Holy Trinity Church, Leicester
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican
parish church
in Leicester
, England
.
, De Montfort University
and Leicester Royal Infirmary
. Holy Trinity prides itself on being an informal lively church. John McGinley was appointed as vicar in January 2009, and Phil White was appointed as Associate Vicar in November 2009.
's classical
design as the city expanded, and formed part of a new suburb. The new parish, also established in 1838, was created out of part of the parish of St Mary de Castro Church.
In 1872, Holy Trinity was completely redesigned by Samuel Sanders Teulon
in a High Gothic
style, with spire and side turrets in red-purple brick with limestone decoration.
In the 19th century, the church had wooden pews and a single central aisle, with balconies on both sides of the church; the central aisle was occupied by the middle classes and the balconies by their servants. Access to ground floor was via the main church entrance, with two side entrances for the balconies.
The chancel end wall has five arched stained glass windows featuring contemporary designs of the Parable of The Sower (see Matthew 12:1-24), above which there is a more traditional floral design including an emblem of The Trinity, with smaller windows featuring 'The Truth' and 'The Life', but strangely there isn't a window depicting 'The Way' (see John 14:6). The chancel marble end wall also features a depiction of The Last Supper
.
The pipe organ
is in working order, and is sometimes used in church services.
The church and nearby buildings are now part of the New Walk
conservation area
.
, where church members belong to small cell groups which meet regularly for bible study and prayer. The cell groups are organised in a hierarchical structure, whereby cell groups within a particular geographical area within Leicester grouped into a 'pastorate' under the care of a pastorate leader, under the oversight of one of the ministry team. As a cell group grows, once the attendance consistently exceeds twelve, the cell will 'multiply' to become two cells. Under this approach, the first cell group which started in 1994 has multiplied to over 60 cells in 2009.
The church is actively involved in outreach into the local communities in Leicester. This involves running Alpha Courses
, and work in the nearby Leicester Prison
, social outreach, and dialogue with the local Muslim community.
The Sunday services follow a theme during each term. The morning services are family-oriented, and music is from a live band and sometimes includes the organ; with songs both modern and traditional. At each service, the sermons are recorded, and are made available as a podcast or can be downloaded individually from the church website in MP3
audio format. On average, attendance at the Sunday services totals 670.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Background
The Victorian building is situated on Regent Road, to the south of the city centre, close to the University of LeicesterUniversity of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
and Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester Royal Infirmary
The Leicester Royal Infirmary is a large National Health Service hospital in Leicester, England. It is located to the south-west of the city centre. It has Leicester's accident and emergency department, and is part of the University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.The hospital was originally...
. Holy Trinity prides itself on being an informal lively church. John McGinley was appointed as vicar in January 2009, and Phil White was appointed as Associate Vicar in November 2009.
History
The Church Building Act of 1818 provided funds for two new Leicester parishes, one of which was Holy Trinity. The church was built in 1838 to Sydney SmirkeSydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke, architect, was born in London, England, the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke, also an architect. Their father, also Robert Smirke, had been a well-known 18th Century painter.Sydney Smirke's works include:...
's classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
design as the city expanded, and formed part of a new suburb. The new parish, also established in 1838, was created out of part of the parish of St Mary de Castro Church.
In 1872, Holy Trinity was completely redesigned by Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon was a notable 19th century English Gothic Revival architect.-Family:Teulon was born in Greenwich in south-east London, the son of a cabinet-maker from a French Huguenot family. His younger brother William Milford Teulon also became an architect...
in a High Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, with spire and side turrets in red-purple brick with limestone decoration.
In the 19th century, the church had wooden pews and a single central aisle, with balconies on both sides of the church; the central aisle was occupied by the middle classes and the balconies by their servants. Access to ground floor was via the main church entrance, with two side entrances for the balconies.
The church buildings
A significant building project was undertaken in the late 1980s, and there is now a single balcony at the rear of the church. The former main entrance to the church now features a display of a cross behind a glass window, and there is an extended lobby area with the main entrance to the church is to the west of the tower.The chancel end wall has five arched stained glass windows featuring contemporary designs of the Parable of The Sower (see Matthew 12:1-24), above which there is a more traditional floral design including an emblem of The Trinity, with smaller windows featuring 'The Truth' and 'The Life', but strangely there isn't a window depicting 'The Way' (see John 14:6). The chancel marble end wall also features a depiction of The Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
.
The pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
is in working order, and is sometimes used in church services.
The church and nearby buildings are now part of the New Walk
New Walk
New Walk is a high quality poetry and arts print magazine published in Leicester, England, but with a national and international focus. It is edited by Rory Waterman and Nick Everett, with the fiction edited by Libby Peake...
conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
Holy Trinity Church today
Holy Trinity is a cell churchCell church
A cell church is a Christian church structure centering on the regular gathering of cell groups. Small group ministries are often called cell groups, but may also be called home groups, home friendship groups, home care groups, house fellowships, or life groups.A church with cell groups is not...
, where church members belong to small cell groups which meet regularly for bible study and prayer. The cell groups are organised in a hierarchical structure, whereby cell groups within a particular geographical area within Leicester grouped into a 'pastorate' under the care of a pastorate leader, under the oversight of one of the ministry team. As a cell group grows, once the attendance consistently exceeds twelve, the cell will 'multiply' to become two cells. Under this approach, the first cell group which started in 1994 has multiplied to over 60 cells in 2009.
The church is actively involved in outreach into the local communities in Leicester. This involves running Alpha Courses
Alpha course
The Alpha course is a course which seeks to explore the basics of the Christian faith, described as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life" . Alpha courses are currently being run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations...
, and work in the nearby Leicester Prison
Leicester (HM Prison)
HM Prison Leicester is a local men's prison, located in the Southfields area of Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners...
, social outreach, and dialogue with the local Muslim community.
The Sunday services follow a theme during each term. The morning services are family-oriented, and music is from a live band and sometimes includes the organ; with songs both modern and traditional. At each service, the sermons are recorded, and are made available as a podcast or can be downloaded individually from the church website in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
audio format. On average, attendance at the Sunday services totals 670.