For nearly 130 years, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church has been a pillar of the West Palm Beach community, providing spiritual nourishment, community outreach, and a welcoming space for worship and fellowship. As we embark on our second century of ministry on Trinity Place, we aim to build upon this strong foundation by transforming our waterfront campus into a vibrant hub for worship, faith formation, service, and community building.

From Our Rector

DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH,

As I have been learning and thinking about our shared history – the story of our church - one thing has stood out: The people of Holy Trinity have always been willing to act faithfully, courageously, and “with great boldness” ( 2 Cor. 3.12) for the sake of the Gospel.

We were bold in 1897 when a few hearty souls began meeting in a free reading room under the pastoral leadership of the local school principal. In 1899, we built our first church at the corner of Evernia and South Olive, and just a year later raised the funds needed to support our first Rector, The Rev. J.J. Vaulx. Over the next 25 years, we continued to build our congregation and facilities, until 1924, when we trusted God enough to boldly build our beautiful church, where generations of men, women, and children have encountered the living God.

But we didn’t stop there. In 1929 we built our Parish Hall, in 1942 our education wing, and in 1969 we purchased the land that now serves as our parking lot (to name just a few of our many expansion projects). All the while Holy Trinity grew and grew, welcoming over 600 congregants every Sunday throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. In fact, we grew so much that we sent congregants out to help start five new local congregations. Our entire community has been blessed by the faithful boldness of our church.

As we remember and celebrate Holy Trinity’s history of proclaiming God’s grace in West Palm Beach, we have also been thinking, talking, dreaming and praying about how He might be calling us to carry on this legacy. Over the last four years, the leadership of Holy Trinity has been engaged in a strategic visioning process for the future of our parish. Through thorough study and prayerful consideration, we have decided to move forward with the “Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future” Capital Campaign, which will transform our campus in order to meet the needs of today and the opportunities of tomorrow.

The plan we have developed calls for the building of a beautiful new Parish Hall and Event Center, a new Christian Education Center, new spaces for Music, Worship, and Administration, and increased parking. This vision provides the spaces we need for our growing congregation while taking advantage of our incredible waterfront location.

This will be a large undertaking, but no more than building a new church in 1924, and a new Parish Hall in 1929. For nearly 130 years, God has been faithful in growing and sustaining Holy Trinity, and we know that He will continue to be faithful as we seek to put His talents to work (Mt 25.14-30). If you are familiar with that parable, then you know that, when it comes to God, the only risk is not trusting Him enough to take a risk. We have a big vision – one that only God will be able to fulfill - and we are counting on Him to do it. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and had the boldness to build what we currently enjoy. I believe that God is calling us to honor their legacy and follow Him by boldly taking the next steps to build a strong future for our church community.

With the support of Holy Trinity Leadership, I have the privilege of inviting you to participate in the “Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future” Campaign in support of a reimagined campus. This is an opportunity for all of us to become more closely united, becoming an unavoidable part of West Palm Beach as the vibrant church community we are. We will need everyone’s support to successfully achieve our campaign goals. I ask that you prayerfully consider your own commitment to this project. I pray that you will respond with a grateful and generous heart. Every gift makes a difference, and every prayer for God’s blessing on this campaign is essential.

In Christ,

The Rev. Rutger-Jan (R-J) Heijmen

Rector