August 20, 2026 | Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton, Virginia

DISCOVERY SUNDAY & PANCAKE BREAKFAST



How do we look after each other, and how do we serve beyond our doors? Come find out over pancakes at 9:15 this Sunday in McCracken Hall. Fellowship, mission and outreach, and pastoral care, all in one room.

Father AJ has already made the case, with a spatula.

The last Discovery Sunday is August 30, in the church, and it turns to the ministries of worship, from the altar guild to the choir to the folks handing you a bulletin.

RESPOND BY MONDAY, AUGUST 24

THE MISSION & OUTREACH COMMITTEE WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU

Trinity supports a good deal of work beyond our walls, from Noon Lunch and SACRA to Grace House and the Virginia Haiti Collaborative, and the committee is trying to get a clearer picture of what parishioners know about, what you would help with, and what you think we should be taking on next. The survey takes about five minutes. Please respond by August 24. bit.ly/tri-outreach26

BREAKING BREAD SUPPER GROUPS

Small groups, shared meals, three months. Starting September 9, six to twelve people from Trinity gather for supper once a month. The host provides the main course and everyone else brings the rest. It is a way to get to know people you may only see across the church. You can sign up to come, sign up to host, or volunteer as convenor, the one who calls everybody and pins down the dates. Groups can gather in a home, at McCracken Hall, or out somewhere with a big enough table.

Sign up here by August 24!

DID YOU KNOW?

Kay Buchanan is the volunteer pianist for our chorister program, which means she’s at rehearsals every week with the Junior and Senior Choristers, learning every piece they sing. Beyond the weekly commitment, Kay goes to Shrine Mont for the Senior Choristers’ retreat, plays for Choir Camp in June, and once spent a week in England helping chaperone the choristers during the residency at Wells Cathedral. She’s stepped in as director for the Parish Choir more times than we can count! Kay sang in the choir here for years, and these days you’ll also find her ringing in the Handbell Choir and lending a hand with the Youth Handbells.

Know someone who keeps things running behind the scenes and deserves a moment of recognition? Tell Katie so we can feature them. We have a lot of people to thank!

communitylife@trinitystaunton.org or 580-579-8493

INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST ON AUGUST 30

Where do our prayers come from? Who chooses the scripture? What are vestments and why does anyone wear them? Why does the priest make certain gestures, and why do some people cross themselves during worship?

On August 30, at the 10:30 service, instead of a sermon and anthems, we celebrate an Instructed Eucharist, a service that breaks the fourth wall in order to explain the meaning and history behind what we do.

Our 8 am Rite I service is unchanged.

THE PROGRAM YEAR BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1!

Tuesdays at Trinity resume September 1. Kids Club runs from 4 to 6 pm, whether or not your child is a chorister, so drop them off, join a small group, or use the time however you like. Writing Our Faith meets at 4:30 pm, and the Rector's Book Group meets at 5 pm to discuss chapters one and two of Karen González's The God Who Sees, the first book of the year, which gives you twelve days to get hold of a copy. Choristers and Youth Handbell Choir rehearse. Dinner is at 6 pm, and the first one is the Spaghetti Supper for Honduras Missions, followed by a Taizé service in the church.

If you've never come to Tuesdays at Trinity, here's how it works. From 4 to 6 pm, there's something for every age, choirs and small groups and Kids Club. Then we share a meal at 6 pm.

Dinner is a suggested free will offering of $5, and it goes somewhere different each week: Honduras Missions on the first Tuesday, the Haiti Collaborative on the second, Valley Supportive Housing on the third, and the Chorister Program on the fourth.

Registration is Open!

Sunday School, Choristers, Handbells, and Acolytes

Sunday School begins September 6 and offers age-appropriate ways for children and youth to explore their faith, from Montessori-inspired Bible learning for our youngest to creative projects, study, service, and fellowship for older students.

The Chorister Program, for children in kindergarten through high school, begins September 1 and meets Tuesdays as part of Tuesdays at Trinity. Choristers rehearse weekly and sing regularly in worship. Youth Handbell Choir also meets Tuesday evenings and starts the same week.

New This Year: Triniteens Every Sunday!

Triniteens, our youth group for middle and high school age students, now meets every Sunday at 9:15 am, and on second Sundays the group stays after church for pizza and a longer afternoon together! 

Register for all youth programs here.

ORGAN CONCERT IN MEMORY OF GEORGE TAYLOR • Sept 6

On Sunday, September 6 at 5 pm, William Porter will present an Organ Concert in Memory of George K. Taylor. Porter is an internationally known organist and teacher, and a friend and colleague of George's. 

George, the beloved husband of Carol Taylor, Trinity's Music Director from 1988 - 2010, was a faithful member of the congregation and the choir, as well as half of the brilliant Taylor & Boody partnership that designed and crafted our splendid organ and many others around the world. He was a gentleman, an artist, an intellect, a passionate lover of God's creation, and a dear friend to many at Trinity.  

All are welcome to a reception following the concert to greet Bill and to remember George.

Clergy, staff, lay leaders, and volunteers all need current certification, and the diocese is offering a Safe Church, Safe Communities training over Zoom on Tuesday, August 25 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

Good time to get it done before the program year begins! Register here.

Youth Pilgrimage to New Orleans

Fresh off a leadership retreat at Phoebe Needles, the diocesan youth office has opened registration for next summer's pilgrimage to New Orleans, June 26 to July 2, for current 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. A $300 deposit is due October 30. Learn more here.

IN OUR COMMUNITY

Caleb Nolen's Afterlight

Parishioner Caleb Nolen's first book of poems, Afterlight, came out in June from the University of Utah Press. It won the 2025 Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry, selected from the year's manuscripts by poet Jennifer Chang.

He'll be reading from it on Saturday, August 29 at 7 pm at New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville, alongside poet Devon Walker-Figueroa. The reading is free and open to all. Learn more here.

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG

Rev. Cara's August 16 sermon

The Mercy of a Maple Tree

Sunday Service Times

Please join us for Sunday services:

8:00 am (Rite I)

10:30 am (Rite II)

Join Us Virtually!

Live-Streamed Services

We live-stream each Sunday's 10:30 am Eucharist (and special services) on our YouTube channel.

How To Submit Prayer Requests

Email prayer requests to Katie Faulkner, communitylife@trinitystaunton.org, by Tuesday at 6 pm for publication in the following Sunday bulletin. Please secure the permission of the person for whom prayers are requested. Full or partial names are permitted. Submitted names remain on the prayer list for four Sundays, after which they're removed unless a request is submitted to continue for an additional term.

Sharing Milestones and Accomplishments

Send personal accomplishments to Autumn Nolen, communications@trinitystaunton.org, by Tuesday at 6 pm for inclusion in Thursday’s weekly email. If you’re submitting something on someone else’s behalf, please first confirm that they’re comfortable with it being shared.

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