Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;  it is so high that I cannot attain to it. For you yourself created my inmost parts;  you knit me together in my mother's womb. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. My body was not hidden from you,  while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them. How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand. (Psalm 139)

Matthew Shepard was a gay 21-year-old college student who died 25 years ago, the victim of a vicious anti-gay hate crime. Matthew’s shocking death electrified the gay rights movement, and he remains an icon among the LGBTQIA+ community. For 20 years, his parents Judy and Dennis did not know where to inter his ashes; they wanted him to be somewhere safe where he could not be attacked again. In 2018, Matthew was interred at the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC. At the service, The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop in The Episcopal Church, heartbreakingly and beautifully ended his homily with “welcome home.” 

I recently announced my intention to start (or restart) a special interest group here at Trinity for members and friends who identify as LGBTQIA+ and I was surprised by the response. Yes, there were quite a few people who identify as LGBTQIA+ who reached out to me, but the main interest came from folks who are grandparents or parents or siblings or uncles and aunts of LGBTQIA+ loved ones. And it moved me to tears. With all the hatred and despair that threatens our humanity, and our seeming indifference and inability to see the image of God and to seek and serve Christ in all persons, your responses were a balm in Gilead. 

Oasis, our new Trinity LGBTQIA+ group will officially start in the Fall, and it wonderfully seems like we will need a separate group for allies and supporters. What a blessing!  Princeton Pride 2024 is June 22, and I would like to invite all of Trinity to be a part of our parish’s pride celebration. I’m thinking of it as our first Oasis official unofficial meeting before the Fall. In the coming weeks, we will let you know how you can help with planning. It will be a party!

Friends, today’s political and social climate threatens to reverse many of the gains made by marginalized groups over the last 60 years. The Episcopal Church stands firm in its commitment to justice and equality. In June 2023, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry issued a message of encouragement to “all of my LGBTQ+ family members,” noting, “I believe deep in my soul that God is always seeking to create a world and a society where all are loved, where justice is done, and where the God-given equality of us all is honored in our relationships, in our social arrangements, and in law.”

The good Good News is this: You are seen, you are loved, you are made in the very image of God.

The Apostle Paul said: “There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

Welcome Home

On Sunday, June 2, after the 10am service, we invite you join us for a joyous communal picnic on the lawn.

Volunteers are needed for set up, clean up, and to bring individual desserts. Please email Carol Brooks-Thomas at carolbrooksthomas@gmail.com to sign up.

The first Diocesan Discussion Group is about to start!  We've had a tremendous response from folks whose adult children no longer attend church, and our group will have its first meeting on Thursday, June 6th, at 10:00am. This meeting will give us the chance to begin getting to know each other and to hear our stories and will be our time to set up more meetings going forward. In the weeks to come, we'll continue to spend time with each other and with clergy and mental health professionals who will help us navigate healthy discussions and engage in best spiritual practices. There's still time to join us, and we'd love to include you.  To sign up or for more information, please contact the Reverend Canon Susanna Cates (scates@dioceseofnj.org).

July 13 - 19, 2024

Deadline to register: June 13, 2024

The Prosopon School of Iconology returns to Trinity Church for the (24th!) icon workshop. Beginning students will complete an icon of Christ Emmanuel during the workshop. Never held a paint brush? No worries! You will be given a drawing to trace onto the board, step-by-step instructions, daily demonstrations, and all materials. See the announcement for more information. Still have questions? Contact workshop coordinator and Trinity’s iconographer in residence, Maureen McCormick, at maureen@iconodulestudio.com.

• Dates: June 24-27 (Monday-Thursday)

• Time: 5-7:30 p.m. 

• Cost: FREE!!! 

• Location: Trinity Church (33 Mercer St, Princeton | Next to Princeton Seminary's Wright Library)

• Ages: PreK-Adult Programing

  Just Like Me! is an adaptable Vacation Bible School program that centers the deep and active faith lives of children and the real-world context our kids live in. In the parallel adult sessions, parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to dig into the theological underpinnings of the Just Like Me curriculum.

  This is a multi-church, ecumenical program sponsored by Princeton UMC, Mt. Pisgah AME Church, and Trinity Church. 

  We are so excited to bring you this program, and we look forward to seeing you in June! 

  If you have any questions, please email one of our program coordinators: Pastor Tayler Necoechea (tayler@princetonumc.org) or Carolyn Liverman (carolynliverman43@gmail.com). 

  Register here for Just Like Me!: Community Vacation Bible School 2024!!

  This form is for kids PreK-8th Grade only! 

  If you are an adult and would like to volunteer, please use this volunteer form. High school teens can also sign up as volunteers here.

  If you are an adult and would like to participate in our parallel adult program, you can register here.

Calling all instrumentalists!  During the summer, we will have opportunities for those in our congregation who play musical instruments to offer preludes and/or offertories for services.  If you play an instrument and would like to share your talents, please sign up on the digital form at this link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NVTEWapN2oon5_D87IlAvv_wJuyNyf48_eloRrPT1XQ/edit?usp=sharing or on the paper sign-up in the narthex or at the front desk. Thank you!

New updates from Fr. Paul! Stay up to date with Paul’s Sabbatical updates here: https://www.trinityprinceton.org/sabbatical-updates.