History
A Brief History
Our story does not begin with us. We understand ourselves to be a part of the lineage of God’s people by faith in Jesus. We are merely one small part of God’s HUGE plan of redemption taking place all over the world.
In the Summer of 1999, Aaron Harvie and his wife, Allison, moved to Philadelphia from Louisville, KY to plant a church in the suburbs of Philly. Shortly thereafter God orchestrated a divinely appointed meeting with Mark Chripczuk at the Starbucks in Jenkintown, PA. At the time, Mark was actively looking for a new opportunity to serve the Lord and Aaron was looking for local believers to help plant a new church. God worked a small miracle that day in bringing the two men together. Riverside Community Church was launched about 9 months later in the Spring of 2000.
However, the goal of Riverside was never to build it's own empire, but rather to expand God's kingdom by planting more churches for the spread of the gospel. Several years after its inception, the Riverside congregation sent Mark to Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY to complete his master’s degree with a view to returning for another church plant in Philly. While in seminary, Mark and his family became members of Sojourn Community Church, another body of believers intent on seeing the gospel spread through church-planting. Under the care and instruction of the Sojourn pastors, and through vibrant gospel-centered community, a core team of people from all over the nation came together in Louisville. Over the Summer and Fall of 2010 they moved their families to Philadelphia, hoping to see God build up another congregation of his gospel-people.
Trinity Church began meeting as a core group in September, 2010 with just 6 people. God has graciously added to our number since then, and we formally celebrated a "launch" in October of 2011. We continue to seek to build a community that loves God, each other, and our neighborhoods. This is where we invite you to step into the story, for the your joy and God's glory!