The Bishop is Coming!

Bishop French's Visitation at the Easter Vigil

Saturday, March 30, at 7 PM

Trinity Church is honored to welcome Bishop Sally French as our Celebrant and Preacher at the Easter Vigil this year. Since this is her official visitation to Trinity for the year, Bishop French will do Baptisms as well as Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation of Faith as part of the service. Before she comes, we need to fill out a form listing the people being baptized, confirmed, etc. If you or your child(ren) are interested in Baptism and haven't already talked to us, please let Annie or Paul know. Young people who plan on being confirmed should contact Emily. Adults who would like to be confirmed, received, or making a reaffirmation of faith* should contact Kara. 

For confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation, we will need to know your full name, previous church affiliation if any, age, and the date and place of your baptism (a 'guesstimate' is fine). 

*What's the difference? In Confirmation, our young people affirm the promises that were made for them at their baptism. Adults from other traditions commit to living out their Christian life in the fellowship and communion of the Episcopal Church. Those who were previously confirmed in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches are received by the Bishop rather than confirmed again. And anyone, at any time, can make a public reaffirmation of their faith with the Bishop and receive her blessing on God's continuing work in their lives. 

Slow down, you move too fast

A few weeks ago, when I went to Kentucky for my retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, I cut it way too close to catch the train to the airport. We pulled up to Princeton Junction as the train arrived. In a flurry, I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bags, gave a hurried goodbye, and off I went – literally running to make the train. I was awkwardly carrying my bags and glanced over my shoulder for one final goodbye, and I tripped. Not once, but twice!! And the second time, I just caught myself, preventing what would have been a full-out face plant. 

I scrambled to my feet and barely, just barely made it - hand bleeding, knee throbbing, out of breath, and thoroughly embarrassed. Here I am, a full-grown man running and tripping, flustered and frustrated in an incredible rush and hurry to get to the Abbey … so I could slow down and find some peace. A rather ironic start to my retreat!

I settled into my seat on the train and attempted to calm myself and regain some composure. I thought I would listen to some music. As I was scrolling through my Apple Music library, a song that I had used for a funeral popped up. I listened and laughed out loud! 

It was Simon and Garfunkel’s, The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). The opening verse says, “Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.” The final verse says, “Let the morning time drop all its petals on me. Life, I love you, all is groovy.”

In his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Thomas Merton writes, 

“There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence ... The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence … It destroys our own inner capacity for peace.” 

There is a violence from the rush and running, the hurrying and busyness of modern life. This inhibits our capacity for peace. It holds us captive, preventing us from enjoying the gift of life and, as Simon and Garfunkel put it – feeling groovy. 

Here’s to slowing down, loving life, and … feeling groovy.

Lenten Peace and Grace be with you,

Afternoon Tea and Evensong

Sunday, April 21, 2024

3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Evensong at 5:00

With beautiful Spring colors on display all around, we invite you to join us for a delicious traditional English tea on Sunday, April 21, 2024 from 3 - 4:30 pm. There will be freshly baked savories, sweets and traditional scones with clotted cream and a delicious tea especially blended for us for this occasion. Our formally garbed waitstaff and beautiful floral arrangements will all take you back to an elegant era. Following the tea, Trinity Church's exceptional choir will perform a Choral Evensong in the church.

The event, priced at $35 per person ($40 at the door) is a fundraising effort for the choir. Please be sure to make your reservations early as seating is limited; if desired, entire tables may be reserved. Reservations may be made by emailing mstengel329@hotmail.com or calling 609-924-4807 and leaving a message.

The Place God Calls Us

Dear Friends, 

This morning at 7am, I hit the send button and submitted the first complete draft of my Doctor of Ministry Thesis from General Theological Seminary for review. Why Church?: Understanding how the next generation perceives the purpose of the Church. I conclude my thesis with a reflection on an art exhibit currently on display at the Bainbridge Art Gallery. This reflection is an edited version of my thesis conclusion.

While looking at the paintings, I was fortunate enough to meet one of the artists, Khalilah Sabree. Sabree was born in Macon, Georgia, and raised as a Southern Baptist, who, after moving north to Trenton, New Jersey, converted and became a devout African-American Muslim. In describing her collection of paintings, Destruction of a Culture, Sabree says, 

I explore how devastating changes disrupt world cultures and impact human relationships, societal structures, and the global landscape…The series began with a single image: a photo I took in Mecca of two African women gazing over a fence, as if peering into the future. The intensity of their focus captivated me; I envisioned them as bearers of a unique power able to foresee a changing world that remains hidden from others. As this photo became a series of paintings, imagination was my guiding force. I engaged in dhikr, allowing the remembrance of God to infuse my work with spiritual depth and resonance.

In conversation, Sabree shared with me that within the intensity, struggle, destruction, and truth of each painting, she intentionally put an element in clear focus, which was to draw our attention and invite us to enter into a place of spiritual refuge - a portal through which we could find safety and rest.

      When Things Fall Apart           Breaking Point     Lost

https://www.khalilahsabree.com/destruction-of-a-culture

Later that evening, I learned of yet another death of a Princeton University student. This is the eighth Princeton University student in three years to commit suicide. Princeton is supposed to be Mecca, the Promised Land, the pinnacle of the American Dream – an Ivy League university and one of the premier universities in the world. Yet with all the resources, student services, people, professors, programs, opportunities, buildings, money, reputation, and connections … eight young people in the last three years have been unable to find a safe refuge, a portal through which they could find safety and rest. They felt the only way forward, the only way to survive was to die. 

We live in a world that could be described as the destruction of a culture, and this isn’t creative destruction; it’s just destruction. Destruction of our environment. Destruction of opportunities because of economic disparity and unequal access to resources. Destruction of dignity and our humanity by acts of racism, xenophobia, transphobia, and simply plain old hate and indifference. Destruction comes in all shapes and sizes - sometimes vengeful and violent, harsh and arrogant, brash and bold, external and obvious, and other times internal and soulful, emotional and relational, hidden and subtle, deceptive and disguised, yet just as destructive.

There is a tremendous calling and need right before our eyes. There is a world of people, young and old alike, longing for a portal through which they can travel and find a place of refuge - a place of safety and rest from a world that can be daunting, damning, and destructive. I believe our primary calling as the people of Trinity Church is to show the way to the portal through which people can find rest, healing, and hope – in other words, salvation. God save us from ourselves - from our sin and arrogance, pride and ego, misguided pursuits and blindness, insecurities and vanities. The Church only survives if we do – and far too many people have no idea that the Love of God, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is a portal through which we find more than a place of refuge; we find life - life in the fullness of God’s intention for all of God’s beloved children.

Peace and Blessings,

“The place God calls [us] to is the place where [our] deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

— Frederick Buechner

Grief Group

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.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrnzK0fEKwWgOQhZzxmk--6X_g577cFII1hw88XI9mXyi_0A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Best,

Mike