The Cross at the Heart of Campus

For Lynn Bailey, Trinity is a holy place.

About a month ago, Lynn Bailey walked onto the Trinity Anglican Seminary campus, made her way to the metal cross in the center of the quad, and began to pray.

To Trinity student Jack Waters, it was a curious sight, so he asked her what she was doing not realizing that this visit was part of a much longer story spanning 25 years.

“I sometimes feel pulled just to come over and offer something to God,” Lynn said. “It could be half a minute. It could be a minute. I don’t stand there long. Sometimes I sit on the bench a little longer. But it’s a precious place for me.”

Lynn (pictured) is a Trinity alumna, having earned a Diploma in Christian Ministry after taking classes during a difficult and complicated season of life. She served for many years in the music ministry at Prince of Peace Anglican Church in Hopewell Township, PA and now worships at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Sewickley, PA.

But her first visit to Trinity came before she was ever a student.

At the time, Lynn was a young mother living in Moon Township. She was trying to encourage a neighbor who had asked about a particular Bible translation.

“I told my friend, ‘I think I know where I can get a copy of that. I think there’s a seminary that’s got a library over in Ambridge.’” So Lynn drove across the Ambridge Bridge and came to Trinity for the first time.

“I found the library, and the librarian helped me find the Bible I needed.” Then, on her way out, she stopped by the metal cross.

“I bowed my head,” Lynn recalls. “I prayed for a brief moment and the Holy Spirit filled me with his powerful, loving presence. It was as if heaven opened up above the cross, and I experienced God’s consuming love. I was overwhelmed with God’s glory and his heavenly peace.”

That moment lasted only a minute or two. But Lynn never forgot it. “It was like the glory of God just opened up right there,” she said. “I was astounded.”

Over the years, Lynn returned to the cross again and again. Not every visit felt dramatic. Sometimes, she simply came because she needed a place to give something back to the Lord.

“If I’m struggling with something, I sometimes feel pulled to come over and offer that [to the Lord],” she said. “Every time I feel peace.”

Eventually, Lynn began taking classes. She had been drawn to deeper study and wondered whether the Lord might be calling her toward ordained ministry. At the same time, she was working, serving in ministry, raising children, and walking through significant personal challenges.

Still, the Lord met her here.

Academically Rich

She remembers the academic work as challenging and rich.

“It’s a beautiful place, and it’s very hard academically,” she said. “It’s a lot harder than you would think, and I liked that because I liked the challenge.”

She also remembers the professors. From Dr. Erika Moore to the Rev. Dr. Rod Whitacre, Lynn remembers not only what she learned, but the way they spoke with both clarity and charity.

When discussing theological disagreements, Dr. Moore would say, “Some of our Christian brothers and sisters believe…” and then, “Some others of our Christian brothers and sisters believe…”

“I loved that,” Lynn said. “That’s a wonderful way to look at it.”

From Dr. Rod Whitacre, she remembers a simple charge that has stayed with her for years: “Just remember to pray and stick close to Jesus.”

“After all the study, all the reading, all the work,” Lynn said, “That’s the main thing. Pray and stick close to Jesus.”

Hands raised during a service at the Trophimus Center

Formation at Trinity

Lynn’s story reminds us that formation at Trinity is more than just one thing.

It is in the rigorous academic study of Scripture, theology, history, languages, and the deep tradition of the Anglican Church.

It is in Morning and Evening Prayer, Wednesday Eucharist, meals, friendships, conversation, and the life of a worshiping community.

And it continues as students and alumni go out on mission to serve their neighbors, churches, ministries, and communities around the world. But we do not study merely to master information. We study so that our hearts, minds, and lives may ‘stick close to Jesus.’

For Lynn, that formation happened in classrooms, in chapel, in conversations with professors, and in years of ministry.

And it happened in a quiet moment at the cross.

Pray for the new students arriving in August. Students have enrolled for the upcoming fall semester. Would you pray for this new class? That they may encounter God in their classrooms, studies, or at the foot of the cross. And that they may stick close to Jesus in the years of ministry to come.

Upcoming Event

JOIN US FOR OUR 50th HOMECOMING REUNION WEEKEND

You’re invited to celebrate Trinity Anglican Seminary’s 50th Homecoming Reunion Weekend on October 1-3, 2026. Highlights include:

Alumni Kneelers Flag Football Game and Food Trucks
Memorial Evening Prayer
Alumni Meet-Up Dinners
And more!

LEARN MORE & RSVP

From the Substack of

DEAN PRESIDENT BRYAN HOLLON

I'm pleased to share the first guest contribution to my substack, A Mere Christian on the Anglican Way. Cooper Nye, Trinity Anglican Seminary's Director of Executive & Academic Communications, attended this year's Anglican Formation Network Summer Conference and interviewed Dr. Matthew Lee Anderson after his opening lecture.

— The Very Rev. Cn. Bryan Hollon, Ph.D.

Cooper Nye: Let’s start with your focus. Why the ethics of reputation? Do you think this is overlooked?

Dr. Anderson: I started thinking about the ethics of reputation because of various crises I found myself in that had to do with reputational questions. When you have bad actors inside institutions, you wonder what you should do, how you can protect victims, and how you can protect people’s reputations.

Those questions are extremely difficult. I went through a series of circumstances where I was confronted with those questions personally. It was highly unpleasant and extremely hard, and at points I felt adrift and without guidance. So, it was very personal and very practical for me And I do think it is overlooked… READ MORE

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW