Dear Trinity Friends,

Perhaps we are at that stage of recovery where speaking openly about the hope of the Gospel is possible. It’s a delicate space to be in. Hope is my calling, as is shepherding grief and loss. Some of us have been inconvenienced by Helene, some of us have lost much, and others have lost everything. When those of us who have been inconvenienced speak too quickly about hope, it can seem out of touch at best and cruel at worst. 

Yet, I now dare to speak about the hope of Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we boldly proclaim our belief that God is renewing the world. One of the most meaningful collects (prayers) in the Book of Common Prayer says that God is always building a new creation. It reads:

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look 

favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred 

mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry 

out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world 

see and know that things which were cast down are being 

raised up, and things which had grown old are being made 

new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection 

by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus 

Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity 

of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

The prayer is read in several places in the Book of Common Prayer. No other collect in the church shares the same importance and is repeated in the same way as often. The prayer is found in the services of ordination to the Diaconate, Priesthood, and Episcopate; it is read as part of the Easter Vigil and on Good Friday. At the start of ministry, the proclamation of the Resurrection, and the Crucifixion, we proclaim that God is doing a new thing.

As I’ve said before, the God we worship is not the cause of disasters, nor does God need disasters such as Helene's, but God will draw good from them when they happen. God will take what is cast down and broken in our own community and make it whole. We may not get to see God bring everything together, but we know God is at work making all things new. 

May this church, our church, Trinity Church, be both a place for the sharing of our burdens, our grief and sorrow and a place of hope. Here is a safe place for tears of sorrow and joy, loss and hope. And from here may the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new and that all things are being brought to their perfection, by him through whose all things were made, Jesus the Christ. 

Worship

Each Sunday, we celebrate the Eucharist at 8:00 and 10:45. Breakfast is served from 9:00 to 9:30, Christian Formation for all ages takes place from 9:30 to 10:30, and our Nursery is open from 9:15 to 12:00. We host a Coffee Hour after the 10:45 service in the Church Street Courtyard.

The Church of the Advocate opens at 1:00 and celebrates the Eucharist at 1:30, and we celebrate a candlelight Celtic Eucharist service in the church at 5:30.

Sunday,

November 3 - 5:30

Next Sunday

All Saints’ Candlelight Evensong: Lament and Hope after Helene

A service of prayer and music to…

Grieve and lament together

Give thanks to God for the helpers

Nourish our hope for tomorrow

All in our Western North Carolina community are welcome on Sunday, November 3, at 5:30 for a candlelight service of scripture, prayer, and music led by the Chancel Choir of Trinity. Invite your neighbors to join us for this healing service. As it concludes, we will follow our practice of taking candles to the Memorial Garden and reading the names of those interred there.

During the Evensong service, there will be a service for children in the Redwood Chapel. Parents may drop children off at 5:15 in the Undercroft. We will join parents for the candlelight vigil in the Memorial Garden.  Nursery care is 

provided as well.

Entrance for Worship

During the 10:45 service, there will be only one entrance into the Trinity Church campus, the main gate entrance on Church Street. At 10:45, the office doors and the door leading to the Tuton Hall stairway will automatically lock. Reducing access points while most of us are occupied in the church is a high recommendation for enhancing overall security. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. 

Additional Parking

Additional parking spaces are available at the Ravenscroft Office Suites at 29 Ravenscroft Drive, across the street from Trinity. A sign signifies parking for Trinity Church. If you can, please leave parking closest to the church for those with difficulty walking.

Adult Forum

"Rector's Choice"

This Sunday's Adult forum is titled “Rector’s Choice.” Join the Rector in the Undercroft at 9:30. Our regular schedule of classes has been disrupted, but not our need to be together, learn, and reflect. Scott will lead today’s discussion on a surprise topic. There will be no separate Parents in Conversation today. Join the Adult Forum in the Undercroft. We will return to our planned schedule of classes beginnning next Sunday.

Stewardship Campaign Returns

In the midst of Hurricane Helene's devastation, Trinity resumes our annual Stewardship Campaign with the hope of the Gospel of Jesus, asking all Trinity members to make a financial commitment to our 2025 mission and ministry. 

Annual Meeting

Trinity’s Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, November 17, during the 10:45 service. We will elect new members to the Vestry and hear reports from our Sr. Warden and Treasurer.

Creation Care Corner

Here’s some good news: The world is installing more than a gigawatt of solar power every day and has been for more than a year—the number continues to increase steadily. A gigawatt is about the size of a nuclear plant—an old-style nuclear power plant. People are building—every day—the solar equivalent of a nuclear reactor at a tiny fraction of the cost. This transition needs to happen even faster – but we’re on the right track. For local installations, one good option is Sugar Hollow Solar.

Christian Formation for All Ages

Adults

Upcoming Adult Forums 

November 3 “Feast of  Richard Hooker and the Via Media” with Scott White; November 10 “Stumbling on to Zion” with The Very Rev’d Timothy E. Kimbrough; November 17 & 24 ‘Searching for Wisdom and the Power to Become Children of God” with George Stein.

Rev. Timothy Kimbrough to Visit

On Sunday, November 10 we welcome the Rev. Timothy Kimbrough as our preacher for our morning services. He will also lead the Adult Forum. Timothy is the former Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Nashville and the current director of the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies and the Jack and Barbara Bovender Professor of the Practice of Anglican Studies. He is the author of a number of musical compositions, some included in the United Methodist Hymnal, and the recent book, “A House Divided: Ways Forward for North American Anglicans.”

Midweek Worship

Every Wednesday, we offer a midweek worship service at 12:15 (ending around 12:45). The church will also be open from 11:30 to 1:00 for anyone seeking a place for private contemplative prayer.

Rector's Bible Study

The Rector’s Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 7:00p by Zoom. This season’s title is What Christians Believe and Why? In this study, the church's creeds become a lens through which we examine the scriptures. The Apostle’s Creed is a very early Christian attempt to explore the meaning of God, Jesus, the Spirit, the Church, Forgiveness, Resurrection, and more. This study is online only (Zoom). You can find the Zoom link on the church’s website homepage in the listing of events at the bottom of the page. To be on the email notification of the class, sign up by clicking this link.

Trinity Connect

On November 10, the Trinity Connect class will be from 9:00 to 9:45 in Tuton Hall. This is a one-time, every six-week opportunity for those new to Trinity to meet others, the clergy, and staff members and learn the basics about Trinity Church.

Women’s Bible Study

The Women’s Bible Study meets on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:45 in the conference room. It is open to all women.

Book Club with Amy

You’re invited to join Rev. Amy for a two-part book club this fall discussing Defiant:What the Women of Exodus Teach Us about Freedom by Kelley Nikondeha. Note: due to the Hurricane, we have canceled our October meeting, and will meet in the Clark Room Nov 17 and Dec 15 from 4-5:15. If you have questions, or to be added to the email list, get in touch with Amy (amy@trinityasheville.org).

Women's Retreat 2025

Mark your calendar: the 2025 women’s retreat will be March 28-30.

Diocesan Convention Changes

Plans for our annual diocesan convention November 8-9 have been altered. It will not be held in person in Cherokee, but there will be an online business session only on Friday, November 8.

Children

NURSERY CARE 

Nursery care is offered for infants through 3-year-olds who are not fully potty trained.  The nursery opens at 9:15 through the end of the 10:45 service.

GODLY PLAY 9:30-10:30

We offer three classes:

• Godly Play 1-for 3 year olds that are fully potty trained through PreK
• Godly Play 2- Kindergarten through 2nd grade
• Rite in the Middle-3rd-5th grades.

These classes are located in the downstairs children’s area (enter the church through the doors at the covered porch by the playground and immediately head down the stairs.)

Children's Hour 10:30-11:30

This is a separate worship service for ages 3 (potty trained) through 2nd grade.  We head straight to the Undercroft after our Sunday School classes and then to the Redwood Chapel for our worship service. (For children that were not at Sunday School, simply meet us in the Undercroft at 10:30 am)  We join parents upstairs after The Peace.

Youth - Grades 6 - 12

Middle School Class (grades 6-7) 9:30-10:30a

The class meets in Trinity’s youth area and can be accessed from the stairs to the right of the Tuton Hall kitchen or from the outside door into the same stairway. The classroom is on the left past the game room. 

High School Class (grades 8-12) 9:30-10:30a

The high school class meets in Trinity’s youth area. It’s located under Tuton Hall and can be accessed from the stairs to the right of the Tuton Hall kitchen or from the outside door into the same stairway. The classroom is the first room on the right of the youth kitchen. 

We are forming a new Youth Choir!  This great opportunity for our youth to praise the Lord through song and learn about music and worship is open to all youth grades 4-12.  For more information contact Kevin at kevin@trinityasheville.org or by phone in the church office.  

Other News and Opportunities

Becoming Beloved Book Club (Wednesday evenings) 

In this group, facilitators Sharon Lechner and Page McCorkle invite members to discuss the intersection of social and environmental justice with the dominant culture of white supremacy. To join, email pageconnermccorkle@gmail.com. Meetings are held monthly on Wednesdays at six on Zoom and in the Clark Room. On Nov 6, we’ll discuss Dear White Peacemakers, and on December 4, Between the World and Me.

The Investiture of the next Presiding Bishop

The Investiture of the next Presiding Bishop, Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, will be streamed online on the Episcopal Church website November 2 at 11. His choice to hold a scaled-down service demonstrates the value of conserving financial and environmental resources. In the spirit of hope, we expect his term of service to continue with radical changes to how we operate and live out our ministries so that we may best serve our Lord.

The 2nd Chapter Book Group

This traditional ladies' group meets on the 2nd Thursday every other month at 10:00 in the Clark Room. For more information, please contact Barbara Fotinos at bfotinos@gmail.com.

Caregivers

The Trinity Caregivers’ Group meets by Zoom every second Friday. We welcome all who care for a loved one(s), local or at a distance, diagnosed with some form of dementia. Challenges and experiences are shared. Dr. Corkie Morrill is a retired geropsychologist, and Peggy Buchanan is a retired Deacon and nurse, and they facilitate the group. Corkie Morrill 828-684-3972, corkiemorrill@charter.net.

Volunteer - Helene Edition

Check out Trinity’s website to learn more about opportunities to serve the church and world.

Trinity Cooking Team for Transformation Village

Trinity has a team that cooks for Transformation Village, a ministry of ABCCM that provides up to 100 beds for homeless women, mothers, children, and veterans. We need up to ten volunteers. Contact Debbie Cox to let her know you’d like to help: debbie@trinityasheville.org.

Veteran's Restoration Quarters

The Veteran’s Restoration Quarters, a ministry of ABCCM, needs help preparing meals for the veterans and for the members of Team Rubicon, a volunteer organization of veterans who specialize in disaster response

Team Rubicon has come to help clear mud and strip, sanitize, and restore the VRQ buildings that were damaged in the storm. Each meal needs to feed 175 men. If you would like to volunteer to prepare a meal, you can sign up here or contact  ruth.lolo@abccm.org or 828-242-2968 with any questions.

Wine 2 Water (wtw.org) operates at the Grant Center, 285 Livingston Street. Some Trinitarians are volunteering here now.

Office Volunteer

Many of our regular volunteers are out of town. If you are able to volunteer at the Trinity office, please contact Ken Wilson at ken@trinityasheville.org.

Lake Logan

Trinity volunteers travel to Lake Logan every Thursday for service and fellowship to paint cabins, repair furniture, sew curtains, and landscape. Contact Carlyn Pheil (carlynpheil@gmail.com) or Fred Fairhead (fredfairhead@att.net) to learn about volunteering for hurricane clean up work.

Trinity Clergy, Staff, and Vestry

Prayer List

The Following Immediate and Ongoing Prayer concerns remain for a period of six weeks 

unless they are intentionally renewed by calling the church office. 

IMMEDIATE CONCERNS: Lee Seabrook, Robert Rhame, Dave Hensley,

Rody & Ann Sherrill, Rylan Carpenter, Neal Owings, Laurie Hamilton, Tonya Fotinos, 

Lynne Diehl, Neil Grant, Leo Duncan, and Jane Clark

ONGOING CONCERNS: Molly Gray (granddaughter of Sam & Paul Faeth)

HOMEBOUND PARISHIONERS &THOSE IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES: 

Lynne Diehl, Evelyn Hemphill, Gus Boone, Karen Taylor, Clare & Hugh Stephens

FOR THOSE IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY: Lt. Cmdr. Alexander M. Ford (son of John Mark and Charlene Ford), WO. Brendan Gilbert (grandson of Curt Gilbert); Davis N. Graham, Lieutenant J.G. (grandson of Jane Clark), Captain Brooks Jarnigan, Army Intelligence (nephew of Dale & Cindy Carroll); Col. Jon C. McDaniel, U.S.M.C. (son of Mr. & Mrs. R. Allison McDaniel), Adrienne Welker, US Navy Band (daughter of Leslie Welker), Gerald Welker, Jr, US Air Force Band (son of Leslie Welker), SN John Work, US Navy (son of Becky & Jack Work)

BIRTHDAYS: Nancy Ackermann Cole, John Barnhardt, Andrea Markish, Isaac Boulter, Peggy Byrd, Beth Graham, Sandy Grant, Annette Kamm, William Tepper, Harriet Hendon, Eric Lyons, Tim Butts, Matthew Ragaller, Marque Goodrich, John Ruhl, Louisa Koon,

McKenzie Qrarrier

ANNIVERSARIES THIS WEEK  Peggy & Jim McCurry, John Ruhl & Susie Ruhl,

Charlie & Margie Waddell