Our Mission
Our mission is to love, learn and live by Christ’s teachings. As we do this, we hope to create the inclusive, loving, and justice-seeking community that Jesus did.
Our Church
Our church is a friendly, informal group of about 50 people who meet weekly for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am. Worship includes traditional elements such as prayer, music, a sermon, a time to make an offering, but may be offered in untraditional ways such as through drama, conversation circles, body prayers, prayer stations. Children’s programming is offered during worship, thanks to a Children’s Co-ordinator. There is a variety of music each Sunday offered by our very capable Music Director, choir, and/or band. We use a screen to project our entire service.
As the redevelopment of Trinity United Church unfolds we will be relocating to Floradale Mennonite Church 22 Florapine Road who has graciously welcomed us into their building for worship starting in September! We will continue to meet for worship on Sunday mornings at this new location until the building redevelopment is complete and we are ready to move into our new building. During this time of changes and new beginnings we will continue our mission to to love, learn and live by Christ’s teachings, working toward creating the inclusive, loving, and justice-seeking community that Jesus did.
We are active participants in the Elmira and District Ministerial Association which includes more than a dozen area congregations of various denominations. We share worship events throughout the year including Advent Carol Services, a yearly Memorial Service, mid-week Lenten worship, and ecumenical community worship in the summer.
Previously part of Waterloo Presbytery in Hamilton Conference, Trinity Elmira is part of Western Ontario Waterways Region.
Click on the link below for the “Support the Rainbow Crosswalk” in Woolwich Observer Aug 31, 2022
https://observerxtra.com/2022/09/01/support-for-rainbow-crosswalk
Our Neighbourhood
Elmira is a friendly and growing community of about 11,000 people. Located in the Township of Woolwich within The Region of Waterloo, we are close to the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph, known for their excellent universities, community college, and high-tech industries.
The Township of Woolwich is known for its excellent farmland with a wide variety of agricultural resources. Elmira is famous for hosting the “Elmira Maple Syrup Festival” in the spring. This event is a great example of community volunteers working together to raise money for local charities. The village of St. Jacobs is five minutes away and a popular tourist destination, especially The Farmers’ Market. Check out www.woolwich.ca for further information about Elmira and area.
Our History
Trinity United Church was formed in 1971 when Wesley United and Zion United merged into one congregation.
The origins of the former Wesley Church go back to 1836 when Samuel Fear rode through the bush from Guelph to conduct services. Until 1848 services were held in log homes. That year, the first school was built, also of logs, at about the corner of present-day King and Church Streets. Services were held in this building until 1854, when a red brick church was built near the school. The location of this building resulted in the street being called Church Street. In 1851, Elmira became part of the Elora Circuit, which was composed of Elora, Fergus, Bethany, Mount Pleasant, Robinsons, Alma, Salem, Elmira, Zion, and Tabor.
In 1873, work started on a new church on Arthur Street which was dedicated on January 1, 1874. When this church opened, it had coal-oil lamps and a box stove capable of burning 4-ft logs. In 1925, this congregation became part of The United Church of Canada.
Zion Church had its origin in the decision of the Methodist Church in Pennsylvania in 1804 to send missionaries into the German-speaking communities. Thus, a new denomination, the Evangelical Church, came into being. This denomination spread into Canada when, in 1838, the first missionaries came among the German settlers in Waterloo County. In 1864 the Canadian Conference of the Evangelical Church was organized and the Elmira congregation was formed. It’s building on present-day site of Trinity United Church, was erected in 1870. At that time, the services and church records were all in German. Only after the outbreak of WWI did English come into use.
In 1946 the Evangelical and United Brethren Churches united and Zion became a member of the new E.U.B. (Evangelical United Brethren) Church. In 1963 the last services were held in the old building and a new church was built on the same site. In 1968 the EUB Churches joined The United Church of Canada. In 1971, Zion amalgamated with Wesley and the new Trinity United Church came into being.
Our Acknowledgement of the Land
For thousands of years First Nations people have lived on this land.
Trinity United Church is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land that was granted to the Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations of the Grand River, and are within the territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples.
We acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge, philosophies, and spiritualities of the Indigenous People with whom we share this land today.
This acknowledgement supports our call to live out the United Church’s apology to Indigenous peoples and to live out our call to right relations