A History of Service – A Diverse Area
Trinity Moravian Church has been making a difference in the south side of Winston-Salem for over a century, with a focus on serving God by serving others. Our neighborhood is the most diverse area of Winston-Salem: within one mile of the church building, the population is almost exactly 1/3 Latino, 1/3 African-American, and 1/3 white.
Fifty years ago, a small group of Trinity members started a clothing closet and food pantry that they called “Sunnyside Ministry.” The ministry, run out of a room in the basement, met a need in the community and grew rapidly, soon moving into a neighborhood storefront. As need continued to grow, so did the ministry, until they moved into their current buildings at Lomond & Haled Streets. Today, Sunnyside Ministry is an ecumenical project supported by many area congregations, serving thousands of families every year through food, clothing, and emergency assistance.
Children’s Ministry
In the 1990s, a group of Trinity members went for special training to start a LOGOS children’ ministry – a Wednesday night program that provides a healthy meal, music, crafts, and Bible study for children in the area. Over the years, LOGOS has made a dramatic difference in the lives of hundreds of children.
Intentional Christian Community
In the early 2000s, the Trinity campus became the incubator for Anthony’s Plot, an intentional Christian community dedicated to ministry in the neighborhood. Out of that group’s work with the homeless a new organization, City With Dwellings emerged. CWD continues to organize very needed overflow shelters for the homeless in our area. Anthony’s Plot continues to build relationships and bring the neighborhood together.
Most recently, Anthony’s Plot and Trinity have cooperated in hosting Freedom School, an innovative concept from the Children’s Defense Fund that provides a space for challenged children to improve their reading, math, and science skills — while also learning interpersonal skills.
Our latest ministry of service, Debt Jubilee Project, seeks to purchase and forgive medical debt that is crippling families in the Triad. We are aware that until some major changes happen in our nation, this will be an ongoing need. So like these other ministries, we hope that in decades to come, we will still be serving others in the name of Christ by raising funds to purchase and forgive medical debts.
