Trinity, Oakmont congregations to celebrate merger this month

On Valentine’s Day, the congregations of Trinity and Oakmont United Methodist churches will become one church. The Feb. 14 celebration will mark the reopening of Oakmont, which will be renamed Trinity West Homewood – Oakmont campus.

“We want there to be a real sense of energy and vibrancy from the beginning,” Trinity Senior Pastor Brian Erickson said.

David Thompson, Trinity’s executive youth and family pastor, said that the two churches are merging but Oakmont preacher Jack Hinnen will continue to lead services in the Oakmont location. Thompson has worked at Trinity for a decade and said his role is to “be the connector of these two churches.”

Oakmont and Trinity decided to merge because of Oakmont’s flagging membership and Trinity’s desire to expand its reach from its Edgewood location.

“There’s an excitement, an eagerness to get into the space and worship together and really be one church,” Thompson said of the congregation in the days leading up to the celebration.

When Oakmont reopens from renovations, Thompson said the West Homewood campus would be a “missional-focused church,” with opportunities nearly every week for members to learn about and serve with different Birmingham-area mission projects.

“We’re hoping for the campus to be really a launching pad,” Thompson said.

Erickson said a seed team of 150-200 people will start Oakmont’s momentum. They’ve committed to worshiping there at least until Easter. Erickson said that churches grow most in the very beginning, and they want to give Oakmont a strong start “rather than turning the lights on and hoping people show up.”

Members of the seed team may return to Trinity once their time commitment is complete, but Erickson said they will be active in inviting friends and looking for ways to build the church.

“People want to be part of something that’s growing and healthy,” Erickson said. “Maybe they’d never go to Africa or Asia or Antarctica, but they’d drive a few miles into West Homewood to make this happen.”

However, the Oakmont campus will not be exactly like Trinity in Edgewood. Erickson said they want to appeal to younger churchgoers and people who have never been interested in church or have had bad experiences with churches in the past.

Oakmont, Erickson said, will be a place that attempts to remove obstacles for people seeking a religious home, and that they want people to feel deeply connected with their new church.

“It’s almost like creating a new door,” Erickson said. “A door that a different kind of person might walk into.”

A team of 30 people has been meeting each week to train and prepare for the opening of the Oakmont church under Trinity’s name. Thompson said the “launch team” includes members of both churches, as well as some who are not dedicated members of either.

“We’re excited about the merging of leaders and how they’ve already come together with an excitement about what this church can be,” Thompson said.

On Feb. 14, services will kick off at the Oakmont location with a 9:30 a.m. contemporary service and an 11 a.m. traditional service.

“We’re trying to make it look as ‘un-churchy’ as possible,” Erickson said. “When church is at its best, the church goes where people are.”