February at Trinity

February is about to get very busy at Trinity. I have several updates, reminders, and announcements from Family Ministries. The Sunday School announcements and Faith@Home resources are especially geared toward parents with kids from PreK-5th grade. 

First, I’ll go through announcements and updates for the special events and programs. Second, I will go through reminders for the ongoing programs. 

Shrove Tuesday 🡪 Ash Wednesday 🡪  Lent 

Family Lenten Spirals – available on the Family Ministries Table. 

February 13th will be Trinity’s annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and Palm Burning Liturgy! 

  • Supper is in the Parish Hall at 6 p.m. and there will be games and activities available for kids. 

  • We will make Alleluia posters to put in hibernation until Easter.

  • Gluten-free pancakes available!  

  • Bring your old Palm Sunday palms and palm-crosses! We make our ashes for Ash Wednesday out of those. 

  • Palm-Burning Liturgy after supper. 

February 14th is Ash Wednesday

  • Services at Trinity at 7 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m. 

February 21st & 28th will be the first two Lenten Suppers

  • Supper will be soup, bread, and salad, provided by different groups in the church (Vestry, 20s/30s, Oregon Trail Blazers, Staff, etc.) 

  • The schedule for Wednesday evening programs goes like this:

    • 5:30 p.m., Eucharist in the church 

    • 6 p.m., supper in the big side of the Parish Hall 

    • 6:30 p.m., childcare in the small side of the Parish Hall 

    • 6:30 p.m., Life Together program and discussion in the big side of the Parish Hall. 

    • Need a copy of Life Together? Get yours in the Narthex (entryway) or at the front desk. 

    • Don’t have time to read Life Together? That’s ok. Join us for supper and conversation anyway. 

Faith @ Home Resources for February: 

Click the link to visit the Princeton Public Library (PPL) website entry for each book.

You can find the lectionary texts for each Sunday in the BCP, or online at https://www.lectionarypage.net/. 

Mogie, the Heart of the House, by Kathi Appelt, tells the story of Mogie, a dog who lives at the Ronald MacDonald House and uses all her energy and affection to help the children staying there heal. This book connects to the Gospel for February 4, Mark 1:29-39 and the theme of healing. 

When Lightning Comes in a Jar, by Patricia Polacco, tells the story of Tricia’s family reunion. After a wonderful day with family and good food, Tricia’s grandmother sends everyone home with jars of fireflies. The family carries the light of their reunion out into the world with them. This book connects to the Epistle for February 11, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, and particularly to the light of God that we carry in our hearts and spread throughout the world. 

Water Come Down: The Day You Were Baptized, by Walter Wangerin, Jr., is a celebration of baptism, illustrated vibrantly, and overflowing with the excitement and joy surrounding this sacrament. We have multiple copies of this book at Trinity, and we often give them as baptism gifts. On February 18, we will read in Mark’s Gospel of Jesus’ baptism. 

The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin, is all about the hopes we have as parents for our children as they learn and grow. This book connects to the theme of the blessings and promises God gives to Abram and Sarai, in our Old Testament reading from February 25, from Genesis 17. 

Sunday School & Playful Worship: 

In Sunday School, on February 11, we will make Valentines in Sunday School for the residents of Stonebridge and Meadow Lakes. 

Playful Worship on Sundays has been a huge success! A big thank you to Alex Englert for taking the lead on that. Until Easter, Playful Worship will meet in the Children’s Chapel, since Betsy Ashton’s beautiful portrait series is housed in the Thomas room. (If you have not had a chance to look at the paintings, they are stunning. I highly recommend taking some time to walk through the exhibit. 

You can sign up to help with Playful Worship HERE. 

You can sign up to assist in Sunday School HERE. 

You can sign up to provide snack for Sunday School HERE.  

Questions? Please ask. 

Just want to check in or get coffee? I’d love that!! Please reach out, and we will find a time to connect. 

Peace and blessings, 

Emily 

Forum This Sunday

Over the next two weeks, our Adult Forum will explore immigration and the lives of immigrants. Our forum this Sunday will be a talk by Professor Leah Boustan of the Department of Economics at Princeton University. Prof. Boustan is most recently the author (with Ran Abramitzky) of Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success. She is the co-director of the Development of the American Economy Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and serves as the co-editor at the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. An Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in 2012 and winner of the IZA Young Labor Economists Award in 2019, she is also an active member of the Jewish Center of Princeton. 

Anglican Prayer Seminar

On Saturday, January 13, the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City (“Smoky Mary’s” in Times Square) will host a seminar with Dr. Derek Olsen entitled “Life, the Universe, and Everything: Finding Holiness in Anglican Prayer.” The seminar will last from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM and will include Morning and Evening Prayer as well as the Eucharist. For more information, see this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/life-the-universe-everything-finding-holiness-through-anglican-prayer-tickets-779606974447

If you’re interested in attending, contact Kara at sladek@trinityprinceton.org. We have some train tickets to Penn Station leftover from a choir event and can go as a group if you’d like.

Twelfth Night Party

Friday, January 5, 6pm: Twelfth Night Party with Trinity 20s-30s Fellowship and the Episcopal and Lutheran seminary fellowships. Seminary students and Trinity 20s-30s folks are invited to join us for a party to celebrate the 12th day of Christmas! If yo have not already done so, please RSVP now at this link. https://forms.gle/UqRei39nJLEeVBcYA

We will provide dinner - bring a beverage, a dessert, or just yourself! We need a headcount for food by Thursday evening, and we would like to know about any dietary restrictions you might have.

Advent Playlists!

Do you need a little Advent music? Check out some Advent playlists from Trinity staff on Spotify. 

Kara's Advent playlist features contemporary versions of classic Advent hymns, plus some newer songs in the contemporary Christian genre:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bvxy4vpm1DtXAhw39eqjL?si=cef84698c5e344d1

Meg has put together a playlist of the music from this year's Advent Lessons and Carols:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NsKvBOE7fOVU3xWcuwkx7?si=b4022f1c19474d29&nd=1&dlsi=1c0a3a1d04a8489e

We hope you enjoy these musical treats for the season. 

Playful Worship

Starting this Sunday, November 12, we will be offering a new program called Playful Worship for young children during the 10:30 a.m. service! 

Here is a brief summary of the details, followed by a short explanation. 

What: Playful Worship

Who: Children ages PreK(4) - 3rd Grade 

Where: Thomas Room (next to the Kitchen) - need help finding this space? Ask one of the Ushers for help. 

When: 10:20 a.m. until approximately 11 a.m. (or during the announcements). 

Alex Englert, a parent in our parish with two young, energetic children, has offered to lead this program each week. This is an opportunity for children from PreK(4) through 3rd grade to engage in worship by practicing a bit of stillness, and plenty of movement. 

Alex will lead prayer, activities, and games for the kids during the first half of the 10:30 a.m. service. Then, he will bring the kids to rejoin the main service during the announcements, so that families can partake of the Eucharist together. 

In order to help this program succeed, we need parental volunteers! If your child will participate in this program, please sign up to help with supervision at least twice between now and the end of May 2024. Use the following LINK. 

Families can bring their children to the Thomas Room between 10:20 and 10:30 for drop-off. Children must be in PreK (4 year old) and be fully independent in the bathroom. 

Play clothes and outdoor layers encouraged! 

Voices Chorale: Joyful Reflections

Saturday, December 9, 2023, 4:00 PM

Join Voices Chorale NJ for a festive concert featuring the heartfelt, rarely performed Christmas Oratorio by Camille Saint-Saëns and spirited arrangements of holiday favorite classics including, Joy to the World, There Shall a Star from Jacob Come Forth, Wassail, and joyful Hanukkah favorites. Led by Artistic Director Dr. David A. McConnell, the chorale continues its tradition of presenting engaging, challenging, and diverse music in this winter concert. Dr. Akiko Hosaki will accompany the choir on piano and organ. Visit VoicesChoraleNJ.org for more information. 

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