Church of the Risen Christ
Independent. Liturgical. Sacramental.
Thank you for visiting the online home of the Church of the Risen Christ in Trenton, Tennessee. We are glad that you visited our website and we would love for you to come by and worship with us.
At CRC, you will find a caring church family, with a warm and loving atmosphere. Our goal is to worship our Savior and bring glory to Him in all that we do. We seek to love and encourage one another in our faith and to answer the questions of those who are looking for hope. Our church family is dedicated to learning and living out the teachings of Jesus Christ in every part of our lives.
Our prayer is that if you don’t know Christ as your Savior, you would receive His free gift of salvation which He purchased for you by willingly dying for your sins and rising from the grave on the third day.
We hope to see you and your family soon!
-Your friends at the Church of the Risen Christ
A different way to do church
A Word from our Rector…
Pastoral Greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
"So yet here you have an order for prayer much agreeable to the mind and purpose of the old fathers."
-From the Preface of the First Book of Common Prayer, 1549
We extend a welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, filthy rich or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to those who are carrying newborns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.
We welcome those who can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like myself, can’t carry a note in a bucket. We welcome those who are “just browsing”, just woke up or just got out of jail. We welcome those who have perfect attendance pins since they were a child and those who haven’t been in church since little Joey’s baptism. We welcome those who are straight or LGBTQ+. We welcome those that are certain where they belong and those still searching.
We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer moms, NASCAR dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like “organized religion”, we’ve been there too.
We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.
We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost in traffic and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts…and you! A hearty Christian welcome is extended to you!
WELCOME HOME
The Reverend Father Justin L. Gates
Senior Rector - Church of the Risen Christ
Believing.
In John’s Gospel, he says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). For every man, woman, and child, the primary role of the Gospels is to present the person of Christ with the most considerable amount of evidence possible. No message or movement in all history has had an impact like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Romans 1:16, Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” For Christ alone is the only perfectly qualified individual in all of history that can forgive sin and meet all the requirements of His divine standard.
This is also the essence of John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (NIV).
Belonging.
In Romans 1:6, Paul greets the church in Rome by saying, “including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” The entirety of the Scriptures shouts to the world that we belong to God. In the beginning, humanity was created to be in perfect union with God and belong to Him, for we are His creation (Genesis 1:26). There is an intimacy that was always part of His original design for our relationship with Him. We are His masterpiece and reflect the image of God in this world (Ephesians 2:10). Christ’s motivation to bring us back to Himself is the very premise of the incarnation. God came down and entered into the muck and mire of this world. Why? Because we belong to Him.
Becoming.
Finally, Paul expresses the idea of becoming to the believers in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Paul also expresses a similar idea to the church in Rome. Paul says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NIV). In the Scriptures, there is an expectation that every believer is in the process of becoming. There is a divine metamorphosis and a transformation that occurs as each experiential moment of our sanctification helps to refine us into a perfect image of Jesus.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
April 17 - 19, 2025
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Maundy Thursday
6:30pm
Liturgy with communion followed by “Garden of Gethsemane” Prayer VigilHoly Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus consecrated bread and wine.
Thursday's events are recorded in Matthew 26:17–75, Mark 14:12-72, Luke 22:7-62, and John 13:1-38.
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Good Friday
1:00pm - 6:00pm
Confession
6:30pm
Stations of the CrossGood Friday is one of the darkest days of the year. It covers Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. His death and burial are also memorialized. Friday's events are recorded in Matthew 27:1-62, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 22:63-23:56, and John 18:28-19:37.
The events of Good Friday are commemorated in the Stations of the Cross, a 14-step devotion, traditionally prayed during Lent and especially on Good Friday.
Good Friday is a day of fasting within the Church. Traditionally, there is no Mass Good Friday.
Church bells are silent. Altars are left bare. The solemn, muted atmosphere is preserved until the Easter Vigil.
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Holy Saturday
2:00pm
Holy Rosary5:00pm - 6:15 pm
Confession6:30pm
Liturgy of the Word followed by Baptism serviceHoly Saturday remembers the day which Jesus spent in the grave resting. Saturday's events are recorded in Matthew 27:62-66, Mark 16:1, Luke 23:56, and John 19:40.
After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is solemnly blessed and any catechumens and candidates for full communion are initiated into the church.
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Easter Sunday
6:00am
Holy Mass6:00pm
Holy Mass+No Evening Bible Study will be held on Easter Sunday.
Sunday's events are recorded in Matthew 28:1-13, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49, and John 20:1-23.