Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

A welcoming space, full of loving and caring people, actively working on strengthening their relationship with God. This congregation welcomes EVERYONE, regardless of your gender, race, age, marital status, political beliefs, sexuality, denomination, or even religion! They host many ecumenical services throughout the year with various other local churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, for various occasions. They tend to be more liberal than some Christian churches (they were one of the first congregations to perform same-​sex marriages in Sacramento), but the sermons are all based on Scripture and with solid theological backing. The emphasis is mostly on God’s love for all. The head Pastor of the Cathedral (called a «Dean» in the Episcopal Church) is Brian Baker (all the clergy here prefer to be addressed simply by their first names). Brian is one of the best preachers you will EVER hear… it is rare that one of his sermons does not touch me deeply to the core. He is an Army veteran, West Point graduate, married with kids, shaved head, rides a Harley, and was one of the most vocal supporters of same-​sex marriage in all of California, and indeed in the whole Episcopal Church!
The choir is large, and very good. The organ is magnificent! Their music program is one of the best anywhere, and they frequently bring in outside musicians, ensembles and orchestras to add to the music during services. The music varies from one service to another on Sundays. The 7:30 service is more traditional, the 9:00 service is more contemporary, and the 11:15 service has the most music, usually traditional, with the full choir and organ. The 12:30 service is short, and has no music. The Sunday School program is very strong, and there is a nursery for infants and toddlers (they recently added a play area in one corner of the church itself for well-​behaved infants and toddlers and their parents to sit and play together during services). The church and its connected buildings are all wheelchair accessible, and there is an elevator. They emphasize during communion that ALL are welcome to come and receive communion (even if you’re not Christian!).
The congregation is very active, and there is some activity going on almost every day of the week, from noontime and evening services, to lectures, concerts, outside speakers, community dinners, etc. Trinity is very active in community service, with active outreach to the homeless, the ill, addicts/​alcoholics, victims of domestic violence, the LGBT community, etc. They have many active ministries, some of which are led by clergy members, others by trained lay members. Their hospital chaplaincy program is top-​notch (no Trinity member I know has ever been hospitalized and not had at least one or two visits by a Trinity member or clergy). They have a wonderful program called the Stephen’s Ministry, which is where lay members who have undergone intensive training, act as active listeners for people who are going through any type of crisis in their lives. They are not professional therapists, but they can be very comforting during trying times in our lives when we feel there’s no one we can turn to. You can ask to have a Stephen’s minister assigned to you, and they will usually meet with you for an hour or so once a week (more or less frequently, as you feel you need), for as long as you need.
Their bookshop is open Sundays and weekdays, and is one of the largest and best-​stocked church bookshops anywhere, with gifts, religious items, and books about all sorts of thought-​provoking topics, both spiritual and secular.

A great place. Everyone is very welcoming and accepting. I don’t know if it is for everyone, but it’s certainly perfect for me and my family.

My boyfriend and I visited the 11:15 service on Superbowl. We really like it here and we plan on going back. It’s perfect because he was born and raised Catholic, while I was used to evangelical churches such as Missionary Alliance and Assemblies of God (which is what Capital Christian Center is and I used to go there too), so the Episcopal church mixes Protestant doctrine with Catholic structure. My guy is NOT comfortable with Pentecostal churches, I took him to Capital twice and I could just tell that there was tension between us (plus it didn’t help that he knew I had friends from the young adult group there that didn’t like him or the fact that he used to not believe in God at the time). I really like how peaceful the service was, and the music too… and I’m not used to hearing hymns (which I have before from visiting 2 Catholic masses in the past, which felt monotone) but they had beautiful music… especially with the organ. Above all though, I love how they love Jesus and take Him seriously (at least what I saw on their website), since the Episcopal Church has a reputation of being theologically liberal and has been criticized by evangelicals.
People here seem very friendly too. The Episcopal Church has a good reputation for being more warm and accepting than other Christian denominations. Since we were visitors, we received a gift which has dark chocolate and pamphlets and information about the church. At the end of the service, the priest came up to us and introduced us even though we were all the way in the back! Talk about hospitality.
Me and my boyfriend are really comfortable here. He wants to go back, especially since he hasn’t gone to church in a while after years of being atheist/​agnostic but going back to his Catholic faith. I even dabbled into the idea of me converting to Episcopalian! However, I will never let denomination get in the way of my faith in Christ. Because no matter what denomination a Christian is, we all believe in the same Triune God.
Anyway, I would really like to volunteer here and be involved, so hopefully this will be my new home church!