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36 Main Street, Newtown, CT | | |
An Invitation to Holy Week at Trinity Church
Beloved of Trinity Church, on behalf of the leaders and staff of our parish, I wish you many
blessings in this upcoming Holy Week. Let us ponder the mysteries of our faith, together.
Stations of the Cross – Friday April 3rd 12:15 PM
Please join us to pray the Stations of the Cross in the Sanctuary, a simple procession of prayer around our Church – approximately half an hour. All are welcome at any of these gatherings.
‘The Pascal Triduum’
Maundy Thursday 6:30 PM, Good Friday 6:30 PM, and Easter Vigil 6:30 PM
I invite you to be present for our observance of the ‘Triduum,’ the most holy time in the
Christian liturgical year. Maundy Thursday begins ‘The Paschal Triduum’ – meaning, ‘the three days.’
Since the days of ancient Christianity, the three services of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil are one continuous liturgical event. This liturgy represents the heart of the Christian faith, the message of salvation, and the healing power of redemption.
The Triduum commemorates the Paschal mystery - the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, Christ’s Passion, his Crucifixion, his descent to the dead, and his glorious resurrection at the Great Vigil of Easter. During these three days, we pass over with Christ from death to life.
We will remember each event in the drama of salvation and enter together into the mystery of dying and rising again with Jesus Christ. May the peace of Christ be with you all.
Easter Sunday, April 5th 9:30 AM
We will celebrate with joy Christ’s resurrection on this festive day – with the Hallelujah Chorus and an Easter Egg Hunt for children immediately following.
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Easter Collection: World Central Kitchen
This Easter, Mission and Outreach invites you to join us in supporting World Central Kitchen (WCK), our chosen beneficiary for the Easter Collection. When disaster strikes — whether a hurricane, an earthquake, or a humanitarian crisis — WCK deploys chefs and volunteers to set up kitchens on the ground and serve hot, dignified meals to affected communities, often within hours of an emergency. They operate on a simple but powerful conviction: that feeding people is not optional or conditional, but a shared human responsibility. Through your generous gift, you will help bring not just food, but dignity and solidarity to brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering. Envelopes will be available in the pew, or you may give online. Whatever you are able to offer, know that it will make a real difference.
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Farewell to the DeBrocks!
Save April 12 for a Farewell to Marcia and Patrick. There will be lots of treats and of course- CAKE! It cannot be expressed how much we will miss them, so come down to the Glover room after service and tell them yourself!
If you would like to contribute, please bring easy finger-food and leave it in the kitchen before service on the 12th.
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Defibrillator Training
As part of the new Parish Nurse program Trinity has purchased a new Automated External Defibrillator. We are excited to have this technology on site.
Immediate CPR with the usage of an AED can double, or even triple survival rates. This machine is meant to be used by anyone. We will be offering classes for training by a CPR Instructor. The next training will be offered on Sunday, April 12th after service in the Johnson Library and will take about 15 minutes. Please join us!!
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A blessed Holy Week to you!
As you attend this week’s services, you will be led on a journey from the garden to the cross to the grave to the resurrection, and music will play a large part in your experience.
Holy Week Music at Trinity
Maundy Thursday: Our worship will be personal and intimate, with the choir in the sanctuary and the music taking place at the piano. The Trinity Choir will lead us in musical worship and offer the haunting and lonesome anthem “Stay with Me", a depiction of Jesus’ anguish and loneliness in the garden as his friends slept. Our hymns will lead us through this somber first service of Holy Week, and Sam Grummons will play the heart-wrenching Adagio by Samuel Barber as the altar is cleared.
Good Friday: Our choir will begin with an introit that tells of what is to come in a tone-painted sense of an anxious heartbeat. Our anthem looks to the grief of those who watched their precious Jesus die: “As Imperceptibly as Grief” is a musical setting of Emily Dickinson’s poem that describes the subtle, slow experience of grief akin to the way that summer slowly sneaks away. Our third choral anthem will feature our soloist Carolyn Fagerholm in Fauré’s “Agnus Dei” (Lamb of God).
Saturday Vigil: This service will feature our Trinity choir section leaders. The first half of the service will be in ancient chant form: The daunting Exultet will be chanted, as will the Canticle 8- Song of Moses. But wait! Do you remember what happens in the middle of the Easter Vigil service? It becomes Easter! Bells will be rung, hymns will be sung, and ALLELUIA will bust back into the room! For communion, Cristina Trnik will sing the beautiful Tantum Ergo by Gabriel Fauré, and we will finish with a joyous resurrection hymn.
Easter Morning : Buckle your seatbelts and brush off your Hallelujah Chorus! Joy will be in the house on Easter morning, and the loft will be filled to capacity with the Trinity Choir and instrumentalists as they lead hymns and herald the resurrection with Christ the Lord Has Risen Today and an exciting arrangement of Christ Our Passover is Sacrificed for Us. During communion, two of our Church School kids, Nina and Elliana, will sing a duet, followed by a contemporary worship opportunity for all led by our own worship team including Mike & Katie Mancini and John Sullivan. Warm up your voices, because we will end the service with a singalong of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah! Guest organist Sally Finck will join us in the loft.
Come and experience all that Trinity has to offer you this week. I am looking forward to this spiritual and musical journey with you.
God bless you this Easter,
Jennifer
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Last Sunday, we had so much fun joining our church family for the Palm Sunday procession. Children lifted their instruments and palm branches in celebration as we walked together outside and into the church. During church school, we wondered about what might have been the same and what might have been different on that first Palm Sunday with Jesus. We also read the story of the Last Supper and Jesus’ betrayal, and talked about all that unfolds in the days leading up to Easter.
Speaking of Easter, please join us on Easter Sunday after worship for our annual Easter Egg Hunt! The eggs will be filled with fun goodies. The kids will go in waves starting with our youngest children, followed by grades 1–3, and then our older kids so everyone has a chance to participate. There will be plenty of eggs hidden throughout the memorial garden, gazebo, and grassy areas behind Trinity. We look forward to celebrating with you!
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Weekly Happenings
Trinity's nursery is open every Sunday from 9:15 - 11:15, and is professionally staffed by Wee Care Nanny Agency. Click here to review the nursery guidelines.
Trinity's Grief Support Group runs every first and third Thursday of the month from 4-5:15pm, and is open to all.
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Glass and Elevator Doors Open until 9:45am on Sunday Mornings
Trinity’s Ushers offer wonderful hospitality on Sunday mornings! We want all –
especially visitors or newcomers! - to experience their welcome. For this reason, we
believe it is important for people to enter doors that are attended after worship has
begun on Sunday mornings.
If you arrive after 9:45 on Sunday, please enter through the historic red doors on Main
Street. Please speak with Rev. Andrea if you have any questions.
| | Should you wish to make a donation to LL, please mail a check to First Congregational Church of Ridgefield (FCC), 103 Main Street, Ridgefield, Ct 06877. The memo line should read LLGD or click here. | | |
New Process for Vouchers
Vouchers can now be submitted virtually. There is a new page on Trinity's website (Vouchers). Please use this online form as a way to submit vouchers. If you need help learning this new system, please contact Kim.
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Praise and Thanksgiving
For those requesting our prayers
Maureen, Marie, Jennifer, Jacky, Gail, Bode, Gracie,
Martha, Shirley, Dan, Barbara, Caroline, Brent, Judy, Kathy,
Peter, Abby, Rich, Cherie, Paula,
Larry, Elizabeth, Annmarie, L. Bertha
For those celebrating a birthday this week
Josie Benedetto, Tom Swetts, Jeanne Benedict, Paget Haylon
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