Trinity CME Church of Miami

 In 1923, Colored Methodist Episcopal members from various places and churches became interested in establishing a C.M.E. church in the Miami area. Rev. J.L. Butler served as minister of the group. IN 1924, Brother Nathan Byron circulated a petition for the purpose of building a C.M.E. church. The church was organized in the home of Rev. and Mrs. Butler.

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In 1925, the group unanimously agreed that the church be name Trinity C.M.E. Church. Shortly after naming the church, the foundation for Trinity was started on N.W. 5th Court in the 1900 Block, south of 20th Street. Unfortunately, the "1926 Hurricane" destroyed what had been accomplished on the building. The group was granted permission to hold services and meetings in the Dunbar Elementary School.

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With great determination, the newly organized Trinity Church secured a new location on N. W. 5th Court, in the 2000 Block, north of 20th Street. Trinity became an official member of the C.M.E. General Conference in 1926. Rev. Pinkney became the first appointed pastor.

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From 1928 - 1937, the church and parsonage progressed slowly but steadily under several pastors and a small membership. During those years, Mrs. Guyton became a financial benefactor to the church.

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From 1939 - 1943, Rev. Portlock was appointed pastor. New leadership brought new encouragement. The church building and parsonage were sealed, electrical system and fixtures were updated. The church became a focal point for several civic and community programs.

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From 1944 - 1957, the idea of a new parsonage was introduced. Mrs. Guyton, our financial benefactor, played an important role in Trinity's progress. In 1958, legal ties were broken between Trinity and Mrs. Guyton. In the same year, the City Improvement Program motivated interest for a new location.

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In 1960, under the leadership of Rev. W. Geary, Trinity purchased the Lutheran Methodist Church and parsonage located at N.W. 4th Street and N.W. 5th Avenue. In 1961, Rev. Geary and congregation marched from the old church to its new location. Years of adjustments, changes, and improvements followed. The church continued to progress under the leadership of Rev. C.C. Cowsen. In 1966, Trinity was host to the General Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop E.P. Murchison was the presiding prelate at that time. In 1969, the church purchased the lot on the north side of the parsonage for parking purposes.

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During the 1970's, Trinity's membership grew. Many improvements were made that enhanced the beauty of the physical plant, as well as other comforts for its members. Some of these included, the installation of a reverse cycle cooling and heating system, electric organ, and the installation of new carpeting. Rev. Cowsen died on December 24, 1974. He had given more than ten years of faithful service and Christian guidance to the Trinity membership. Presiding Elder W.B. Jefferson completed the conference year as pastor. In 1975, the church surpassed the small church category due to their growth of more than 300 members.

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In the 1980's, Trinity continued to grow. Under the leadership of Rev. H.C. Wilkes, more improvements were made to the physical building.

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In the late 1990's, a new parsonage was purchase in North Miami. Rev. D. Echoles was the first pastor to reside in the new parsonage. During this period the church focused in on the need to nurture the youth of the community by forming "A Brighter Future, Inc."; which held classes and programs in the old parsonage next to the church.

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The new millennium was a time for reflection, commitment, and sharing. Rev. Lynn Hargrove, Sr. and Rev. Hattie Smith served as pastors during this time period.

The year of 2010 brought new energy to the congregation in the form of a relatively young and most definitely energetic pastor in Rev. Marvin C. Lue, Jr. Charismatic worship with an emphasis on evangelism was the order of the day under Rev. Lue's leadership. The concept of a Summer Camp was brought into play in 2014, along with the renegotiation of the mortgage on the parsonage.

In 2014, another young and energetic pastor was appointed to lead Trinity. Rev. Marquise L. Hardrick, Sr., brought a focus on social justice and a business/financial expertise. In 2015, the mortgage negotiations were finalized with a fixed-rate mortgage, over 40 kids participated in the Camp S.O.L.I.D (Survivor, Outlook, Limitless, Identity, Determined) Summer Camp Program, and the church entered into 3 lease agreements with Miami Central Brazilian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, LiUNA, and Giant Motors Body Shop for use of the church facilities during non-worship hours. In 2017, the mortgage on the parsonage was satisfied and the church was officially debt free. The church held activities to celebrate this great milestone throughout the entire month of December with a closing weekend of worship, fellowship, and a formal mortgage burning service/ceremony held on New Year’s Eve. In 2019, the old parsonage that stood adjacent to the sanctuary was deconstructed, and land space for future progress remained. Maximizing on this land space, the church entered into an additional lease agreement with M & M Parking.

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In 2020, Trinity and the World were struck with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Just like Jesus, God pushed us into the wilderness to test our faith and commitment to His will. God forced us to re-envision how we worshipped, served, connected, tended to temporal affairs, and oversaw stewardship. Access to worship and all activities moved beyond the limitations of physical space, distance, and even time. As a result, our territory was enlarged. We experienced increased levels of engagement and consistent contributions from individuals across the country and even had a following within Brazil. Under the direction of Pastor Hardrick and the officers of the church, Trinity seamlessly transitioned to a virtual ministry. Worship services, Bible Study, Sunday School, prayer meetings, concerts, fundraisers, Vacation Bible School, and all church meetings were streamed via Zoom and Facebook Live platforms. Although the joy of corporately seeking God and enjoying in-person fellowship with one another is something special that was sorely missed, Trinity realized that God was calling us to follow Him in new and exciting ways. We stretched boundaries and created new opportunities to expand our reach that were perfectly crafted for vibrant, gospel infused ministry. Our success brought us to the realization that while the church building facilitates the fellowship, worship, and ministry of God's people, the believers are the church and the church we were accustomed to needed to be reimagined to reflect the spiritual organism it truly is.

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And the story continues.........