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

As we journey through the richness of Black History Month, I'm reminded of the profound wisdom of James Baldwin. In his essay "Nothing Personal," Baldwin concludes with a powerful statement: "The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."

We must NEVER cease to hold each other. So many forces in the world tell us why we should not be in relationship with others, why we should be suspicious, and why we should be fearful. So, many voices tell us to look out for ourselves and ourselves alone. We need to be very careful with new faces, new voices, new people, new ways of being and believing. Be very careful, for all of these threaten our way of life. And that's the heart of the issue … a threat to OUR way of life.  

This fuels an US versus THEM mentality. Which then breeds distrust and suspicion, self-interest and exclusion, prejudice and hate. We must recognize that our collective well-being hinges on our ability to stand together in solidarity. We must NEVER cease to hold each other, for without each other, we will not make it. Without each other - the sea engulfs us, and the light goes out.

Forward in faith that we all may be one!!

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 McCormick

Information Session Sunday, February 25th after the 10:30 service

Over the course of my life, I have been blessed by the time I’ve spent on pilgrimages in England, learning and worshiping in the cradle of our Anglican tradition. This time, I invite you to come with me – and with our Trinity Church family.
After flying from Newark to London, we’ll travel to Canterbury, where we will stay at the Canterbury Lodge within the Cathedral precincts. We will spend a day at Little Gidding, one of my favorite places in the world and the birthplace of post-Reformation Anglican monasticism. It’s also closely associated with the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, of which I’m a Priest Companion. We’ll then make the short trip to Cambridge and visit the collections of the Parker Library in the company of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Davison, followed by a journey east to Norwich before heading north to Lincoln, York, and Durham.
Throughout the trip, we will spend time in prayer, observing the Daily Office and celebrating the Eucharist. I’ll guide the spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage, and at each stop we will have the help of local guides who know the history and architecture of each cathedral. 
We have been planning this pilgrimage for a long time, and I hope that you’ll join me in what promises to be a wonderful, Christ-centered journey. You can learn more about the pilgrimage here:

https://lightlinena.com/pilgrimage/exploring-our-anglican-heritage-a-pilgrimage-from-canterbury-to-york/
Yours faithfully in Christ,
Kara

Our fellowship groups will be providing two of the Lent dinners for the Wednesday evening programs. We invite you to help out the parish and spend some time with old friends and new! 

If you're part of the Oregon Trailblazers ('vaguely middle-aged people'), or would like to be, we'll be doing the dinner on March 6th. Sign up here to contribute soup (including vegan and gluten-free options), salad, or bread:

https://forms.gle/3yjR5Lc9pEPfSMzaA

20's-30's Fellowship will be providing dinner on March 13th. Sign up here if you can help out! We need soup, salad, and bread, including vegan and gluten-free soup. 

https://forms.gle/NgnuMJTEAY4PvaMVA

February is about to get very busy at Trinity. I have several updates, reminders, and announcements from Family Ministries. The Sunday School announcements and Faith@Home resources are especially geared toward parents with kids from PreK-5th grade. 

First, I’ll go through announcements and updates for the special events and programs. Second, I will go through reminders for the ongoing programs.

February 21st & 28th will be the first two Lenten Suppers

• Supper will be soup, bread, and salad, provided by different groups in the church (Vestry, 20s/30s, Oregon Trail Blazers, Staff, etc.) 

• The schedule for Wednesday evening programs goes like this:

• 5:30 p.m., Eucharist in the church 

  1. 6 p.m., supper in the big side of the Parish Hall 

  2. 6:30 p.m., childcare in the small side of the Parish Hall 

  3. 6:30 p.m., Life Together program and discussion in the big side of the Parish Hall. 

  4. Need a copy of Life Together? Get yours in the Narthex (entryway) or at the front desk. 

  5. Don’t have time to read Life Together? That’s ok. Join us for supper and conversation anyway. 

Faith @ Home Resources for February: 

Click the link to visit the Princeton Public Library (PPL) website entry for each book.

You can find the lectionary texts for each Sunday in the BCP, or online at https://www.lectionarypage.net/. 

Water Come Down: The Day You Were Baptized, by Walter Wangerin, Jr., is a celebration of baptism, illustrated vibrantly, and overflowing with the excitement and joy surrounding this sacrament. We have multiple copies of this book at Trinity, and we often give them as baptism gifts. On February 18, we will read in Mark’s Gospel of Jesus’ baptism. 

The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin, is all about the hopes we have as parents for our children as they learn and grow. This book connects to the theme of the blessings and promises God gives to Abram and Sarai, in our Old Testament reading from February 25, from Genesis 17. 

Sunday School & Playful Worship: 

Playful Worship on Sundays has been a huge success! A big thank you to Alex Englert for taking the lead on that. Until Easter, Playful Worship will meet in the Children’s Chapel, since Betsy Ashton’s beautiful portrait series is housed in the Thomas room. (If you have not had a chance to look at the paintings, they are stunning. I highly recommend taking some time to walk through the exhibit.) 

You can sign up to help with Playful Worship HERE. 

You can sign up to assist in Sunday School HERE. 

You can sign up to provide snacks for Sunday School HERE.  

Questions? Please ask. 

Just want to check in or get coffee? I’d love that!! Please reach out, and we will find a time to connect. 

Peace and blessings, 

Emily 

Please help fill Arm In Arm’s Mobile Pantry Truck and Pantry shelves with LOVE by supporting their 20th Annual Valentine’s for Food Drive to provide nutritious food for our neighbors in need.

You can help in two ways. For the month of February, you can donate via special Valentines for Food collection envelopes in the pews. You can also donate food items listed in the above flyer. Food items can be placed in the shopping cart in the narthex or the wagon near the front desk and we will get them to Arm in Arm.

Shrove Tuesday put joy on the faces and pancakes in the bellies of many of our Trinity community. Here are just a few of the fancy fried flapjacks!

You may or may not know this, but at Trinity Church we have had a Flower Ministry since 2013, where we deliver a lovely cup of flowers to people who are sick or grieving, or who are celebrating a significant milestone or achievement. If you know someone who would benefit from this ministry, please reach out to a member of our clergy, and we will take it from there.