Trinity United Methodist Church

Here follows an excerpt from the church's website:

History of Trinity United Methodist Church
There were fewer than twenty Methodist preachers in America when on November 20, 1774, a young preacher, William Duke, galloped into Alexandria. Duke had been personally recruited to the ministry by Francis Asbury, the legendary preacher who later was to be authorized by John Wesley to serve as general superintendent of the Methodist movement in the fledgling United States of America. Duke preached to a small group of followers and noted in his journal: "Formed them into a society." From this date, Trinity has remained in continuous existence.

Trinity has utilized three meeting houses: 1791, 1804 (both in downtown Alexandria) and its present building, and 1942. Francis Asbury drew the plan for the first meeting house and dedicated the second. Virtually all the greats of early American Methodism visited Trinity.

The building of the second meeting house, 1804, and the religious revivals of the early 1800's greatly increased Trinity's membership. President George Washington died in December 1799, and a series of four memorial sermons, sponsored by the citizens of Alexandria, were presented in his honor. One was given by station preacher James Tolleson, reflecting a growing community respect for the fledgling Methodist congregation. And when British troops landed in Alexandria during the War of 1812, members of Trinity scattered in fear.

By the early 1840's, Trinity's membership reached roughly 1,000 persons. By now the features of a modern-day church were appearing: Sunday school classes for all ages, women's groups, and the Official Board. Missions and compassionate social programs received major attention. As early as 1816, for example, Trinity set up a Society for the Relief of the Poor, to help those in the congregation who needed aid.

From its earliest beginnings, however, American Methodism was rent by serious dissident movements. First, starting in 1792, came the O'Kelly Schism, when a southside Virginia preacher, James O'Kelly, unhappy with the ecclesiastical power of the bishops, walked out of General Conference in Baltimore. He and his followers, known as O'Kellyites, set up their own churches. Next, in 1829, came the Methodist Protestant secession and in the 1840's the dispute over slavery. Trinity was deeply affected by all three schisms.

The O'Kellyites, for example, operated preaching places in Alexandria. Many Trinity members were attracted to these venues and some of these people would leave in 1829 to join the Methodist Protestants. They built a new church very close to Trinity. The growing national debate over slavery would soon bring a third Methodist Church, this time almost directly across the street from the Second Meeting House. Hence, in one block on Washington Street would be three Methodist churches, all hostile to one another.

The slavery issue had long concerned Trinity. In May 1785, Trinity leaders had arranged a personal interview with General George Washington at Mount Vernon for bishops Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury. The bishops had a private interview with the General regarding the emancipation of slaves.

Meanwhile in the 1840's an increasingly bitter debate erupted in the Methodist Episcopal Church. At a momentous General Conference in New York City in 1844, a resolution, co-sponsored by Trinity's pastor, Alfred Griffith, demanded that a Southern bishop who owned slaves should resign. The resolution passed. The next year, 1845, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was formed.

Trinity exploded. Many pro-Southern members left and formed a pro-Southern church directly across the street from the Trinity meeting house (known today as the Washington Street Church). A long legal battle ensued over church property and for roughly a year the building was closed. On June 17, 1850, the Court returned the building to the Northern Group. Trinity became known as the Northern Church and the Washington Street Church was the Southern Church.

During the Civil War (1861-1865), federal authorities occupied the Southern Church. Trinity, with regular worship services, was not interrupted.

For Trinity, the period after the Civil War (1865 to 1942) would become known as the long and hard years. A cadre of faithful, conscientious, and dedicated lay people worked desperately to keep the congregation alive. Budgets were small, seldom fully subscribed, and membership dwindled.

In 1939 the three main branches of Methodism, the Methodist Episcopal Church (North) and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, along with the Methodist Protestant Church, merged to form the Methodist Church. Virginia Bishop W.W. Peele assigned a young minister, John H. Blakemore, to Trinity with instructions to merge with the Washington Street Church. But Trinity - at age 168 - gave its own defiant answer! It would not merge and Trinity, using Biblical imagery, cast its nets elsewhere, deciding to move the entire church (building and all) from downtown Alexandria to the suburban Beverley Hills-Braddock area, with the young pastor as the leading cheerleader.

The Third Meeting House took almost a year to build at the corner of Cameron Mills Road and Allison Street, using materials from the downtown church, such as bricks, pews, and stained glass windows. Dedication came on Christmas Sunday, 1942.

After World War II, Trinity grew and flourished in its new location. Its members joined many other Methodists throughout the country in their concern for ecumenism and church union, including closer ties with other Methodist and Wesleyan bodies; growing uneasiness with the issue of racism in both the nation and the church; and the debate about women's ordination. Closer to home, Trinity members continued a rich legacy of worship to God and service to their needy neighbors in the larger Alexandria community.

In 1968, The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren united to form The United Methodist Church. Thus, Trinity became a congregation in the largest district (Alexandria) in the largest conference (Virginia) in one of the largest Protestant churches in the world. Since then, The United Methodist Church has increased its awareness of itself as a global church with conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. And while membership in the United States and Europe has declined, significant growth has continued to occur in Africa and Asia.

As in the past, Trinity has continued to provide leadership in navigating significant cultural shifts. Within The United Methodist Church, debates concerning human sexuality, particularly over such matters as homosexuality, marriage, and abortion, have presented sizable domestic, international, and ecumenical disagreements over the church's doctrine and discipline. In addressing this concern, in 2015, after a time of congregational prayer, discernment, and discussion, Trinity elected to become a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. In doing so, the following Welcome Statement was formulated and presented:

Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. - Matthew 10:40

"Trinity United Methodist Church is committed to be a congregation of Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. We believe all people are of sacred worth and dignity as part of God's creation and as demonstrated by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. As God's love extends to all, we welcome everyone without exception, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, family structure, socio-economic or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, faith history or life experience. We recognize that we are all different, and those differences make us a stronger community of faith as we worship together to grow in our relationship with God and one another."

With such a rich history, the people of Trinity celebrate their grace-filled legacy and faithfully face the future, living into a God-given vision of creating community for all people.

In honor of Trinity's 250th anniversary, Trinity was recognized at the VA General Assembly on February 8, 2024. Pastor Grace gave the invocation, Trinity was introduced by Delegate Lopez and a resolution was passed commending Trinity on our 250th anniversary.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Zebra newspaper:

250 Years and Growing Gives Trinity Reasons To Be Grateful
Written by Susan McLain Sullivan -- December 3, 2024

Alexandria, VA – Older than the Nation itself. Older than the ink on the Bill of Rights or the Constitution. Even older than the fateful first shot at the North Bridge in Lexington and Concord or the Boston Tea Party when 342 chests of tea were tipped into the Boston Harbor, there was the “little flock” of founders of the Trinity United Methodist Church www.trinityalexandria.org in the young Town of Alexandria, Virginia.

Imagine how early Methodists and some members of Trinity’s first congregation learned of those historic events and even earlier uprisings—such as the French Revolution of May 5, 1789—in meetings in historic buildings such as the Court House (around 1760) and the Presbyterian Meeting House (which opened in 1772) shared its rooms with the Trinity flock in 1774—while the first bricks of Trinity’s First Chapel were being laid. Records show the official Trinity UMC “founding” was Nov. 20, 1774, and on that date, they formed into a society under the pastoral care of the Methodist preacher William Duke, who later served as Professor of Ancient Languages at St. John’s College, Annapolis.

Fast forward a decade or so and Trinity’s First Meeting House at a site on Chapel Alley in Bushby’s Square, between Royal and Fairfax off Duke Street, was officially finished (with the land having been granted by a Methodist Society member William Bushby) and in 1791 became a station independent of the Fairfax circuit of meeting houses. The present-day Basilica of St. Mary marks the site.

The thriving Trinity UMC congregation grew quickly, and by 1803, a much larger Meeting House was erected and placed Trinity Church on a main thoroughfare of S. Washington Street (the present-day Hotel Heron, next door to the old George Mason Hotel), where the congregation supported two ministers and an expanding religious program, missionary societies, and charitable outreach to the community. In 1802-1804, the Great Revival hit Alexandria, raising Trinity’s population, bringing in over 300 members, according to sources. The congregation stayed at that grand location until 1941. Eventually, the cornerstone was placed for a fourth time at a new church building in the suburban location of Beverly Hills-Braddock Heights. Trinity UMC and its historic siblings—Roberts Memorial UMC and Washington Street UMC—recently celebrated a historic worship service of healing and reconciliation, which marked 250 years of Alexandria Methodism. The event was led by Trinity’s UMC Pastor Grace Han, Robert’s Memorial UMC Pastor Josette L. Franklin, and Washington Street UMC Pastor Camille Danielle Pentsil.

Trinity is pre-eminently a family church—fathers, mothers, children, aging alongside grandparents, in some cases. Among those whose families can be traced back over generations are current Trinity members Melanie Modlin, a Bible study leader, choir singer, and communication director for the 250th Anniversary Committee, and Lucelle O’Flaherty, a head usher for decades who is involved in many church activities and devotes countless hours in supporting various programs. Modlin’s parents, Phil and Roz Modlin, were also friends with the O’Flaherty family—Daniel Fairfax O’Flaherty and wife Resa, and daughters Lucelle and Susan O’Flaherty Griffith—and the grandparents Daniel and Isabel O’Flaherty, adding up to three generations at the church.

“I started (attending services) at age five,” Modlin said, and looking over to her dear, long-time friend, Lucelle, “and you started at birth.” Both recalled how members “took a leap of faith” to move the church building from its downtown location in 1942 to its current site at 2911 Cameron Mills Road. “It was like going into the woods. It was all trees.” She explained that her church has been on “the right side of history” in numerous political issues and that it is a congregation well known for significant charitable gifts to the Alexandria community through the years, including just this year a $15,000 donation to Alexandria City Public School Lunch debt forgiveness and financial support to ALIVE! Emergency Housing assistance.

O’Flaherty, whose parents were prominent members of the community, added brightly, “You build it and they will come.” She noted that Trinity remains part of many of Alexandria’s families, even as generations move away and return as older adults to its pews or for special occasions.

The 250th Anniversary Committee carefully planned events and fundraisers (such as an Anniversary Endowment Fundraiser) throughout the year that are meant to include many of those members, church dignitaries, and former pastors and friends of the congregation.

Indeed, the forward-looking Methodist spirit–along with the 1804 bricks, windows, and other materials—including the “squeaky pews” of the Second Meeting House that were carefully removed and hauled to the new church site for historic preservation and use—continue to build the legacy with strong leadership and new horizons. Currently, the Trinity Church’s “Allison-Pierpont entrance”—the main door—welcomes guests and members to a vestibule with historic relics such as a wooden door (a bronze plate states “from the William and Ann Adams Home “Church Hill, an antecedent of Trinity. The antique door was placed there by the Methodist Historical Society of Northern Virginia). One of the most handsome artifacts transferred is the striking rose window, also from the Second Meeting House building. The present location at Cameron Mills Road also hosts comfortable meeting rooms, offices, an auditorium, a kitchen, a highly-regarded childcare center, and a stately pastor’s residence, all on a shaded spacious lot with an ample parking lot across from the main entrance. A striking cornerstone reveals its proud history with all four dates of its meeting houses: 1774, 1792, 1803, and 1942.

During the November 2024 celebration weekend of the 250th Anniversary, a “Welcome Event and Hallelujah Hour at the Heron Hotel” will be held Nov. 15 on the rooftop of the Heron Hotel—the actual ground-floor site of an early Trinity UMC– along with a walking tour of nearby Chapel Alley. Other celebration events include a Dinner & Anniversary Party in the Fellowship Hall on Nov. 16 and a Jubilee Worship & Reception on Nov. 17, both at the current church location.

As part of the 250th Anniversary year celebrations, a 250th Legacy Fund Campaign is underway with the goal of increasing its endowment to $250,000 to provide resources for its mission and ministry, as well as the maintenance and repair of the church building and grounds.