Dear Friends,

On Monday morning, we noticed that our beloved dog, Rico, wasn’t doing well. In fact, he hadn’t been for a few days, and truthfully, he had been in decline over the past year. Rico, who was not young by any means, had been living with diabetes, requiring two insulin injections a day. He also had arthritis. Yet, despite these challenges, he remained a faithful and loving part of our family ever since we adopted him from SAVE over 11 years ago.

We always knew that the day would come, and you know the day I mean, but we never imagined it would be Monday. After taking him to the vet, they ran tests, and the results were not good. Rico was in critical condition, and the cost to stabilize him was high, with no guarantee of recovery. As a family, we made the difficult decision to let him go. We gathered together—both in person and by video call—shared our goodbyes, offered our prayers, and gave Rico a final blessing.

And then, with a simple nod to the vet, a word of consent—“okay”—the decision was made. This little creature, who had been a constant source of love and joy in our lives, was going to die.

I’ve hunted and fished before, where the taking of life is part of the process. But this felt profoundly different. It was the weight of that single word—“okay”—that brought the finality of ending a life so dear to us.

In reflecting on this, I’m reminded of how words have immense power. Just as a word can end a life, it can also bring life. God spoke, and through that divine Word, creation came into being. In our own way, with our words—of hope, love, grace, and mercy—we too can create, heal, and bring new life into being.

Life is fragile, and the boundary between life and death often feels thin. Words of fear, despair, and loneliness can weigh us down, but we hold onto the assurance that the ultimate Word—Jesus, the Word made flesh— brings true life and love into the world.

In this unpredictable world, filled with all kinds of words that carry countless meanings and consequences, may our words be ones of love, hope, grace, and life.

Blessings to our beloved Rico.

Peace and love to you all,

Dear Trinity Church,

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to offer you excerpts from Bill Hackett’s wonderful stewardship testimonial to dig deeper into the financial and stewardship realities of Trinity Church.

Excerpt 1: “Our revenue is less than our expenses. Last year our pledges totaled just over $1.0 million – a significant improvement over the several Covid years but still off earlier highs. Our plate contributions including Christmas and Easter are about $110,000. Rent from our properties totals about $200,000. Bequests and other gifts are usually around $25,000. In recent years we have relied on our endowment to cover the rest, withdrawing more than we have earned – a practice that is not sustainable long term.”

Your pledge, however large or small, will open the door to sustaining Trinity’s mission today and into the future as we continue this journey together.

In Christ,

Bill Hackett and Trudy Sykes

Sunday, November 10, 4-5 pm

25 Mercer St.

Father Paul Jeanes lives in the house next to the parish hall.  Join him, vestry members, and fellow newcomers for refreshments and fellowship.  Then at 5 pm, feel free to join us as we walk next door to the church for the evening prayers said during Compline.

Take a respite from the world for a morning of quiet contemplation, with selected sayings from Julian of Norwich’s Long Text of the Revelations of Divine Love in contrast to its fourteenth century context.

Saturday, October 26th, 9:00AM-12:00PM with Bonnie Bivins in Trinity Church’s Thomas Room next to Pierce Hall.

Join the Trinity Church community and the Princeton Seminary Episcopal/Anglican Student Fellowship at 10:30am on November 2 for a festive lunch while watching the livestream of the investiture of our Presiding Bishop-elect, the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, and his first celebration of the Holy Eucharist as Primate. Richard Pryor and Allie Graham will offer commentary on the unique portions of the service. Please register before October 28 at bit.ly/trinity-pb and reach out to Richard Pryor at richard.pryor@ptsem.edu if you have any questions.

Grief is one of life’s most profound experiences. Many of us are simply not prepared for the level of sadness, isolation, and vulnerability that often result after losing someone we deeply love. We have expanded our gatherings and will offer two separate groups. Please join us as we share our journeys of grief, supported by God’s grace, Scripture, and one another.

Gatherings will be held in Nassau Presbyterian Church’s Conference Room.

Tuesday evenings 7-8:30pm

• Oct 22, 29

• Nov 5, 12, 19

• Dec 3

Friday mornings 10-11:30am

• Oct 25

• Nov 1, 8, 15, 22

• Dec 6

Contact Lois Foley (Tuesday evening group)

Contact Sara Alvea (Friday morning group)

Trinity Church has a number of groups for formation and fellowship, and we invite you to join us to grow in friendship and in relationship to God. This year, we hope to move our fellowship groups to a set monthly meeting day and time. If you're already a member, or if you'd like to be a member, sign up at the links below and indicate what days and times might work best for you. We need to ensure that everyone who should be on our email lists is on them, so please sign up! 

• 20's-30's Fellowship Signup and Survey:

  • https://forms.gle/iJgJEp2VR4c6NM2n8

• Oregon Trailblazers ("vaguely middle-aged" folks) Signup and Survey:

  • https://forms.gle/vgucdir6JK6KErTDA

• Oasis LGBTQ+ Fellowship Signup and Survey:

  • https://forms.gle/XnLCMk4GMDcRwXs17

• For the Platinum Lunch Club, contact Sylvia Temmer for more information (sbjornberg77@icloud.com). Meetings are on the third Monday of the month at 12:00 PM in Pierce-Bishop Hall. 

October 26th, 7:30pm, Richardson Auditorium

The astonishing sound of the Ndlovu Youth Choir first enchanted the world five years ago during the choir's successful run on America’s Got Talent. Now we are fortunate enough to be able to see them in person, right here on the stage of Richardson Auditorium. Don’t miss the chance to watch South Africa’s finest young performers, supported by, and performing with, the Princeton University Glee Club!

Ticket Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScob70hslI3xzYbAMxdgICtMbSaF2BCGWj0dse9eBG8KdOPbg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Dear Trinity,

Our dear Char is in need of some wheels. Being a recent seminary grad and continuing their academic work at Rutgers and Catholic Charities, they have many obligations that necessitate the need for reliable transportation. For the last six months, they have been relying on borrowing friends’ cars. If you or someone you know is willing to donate a car, sell one for a reasonable price, or loan one through May when they graduate, please reach out to me.

Thank you in advance for your generosity,
Paul