Worship With Us at Trinity Church

Sunday, 22 December

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

10:00 AM

Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Church

and live-streamed via YouTube

Trinity Church YouTube

Tuesday, 24 December

Christmas Eve

7:00 PM - Choral Prelude

7:30 PM - Christmas Eucharist

with use of incense in the Church and

live-streamed via YouTube

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Trinity's Sunday Guest Presider / Preacher

Cn. Sarah Woodford

Christmas Music and Flowers

Church by the Pond - 21 December

A Message from the Transition Prayer Team

Kathryn Lees - Out of Office

Office Closed on Wednesday - 25 December

Notes on Year End Giving

Watch Night - 31 December

Volunteer Thank You

Christmas Offering for AFEDJ-2024

Advent 2024 at Trinity Church

Exciting News: Transition Team Committees Formed!

Book Group - 31 January

Join Our Choir! You’re Invited!

Open Position at Trinity

Prayer List Requests

Calendar

News from the Diocese



During this time at Trinity we will be blessed to welcome visiting priests as presiders and preachers for our Sunday services. In order for you to get to know a bit about them before they arrive on Sunday, please take the time to read their biographies.

Please Welcome Cn. Sarah Woodford

Trinity is delighted to welcome Cn. Sarah Woodford as Sunday’s presider and preacher.

Sarah Louise Woodford is ECCT’s Canon for Communication & Media. She has ten years of experience in lay ministry and communication strategies for religious non-profits. She lives in New Haven with a black Manx cat named Lady and is working on her first novella.

If you would like to contribute to the 2024 Christmas flowers and music in memory of a friend or family member, or as an offering of thanksgiving, please fill out the form below by Monday, December 23 at 9 am. Checks, which may be for any amount, should be made payable to Trinity Church and earmarked "Christmas Memorials" and sent to the parish office. Names of those in whose memory contributions have been made will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. 



Christmas Flowers and Music Form

There will also be paper copies of the form in Goodwin Hall on Sunday, December 22nd

Church by the Pond - December 21

Trinity's next opportunity to participate in this ministry led by Christ Church Cathedral is Saturday, December 21.

- We'll meet in the Trinity kitchen at 12:30 to prepare bag lunches, entering through the outside door to the kitchen.

- At 1:45 we'll bring those lunches to Bushnell Park, where we'll participate in the worship service by the pond. 

- We'll offer our lunches and additional items following the service, and finish around 3:00.

All parishioners and families are welcome! Please contact Percy Williamson or Penny Pearson if you have any questions, or to note that you are planning to participate.

A Message from the Transition Prayer Team

As we continue to lift Trinity Church and our pastoral transition, please join us for a few minutes of prayer in the Memorial Chapel after the Postlude at the conclusion of the Sunday service. Members of the Prayer Team include George Chien, Nancy Crandall, Cathy Rowe, Kate Smith and Peter Vreeland. If you want to join us via Zoom, speak to one of the members for more information.

Kathryn Lees will be out of the office from Tuesday,

December 24 to Thursday, December 26.

Bulletins for Sunday, December 29 will be prepared and printed by Monday, December 23.

Please have any information you’d like included to Kathryn (office at trinityhartford.org) by Monday, December 23 at 9 am.

Thanks so much!

The office will be closed on Wednesday, December 25 in observance of Christmas!

Notes on Year End Giving

For your contributions of cash or checks to appear on your 2024 year-end statement, please note the following. If you are dropping off a check, it must be received in the Trinity Church office by Sunday, December 29^th. Anything mailed must be postmarked by 12/31/2024 and any on-line contributions must be in by 12/31/2024.

If you plan to donate by stock to Trinity Church, please contact Financial Manager, Tom Villano at finance at trinityhartford.org or 860-527-8133 ext. 206 before you or your broker initiate the stock transfer. Stock transfers can take up to two weeks.

REMINDER: Please make every attempt to turn in your 2025 Pledge Card before the year’s end.

Please contact the office (office at trinityhartford.org) if you need a pledge card.

Thank you for your support of Trinity Church!

Volunteer Thank You!

Thank you to the volunteers who came in to the office on Tuesday, December 17th to prepare candles for the Christmas Eve service! Your help was greatly appreciated!

Christmas Offering for AFEDJ-2024

The Vestry has designated that loose plate and special envelope offerings from Christmas will be sent to the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. The Diocese of Jerusalem spans across Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon and, through its schools, hospitals, and other institutions, meets a wide variety of needs, regardless of religious or ethnic identity. AFEDJ is an organization that raises funds to support these institutions and the ministries they provide.

In this time of war in Gaza, it is especially important that we support the ministry of the Ahli Hospital and all the other organizations that AFEDJ assists. Life in the entire Palestinian Territories has been uprooted. By helping the ministry and mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem we are an active part of living into and working for the peace that is so desperately needed. Please be generous!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers.” Psalm 122:7-8

Advent 2024 at Trinity Church

The Flower Guild of Trinity Church invites you to share in preparing our sacred space for the Season of Advent. Advent is a period of four Sundays preceding Christmas, this year beginning on December 1st.

As in the past, we will decorate the windowsills of the nave with manger scenes (also called creches or nativities.) Many such nativities have been donated over the years but there is always room for more. If you would like to give or loan a creche this Advent, please bring it in to church on Sunday in November or December. We especially enjoy nativities reflecting a diversity of traditions and ethnicities, and in various styles of artistry.

Manger scenes will remain on display through the Christmas season and will be removed after Epiphany. 

Through the Advent season our Advent wreath will be lit each Sunday, and greenery and candles will begin to fill our space and our entryways. The church’s large nativity will be placed in the baptistry. After the 10 AM service on Sunday, December 22, there will be a Hanging of the Greens, where volunteers are invited to help change the hangings on the altar and in the nave from Advent blue to Christmas white and red. We’ll arrange poinsettias and other Christmas flowers that day, hang wreathes and garlands, and generally prepare the space for Christmas Eve, when we will celebrate with one service at 7:30 PM. 

Your help in making all these things happen will be much appreciated.

Exciting News: Transition Team Committees Formed!

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in the Transition Meeting, whether in person or in spirit, led by Rev. Cn. Tim on Sunday, November 24. Your presence, prayers and engagement are a testament to the strength and unity of our parish.

During the meeting, we invited volunteers to join four key committees to guide us through this important time of transition. We are thrilled to announce that this call to action was met with tremendous enthusiasm! Many parishioners have stepped forward, and we are deeply grateful for their willingness to contribute their time, talents and faith to this vital work.

As we move forward, we are especially grateful for the Prayer Committee and their commitment to lifting our parish and its work in prayer. We ask that you keep the entire Transition Team in your prayers as they begin this meaningful journey.

Below is the list of committee members who have graciously volunteered to serve:

Anne Rapkin (may she rest in peace)

Martha Freimuth

Susan Post

Everett Post

Kevin Rennie

Casey Rousseau

Amy Arlin

Peter Green

Penny Pearson

Linda MacGougan

Alan Rice

Liz Kirkpatrick

Kate Byroade

Mark MacGougan

Betty Plumley

Paul Zimmerman

Cathy Rowe

Nancy Crandall

Kate Smith

George Chien

Leslyn Odom Clark

Jacqueline Lucier

Thank you again to all who have stepped up to support our church community during this time of transition. Your dedication is truly a blessing, and together, we trust that God will guide us every step of the way.

With gratitude and hope,

Jacqueline Lucier and Leslyn Clark

Wardens, Trinity Church

Book Group - January 31

Trinity's Book Group kicks off the new year with the book The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, the book is set in Kerala, India, and follows three generations of a family that is part of a Christian community that traces itself to the time of the apostles. The meeting will be on Friday, January 31st, from 7-9 pm, at the home of Steve Zhitnik in West Hartford. Everyone's welcome to attend Book Group meetings, whether it's regularly or just once! We start with dessert, and the book discussion follows. Please let Steve know if you plan to attend (s.zhitnik@snet.net) so he'll know how many goodies to prepare; some may even be from Kerala!  

Join Our Choir! You’re Invited!

We know you’ve heard it before, but we want to remind you: Everyone is welcome to join our choir! Whether you’re a seasoned singer or just love to make a joyful noise, there’s a place for you here.

Why Join?

• Share your love of music
• Build friendships within our church community
• Enrich our worship experience together

When: Rehearsals every Thursday, 7:00 -8:30 p.m.

Where: The Choir Room 

Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to connect and contribute! If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to reach out to the Director of Music, Markus Centola, email: mcentola@trinityhartford.org.

Position Open at Trinity Episcopal

Trinity Episcopal Church is looking to fill an anticipated opening for a Part-time Parish Administrator. Spread the word if you know someone that might be interested in applying for the position. The job requirements and application materials can be found on the ECCT website: https://www.episcopalct.org/open-positions/parish-job-listings/

Prayer List

Should you like a name added to the Prayer List, please contact the office at office at Trinityhartford.org or 860-527-8133 ext. 204.

Please note that unless the office is otherwise notified, the name will be on the list for 4 weeks and then removed.

News from the Diocese

Click the link below to read up on what's going on in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

ECCT Newsletter - December 18, 2024

eVoice Deadline

All announcements should be submitted to the office at office@trinityhartford.org by Wednesday 9am for publication that week. Announcements that are submitted late will be held until the following week’s edition.