A Congregation on Los Osos Valley Road
Trinity United Methodist Church sits at 490 Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos, just inside the curve of Pine Avenue, and has been a steady presence in the unincorporated coastal community for half a century. A "Celebrating 50 Years" milestone marks the anniversary of a congregation that has grown into a hub of music, food assistance, and progressive Christian witness on California's Central Coast.
Worshipers and neighbors walk through the doors each Sunday morning for a service offering "music, scripture readings, preaching, and wonderful fellowship." The mission of the congregation is: "to nurture one another and our neighbor in the love of God, serve our community, and encourage persons to become Christian disciples and good stewards of God's creation."
Sunday Morning at Ten
Trinity United Methodist Church offers one Sunday morning service at 10:00 a.m., led by Pastor Rev. Les Lungren with the Chancel Choir singing most weeks. The service is traditional in shape, with lay liturgists, scripture readers, a sermon, congregational hymns, and choral or handbell anthems. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of the month and on designated Communion Sundays such as World Communion Sunday in early October. Christmas Eve brings a 7:00 p.m. candlelight service, and Advent Sundays occasionally feature special music.
Each week's printed worship folder lists the Sunday participants by name, including the worship leader, scripture reader, accompanist, and choir or handbell directors, a small detail that reflects how seriously the congregation takes shared leadership in worship. Visitors who want to be involved can volunteer as Greeters, Ushers, Liturgists, or Flower Coordinators by contacting the church office.
After the service, the Social Hour runs from 11:15 a.m. to about 12:00 p.m., hosted by rotating volunteers and a lead host such as Vera or Debbie on any given week. At 11:30 a.m., Sandlot Bridge gathers for children, extending the morning into an intergenerational gathering rather than a quick exit to the parking lot.
The Music Program
Music is one of the most visible ministries at Trinity. The Chancel Choir sings most Sundays under the direction of Rev. Rich Bolin, who serves as Minister of Music and also as Pastor Emeritus. The Trinity Ringers, the church's handbell ensemble, ring on selected Sundays throughout the year, including in the Easter 2026 service. Musicians regularly rotate through the bench: pianist Beverly Arnold is the named accompanist for many services, with guest organists, pianists, harpists, flutists, cellists, percussionists, and brass players appearing throughout the liturgical year. On the third Sunday of Advent and on Music Sunday in mid-December, the chancel becomes a small festival stage, with multiple guest musicians joining the choir. A guest jazz trio has even filled the loft on a summer Sunday after Pentecost.
The video and audio side of worship is run by Director of Media Ministries Kasey P. Lindsay, with videographers and audio-visual technicians credited weekly. Services are recorded and made available as sermons online, so members who are traveling or homebound can keep up with the lectionary.
Children, Youth, and the Preschool
The church supports a preschool that operates from the church campus. The preschool is a long-running weekday program for the youngest children in the community and shares the building and grounds with the Sunday ministries. On Sundays, children are welcomed into the sanctuary for the first part of worship and then move into age-appropriate programming, including the Sandlot Bridge gathering that follows the Social Hour.
For older youth and young adults, Trinity's involvement is shaped by general get-involved opportunities rather than a separately branded program. The congregation partners with neighboring United Methodist churches in the area, and during the summer of 2025 Rev. Paula Hulet, Associate Pastor at SLO UMC, regularly preached at Trinity while the senior pastor was on study leave, a sign of how the local United Methodist clergy cluster shares resources.
The Food Pantry and Other Community Work
The TUMC Food Pantry is the church's flagship outreach. Volunteers pack boxes at the church on Tuesday mornings and distribute them on Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Shoppers and box leads, named in the weekly folder, rotate through a roster of parishioners who buy and pack emergency groceries for neighbors experiencing food insecurity. The pantry also partners with the annual USPS Stamp Out Hunger food drive each spring, when letter carriers collect nonperishibles along their routes for the pantry to receive.
The United Women of Faith layette project is another recurring mission, providing new baby supplies to families in need through the women's ministry organization within the United Methodist connection. Literacy for Life, an adult literacy tutoring program, meets on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and uses church space for one-on-one tutoring. A Turri Road clean-up rotates the congregation outdoors into the surrounding neighborhood for litter collection, and a Community Garden on the campus invites members and neighbors to grow food together.
For older adults, a Senior Luncheon gathers regularly, offering a midday meal and fellowship for those who might otherwise eat alone.
A Reconciling Congregation
Trinity is part of the Reconciling Ministries Network within the United Methodist Church, a caucus of congregations that publicly welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people into the full life of the church. The Reconciling designation is more than a statement; it is part of how Trinity describes itself in the broader United Methodist conversation about inclusion, and it shows up alongside the church's connections to Methodist history through teachings on John Wesley and on what it means to be United Methodist.
A Building in Use All Week
The campus is busy well beyond Sunday morning. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings happen in the Social Hall at noon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with an additional AA Open Door meeting on Wednesday evenings. The Opal Room hosts meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Knitting group gathers on Monday afternoons, and the Women of the Bible study group meets on Tuesday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. The Tuesday Crew, an early-morning working group, prepares the building for the week ahead.
The church's facilities are open to outside groups as well, and community organizations can request space.
What to Know Before Visiting
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. at 490 Los Osos Valley Road, on the corner with Pine Avenue. The mailing address for the office is P.O. Box 6775, Los Osos, CA 93412. The church phone is 805-528-1649, and the office email is church@trinitylososos.org. Sermons are posted online for those who cannot attend in person. Online giving is available.