Welcome to

Trinity Downtown

                                                                                

 

Public Worship in the Sanctuary

Saturdays at 6:00pm and Sundays at 9:00am and 11:15am
Sunday School and Bible Class for All Ages 10:15-11:00am each Sunday

 

Online Worship

 The Sunday 9:00am service will stream live weekly on Trinity’s YouTube Channel.  
6:00pm and 11:15am will be recorded and uploaded to the YouTube page.
All recorded services are uploaded and archived on the website’s sermon page.

“Bringing People One Step Closer to Jesus”

Our Story

How we got started

When Orlando was still a small town, a group of  Midwestern people of German heritage gathered together with Pastor George Trapp to form Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1919.  By 1921 they had built a small sanctuary on Hughey Street, where the Orlando Police Department is now headquartered, but that building was outgrown and sold in a very short time.  After years of renting space for worship and outgrowing each one, Trinity’s current sanctuary was built in late 1926, and the congregation began worshiping here in 1927.

Where we are now

We have just celebrated Trinity’s 100th anniversary!  With over 100 years of history in behind us, Trinity is excited to begin a second century of  strengthening and equipping the people of Trinity to reach out to those around us.  The worshiping congregation averages about 150 people per weekend, and we are privileged to be able to care for and educate nearly 300 children from six weeks old through PreK-5 in our Trinity Lutheran School Child Development Center.  Knowing how demanding and complicated life can be in this day and age, we are working hard on getting “back to the basics” as we focus on the five key components of a Christian life: word, worship, witness, stewardship and fellowship. Through that clear focus comes direction to our ministry efforts – our purpose in all that we do, is to bring people one step closer to Jesus; to be disciples of Jesus, to make disciples, and then to be sent out into our communities and the world to touch the lives of others with the love of Christ.

Who we are

We’re just a group of imperfect people who use our gifts and abilities – at church and at home – to carry on the Gospel ministry of Jesus Christ.  We’re not just a “Sunday morning church,” we’re  dedicated to ministry seven days a week, in many different ways, on and off our campus. With 100 years of history behind us, Trinity is excited to begin a second century of sharing Jesus with those around us… bringing people “one step closer to Jesus.”

What we believe

  • That God is Triune, that is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, existing eternally in three Persons.
  • That God created the heavens and the earth, everything, seen and unseen.
  • That at the right time, about 2,000 years ago, the Son took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, and died innocently in order to rescue us from the power of sin and eternal death.
  • That the Holy Spirit of God is still active to bring lost sinners to faith in Jesus Christ and eternal salvation.
  • That God has carefully preserved for us to this day a reliable record of his dealings with humans in the Bible.  This Word of God points to Jesus, not just telling a story, but drawing us into a relationship with the God who loves and saves us.

What’s a Lutheran? 

On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. This is a significant day in Church history, which we often think of as the beginning of the Reformation. Those bearing the name Lutheran and some Protestant congregations commemorated this day at the end of October. So, what was the Reformation, and why is it so significant?

Ultimately, the Reformation came down to a single issue: how sinners were to be forgiven and obtain eternal life. On the one hand, Rome claimed that sinners needed to earn forgiveness of sins by their doing: praying certain prayers, paying for church services, buying indulgences, making pilgrimages and more.

The Reformation wasn’t about making a new church. It wasn’t about how statues, crucifixes, liturgy, vestments and sacraments were “too Catholic.” It wasn’t about personal preferences. The Reformation was about how God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the flesh in order to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in order to bring us eternal life. That’s what the Reformation really is about. That’s what being Lutheran is really all about.

And that’s why Lutherans do what we do. We baptize babies because they need the work of Jesus that gives them the forgiveness of sins. We confess our sins at the beginning of the Divine Service because we need the forgiveness given in the absolution. We cry out to God for mercy, because we know that we deserve to be punished instead. We hear the Law condemn us, because our flesh needs to be put to death. We hear the Gospel, because we need the comfort and forgiveness it brings us. We receive Christ’s body and blood, because apart from Christ, we have no life in our flesh. But don’t be fooled: These things are not about what we are doing; they are about God doing something for you, namely bringing you the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation.

We’re not disgruntled, but we are sinners who need the forgiveness Christ brings. We are Lutherans.

by Rev. Jordan McKinley

Our Mission

Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through ministries which strengthen and equip people for Christian witness and service in downtown, metropolitan Orlando, and the world.

Our Purpose

Our purpose, in all that we do, is to bring people one step closer to Jesus.

Plan Your First Visit

Are you wondering… 

  

Where can I park?

Where is the service?

What should I expect?

Is there a nursery for my toddler?

What kind of music do they play?

 

 Find out answers to these questions and more as you plan your first visit.

 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - COMING SOON

  We’ve been around for over 100 years…

   and we’re looking forward to writing Trinity’s next chapter with YOU in it.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod     

Get in Touch. Get Involved.

If  you need help getting connected, just let us know.  We’ll help!

123. E. Livingston Street, Orlando, FL 32801

Call Us: (407) 488-1919

Email Us: TLC@TrinityDowntown.com

Trinity Lutheran School, infants through PreK5, admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.  It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.