The Agape Meal will take place on March 30, 2024, directly following the Easter Vigil (around 9:30 pm).
Volunteers are needed at 7:30 to help with setup. Volunteers are also needed for cleanup duties. Please email Carol Thomas to sign up: carolbrooksthomas@gmail.com.
Date and Time: Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 4pm
Location: Trinity Church
Join Voices Chorale NJ and the Berks Sinfonietta chamber orchestra in appreciating the mastery of one of Franz Joseph Haydn’s most distinctive and memorable compositions: Missa in Angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times), more popularly known as the Lord Nelson Mass. Between sections of this liturgical work, the chorale will perform contemporary pieces that respond to themes within the Mass, bringing new perspectives on forgiveness, praise, faith, peace, and unity in a divided world.
VCNJ continues its tradition of presenting various musical styles and eras together in thought-provoking concerts to delight and inspire audiences and musicians alike. Contemporary works include Fragile by Sting and Exsultate! Jubilate! by Kyle Pederson.
Tickets and information are available at https://www.voiceschoralenj.org
Adult: $20 ($25 at the door); Child/Student: $10 ($15 at the door)
Contact Linda Silber (lindafsilber@gmail.com) for more information.
Celebrating 15 years of knitting prayer shawls and prayer squares as outward and visible signs of God’s grace and love. We give thanks for this important ministry.
From left on the photo surrounding the shawls: Liza Morehouse, Robbie Ellsworth, Donna Crafford, Judy Maksymovich, Susan Finlay, Martha Lashbrook, Molly Schneider.
Sunday, May 4th at 4 pm
New to Trinity in the past year or two? The Newcomers Committee invites you to join the clergy, vestry members and fellow newcomers for refreshments and fellowship at the Rectory where Fr. Paul Jeanes lives. It's next to our parish hall at 25 Mercer St. We'll start at 4 pm and end at 5 pm. Then feel free to join us as we walk next door to the church for a lovely choral Evensong service Registration is not required but is appreciated; email tomascott1965@gmail.com.
Matthäuspassion
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
7:00-8:00 PM
March 23, 2024
Princeton University Chapel
A powerful and dramatic setting of Matthew’s passion narrative by German composer Heinrich Schütz. Written in 1666 for a cappella choir and solo recitative, this piece is a rarely-performed hidden gem of early Baroque church music. Sung by the Lux Choir of the Episcopal Church of Princeton under the direction of Connor Fluharty.
Please come hear this beautiful version of the St. Matthew Passion in an incredible space, and get a head start on Holy Week!
Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,
As we prepare to begin our Holy Week Journey, I share with you excerpts from a reflection by Fred Buechner, originally published in A Room Called Remember.
When Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and his followers cried out, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord," the Pharisees went to Jesus and told him to put an end to their blasphemies, and Jesus said to them, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
King Jesus, we offer all churches to you as you offer them to us. Make thyself known in them. Make thy will done in them. Make our stone hearts cry out thy kingship. Make us holy and human at last that we may do the work of thy love.
We live in trying times. We live in a season when the church and the prophetic Word of God are desperately needed. We live in a time when church attendance is declining, and its relevance is questioned. We live in a time when many say, "put an end to [the] blasphemies." But the message of the Gospel cannot be silenced, and even if we lose heart and find our voices muted, the very stones will cry out with praises and shouts of joy! They would proclaim a word of liberation and Easter life.
As we walk these holy days, may we offer ourselves fully to the redemptive story of God's love shown to us in Jesus. May God be known through us! May God's will be done in us! May our stone hearts cry out the power of God! And finally, may we be made holy and human to do the work of LOVE!
Peace and blessings to all,
Paul
You did it!!! Early last October we stood before you all and announced our goal of reaching $1,000,000 in pledges from all of you to support our beloved Trinity community. We have been closing in on that number for a while now – and this week we – you – did it. Thank you for recognizing the importance of this community in your lives and in the lives of your fellow parishioners. It is only one step in the process of financial stability, but it is one giant step. Thank you all. We ARE Trinity Church.
Trudy Sykes and Bill Hackett, Stewardship Co-Chairs
In my office there’s a little sign that says,
O priest of God,
say this Mass
as if it were your first Mass,
your last Mass,
your only Mass.
That little saying is a traditional reminder to priests about the dangers of complacency. Sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we can take for granted what we do each time we encounter Jesus Christ in the Sacraments – and especially each time we receive Him in the Eucharist. Sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we can start to take the Church for granted.
Four years ago this week, Bishop Stokes sent out a message closing our churches for public worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That Holy Week was one of the lowest points for me, personally, in my 10 years of ordained ministry. There’s nothing I love more than walking with the parish through those momentous days of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. During those days in 2020 when we proclaimed that Christ’s death and resurrection are still conclusively, unalterably true, I resolved anew never to take this time of year for granted. I resolved to live each moment of Holy Week as if it were the first time, the last time, the only time, I would be able to observe those liturgies and share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. I resolved to be “all in,” all the time, every time.
Holy Week is coming soon, and we have so much to celebrate here at Trinity Church. Our attendance continues to rebound to almost pre-COVID levels, such that our current average Sunday attendance puts us in the top 2% of Episcopal churches nationwide. Our stewardship campaign was a smashing success. There is a wonderful spirit in the parish, with so many people joining us for the first time, getting involved, or deepening their involvement in our many ministries. These, too, are gifts we can never take for granted.
This year, I encourage you to join us for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. I especially encourage you to come to this year’s Easter Vigil as we welcome Bishop Sally French as our celebrant and preacher.
I’m “all in.” Are you?
In Christ,
Kara