Trinity Church In Menlo Park, an Episcopal Community

I could write a book of compliments about Trinity in Menlo Park. In fact, it would be a book with many, many pages of them. If you are looking for a church that will meet all of your spiritual, social, or any kind of need that there possibly is, you would find that at Trinity. I was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal church and was a member of another Episcopal Church for more than 30 years. Up until January 2013, I kept wondering if I was ever going to feel spiritually fulfilled at that other church. For personal reasons and that I had been to social functions at Trinity, there was such a gracious and welcoming feeling whenever I came there, that one day I decided to become a part of Trinity. That said, I arranged to meet with Matthew, the Rector and Priest at Trinity. I made my decision right then and there to start a new chapter by becoming a member at Trinity. I told you about one reason that I decided to start going there: It was the gracious and welcoming feeling that I got at their social functions. The other reason was Matthew. He is a person who was blessed with the ability to make you feel good about yourself because he would actually say.“but Greg, you should feel good about yourself and what you do for others… because you are.” There is the person who really does foster that gracious and welcoming feeling at Trinity. And, I would say to Matthew: «But, Matthew, you do foster that kind of wonderful feeling at Trinity… because you do.»
If you would like to get that kind of wonderful blessing from a church and the people in it, give Trinity a try. I can say without a doubt, you won’t be disappointed.
Greg. My pen name is Rob H…

I think «community» best describes Trinity. I’ve been an active member at Trinity for several years now along with my wife and 16 year old son. The people are what makes this place tick. Something for everyone, including kids — spiritually, socially, soulfully. If you are looking for a «2^nd» home, this is the place. Matthew is our esteemed Rector and has set a perfect tone and direction for all that embrace Trinity. Come check us out — you’ll be happy you did.

My family has been attending Trinity for 18 years. Like many at Trinity, we came via a circuitous route. We were raised Presbyterian, went to a Lutheran college, then attended Presbyterian, Episcopal, Anglican (while overseas), and Lutheran churches for many years.
Our family has had the opportunity to get involved in many different ways over the years, which is one of the neat things about Trinity. If you only have time to attend services when it works with your schedule, that is fine. But there are also many opportunities via youth group, outreach, classes, participating in worship, etc. to get more involved as your time and interests allow. Trinity has a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and interests, and it all comes together in a good way for worship and church activities.
On the scale of welcoming to not welcoming, we like to think Trinity is on the welcoming side. So if you are interested in finding a regular church or are just curious to check it out, please join us in Menlo Park for a worship service.

After arriving in California from Canada, our family embarked on a Bay Area tour exploring baptist, congregational, presbyterian (including First Pres in Berkeley, a great grounding for us), non-​denominational Christian, and quaker communities in Menlo Park, Berkeley, San Francisco and then back to Palo Alto area – an amazing exploration of familial inner questing! After this whirlwind, we landed at Trinity as our spiritual home in Palo Alto for the following three main reasons:
1) Trinity felt like an open place where we could deepen our questioning, spiritual growth and community outreach – and that these practices were considered inseparable from good stewardship of the earth and its resources;
2) we loved the warm welcoming of the community, the nourishing services led by our talented clergy and the kids loved Godly Play (Montessori-​based – yes, you heard me! No more coloring dittos for your kids but actual engagement, enacted biblical story-​telling, and kid-​directed questioning) and–
3) wine, regularly served at all church gatherings.
Oh yes, one more–
4) This blog by Rev. Matthew Dutton-​Gillett. Recommend digger deeper with posts such as: The problem is people are going to hell? (
)
or
Why I’m fine with being ultra liberal and theologically shaky (
)
Etc.
Read, check out for yourself, you must!

I am a longtime member of Trinity Church in Menlo Park and would highly recommend it to anyone regardless of one’s stage in life. The welcoming community has a very engaged and supportive clergy that encourages individual and collective faith development, outstanding programs for families and youth, an active teen program, men’s and women’s groups, retreats, classes, and a strong community outreach program. We are very fortunate to enjoy a music program that adds much to the services with a robust choir, some contemporary music, and a hand bell choir.
The three services on Sundays allow for different types of worship and there are many opportunities available throughout the week for additional services, open Chapel, and contemplative prayer. Please come for a visit!

When my wife, two young children and I moved to the Bay Area from the East Coast two years ago, we became proverbial «church shoppers.» While spiritual growth was our goal, we realized there are many paths toward that goal. When our exploration brought us to Trinity, we knew we found our new spiritual home. In no particular order, here’s my «Top 10» list of why Trinity is just right for us…
10. Warm, welcoming people, successful in work and in life, without the stuffiness
9. A spiritually enriching, questioning and supportive environment, led by a talented clergy who doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out
8. Large enough to have all the services and programs of a vibrant church, yet small enough to not get lost in the shuffle
7. Beautiful, inspiring grounds surrounded by nature
6. Fabulous youth and children’s programs, where kids feel at home and run freely outdoors (see #7)
5. An active service outreach, rather than charity first, philosophy
4. A ton of fun things to do from soccer games, to men/​women get togethers, to Christmas parties, to Sonoma retreats, to catching up with friends and enjoying the sunshine after service
3. An openness to exploring diverse, spiritual practices; after all, Trinity is a diverse community
2. The freedom to go at your own pace, whether to get deeply involved or just come as you are
1. To end where I began, a special place to grow, to deepen faith, and to come ever closer to your truest, most inspiring self.

My wife and I have been coming to this church for over 20 years. Our two boys were baptized here and went to preschool and elementary school here. We looked at many churches in the area of all denominations and are very happy to be part of this wonderful community.
We were raised in different faiths. Me an Episcopalian, she a Catholic. Neither of us is strict about how we practice our faiths. We simply like to worship in a welcoming and friendly community that is accepting of how we choose to express our spirituality.
The community has a diversity of different age groups, an active youth group, lots of outreach activities to support, a lovely choir and music program and spiritual education programs.
We would recommend anyone looking for a new place to worship to attend a Sunday service and stay for coffee hour.

I started attending Trinity Menlo Park cautiously at first. It had been years since I’d regularly attended church and my beliefs were muddled and uncertain, but I was longing for a spiritual outlet and a community for my new family.
I have found it to be a warm, welcoming, and spiritually open place to belong. There is a robust family ministries program, great, loving childcare for infants and toddlers, and a terrific, increasingly active youth group led by a woman who herself went to Trinity as a kid.
As a community, Trinity is fairly diverse although it probably most accurately reflects the demographics of West Menlo Park. The church contributes significant money and volunteer hours to a number of social causes, both local and global, and has an enthusiastic environmental leadership group that is working to minimize our ecological footprint. The leadership recently adopted a «Triple Bottom Line» approach to decision-​making, which means that social and environmental consequences are factored into any and all spending decisions.
At the heart of the church are the three clergy, who share passion, humor, incisive social commentary, and down-​to-​earth reflections on our roles in this world, drawing on the Bible for inspiration but not in a literalist, narrow sense. They offer a variety of services, ranging from the most traditional liturgy to inclusive, family-​friendly «adventure Sundays» which are taking place in the courtyard this summer.
The bottom line: Trinity Menlo Park is an open, affirming, eclectic place of worship with varied program and lots of opportunities to get involved. If you are looking for a spiritual outlet but are not interested in the socially conservative, mega-​church alternatives, come give it a try.

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I’m not Christian nor Catholic, I’m Buddhist in fact, but I’ve been coming to this church for over 10 years as a volunteer in their Sunday kitchen, cooking for the less fortunate ones.
This wonderful church serves the homeless and low income families with a full meal 5 days a week. They join with InnVision and Hands on Bay Area organizations.
A full meal consists of a salad, a savory main course, a starch dish, and a veggies dish, plus dessert! We are serving average of 80 – 120 people per Sunday, and we do offer second meal, when we have enough food donation!
It’s a beautiful church with open arms to all! Please come by to volunteer, we always need food donation and helpers!

So the wife and I were looking for a new Church after relocating to the Peninsula. She had left her heart in San Francisco at Grace Cathedral. My history includes large non-​denom congregations, as well as time at MPPC and Grace. Both of us agreed that we were looking for a Church that not only had services that worked for us, but a community we could become involved in and feel a part of. We found Trinity through one of the staff members at Grace.
From our first visit, we knew Trinity was some place special. The worship style matched what we were looking for. There are two Sunday services, an early traditional service and a 10:30 «Joy» service, which is more contemporary. The Joy service still has a traditional worship feel to some of it elements, but is definitely filled with more energy.
We happened upon Trinity at a time when they were just beginning the search for a new Rector. The previous Rector was near and dear to the Congregation, but passed away unexpectedly. Needless to say, he left a big hole in the Congregation’s heart. But at a time that you might expect a community to be reeling in shock, undirected and lost, Trinity’s community definitely gave a feeling of togetherness in tragedy. They were rocked to be sure, but they knew that they were going to get through this trial by keeping strong to their roots — which is love for one another, love for the community in which they are members, and love for the world around them. It was easy to see they had a strong, solid identity based on their faith. We knew we wanted to come back to find out more.
And each time we came back, we felt a sense of welcomeness we had not experienced since leaving Grace. We never felt ignored, yet we were not descended upon as if they needed to assimilate us. We were introduced to other members at our own pace. From long-​time members of the community to young families, each time we met someone new, we got the same feeling: this is a wonderful place to be, and these are people that care for one another like an extended family. We even feel like the staff has taken an interest in getting to know who we are, why we stopped in, and what we are looking for in our lives.
We’ve grown to feel such a connection to this church — from its welcoming community, to each Sunday’s service, to the beautiful grounds (which welcome in neighbors as well as members), to the studies and classes. We’re very glad we decided to stop in and give it a try. And I recommend it to anyone that’s looking to feel they belong somewhere, to feel like they are an integral part of the community and not just another face in the crowd.
Take a look at
to find out more of what they have to offer — from sermon notes, to classes for children, to community events.