Welcome to Trinity Church, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Trinity Church is an Open and Affirming (ONA) congregation. Worship services are held every Sunday at 10 a.m (with nursery care provided.) Communion is on the first Sunday of the month.
Call 413-625-2341 or contact us for more information. As the village Protestant church, we feel it’s important that our sanctuary is open to all. Many baptisms, funerals, and marriages take place here.Our church is physically accessible to all.

Services air weekly on Falls Cable Corporation's local television channel 17, on this website under Sermons, on Youtube, and Facebook.

Go here to donate online

Trinity Church launches “Building Joy” capital campaign to strengthen worship, expand outreach, and best serve the community

SHELBURNE FALLS — Trinity Church has successfully launched its Building Joy Capital Campaign, a community-wide resiliency effort to raise $250,000 to support essential projects that will enhance worship, expand digital ministry, and strengthen the church’s ability to serve neighbors in times of need.

Church leaders announced at the kick-off brunch on Sunday, May 31 that to date $196,075 has come as advance gifts from both church and community members.

Rooted in Trinity’s long tradition of music, ministry, and community care, the Building Joy campaign focuses on three key initiative to build resilience:

• Strengthening Worship — Restoring the historic 1883 Hook & Hastings pipe organ, a centerpiece of Trinity’s musical life and a vital instrument for worship, concerts, and community events.
• Expanding Reach — Upgrading video and livestream technology to ensure that worship, music, and programs remain accessible to all, including homebound members and those joining from afar.
• Serving Neighbors — Installing a generator to transform Trinity’s Fellowship Hall and commercial kitchen into a reliable community emergency center capable of providing meals and support during power outages and crises.

“These projects reflect who we are and who we aspire to be — a church that worships boldly, serves compassionately, and connects widely,” says Campaign Co-Chair Clare Chapman. “Building Joy is not just about funding improvements, it’s also about strengthening our shared life and ensuring that Trinity remains a beacon of hope and hospitality for generations to come.”

The campaign invites further participation by church members, friends, and the wider community to reach the goal by June 15. Gifts of all sizes are welcome and will directly support the long-term vitality of Trinity’s ministries.

“We believe joy grows when it is shared,” says Campaign Co-Chair Beth Martin. “This campaign is an opportunity for everyone who loves Trinity — and everyone who values community — to help build something lasting and life-giving.”

Trinity Music Director and church organist Keith Rollinson knows Trinity’s organ well.

“It is little short of amazing that after 140-plus years, the 1883 Hook & Hastings organ at Trinity Church is still largely functioning,” Rollinson says. “Not that it’s not showing its age, but incredibly, the organ has never undergone any major restoration work. This must be due, in part, to the pristine air quality of Shelburne Falls, as a ‘city’ organ can barely make it 25 years without major work. And of course, regular maintenance helps, just like any other instrument.

“However, after serving at least a handful of generations of the faithful, many parts of this fine instrument are in imminent failure mode, or already there. And this is truly an instrument worthy of restoration, as Hook & Hastings were among the very best organ builders of the 19th century.”

Rollinson has done copious research to find the right restoration team. Lubbert Gnodde Organ Builders of South Royalton, VT has been selected to lead the restoration, working closely with Rollinson.

“Gnodde are experts in restoring historic mechanical-action organs like ours at Trinity,” Rollinson says. “Additionally, the organ will receive a slight expansion in tonal registers, which will allow performance of an even larger portion of the organ literature for which this instrument was not best-suited. Once work starts, it will be about a year and a half before this beloved organ is reassembled and back in action, for what we hope will be a very long time again serving the Trinity community.”

Members of the Capital Campaign Executive Committee and before them, the Feasibility Team, have been researching improvements to the church’s technology and video capabilities. Currently, Sunday services and other events in the sanctuary are videotaped, but with the new, updated equipment, programs will be live-streamed and the filming area will be made safer for those filming.

Trinity parishioner Tom Williams, who is the Shelburne Emergency Management Director, reached out to the church about installing a generator to help, especially with meal preparation should an emergency of that magnitude arise. Trinity has, for decades, hosted the free Friday Night Community Meal, serving dozens each week.

With a commercial kitchen already in place and a sizable Fellowship Hall, the church is near Cowell Gymnasium, which is also engaged in the process of installing a generator to potentially accommodate overnight stays.

Taken together, the two locations can provide greater community resilience in times of difficulty.

“Trinity Church is increasing its community outreach mission by becoming an integral part of what FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] calls ‘Whole Community Concept,’ which is defined as ‘an approach is a philosophy that emergency management is a shared responsibility, not just a government function. It engages individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and all levels of government to build resilience and improve disaster readiness, response, and recovery through collective action,’” Williams says. “One of the Shelburne Emergency Management's responsibilities is to provide safe havens for residents when extreme conditions threaten their safety. When Trinity's leadership was approached to open their Fellowship Hall as a warming/cooling center when needed, they quickly agreed to do so. They also agreed to team up with the Cowell overnight shelter whenever needed to provide meals for those who are in the shelter for an extended period of time during an emergency event.”

Pastor Benjamin Durfee sums up the effort.

“At Trinity Church, we believe joy is more than a passing feeling; it’s the deep-rooted strength that allows a community to flourish,” Durfee says. “ We’re ‘Building Joy’ because our neighbors deserve a light that stays on when the world grows dim.”

Community members can learn more and donate to the Building Joy campaign HERE, by calling the church office at 413-625-2341, or sending a check to Trinity Church, 17 Severance Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 with “capital campaign” noted on the memo line.

Located in the heart of Shelburne Falls, Trinity Church is a welcoming, inclusive congregation committed to worship, service, and community engagement. Through music, outreach, and compassionate ministry, Trinity seeks to be a joyful presence in the lives of its members and neighbors.