Holy Trinity: Open Doors

Say his name: George Floyd. Beloved child of God.

After the murder of George Floyd, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis opened its doors to respond to the community's needs. Positioned around the corner from the Third Precinct police station — the epicenter of the uprising — Holy Trinity quickly realized that they were called to meet the needs of their beloved neighborhood. 

Initially, they offered sanctuary to demonstrators, provided space for a medic station for the wounded, and supported small businesses affected by fires. After the smoke subsided, it became clear that the neighborhood, once rich with grocery and restaurant options, had become a food desert. Holy Trinity created a pop-up food and basic necessities distribution site. The first day there were hundreds. Now, they are serving thousands each day.

Holy Trinity typically has 250 people worship on a Sunday morning, but this past week it's been somewhere closer to 20,000. Their communion became their tables spread out on the lawn where thousands of neighbors brought their offerings of food, water, diapers, and tools, and thousands more came to take what they needed. Their hymns became the shouts of the protesters, their healing stations became those providing medical relief, their sharing of peace became listening to the needs anyone who found their way to their sanctuary. 

As a faith community, they stand with the movement for Black Lives, they bear the trauma of the past week, they believe not all that was destroyed is to be mourned, and they hope that this ashy moment in their neighborhood’s life will be an opportunity for new life. 

They ask you for your support to keep their doors open to meet the needs of their community. The city, not forsaken, is holy, holy ground.