
Dear Friends,
Trinity Church, New York City has a long history. Established in 1697, the community was the first Anglican parish in the city. In those early days, the property was on the northern boundary of New York. Now, of course, the church sits prominently in the heart of the financial district on Broadway at Wall Street. The cemetery that surrounds the site features notable citizens who left their mark on both the congregation and the wider community: Alexander Hamilton, Elizabeth Schuyler and Robert Fulton, to name a few. Tour guides and groups weave their way continuously through the grounds, stopping at one grave and then the next.
A steady flow of people wends its way through the doors of the impressive Gothic Revival church. Your eye is drawn upward, inspired by the high arches, cascading light through the stained glass, and the marble reredos that frames a most beautiful altar in the centre of the chancel. And you are drawn to sit and be still in prayer.
In 1705, Queen Anne granted farmland to Trinity Church to help sustain the community and give it a much-needed source of income. Over the centuries, Trinity Church has sold, given away and developed the land for the purposes of supporting ministry. While the city of New York grew north, east and west, the congregation wisely chose to stay in the neighbourhood to meet the needs of those who arrived in the ports. At the same time, Trinity Church planted new chapels as the population grew.
Approximately 12 acres remain in the parish portfolio to exercise ministry. It’s hard to imagine that the parish has an operating budget of just under $200 million annually. Most of these funds are given away to charities, ministries and missions, in the city and beyond, that are in keeping with the gospel values of Trinity Church. The church employs about 200 people to exercise the ministry initiatives within and beyond the reach of the congregation. Twelve floors of a beautiful newly constructed building behind the church houses most of the staff. Every afternoon, over 500 youth from local high schools are invited to participate in after-school music classes, basketball games and tutoring sessions, and enjoy free meals. A meal program for the homeless and street-involved community takes place every day; over one million meals are provided every year. A market for asylum seekers and new immigrants provides food and supplies for the most vulnerable.
Mary and I had the extraordinary opportunity of spending time with the rector, the Rev. Phil Jackson, his wife Page and the team at Trinity this last week. I am grateful for the opportunity to preach, lead an education session, tour the ministry sites, engage in conversation with senior staff, vestry and council, and offer reflections on our common ministry. The hospitality we received was inspiring, and the scope of ministry was breathtaking and beautiful. It was a time to collaborate and to learn how we can serve in our unique contexts.
There was one moment that stands out for me. On Wednesday afternoon, I had a break for an hour. I was provided with a little meeting room where I could sit and make notes and catch my breath. As I was scrawling on a notepad, I could hear the faint and yet distinct sounds of a basketball court in the background, the squeak of shoes on the court, the bounce of the ball on the floor and the backboard, the call for the ball, the appreciative shout of… Nice shot! And the groan of a near miss.
It struck me in that moment that behind all of the impressive initiatives, the beautiful buildings and the incredible systems of care is a Christian community doing its level best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and be a port of call for the young, the elderly, the stranger, the poor, the asylum seeker, the wealthy and the lonely… And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25.40
I know that the same kinds of ministry are happening right here in the Diocese of Toronto. Perhaps we may have fewer resources, but we are empowered by the same Spirit, and compelled by the same gospel, to minister to God’s world. May we be inspired by our siblings south of the border and empowered to do as much as we can with what we are given for the sake of God’s mission to seek and serve Christ in all persons.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto