About Us
Ottawa Trinity United Methodist Church
Our History:
- Trinity United Methodist Church has been in North Ottawa for 126 years.
- The first gathering was in a home on North Main.
- The first church building was a white frame structure, just one block north of our current location.
- In 1951 the Congregation moved into our current building at the corner of North Cedar and Massacoit.
- In 2009, the former parsonage, just south of the main building was redone to house our offices and classrooms opening up space in the main building for a bigger nursery and a “gathering area.”
From a very simple beginning on the “north side” Trinity remains committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ. We understand the world has changed dramatically since March 16, 1884. What has not changed is the need we all have to grow our faith and our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our structure is simple. We worship in a traditional space with beautiful stained glass windows but we understand that how we live out lives of faith is incredibly relevant in the twenty-first century.
We understand we respond to God’s love with love. It is what the people of Trinity have been doing for a long time.
We are United Methodist. The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren unified in 1968 to become The United Methodist Church. We are proud to be a global denomination and part of what we call a connectional system. If you would like to find out more The United Methodist Church has an excellent web site: www.UMC.org.
Our Pastor : Rev. Barb Clinger
I have been serving as the pastor at Ottawa: Trinity since July of 2008. Prior to this appointment I served as the associate pastor at First United Methodist in Lawrence, Kansas for six years. For the first four years my appointment was part time as I was also studying at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City Missouri. I graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2007.
I am a second career clergy. My undergraduate degree was in education. For twenty years I taught sixth or seventh grade in Northeast Kansas. I am a graduate of Kansas University. And, I confess I do have a passion for Jayhawk basketball. I grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Kirkwood. Please note I drove right past the University of Missouri to get my education.
Growing up, I rarely attended church. When I did, I found it boring and irrelevant. During my time at KU, I met my life partner, John, and experienced the reality of God through what I have to say was a "heart-warming" experience. Suddenly and unexpectedly I wanted to learn all I had ignored about Jesus and the church. Fortunately I was surrounded by supportive friends and interestingly attended worship at First UMC in Lawrence where a dynamic preacher, Rev. Ron Sunbye, hooked me.
I understand why many…the vast majority of folks…avoid church. My job is to change that. I work hard to listen to God’s guiding presence each week so I can bring a fresh word to the people who faithfully gather here to worship.
Our Youth Director : Tricia Messier
My name is Tricia Messier. I am about to graduate from Southwestern College with a bachelors in Philosophy and Religion and a minor in youth ministry. I love my job here. I am passionate about the church, youth, Africa, Mexico, inner city areas, and learning. I am about to get married on June 26. I spent a semester living on the Southside of Chicago. In my free time I am spending time with God, reading, on Facebook, learning a new hobby, or texting. I love going to church and learning more and more about our awesome and holy God. The youth group here is awesome. We spend Sundays learning about God, playing fun games, sharing our weeks, and just hanging out.