Trinity Church sits on North Main Street in Derry, New Hampshire, at the intersection of Tsienneto Road and the Route 28 Bypass. The two-building campus is anchored by the original Trinity Assembly of God (TAG) sanctuary, recognizable by its steeple, with the more recent Family Life Center (FLC) standing behind it. Worship services and special events are held in the FLC, while church offices occupy the upper level of the TAG building and Sonshine Preschool and Daycare fills the lower level. From this corner of town, Trinity Church extends a Pentecostal welcome rooted in the Assemblies of God tradition, with a stated purpose of loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength and loving neighbor as self, and a vision of "loving people to Christ."
Sunday Morning at Trinity
The week's main gathering is the Sunday Morning Worship Service at 10:30 AM. During July and August the start time shifts to 10:00 AM. Sunday School for all ages meets at 9:15 AM each week, and Children's Church runs during the morning message. A nursery space is available for the youngest children. Services are livestreamed on the Trinity Church "Live" YouTube channel, so those who cannot attend in person can join from home. The recorded sermon archive stretches back more than a decade and includes messages from visiting pastors, missionaries, and the church's own pastors.
Children and Sonshine Preschool
Children are woven into Trinity Church through both the Sunday morning programs and Sonshine Kindergarten, Preschool and Daycare, which shares the 53 North Main Street address. Sonshine operates from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, accommodating working families. The school offers a preschool class (3N) for ages 2 years 9 months to 3 years, a preschool class (4K) for ages 4 and 5, and a kindergarten (5K) for ages 5 and 6, all running 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM on weekdays (kindergarten runs to 12:30 PM). Daycare wraps around the school hours from 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and a summer program runs from the second week of June through the end of summer for children from age 2 years 9 months through 9 years.
Sonshine uses the A Beka curriculum, weaving together Bible stories, language development, math, phonics, reading, music, art, crafts and social skills. The teaching staff describes its primary goals as helping each child come to know Jesus as Savior and developing godly character, alongside the social and academic preparation for kindergarten or first grade. Parents whose children have attended kindergarten at Sonshine report that their children are well prepared and often well ahead of the rest of their class, especially in reading and writing. The teaching time is balanced by indoor and outdoor play along with memorable field trips. Director Diane Dougherty has led Sonshine since 2003 and holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. The school keeps a parent handbook and registration packet available for download.
Midweek Gatherings
Trinity's week extends well beyond Sunday. On Tuesday mornings at 10:00 AM, women gather for "Morning Manna," a women's Bible study and fellowship hour. Tuesday evenings at 6:30 PM are set aside for intercessory prayer. Wednesday mornings at 9:00 AM bring the men together for a Bible study. On the fourth Saturday of each month, the men meet again for an 8:00 to 9:00 AM breakfast. These rhythms give the congregation multiple touchpoints through the week, whether for prayer, study, or simple fellowship around a table.
What Trinity Believes
Trinity Church holds to the 16 Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths. The church teaches that the Scriptures are inspired by God, that there is one true God revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ is both human and divine. Members affirm that humanity willingly fell into sin, ushering evil and death into the world, and that restored fellowship with God comes through salvation by faith in Christ. Two ordinances are practiced: water baptism by immersion after repenting of one's sins and receiving Christ's gift of salvation, and Holy Communion as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering and death for our salvation.
The congregation embraces the four cardinal doctrines of the Assemblies of God. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is taught as a special experience following salvation that empowers believers for witnessing and effective service, with speaking in tongues described as the initial physical evidence, just as on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles. Sanctification is both an initial act at salvation and a progressive, lifelong process of growing in Christlikeness. Divine healing is taught as a present privilege for Christians today, provided for in Christ's atonement. The Blessed Hope - the rapture of the church prior to Christ's return - is held as the future expectation of believers. The church also looks forward to Christ's millennial reign, the final judgment for those who have rejected Christ, and the new heavens and new earth that Christ is preparing. Full statements are available in English and Spanish through the Assemblies of God.
Trinity also teaches that the church is the body of Christ, made up of all who, throughout time, have accepted God's offer of redemption through the sacrificial death of His son. A divinely called and scripturally ordained leadership ministry serves the church, with believers committing to reach others for Christ, to worship Him with other believers, to build up the body of believers, and to meet human need with ministries of love and compassion.
Purpose, Mission, and Values
Trinity's stated purpose is to love God with all of the heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love neighbor as self, taken from Matthew 22:37-39. The mission is to create an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can impact both the congregation and the community. The vision is simply "to love people to Christ."
These three commitments are unpacked in a series of values. If the church loves God with all of its heart, then it hungers for an intimate relationship with Him. It is committed to the study of His Word. It desires to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in its life. It strives to make a difference in the community and the world for the Kingdom of God. It makes every effort to maintain unity within the church family. And it seeks after the gifting and purpose to which God has called each believer. A longer walk-through of these commitments is preserved in Pastor JD Minerella's message on Purpose, Vision and Values, delivered on June 13, 2021 and available on the church's YouTube channel.
Missions
Missions are a recurring focus at Trinity. The first Sunday of each month is set aside as "Missions Sunday," and the congregation supports several foreign and U.S.-based missionaries. Missionary speakers visit throughout the year, and the church holds its annual missions convention each March. Sermon titles in the archive reflect this emphasis, with messages such as "Missions - A Search for the Lost" and "Missions - To The Ends of the Earth," along with visits from missionary evangelists like Mark Sohmer. Guest speakers across the years have included Carla Marroquin, Fumio Taku, Lillian Nervik, Don Crossland, and others.
Right Now Media and Online Tools
Trinity Church provides its people with access to Right Now Media, a streaming library of Bible studies, teaching videos, and family resources. Members sign up through a custom church link. Previous Sunday worship services are archived on the church's YouTube channel, including a regularly updated playlist of past sermons that reaches back to the earliest recordings of the church's ministry. The church also maintains a Facebook group as a place for community connection, and giving is available online through ChurchTrac.
Pastoral Leadership
Pastor JD Minerella is the teaching pastor of Trinity Church. He has walked the congregation through the foundational message on the church's purpose, vision and values, and continues to preach in the regular Sunday rotation. Diane Dougherty has directed Sonshine Preschool and Daycare since 2003, leading the staff that introduces the youngest members of the community to a Christ-centered school experience. Earlier pastors whose messages remain in the sermon archive include Pastor J. Stephen Earle, who served as Senior Pastor, and Rev. Jen Schultheis, who served as Youth Pastor.
Visiting Trinity
The church building sits at 53 North Main Street, Derry, NH 03038, at the corner where Tsienneto Road meets the 28 Bypass. The church office can be reached at (603) 434-0408, and Sonshine Preschool and Daycare at (603) 434-6987. The Sunday morning gathering is family-friendly, with a nursery and Children's Church available during the morning message. A typical Sunday includes Sunday School for all ages at 9:15 AM and the main worship service at 10:30 AM (10:00 AM in July and August), with the service streamed live on YouTube for those worshipping from home.