History

Trinity United Church is located on lower Prince Street, Charlottetown. The roots of Trinity date to 1778 when Benjamin Chappell, an early postmaster of Charlottetown and a personal friend of John Wesley, invited a number of friends into his home for worship. A replica of his tiny house is displayed at Trinity.

The present sanctuary structure, which seats up to 1000 people, was opened and dedicated for public worship in November of 1864 and is the oldest Charlottetown church building in continuous use as a place of worship. Following church union in 1925, this formerly Methodist congregation became part of the United Church of Canada. The congregation takes immense pride in its historic building, along with the adjacent Manse (both included in the registry of Historic Charlottetown Buildings) and the more modern Christian Education Centre. In particular, the church is well-known for its numerous stained glass windows and impressive Casavant Frères organ, and is a popular venue for concerts and other performances.

Clifton United Church is a small wooden church located in the Bunbury area of Stratford. Opened in 1848 as a Wesleyan Chapel, Clifton Church became part of Pownal United Church Pastoral Charge in 1925, then was added to Trinity United Church Pastoral Charge in 1962. It is one of the oldest church buildings being used by the United Church in PEI and was recognized as a heritage building by the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation.

Trinity-Clifton Pastoral Charge recently received the Organization Appreciation Award from the PEI Association of Newcomers to Canada for its consistent commitment to assisting newcomers to PEI. Trinity-Clifton serves the surrounding community in numerous ways such as the Prince Street School Breakfast Program.

As an Affirming Ministry of the United Church of Canada, Trinity-Clifton Pastoral Charge is one that specifically declares itself to be fully inclusive of all people, regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, or sexual orientation. Affirming ministries promote awareness and understanding, and work to end discrimination, alienation, and ignorance. They are explicitly welcoming around issues of sexuality and gender and are fully supportive of people of all sexual orientations and gender identity.