Ministries

First Trinity founded Community Family Life Services (CFLS) in 1969 to help respond to the needs of the poor and unhoused in the area. Over the years the organization has grown significantly and now provides a wide continuum of services to clients, including supplying emergency food and clothing, providing economic and parenting mentorship and education for families, and even running multiple programs to give families a stable place to live while they get back on their feet. One significant portion of CFLS’s current services is providing reentry help to women with children who have been released from prison or jail in the past 90 days or are waiting to be released within the next four months.

The program now operates as its own nonprofit organization, but it is still a significant recipient of First Trinity’s mission support funding and is still near and dear to many members’ hearts, with several members of the congregation having served as members of the Board of Directors for CFLS.

Since 1969, Community Family Life Services has provided children, families, and adults with the tools and resources needed to move beyond poverty and homelessness. CFLS also supports women who are returning home following a period of incarceration by assisting them as they move into permanent self-sufficiency.

In the mid-fifties, when many faith communities did not know how to welcome those with special needs, Bobbie Meyer began a Sunday School class for children with special developmental needs, including her own son and daughter. The class grew and began to accept all people with disabilities, regardless of age. Mrs. Meyer moved her class to First Trinity in 1960, and when she retired in the 1980s, First Trinity embraced this ministry as its own. As this ministry has continued to evolve, First Trinity has increased in support, including assisting with worship and faith formation activities and helping out with special activities such as the Fall Harvest Festival and Chili Cook-off.

Lifeline has continued to expand its mission, and now also provides support and resources to family members and friends of people with developmental disabilities. While Lifeline Partnership is now an independent nonprofit organization, First Trinity continues to support, empower and host this ministry, and many members of the Lifeline Board of Directors are members of First Trinity.

First Trinity continues to hold fast and act on the belief that God’s love is for everyone, including welcoming people with disabilities to our Sunday worship service.

Started by a member of the church in 2017, Voices Unbarred amplifies the voices of incarcerated persons through theatrical tools such as “theater of the oppressed” that inspire them to direct their own narratives and affect change for themselves and their communities. First Trinity not only supported the founder in her mission by donating space for rehearsals and performances, it also became Voices Unbarred’s fiscal sponsor in early 2020 as the new entity works towards gaining its own 501(c)(3) status. Many members also support Voices Unbarred through donations, volunteering their expertise, and attending their community events.

Twelve-step groups are on a spiritual journey. Because of this, First Trinity welcomes local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous to meet in our church building during the week. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve common problems and help others to recover from alcoholism and other addictions.

WIN is a broad-based, multi-racial, multi-faith, strictly non-partisan, District-wide citizens’ power organization, rooted in local congregations and associations.

WIN is committed to: 1) training and developing neighborhood leaders, 2) addressing community issues, and 3) holding elected and corporate officials accountable in Washington, DC.

WIN focuses on critical community issues such as: affordable housing and home ownership, community safety and gun violence prevention, family-sustaining jobs, environmental justice and increasing black wealth.

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is a faith-based nonpartisan movement in the tradition of the civil rights movement that seeks to unite poor, low-income and marginalized communities around common interests to build power and affect change.