Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,

It is with great joy that I announce that Wesley Rowell will be joining our staff on July 1.  Wesley will serve as our full-time Lay Pastoral Associate. Wesley’s role will include assistance and support for pastoral care, youth and family ministry, and community engagement.

Wesley is a May 2023 graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, where he is receiving his MDiv, with concentrations in both Black Church Studies, and in Theology, Women & Gender. He was recently awarded the Edward Howell Roberts Scholarship in Preaching.

A Fayetteville, North Carolina native, Wesley moved to Princeton in 2020, after 24 years of living in New York City, where he was a member of Middle Collegiate Church. Raised in the AME Zion Church, and the grandson of a pastor, Wesley was confirmed in 2022, and is currently in the ordination process for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. Wesley ministered at Middle Church and has interned at our own beloved Trinity Episcopal Church. He also served on the search committee to select the Rev. Dr Jonathan Lee Walton as the new president of Princeton Theological Seminary. 

In NYC and Chicago, Wesley was a professional musician, and has sung in the choirs of St. Thomas Episcopal Church NYC, Grace Episcopal Church NYC, and Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, as well as several regional opera companies throughout the country. Wesley earned a BM from Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC, and was an MM vocal performance major at the University of Illinois.

Wesley’s passion for ministry and deep commitment to Christ can be summarized in his own words, “I’m still astonished by John 1:14 ‘And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ Wow.” 

Outside (and perhaps inside) of church, Wesley loves to dance (sometimes badly and always boldly), sing karaoke (where he is viciously competitive), and read (voraciously). He loves all kinds of music, from Bach to Blues to Bartok to Beyonce, and loves the Duke Ellington quote, "there's only two kinds of music; good and bad.”

Wesley's interests in the intersections of race, trauma, justice, gender, families, queerness, Jesus, and the Church led him to Princeton Seminary and Princeton, NJ, and ultimately to Trinity Church Princeton, where he is excited to further his ministry.

Join me, in welcoming Wesley to Trinity

Trinity will hold a Rogation Procession this Sunday after the 10:30am service, beating the bounds of the Church. Please come and join us! Sticks will be provided!

Traditionally, Rogations Days were the three days ahead of the Feast of the Ascension, which falls on Thursday of next week, May 18. They originated in fifth century France as a time of fasting and prayer to ward off disasters, but in England became associated with the blessing of fields at the spring planting. The vicar of a parish would “beat the bounds,” whacking the boundaries of the parish with a staff, accompanied by a procession of people reciting psalms and litanies. The propers in the Book of Common Prayer (pp. 207-208, 258-259, 930) have broadened the scope to commerce, industry, and stewardship of creation, in addition to the traditional focus on agriculture.

Wherever you are now, you’d better be at Trinity Church on Sunday, May 21! Our 10:30am Holy Communion will feature prayers and scriptural reflections presented by Trinity’s teenagers!

From now until May 31, 2023, you can increase your donation fourfold to our outreach partner, Episcopal Relief, which helps communities struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease around the world.

Any amount you give by May 31 will be matched by Trinity Church’s Outreach Program, and that combined amount will be matched by a private donor. So, if you give $100 to Episcopal Relief, your gift will be quadrupled to $400.

Please send your check made out to “Episcopal Relief” to the church office or drop it in the collection plate so that we can process the funding match. If you make a donation directly on the Episcopal Relief website with a credit or debit card, please send your receipt to Lily Leonard in the Trinity finance office at leonardl@trinityprinceton.org to process the match.

There are informational leaflets in the narthex and south transept, or go online to episcopalrelief.org for more information on this great organization. Please give this your prayerful consideration.

July 9-14, 2023 at Trinity Church
Registration Deadline: June 2, 2023

After a four year pandemic-related hiatus, the Prosopon School returns to Trinity Church for a six-day workshop during which first-time students will complete an icon of the Archangel Michael using natural materials and centuries old techniques. Previous artistic experience is helpful but not necessary! You will be given step-by-step instructions and all materials are provided. Click here for further information and to download a flyer and registration information or contact Maureen at maureen@iconodulestudio.com.

Please note that the registration deadline is soon: June 2, 2023, so hurry to reserve your spot!

Coordinator: Maureen McCormick (maureen@iconodulestudio.com)

We are holding our end of season Parish Picnic on Celebration Sunday, June 4. We need volunteers to help with set-up, serving, and clean up. If you have any questions or want to help, please contact Carol Thomas by email at carolbrooksthomas@gmail.com or by phone (609) 954-2913. We also need folks to bring desserts for the picnic. Please make sure they’re already in individual servings.

Our Adult Forum concludes for the season with the Rev. Dr. Andrew Davison’s third and final talk on Science and Faith this Sunday, May 14. We will resume our Sunday forum schedule with an exciting new

Daily evening prayer has ended for the season and will resume in the Fall. Morning prayer will continue only on Zoom, Monday through Friday at 7:45am, until the Fall.

On Sunday, June 4, we will recognize all of our congregation’s graduates. If you want your graduating child or grandchild, whether high school or college seniors, graduate or post-graduate students, to be in the booklet, please email Adam Bond a picture, their full name, the high school or college from which they are graduating, their degree if applicable, and a short summary of future plans. All information must be in by Sunday, May 28 to be included in the booklet.

June 26–29, 5:30–8pm
at Trinity Church
(33 Mercer St, Princeton)

Compassion Camp is a program where kids and families explore what it means to have compassion for others, ourselves, and the world. When we bring compassion into our relationships and into the world, we partner with God in bring God's love and justice into the world.

Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 4pm
at Trinity Church

Tickets can be bought at voiceschoralenj.org/tickets.html

Adult: $20
Child/Student: $10

For additional information, questions, or concerns please email this event’s coordinator Linda Silber at lindafsilber@gmail.com.