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Trinity Cheltenham (previously Holy Trinity, Cheltenham) is an evangelical, charismatic Anglican church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As well as being part of the Church of England, it is a major contributor to the New Wine network. The Church has around 1500 members, making it one of the largest churches in the UK. A recent article cited it as the 11th largest church in Britain.[1]
The church holds three celebrations on a 'normal' Sunday, two in the morning (9.15am & 11.15am), with Kidz Church for 0-10 years, a youth group (re:encounter 11.15am & after the 6.00pm service) for 11-15 years, and one in the evening (6.00pm). There are lots of mid-week meetings covering a variety of needs. Details of times and locations may be found on the church's official website [2].
The main church building is located on Portland Street, Cheltenham. The church also owns Trinity House and its offices are located in Winchcombe House.
Trinity also employs a number of staff employed on a full or part-time basis and all of its events and activities are facilitated by a large number of volunteers.
As well as the Sunday celebration each week, the church members participate in a large array of mid-week activities, which include the Alpha Course, 'King's Table' , 'Tandem', Sports Teams, Clusters and Small Groups, and Kids' and Youth activities. Trinity Cheltenham are also a key church in the New Wine network where Mark Bailey is on the National leadership, Neil Bennetts leads the worship and the whole church hosts the New Wine Central and South West Regional conferences and networks.
Trinity Church came into being in 1824 as an overflow from the Parish Church in the town centre. The first minister was the Rev Francis Close, Rector of Cheltenham and later Dean of Carlisle Cathedral, after whom the Dean Close School was named. The Church was opened with an address from the Rev Charles Simeon.
About twenty-five years ago, Trinity Church was on the point of closure. However, under the ministry of a retired missionary and prayers from the remaining nucleus of people, change slowly began to happen. The threat of closure was removed, and under two subsequent vicars the church continued to grow and start to reach out into the community.
Mark Bailey came to lead Trinity in 1994, and since then the church has seen an exciting move of the Spirit of God, resulting in extended growth. There are now in excess of 1,500 people who worship on a regular basis.
Since 1994 the church has undergone a major refurbishment: pews have been replaced with chairs, carpet fitted, 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. It is used for a variety of mid-week activities and for Kidz Church on Sundays.
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 has begun a refurbishment of the main church building to increase the capacity to nearly 1000.
The church's PCC have discussed options for handling the continued growth in church membership. The latest plans include a £4m adaptation of the existing buildings to accommodate 1000 worshippers at a time, with improved facilities at Trinity House.