King’s Mobile Estates

Throughout the year, Holy Trinity partners with King’s Mobile Estates—a residential community in Opelika—to offer support and resources to the residents through a number of different initiatives and efforts.

Food Delivery—In partnership with the East Alabama Food Bank and the generous efforts of our parishioners, Holy Trinity makes a monthly delivery of nutritious food to the residents. The distributions occur the third Saturday and typically include more than 3,000 pounds of meat, cheese, fresh vegetables, etc.
Community Pavilion—Holy Trinity partnered with Connie and Steven King and a team of AU Building Science students to construct a community pavilion, which is used by residents for community and family celebrations, educational opportunities and medical services—in addition to our mobile food truck deliveries.
Backpack & School Supply Drive—At the start of each school year, Holy Trinity parishioners donate backpacks for the children at King’s Estates. Our volunteers stuff the backpacks with grade-appropriate supplies and deliver them to the residents, so each child starts the year with all the tools they will need.

Our parishioners also support the residents at King’s Estates each year through other programs: a community garden in the neighborhood; “Share the Warmth” coat and warm clothing drive; “Shoe Your Love,” which provides every child with a new pair of shoes; Christmas gifts for the children; and a children’s book drive. For additional information email Kelley Young.

Mercy Medical Ministry

The mission of Mercy Medical Clinic is to share the love of Jesus Christ and his good news of hope by providing quality, compassionate medical care to the medically under-served in Lee County and the surrounding communities.

Patient Information & Services: Mercy Medical Clinic offers a wide variety of services, including medical care, women’s health screenings, spiritual encouragement, a prescription assistance program and much more.

How to Help: Mercy Medical could not exist without the support of the community. There are a variety of ways in which you can serve, such as front office clerical, medical assistant/nurse, provider, spiritual encourager, handy man, mailings, and many other ways. If you are interested in volunteering, please call the Mercy Medical office at 334.501.1081.

We are so grateful for the donations from churches, civic organizations and individuals. As a result, we are able to provide quality medical care to the patients in Lee County and the surrounding area in Alabama. It is only because of the generosity of our community that we are able to provide these services.

These services are available to the residents of King’s Estates and Redeeming Grace Ministries.

Clinic Hours: Monday–Thursday, 8 am–5 pm
Medication Pickup: Monday–Wednesday, 9-11 am; 1–3 pm
Contact Us: Phone (334) 501-1081 Fax (334) 501-1083
For more information, visit www.MercyMedicalAuburn.org or email Jen Slay.

Redeeming Grace Ministries

Redeeming Grace Ministries exists to train and equip people to live a life of everlasting recovery through Jesus Christ! The ministry offers a residential program in East Alabama for women transitioning out of a correctional facility or rehabilitation program who desire to transform their lives and maintain recovery as thriving, contributing citizens. This holistic program includes job training, establishing a personal support system, learning life skills, spiritual growth, and access to professional medical care and counseling.

The program has been intentionally developed to provide a firm foundation on which to rebuild a life. Our goal is for each woman to leave RGM equipped with the necessary skills to allow her everlasting recovery!

Holy Trinity, along with several other local churches, has supported Lara Potts, Executive Director and Founder, and her vision for this program for the past several years. In January 2021, Redeeming Grace acquired a house in Valley, Ala., and admitted their first women into the program. To date, the program is entering an expansion phase with the goal of providing housing for more women and, ultimately, the women and their children.

If you are interested in volunteering or just want to learn more about Redeeming Grace Ministries, email Shelley Aistrup or visit the website.

Neighborhood Food Project

The Neighborhood Food Project allows Holy Trinity parishioners to work together as “neighbors” to address the issue of food insecurity in our region.

Volunteers receive a reusable green grocery bag to fill with nonperishable items. (Bags are available on the Monk’s Table in the Parish Commons.)
Each week during your usual grocery trip, simply purchase one extra nonperishable food item to put into your bag (i.e. canned goods, rice, beans, pasta, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, cereal, etc.)
Pickup dates in 2024 are Feb. 11, April 14, June 23, Aug. 18, Oct. 13 and Dec. 8.
On a Pickup Sunday, leave your full green bag in the bed of Shelley Aistrup’s red Chevy pickup truck in the church parking lot, who will deliver to the Food Bank of East Alabama that Monday.
At drop-off, pick up a new bag and repeat the process.

These regular donations help replenish the Food Bank’s shelves and provide food for the 1-in-5 residents in our area who struggle to put food on the table consistently. In 2023, our parishioners donated over 1,000 pounds of quality nonperishable items! Questions? Contact Shelley Aistrup.

Alabama Prison Birth Project

The Alabama Prison Birth Project (APBP) is a non-profit organization serving the population of Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Ala. Their mission is to improve the health of newborns birthed by women in custody while strengthening maternal bonds and maternal self-efficacy. Services include individual doula support, group education and support, nutritious meals, ensuring mother’s milk delivery and re-entry support.

Holy Trinity has opportunities to support the mission of APBP in a variety of ways. On a monthly basis, we organize a group to prepare a nutritious lunch for the women attending the prenatal/postnatal support group at Tutwiler Prison, occasionally partnering with other Holy Trinity groups (e.g., the Men’s Group or EYC) in this mission. We connect with the mothers by regularly sending greeting cards and notes of support. We also aim to form stronger relationships with the doulas by supporting them with tokens of appreciation and regularly communicating to understand the program’s needs and barriers. In the past, Holy Trinity has provided financial support to APBP to help purchase videoconferencing equipment stations within the prison to facilitate support meetings when in-person contact isn’t possible, but also to allow mothers to virtually attend custody cases. Funding also has been provided to supplement a doula’s salary, provide re-entry support, and purchase items from the doula’s wish list such as handmade life-size weighted dolls in various skin colors to use with their education groups.

As the Alabama Prison Birth Project continues to grow its services into prisons, we will explore ways to offer our skills, prayers and support along the way based on the project’s needs. An additional aim remains to organize discussions among our congregation to foster a better understanding of criminal justice issues and compassion for incarcerated individuals and their children. To learn more or become involved in this ministry, please reach out to Stephanie Ennis.

APBP Meal Sign-Up

Sawyerville

Sawyerville is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama that creates opportunities for children ages 6–14 in Hale County through free summer programs, mentoring and scholarships. In Summer 2023, the diocese hosted three four-day camp sessions, welcoming over 500 campers and more than 200 volunteer staff. All of our programs work to serve God, broaden the horizons of participants and staff, improve race relations in Alabama, and enrich the lives of those living in poverty. For more information, contact Karen Porter.

Namungo Village, Uganda

Holy Trinity’s History with Namungo Village

Since 2017, Holy Trinity has supported a relational ministry with Namungo village in Uganda. This relationship began when Ugandan Patrick Sserunjogi came to members of Holy Trinity and talked about the dire needs of a village of 2000 families scattered throughout a few square miles of the jungle and about 1.5 hours by car from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Water wells were the most urgent need for the families in this village, and Patrick asked Holy Trinity to consider raising money to support the drilling of a bore-head well, which would provide clean water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning-forever changing the lives of the people living here. Holy Trinity parishioners responded by funding a well through their annual giving (designated relational mission funds), and in the summer of 2018 the first 70-meter well was drilled. The goal is to have a well for every 200 families. These first wells are being used by up to 400 families. In addition to annual giving, the second and third bore holes were supported by gifts from individuals, the Glanton Trust Holy Trinity Endowment fund, and children's lenten mite boxes.

To convey the gratitude of the people of Namungo for our providing this valuable gift, Patrick and his wife Sarah returned to Holy Trinity in September 2018. The personal bond that has been forged between the Sserunjogis, Namungo Village and Holy Trinity parishioners has continued to grow, as have our efforts to meet their most dire needs. Holy Trinity and its ministries have now funded a total of five wells. The pandemic created a critical food shortage in Namungo, as it did elsewhere. With additional support from the Glanton Trust, Holy Trinity sent $9,000 to purchase and distribute food in this area of Uganda. We also provided funds to prepare land and buy plants so the villagers could grow community gardens. Today the gardens provide food, a source of income when there is extra produce, day labor in the preparation and transportation, and a source of seeds for future planting. They are growing cabbage, beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and bananas. Our funds also contributed towards the purchase of land for a community center and health clinic.

2024 Mission Trip to Namungo Village

In May 2024, a team from Holy Trinity—Robin and Steve Duke, Joe and Shelley Aistrup, Bob Karcher, Christine Mercer, Will Meadows, Lila Meadows and Morgan Watkins—went to Namungo Village for a week in order to grow relationships within the community and to meet with elders to learn the specific needs of the village. The team was very busy—filling each day with a steady schedule of projects, visits, learning (reciprocal), playing and praying. They left behind a well-equipped soccer league, a large brick latrine for a grandmother raising her nine grandchildren, hygiene kits and clothing for many families, feminine hygiene kits for young girls, coloring pages and school supplies. The team visited two wells funded by Holy Trinity, and commissioned the newest one. They toured the land that Holy Trinity helped purchase for the Community Center and blessed it. They presented Patrick Sserunjogi with a $3000 donation. They visited three schools, several families, a coffee factory, the Community Gardens and finally commissioned the latrine.

If interested in supporting or getting involved with this ministry, please email robin.duke4@gmail.com.

WeHelp Coalition of Churches

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is a founding member of the WeHelp Coalition of Churches, which is a group of 12 area churches that work together to support the Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity.

2024 Cookie Walk: Saturday, December 7

For nearly 30 years, WeHelp hosts an annual Cookie Walk fundraiser, selling approximately one ton of delicious cookies. The funds raised are used to help Habitat build more homes in the community. The 29th Annual Cookie Walk bill be held Saturday, Dec. 7, at True Deliverance Holiness Church's new gymnasium on 936 N Donahue Dr. in Auburn.

Last year’s Cookie Walk raised $12,000 to sponsor home #69! Over the years, WeHelp has helped sponsor more than fifteen Habitat Homes. Church members also work all year long building Habitat homes.

If interested in getting involved with WeHelp, please email Kay Riddell.

Relational Mission