Our History

established in 1931

We are a growing, progressive, Pentecostal congregation— relying on the presence, gifts, and activity of the Holy Spirit to build our love for Jesus Christ and empower our service for Him—looking to make a significant impact in the Marin community with the good news of Jesus Christ. We invite you to become a part of this history-making journey with us.

Trinity Community Church began in 1931 as a home Bible study led by Edith A. Erickson, a recent graduate of Glad Tidings Bible Institute in San Francisco, in her upstairs flat, just west of the railroad tracks on the north side of Fourth Street.

In 1937, the group organized as the First Pentecostal Church, under the leadership of Rev. Hanke, and moved to a storefront on A Street (near Third Street) in the west end of town.

Over the next fifteen years, the congregation was served by a series of pastors, including Rev. Nelson, Rev. Smith, Rev. Glen Lewis, who led their affiliation with the General Council of the Assemblies of God in June, 1942, and Rev. Ed Skultety, who led their formal incorporation with the State of California as San Rafael Assembly of God in February, 1947, and Rev. Joseph Stark. During this time, they occupied the Oddfellow’s Hall, a storefront on Fourth Street, and the Carpenter’s Union Hall.

In 1952, they purchased (for $18,000) their own building at 517 D Street and continued ministry there for twenty years, led by Rev. William & Ernestine Vickery, Rev. Louis & Ethel Weston, Rev. Harold Rhodes, Rev. Lester Sheets, Rev. Robert Phillips, Rev. J.L. Jeffrey, and Rev. Reuben & Carmen Sequeira.

In 1970, under the leadership of Rev. Sequeira, the church purchased a 4-acre parcel of land at 1675 Grand Avenue (for $280,000) and, after two years of remodeling, relocated again, changing their name to Trinity Community Church.

They turned the classroom building of the former Marist Fathers’ St. Peter Chanel Seminary into a sanctuary and large fellowship hall, with classrooms downstairs that served the Sunday School and the Daystar Christian Preschool. The former rectory became a pastor’s residence, caretaker’s apartment, and church offices. The property also included a barrel-roofed gymnasium (with locker rooms, showers, bleacher seating, and a full basketball court), a junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, a tennis court, and a large recreation hall. These facilities served well during the church’s brief attempt to establish a Christian high school for Marin students.

Rev. William Nelken, ordained with the Assemblies of God in 1978, became the church’s pastor in January, 1984, and has served the church until the present time, while also serving the denomination as a Presbyter for over twenty-five years, and serving the local community as a chaplain with the San Rafael Police Department and the Marin Medical Reserve Corps. His wife, Martha, who served as a Supervisory Public Health Nurse for the County of Marin for twenty years, is now retired.

On average, over the past 10 years, Trinity Community Church has given away 14% of its annual income to fulfill its mission locally, domestically, and globally. This has been achieved because we are constantly developing a culture of compassionate generosity.

That mission includes:

• feeding programs

• water well-drilling

• health education and medical clinics

• schools

• orphanages

• micro-business opportunities

• addiction recovery

• human trafficking intervention

• disaster relief and recovery

• Bible publishing and distribution

• ministerial training

• church planting

• institutional and law enforcement chaplaincy

• public and personal evangelism

In 2012 the church developed a remodel design for upgraded, multi-use, accessible facilities that would be built by largely volunteer help, led by the denomination’s US MAPS RV Volunteers. The work was begun in September 2014, under the guidance of Dennis Gossman, and completed in March, 2020, under the guidance of Bob Franck. The following year, shut out of the building by the COVID-19 pandemic, the church discovered ministry through Zoom meetings and was able to sustain the congregation, welcome new friends from the local community, and also regularly serve some who live outside of California.

Now, we are rediscovering what God has provided and prepared for us, and the generations to come. The sanctuary invokes the grace and glory of God, not by its ornate décor, but by its simple embrace of light and sound. Clear glass windows invite the light of day, and spread our light by night. Each of the four walls have been inscribed by hand with the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—in their entirety.

Overhead, the ceiling troughs are sculpted to capture and reflect the sounds of worship, making the room vibrantly alive, from corner to corner. And the ceiling panels above us has been inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer in various languages to cover the nations who gather here with glory and grace. Truly, a house of worship!

For all that God has done over the last 90 years, for which we give Him thanks and praise, the church must continually reinvent itself to meet the needs of a shifting culture and a changing world. Following the model of the Early Church, described in the Book of Acts, especially chapter 2, and in anticipation of the return of our Master Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves to the prayerful process of self-examination, thoughtful observation, open discussion, and Holy Spirit-led pragmatic change necessary to serve the Good News more effectively. We welcome the participation of all who wish to see a significant difference in the spiritual climate of the 21st Century.