Will and Dan from the YMCA Visit Trinity to Talk about the Winter Shelter



Will and Dan from the YMCA seasonal shelter program joined us during Coffee Hour this past Sunday to discuss the upcoming winter shelter season and answer questions from parishioners.

Some take-aways:

• The shelter opens on Sunday December 1. It will close on April 15, 2025.
• It will be open from 7pm to 8am.
• To get into the shelter, people must call 211, and 211 will then take their information and get them on the admission list for the shelter.
• The shelter has a capacity for 11 women in the Lower Chapel, and 19 men in the Upper Parish Hall.
• This has been a strong and successful collaboration with Trinity Church, the YMCA, Community Kitchen, McCall Behavioral Health Network, Greenwoods Counseling, the Torrington Police, and the Mobile Crisis Team.
• Cameras are being installed around the Upper Parish Hall and in the basement, as well as outside and in the parking lot.

Please hold the opening of the shelter in your prayers.

On November 25, Conrad and Mel met with Dan and Will from the Y; DJ from the Community Kitchen; Chief Baldwin and Deputy Chief Barown from Torrington Police; and Deputy Fire Marshall Howell. Some take-aways:

• The Community Kitchen is open Monday through Friday 7am to 1pm (serving breakfast and lunch); Saturdays 10a to 1p (serving lunch); and Sunday from 10a to 6p (lunch and dinner). They also serve dinner Tuesdays and Fridays.
• We would like to allow families to shelter in the rectory living room and the rectory lobby, but the State Fire Marshall did not approve this. Chief Baldwin and the Deputy Fire Marshall would like to see the families on the first floor of the rectory, so Deputy Howell will talk to the state Fire Marshall.
• In the event of a Cold Weather Protocol, our sanctuary can be used as a sanctuary.
• At this meeting, Chief Baldwin asked, "What support do you need from us?" We told him that just asking that question was a welcome sign of support. Will and Dan requested that a police officer "drop in" at the shelter to see the program and connect with staff and guests, so it is proactive rather than reactive.
• We also had a good discussion about loitering. At Trinity, we welcome people who are being fed at the Community Kitchen; or are having appointments with McCall staff; or are attending AA/NA meetings; or are sleeping at the seasonal shelter. We are concerned about people who are loitering or sleeping on the grounds at times when none of these services are being offered. We have noticed a decline in people on the rectory stoop and church steps, as we have posted signs and have been talking to these people.

News about the Homelessness Crisis

Below are two very different articles from the Republican American regarding the unsheltered in Torrington.

EdAdvance Thanksgiving Dinner

EdAdvanced recently hosted a Thanksgiving dinner in our Upper Parish Hall on November 25 for their clients. Over a dozen families enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, rice and beans, and many other tasty sides - and dessert!

Below are some EdAdvance staff members enjoying the grand buffet!

Trinity Church was saddened to learn that Mary Rolfe (widow of George Rolfe) passed away on October 26. She was a long-time parishioner here at Trinity Church, and a friend to many.

You can read her obituary here.

On Tuesday, November 26^th at 9:00 AM, we gathered for the funeral and burial of Mary Rolfe in the sanctuary and memorial garden. Mary and her husband George were longtime members of Trinity, with Mary involved in the music at Trinity and in the wider Torrington community.

Torrington High School will dedicate their upcoming band and orchestra concert to Mary. This concert will be held on December 4 at 7pm in the THS gym. See the flyers below.

The Community Thanksgiving Service was a beautiful event! We had Reverend Scott Cady from St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Reverend Anna Beckman from Full Gospel Lighthouse Church, Reverend Averill Blackburn from Center Congregational Church, and Reverend Carrie Combs from Trinity Episcopal Church. Elizabeth Allyn from Church of Christ Congregational in Norfolk played the organ, and Matthew Valenti from Center Congregational Church played the piano. We also had a choir made up of members from the different churches.

Many thanks to those who made it happen, especially Naomi Cardello.

We'll be holding another directory photo day for those who couldn't make the first one. It will be on Sunday December 1 during and after coffee hour. See Alicia or Mother Carrie with any questions!

And for those unable to attend for whatever reason, feel free to email a current photo of yourself to clergy@trinity-torrington.org so she can save along with the other photos we've taken. Thanks!

A NEW FORMATION SERIES STARTED!

We started a new formation series on Sunday, November 10, on the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. We use "Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together," edited by Charles E. Moore, as a springboard for our discussions. "Following the Call" is a collection of short meditations on various aspects of the Beatitudes by a range of theologians and Christian thinkers such writers as Augustine St. Francis of Assissi, Henri Nouen, Dorothy Sayers, Dorothy Day, Meister Eckhart, Soren Kierkegaard, and many others. 

We will meet again on December 8, and will decide at that point as a group if we'd like to continue with this series.

We hope you can join us, even if you did not attend the earlier discussions.

Save the date: December 14 is a Chorus Angelicus concert at Trinity Church, Torrington. Details to follow.

Support your local artists!

If you have an announcement or event that you would like publicized, or if you are a parishioner involved in an event that you would like to share with the parish, please send it to The Portal at announcements@trinity-torrington.org, and we can then direct your announcement to the best method of communication.