The small church is charting a new course after 112 years in Spokane's west central area, working hard to reconnect with the neighborhood, exploring new worship forms and offering hospitality to everyone who comes its way.

But a lot of work lies ahead.

"This is a true re-start," said the Rev. Paul Lebens-Englund, Holy Trinity's vicar. "There were only three people when we started."

Lebens-Englund, Spokane's youngest priest at 33, serves half-time at Holy Trinity and half-time at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist across the Spokane River.

"We're working to do some organic community-building in the neighborhood," he said. "Some of the old members are coming back. Some new folks are dropping in."

The brown, shingled building once housed a large and lively congregation.  For many years it was Spokane's Anglo-Catholic parish, with an elaborate liturgy and an energetic outreach ministry. In the 1980s, the church grew, attracting people who opposed the ordination of women and sought a more traditional parish. There were four liturgies each weekend to accommodate the growing congregation.

But by 1995, Holy Trinity's rector had persuaded most of the congregation to leave the Episcopal Church and form a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. They hoped to retain the parish property, but the courts ruled in favor of the diocese and the new congregation moved out.

The small group who remained struggled to rebuild. The church was served first by a deacon in charge, then an interim priest and finally a part-time rector. The continuing decline led Bishop James Waggoner and the Diocesan Council to appoint new leadership, and Lebens-Englund began his work there in March.

A new beginning
Holy Trinity is considered a "mission partner" with the cathedral, and many parishioners have helped with tasks like cleaning the church, caring for altar linens and tending the garden, and have joined in worship services.

The church holds two Sunday services.  The 9 a.m. service is traditional in flavor. The evening service, "Sundays@7," is more contemporary and a meeting place for Spokane's college-age and young-adult Episcopalians. Each service draws 15-20 people.

The leadership spent the summer gearing up for the fall, planning ways to invite new college students into the community and to canvass the neighborhood to meet and invite the neighbors. Nursery care and Godly Play will be high priorities, followed by adult formation. A new website has been launched here.

The church also hopes to offer an after-school program, but the parish hall needs expensive electrical and plumbing repairs before the kitchen and bathrooms will be up to standards.

"Plumbing is difficult because of the 19th-century foundation," Lebens-Englund said. 
Spokane's west central neighborhood is a historic, working-class area of the city that has declined. It has boarded-up meth houses, gang activity and the lowest per-capita income of any neighborhood in Washington state. 

Neighborhood improvements
But the area is beginning to change, Lebens-Englund said. Young families are moving in, buying affordable houses and fixing them up. A large residential and commercial development is planned just south of the church.

Hospitality is a focus of Holy Trinity's ministry. Lebens-Englund likes to keep the church doors open and is often in the church yard greeting passers-by. New picnic tables stand in the yard for neighbors to enjoy.

"Just being hospitable is one of the keys to turning this place around," Lebens-Englund said.

Holy Trinity's list of hopes is growing. One is beginning a young-adult internship program in the diocese in 2008 that would be housed in the church's rectory across the street from the church. Interns in the leadership-formation program likely would help with some of Holy Trinity's mid-week programming in the neighborhood as well as participate in other service opportunities in the city.

In the meantime, the hard work of building a congregation, identifying leadership and getting the infrastructure organized continues. This small church has a large support system. In June, some 150 people from all over Spokane packed into Holy Trinity for a Lebens-Englund's Celebration of New Ministry service on a sweltering Sunday afternoon.

In his homily, Waggoner expressed gratitude for all who had worked hard to make the day of celebration possible.

"These are people who never lost faith, who never gave up," he said.

Vital Stats
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Spokane, Washington
Diocese of Spokane
Average Sunday Attendance:  30-40
Founded: 1895
Governing structure:  Half-time vicar and Bishop's Committee

Resources
Here are some books that Holy Trinity's leaders have found helpful:

• The Inviting Church: A Study of New Member Assimilation by Roy Oswald and
  Speed Leas (Alban: 1987)
• Understanding Your Congregation as a System by George Parsons and Speed
  Leas (Alban: 1993)
• Natural Church Development by Christian Schwarz (ChurchSmart Resources:
  1996)
• Creating a Healthier Church by Ronald Richardson (Fortress: 1996)
  Effective Church Leadership by Kennon Callahan (Jossey-Bass: 1990)
• Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz (Belknap: 1994)