church buildings in Gloucestershire, Cheltenham
Commissioners' church buildings, Cheltenham, Holy Trinity
Diocese of Gloucester, Cheltenham Trinity
Grade II* listed buildings in Gloucestershire