MIDDLETOWN - The Rev. Margaret Minnick will retire this month from the Church of the Holy Trinity after 18 years, though she leaves a lasting impact on the church and the Middletown community.

       Minnick, 63, went to seminary in New York, became ordained in 1982 and served at churches in Pennsylvania, North Carolina--where she was the only ordained woman at the time--and as a minister in New Canaan before coming to Holy Trinity in 1995.

       Throughout her career, Minnick has been a dedicated advocate for the homeless and for community involvement. At Holy Trinity, she was committed to the revitalization of the downtown area.

       â€�"What they really wanted at the time [I was hired] was to really connect the church to Main Street, which was not in the greatest of shape 18 years ago, and I had experience doing inner-city ministry,” said Minnick. â€�"I got a real sense when I walked in that I felt like I was at home; it felt right. The folks seemed wonderful and their commitment to downtown and the community were part of what drew me[to Holy Trinity].”

       Having a backing of parishioners who were also devoted to opening up the Episcopal church to the community was key, as Minnick had taken over a position that once belonged to three priests.

       â€�"That meant that the ministry had to be everybody’s, not just mine,” she said. â€�"The people were wonderful and they really stepped up and took on the ministry themselves and came up with creative ways to welcome people and reach out to people. They really embraced becoming a more welcoming, more open church, which led to the church becoming much more diverse.”

       Under Minnick’s tutelage, the Church of the Holy Trinity helped create a community outreach program, involving all Middletown churches, for those in need at Saint Vincent de Paul.

       Minnick noted that many other programs have gotten their start at Holy Trinity.

       â€�"Oddfellows [Playhouse] started in the basement of Holy Trinity and, before there ever was an Eddy Shelter, there was a shelter in our basement that goes back to 1901,” she said. â€�"Just before I came, somebody in town said Holy Trinity is the incubator church--they like to incubate programs and help them move out on their own.”

       During Minnick’s tenure, Holy Trinity started a warming center called Fabian’s Place, named after a homeless person who drowned in the Connecticut River, run by volunteers. The warming center was eventually taken over and funded by the city. One woman, who isn’t even a member of the church, uses Holy Trinity to collect and give away gently used clothes once each month.

       Currently the church is exploring grant options to turn a large bathroom in the basement of the church into shower and laundry facilities for men and women.

       Though her successor hasn’t been chosen yet, Minnick is confident that the dedicated parishioners at Holy Trinity will continue to establish new programs to aid the community in the interim. Sharon Sheedy, who heads the Episcopal Church Women, said the group already has its year of activities planned, though it will be different without Minnick.

       â€�"She’s been a wonderful minister for us for the last 18 years. She opened our eyes as a parish to what goes on around town. She opened [the church] up to the homes, the less fortunate,” she said. â€�"I have no idea what to expect when she leaves. I am nervous, I will say, but we’re all going to pull together and we’re going to keep going, hopefully in the same fashion that we were.”

       On March 2, Holy Trinity will host a pot luck luncheon after its regular worship in honor of Minnick. Local dignitaries and city officials are expected, as well as parishioners from Trinity Church of Portland, where Minnick spent one month each summer. Sheedy said the church is expecting up to 200 people to be present.

       After March 2, Minnick plans to get back to some of her hobbies that she hasn’t had time for with her work at the church, such as drawing and photography. She also has some traveling planned with her husband, David, a United Church of Christ minister. They also are planning a move to Florida.