Trinity Church and Nassau Presbyterian Church will once again co-sponsor a grief group called GriefEncounter this spring. The group meets for six sessions at Nassau on Tuesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26, April 9 and 16, from 7pm to 8:30pm. GriefEncounter is led by a trained grief counselor for folks experiencing feelings of loss due to the death of a family member, friend, colleague, anyone who has been part of your life. For additional information, please contact, Wesley Rowell, 646-279-1595, rowellw@trinityprinceton.org.
Looking Forward
For this last ePistle in Black History Month, I want to turn our attention to the future. As a predominantly white church within a relatively liberal subculture of the country, it can be difficult to discern what it looks like to live out a Christian calling of radical love that demands full dignity and equal sociopolitical standing for our BIPOC members and neighbors. As we as a church continue to discern humbly and in earnest what this looks like moving forward, I want to warn us of a common trap for those inclined toward social progress, the trap of moderation.
Dr. King wrote in his striking Letter from Birmingham Jail, “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action.’” This quote has never left me, because it strikes to the heart of why police violence, economic injustice, healthcare disparity, and so much more plagues the Black community in America. This is also why Wesley Rowell is the first senior staff of Trinity’s history who isn’t white. Transformative change can only come if we’re willing to let the status quo be unsettled.
True justice work is terrifying but liberating. I believe that if we embark on this journey together, it will sharpen our Christian witness and draw us deeper in faith and love, together as the diverse family of God. I have some thoughts of what this could look like for Trinity, but it’s ultimately not my voice that matters in this conversation. Actually, the voices we need to listen to may not even feel there is space for their voices to be heard here. Perhaps this is where we must begin to lay the groundwork for transformative love, proactively seeking one challenging conversations with humility and curiosity where we remain open to being unsettled. May our love abound and change us, that one day we might truly be one. In the words of the great James Baldwin, “Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.”
An Invitation to a Holy Lent
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. – BCP p. 265
Dear friends,
This season of Lent is an opportunity for each of us to turn and return to God. It’s a time to slow down and refocus our lives on the things that really matter. And, it’s a time for deepening our relationship with God in Christ through worship, learning, and fellowship. I invite you to join us at Trinity Church as we walk these holy days of Lent together.
Here’s a schedule of what’s going on at Trinity during this season:
Sundays at 9:30 AM: The Virtues
What does it mean to live a good life as a Christian? How does the shape of our lives lead to our flourishing? What kind of people do we want to be as followers of Jesus. In the Adult Forum this Lent, we’ll discuss the virtues with the clergy and ministry staff.
Sundays at 5:00 PM: Lent Super Sundays
Join us at 5 PM for our choral evening services, followed by a program at 6 PM. The programs for youth and adults may serve as preparation for confirmation this Easter, but you don’t have to be planning to be confirmed in order to participate.
Youth: What is life in Christ?
Adults: Episcopal 101 with Kara
Parents: Conversations with Paul
Wednesdays at 5:30 PM: Eucharist, Dinner, and Lent program
Our Wednesday evening program begins with Eucharist at 5:30, followed by dinner at 6 and program at 6:30. Each week, we will focus on one chapter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, a classic exploration of Christian community. Even if you didn’t get a chance to read the book, join us for discussion!
Weekdays at 7:45 AM and 5:00 PM: The Daily Office
If you’ve never experienced the Daily Office, and if you’re curious about a regular prayer practice in community, join us at 7:45 AM or 5 PM for Morning and Evening Prayer, either in the Michael Chapel or on Zoom. It’s a wonderful way to start or end your day.
Every blessing in this most holy season,
Kara
American Spiritual Ensemble Concert
Dear Trinity Church,
I’m writing with great excitement as we get ready for the visit of the American Spiritual Ensemble, under their legendary director Dr. Everett McCorvey on Saturday, February 17th. The ASE will present a concert in Richardson Auditorium on Princeton’s campus at 7:30pm, as the culmination of a week-long residency with students in the choral program at Princeton.
Since it is so rare for our community to be able to see this choir live and in person, we would like to make the opportunity available for as many folks as possible - so we’re hoping that the congregation at Trinity might be interested in joining us for this concert! We would be happy to offer free tickets for any member of your congregation who would like one. Please just fill out the included Google Form for any and all ticket requests.
Best,
Mike
20's-30s and Oregon Trailblazers: Help out with Lent dinner!
Our fellowship groups will be providing two of the Lent dinners for the Wednesday evening programs. We invite you to help out the parish and spend some time with old friends and new!
If you're part of the Oregon Trailblazers ('vaguely middle-aged people'), or would like to be, we'll be doing the dinner on March 6th. Sign up here to contribute soup (including vegan and gluten-free options), salad, or bread:
https://forms.gle/3yjR5Lc9pEPfSMzaA
20's-30's Fellowship will be providing dinner on March 13th. Sign up here if you can help out! We need soup, salad, and bread, including vegan and gluten-free soup.
Exploring Our Anglican Heritage: A Pilgrimage from Canterbury to York
Information Session Sunday, February 25th after the 10:30 service
Over the course of my life, I have been blessed by the time I’ve spent on pilgrimages in England, learning and worshiping in the cradle of our Anglican tradition. This time, I invite you to come with me – and with our Trinity Church family.
After flying from Newark to London, we’ll travel to Canterbury, where we will stay at the Canterbury Lodge within the Cathedral precincts. We will spend a day at Little Gidding, one of my favorite places in the world and the birthplace of post-Reformation Anglican monasticism. It’s also closely associated with the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, of which I’m a Priest Companion. We’ll then make the short trip to Cambridge and visit the collections of the Parker Library in the company of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Davison, followed by a journey east to Norwich before heading north to Lincoln, York, and Durham.
Throughout the trip, we will spend time in prayer, observing the Daily Office and celebrating the Eucharist. I’ll guide the spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, and at each stop we will have the help of local guides who know the history and architecture of each cathedral.
We have been planning this pilgrimage for a long time, and I hope that you’ll join me in what promises to be a wonderful, Christ-centered journey. You can learn more about the pilgrimage here:
https://lightlinena.com/pilgrimage/exploring-our-anglican-heritage-a-pilgrimage-from-canterbury-to-york/
Yours faithfully in Christ,
Kara
The Moment We Cease to Hold One Another
As we journey through the richness of Black History Month, I'm reminded of the profound wisdom of James Baldwin. In his essay "Nothing Personal," Baldwin concludes with a powerful statement: "The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."
We must NEVER cease to hold each other. So many forces in the world tell us why we should not be in relationship with others, why we should be suspicious, and why we should be fearful. So, many voices tell us to look out for ourselves and ourselves alone. We need to be very careful with new faces, new voices, new people, new ways of being and believing. Be very careful, for all of these threaten our way of life. And that's the heart of the issue … a threat to OUR way of life.
This fuels an US versus THEM mentality. Which then breeds distrust and suspicion, self-interest and exclusion, prejudice and hate. We must recognize that our collective well-being hinges on our ability to stand together in solidarity. We must NEVER cease to hold each other, for without each other, we will not make it. Without each other - the sea engulfs us, and the light goes out.
Forward in faith that we all may be one!!