Trinity Episcopal Church in Towson has nearly reached its fundraising goal of $1.5 million in the “Trinity Together: Restoring the Heart of Towson” campaign, and they are asking the community to help close the remaining gap.
The church has raised almost $1.3 million of the $1.5 million goal, which will fund critical infrastructure improvements and renovations that Trinity says will help expand its service to the broader Towson community.
“This campaign is a love-letter from Trinity to all of Towson,” said the Rev. Dr. Rhetta Wiley, rector of Trinity, in a statement. “We are grounded in a faith that commits us to the well-being of our neighbors. The project will renew our spaces to serve those who live, work, or study in Towson—regardless of whether they worship here.”
The funds will help Trinity replace the HVAC, windows, and roofing for several buildings, along with updating and enhancing areas for worship, meetings, receptions, and other community gatherings. Senior lay leader Dara Lewis said, “Restoring the Heart of Towson is the goal for our future generations.”
“Many folks rest at our picnic tables, listen to our chimes, shop at our Surprise Shop, entrust their children to our preschool, and find mutual support in various community groups that meet here,” Wiley said. “We are working now to make our campus an even more welcoming and environmentally friendly place in the heart of our rapidly growing city. We invite all who appreciate Trinity’s presence in this neighborhood to be part of securing our future together.”
With the renovations, the church will be able to accommodate more community groups looking for meeting space; offer new programming for area residents; make classrooms for children brighter and safer in Trinity’s preschool; and serve even more families in crisis at The Surprise Shop, a consignment store that provides free clothing and household items to people in need.
Trinity is not the only Baltimore area church expanding its outreach to community members regardless of religious or worship affiliation. In July 2025, Mount Vernon Place Church was sold to a preservation-oriented non-profit for $500,000. The group, UNITE Mount Vernon, Inc., is allowing the existing Methodist congregation to continue meeting and worshiping there, while the church undergoes renovations and restorations to make the building more “public-facing” and active.
UNITE Mount Vernon, Inc. wants to restore the church for public uses, likely arts and entertainment-based, and make it an asset to the surrounding Mount Vernon historic district and the city. Just this past Saturday, the church served as the venue for a sold-out Grateful Dead-themed concert. In December, the Ivy Bookshop also held a holiday pop-up shop and concert series inside the Mount Vernon church.
The public phase of Trinity’s campaign launched on Jan. 11, 2026, and in just over one month, around 45 donors and families have pledged the nearly $1.3 million to be given over the next three years. Trinity is hoping to achieve its goal of $1.5 million in pledges and donations by May 2026, with work anticipated to be completed by the end of 2028.
“I am in awe over the outpouring of generosity from our church community,” Lewis said.
Anyone interested in more information on the “Trinity Together: Restoring the Heart of Towson” campaign can read more or donate on the church’s website, email business@trinitychurchtowson.org , or call 410-823-3588.
