The congregation of Trinity Episcopal Church in Clanton, Alabama had a strong desire to reach out and make a different in their small Southern community.  From that desire, the Beans and Rice Ministry was born and has developed into a lifeline for many.

Trinity, located in the Diocese of Alabama, is the focus of a new video in the groundbreaking series, Transforming Churches, Changing the World. Produced by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication, the video is available here:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/multimedia

Under the spiritual direction of the Rev. Bill King, Trinity’s Beans and Rice Ministry continues to meet the growing needs of seniors, families, unemployed and others, while nurturing other ministries and expanding ecumenical work with other churches in the area.

“As we've seen with the other congregations we've profiled so far, local context is key,” explained Mike Collins, Episcopal Church Manager, Multimedia Services.  “It doesn't matter if it's Santa Monica, Chicago or Clanton, Alabama. As long as the church is relevant to their local context they can and do become a viable part of the community. Trinity is no different. They found that by addressing the serious issue of food insecurity that not only did they find their mission, they found their community.”

Transforming Churches, Changing the World

The purpose of the Transforming Churches, Changing the World video project is to present identifying characteristics of healthy churches with a focus on ministry and outreach.

Previous videos include Thad’s in Santa Monica CA (Diocese of Los Angeles); St John’s Tower Church, St Lois, MO (Diocese of MO); Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA (Diocese of Pennsylvania); Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix AZ (Diocese of Arizona); St Paul & the Redeemer, Chicago, IL (Diocese of Chicago); St. Jude Wantagh, NY (Diocese of Long Island); and St. Martin's in the Desert, Pahrump, NV (Diocese of Nevada):  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/multimedia

Trinity Episcopal Church: http://trinityepiscopalchurch.dioala.org/

Diocese of Alabama: http://www.dioala.org/

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

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