Holy Trinity Church: A makeshift community hub

By Katie Johnson

In lieu of a permanent community centre in East Melbourne, the Holy Trinity Anglican Church has become a place for the locals to gather and participate in community-led activities.

Vicar Grant Edgecombe said that through activities such as art exhibitions, concerts, meditation sessions and book clubs, the church had the means to bring the wider community together.   

“When I first came to the parish seven years ago they had already started the activities including music concerts and art exhibitions,” Edgecombe said.

“There’s nothing in East Melbourne as big as the church which we can use for community events, so it works well.”

Although most of the events have been suspended due to COVID restrictions, the church plans to bring back a host of activities as soon as they are lifted.

“During the year we usually have all different concerts to encourage younger musicians from the Monash conservatorium to perform in front of an audience, and we also have one or two artists who hang things in the church which people can come and view,” Vicar Edgecombe said.

The church also hosts a children’s playgroup, a book club where people can exchange and discuss books and community meetings for the East Melbourne Historical Society and the East Melbourne Group.

“Playgroup used to meet on Wednesday morning and we had a book café where mainly older people come to socialise and discuss the book they are reading,” Vicar Edgecombe said.   

“It’s all been suspended because of COVID but prior to that it was very, very popular.”

When restrictions end, Vicar Edgecombe said he was “slowly moving towards” making the Holy Trinity Church even more community active.

“As soon as restrictions are lifted, we’re going to move all the books to the main part of the church and it will operate as a community library where people can take books and bring them back,” Vicar Edgecombe said.   

“It’s not a huge space but several hundred books fit in there.”

There are also plans to have an ANZAC day concert and an arts festival.

Vicar Edgecombe said that although he had faced some early obstacles, he eventually planned to turn the church into a proper community hub.

“What I want to do is have the church used every day as a community space,” Vicar Edgecombe said.    

“There has been some backlash from parishioners who say that the space is sacred, but what I argue is how do you define sacred? Sacred to me means using it for whatever is necessary.”

To keep up to date with the Holy Trinity Church’s activities, visit their website •

For more information: holytrinitymelbourne.org.au