June 2021
Getting to Know Our New Priest-In-Charge:
The Rev. Dr. Gawain de Leeuw
Holy Trinity's new Priest-in-Charge, the Rev. Dr. Gawain de Leeuw
(Gá wɪn di Lé u), joined the Vestry on June 11 for part of its annual retreat. By way of introductions, he asked each of us to answer one question: What excites you about Holy Trinity Church Inwood? We all had much to say, and so did he! We won't presume to speak for him, so we'll let his writing do the talking. If you haven't already checked out his social media pages, you can learn more about him on Twitter @padremambo or Instagram @padrelifts or his lively blog www.gawainfdeleeuw.org. Father Gawain, who was appointed by the Episcopal Diocese of New York, will be joining us later this summer. We will keep you updated! — Kelli and Pia
In-Person Worship Starts July 4
In-person worship services are returning! Starting Sunday, July 4 at 10:00 am, we will return to the trailer for Morning Prayer. Our final audio service will be distributed on June 26, and we give thanks to God for the tireless work of Alanna Burke and Payton Smith. Their tremendous effort made it possible for us to worship digitally, including with original music and hymns played by Jestin Pieper, for more than a year. Thank you, and God bless you!

The summer Morning Prayer services will be led by our parish members, and all are welcome to participate as readers and ushers. An audio recording of each service will be posted. Masks will be required, and seating will be arranged for social distancing. Fellowship and Bible Study will follow the service, but alas, there will be no communal coffee just yet.

Please note the new time for our summer worship in the trailer is 10:00 am.
Celebrating Juneteenth 2021
Members of Holy Trinity have in recent years attended the Juneteenth Celebration at Carnegie Hall, presented by the Healing of the Nations Foundation. The 2021 event, "All American Freedom Day: Only Together Are We Free – A National Day of Remembrance," will be live-streamed Saturday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. To RSVP and receive the link, with liturgical resources, click here. (And here's a toast to next year...at Carnegie Hall!)
Christian Formation Upon the Rock — and Coral and Marble!
By Ann Votaw

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—1 Peter 2:4

Urban Park Ranger Mara Pendergrass (left) reached through the fence surrounding Holy Trinity Church Inwood. Holding a hard chunk of quartz, she scratched a section of grey rock and noted how the stone’s coating the patina changed from dark to white, indicating softness. “This is Inwood marble,” Park Ranger Mara said of the outcropping of bedrock. 

Marble is one of three types of bedrock we can see in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. It is the softer middle layer between Fordham gneiss on the bottom and Manhattan schist on top. What do these sandwich layers of rock look like? The “C” rock across from Spuyten Duyvil Creek is an excellent example of Fordham gneiss, pronounced “nice.” Meanwhile, large formations of Manhattan schist are everywhere in the woods in Inwood Hill Park. 

According to Park Ranger Mara, marble is metamorphic, which indicates some kind of change due to temperature, pressure, or chemistry. Marble was once limestone, and limestone was once coral! Yes, millions of years ago, this area was underwater and either farther south or a lot warmer. The rocks we see were once part of a living coral reef that died and calcified to form limestone and finally marble.

So the rocks we see at Holy Trinity are part of a breathing ecosystem that changed so slowly that no human could live long enough to watch their formation. As Christians, we know we are being formed every day, just like the rock on which we stand and pray.
Catching Up With Carol Moffa
Well known as a trivia ace, HTC parish member Carol Moffa had a one-of-a-kind fact to share in an interview with Ann Votaw. “Today [May 1] is the 408th day that my life has been affected by the coronavirus,” Carol said. Yes, she has been keeping a careful calendar! She had much to share with Ann. Below is a snippet of their conversation.

Ann: What have you been doing these 408 days? 
Carol: I play solitaire and mahjong on my tablet. I also do jigsaw puzzles and crochet projects. 

Ann: What prayer have you used to get through the last year?
Carol: "Please God. Let us get past this. Let us not get sicker." But really, I didn’t have a specific prayer outside of the Lord’s prayer.

Ann: Did it help?
Carol: It really did. I kept thinking, “I don’t have any control over this. Maybe He or She does.”

Ann: What makes you want to come back on-site to Holy Trinity? 
Carol: I’ve made three good friends at church. We call ourselves the Four Old Ladies Club. They made me feel welcome.