A glimpse at last Saturday's Celebration of the Animals!

October 8, 2026 | Trinity Episcopal Church, Staunton, Virginia

FOR ALL THE SAINTS

Grateful, generous, joyful: that's how the saints have always lived, and it's the spirit of this year's annual giving campaign. Pledge packets for 2027 are waiting for you in the back of the church, so please pick yours up and take some time with it. As you prayerfully consider your pledge, think about what you hope to see God do through Trinity in the year ahead. Then bring your card back on All Saints Sunday, November 1, when we'll gather in every pledge and celebrate the saints of Trinity, past, present, and future.

THIS WEEKEND'S EVENTS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10: STORIES IN THE MORNING, MUSIC IN THE EVENING

At 10:30 am, head to the Staunton Public Library, where storyteller Liza Newell is sharing fall tales with children ages 4 to 10 and their families. It's free, and if the weather turns, the stories move inside to the library's second-floor meeting room.

Then at 5 pm, come back to the church for Music for Good, a pay-what-you-can concert that brings professional and student musicians together, including our own Senior Choristers and Virginia Bolena at the organ. Strings, organ, clarinet, percussion, and choir will appear in various combinations, and every dollar raised goes directly to the Familia Fund, a volunteer-led group of Stauntonians supporting neighbors who are facing detention, deportation, food and housing insecurity, and legal fees.

THIS SUNDAY AT TRINITY

At 9:15 am, join us for Time, Talents and Treasure: The Impacts of Giving, a parish conversation about how decisions get made at Trinity and what our shared giving makes possible. Fr. AJ recorded an invitation, which you can watch here!

Then, after 10:30's family-friendly service with a children's sermon, head to McCracken Hall for our first Fellowship Brunch of the year! If you're an early riser, feel free to come back and join us for a meal around 11:45.

QUICK NOTES

LOST AND FOUND

Some items have been waiting in the lost and found—located in the copy room—for quite a while, and on Monday, October 19, we'll donate whatever's still there. If you think something might be yours, please check sooner rather than later.

JOHNSON STREET ROAD CLOSURE

The first block of West Johnson Street, between Augusta and Lewis Streets, is closed for construction, but our parking lot is open as usual. If you usually turn onto Johnson from Augusta, just come in from Lewis Street or Church Street instead. Street parking on Lewis and Church is available as always.

DID YOU KNOW?

For 21 years, Margaret Pearson has put the water on to boil for Trinity's monthly spaghetti supper—the single first-Tuesday meal that laid the groundwork for all of our Tuesdays at Trinity dinners today. Margaret runs the monthly supper alongside her husband, Oakley, and Mike Amato, who both handle a huge share of the cooking and heavy lifting. Together, their hard work directly benefits our Honduras Missions, a cause deeply personal to Margaret, who has served on several mission trips herself.

Margaret has an unusual ability to feed large numbers of people, drawing us together, deepening friendships, and raising significant support for good work, and that ability shines every fall during Queen City Mischief and Magic. For several years, she has organized the Hogwarts Reunion Banquet, planning the menu, cooking enormous amounts of food, and coordinating the volunteers who transform McCracken Hall into the Great Hall. This year, the banquet raised about $7,500 for Honduras Missions, with an assist from the Hogwarts Pancake Breakfast run by the Stuart Hall Interact Rotary Club. Thank you to every volunteer who helped make both events happen! And thank you, Margaret, for your years of dedicated service!

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

COMING UP IN FORMATION

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18: JESUS AND A "REAL" MAN WITH FR. AJ

The boys are not alright. Countless studies, numerous personal anecdotes, and multiple metrics all point to a difficult environment for young men. The causes are many and debatable, and the voices raised to address the problem are not always helpful, sometimes even toxic. Join Fr. AJ on Sunday, October 18, at 9:15 am to discuss how the life and teachings and the death and resurrection of Jesus speak to a healthy, strong, and loving masculinity.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18: TRINITEENS BIBLE STUDY

Triniteens meet after the 10:30 service for Bible study. There will be pizza!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1: SHARING OUR SAINTS

On All Saints Day, all of our formation classes are coming together at 9:15 am in McCracken Hall for Sharing Our Saints, an all-parish gathering for every age. Between now and then, think about the saints in your own life, living or gone, and choose one small object that reminds you of one of them: a dog-eared recipe card, a well-loved hymnal, a fishing lure, a photograph, a garden trowel. Bring it with you, and come ready to tell us a little about the person behind it.

SHOP LOCAL FOR THE NURSERY



Our littlest parishioners’ toys and books have been through a lot this year, and it's time to replace a few things for the youngest ones in our nursery. We have a wish list waiting at Pufferbellies Toys and Books here. Give the store a call at 540-886-3516, or pop in at 15 W. Johnson Street and ask about Trinity's nursery list.

NURSERY AND KIDS CLUB HELPERS NEEDED!

We still need volunteers to cover the nursery on some dates when our staff are away, and it would be tremendously helpful if a few people could volunteer their time with our youngest parishioners. Here's where we need you most:

Sunday, November 29, 8:45 am to 12 pm: 2 volunteers

Sunday, December 13, 8:45 am to 12 pm: 1 volunteer

Sunday, December 20, 8:45 am to 12 pm: 1 volunteer

If you can spend a few hours with board books, blocks, and small people, please reach out to Ana by phone at 540-886-9132 or email admin1746@trinitystaunton.org. Thank you!

TUESDAYS AT TRINITY

Daughters of the King are providing nachos with all the fixings for Tuesdays at Trinity dinner on October 13. Supper is by free-will donation (suggested $5), and it supports Haiti Collaborative.

Come early and make an evening of it. Writing Our Faith is up and running at 4:30 pm in the Gooch Room, and there's always room for one more. At 5 pm in the Foster Room, the Rector's Book Group continues José Andrés's Change the Recipe, a book about feeding people.

COME SAY HELLO AT PRIDE!

Thank you! All of our volunteer spots for Staunton Pride filled up so quickly, and we're thrilled. You can still be part of the fun, though. Trinity is tabling with our friends at Emmanuel on Saturday, October 17, from noon to 5 pm, so come enjoy an afternoon at Gypsy Hill Park and stop by our booth to say hello. We'll be there chatting with people, handing out some swag, and sharing the good news of God's love for all people.

[creating + connecting] Arts at Trinity

Beginning in November, Trinity will host a monthly gathering/reading/open space for artists in all disciplines, and for everyone who wants to experience what they make. Each month's theme is drawn from Trinity's music program, and each gathering falls a week after that month's concert. November's theme is Thin Spaces: All Hallows, All Saints and All Souls, when, as ancient Celtic tradition tells it, the veil between this world and the next is thin.

Artists are invited to create a piece of five minutes or less in response, due Wednesday, November 4. Hear the All Saints Concert on Sunday, November 1, at 5 pm, then come back for [creating + connecting] on Sunday, November 8, at 5 pm in the Church.

Free and open to the public, with refreshments to follow. Fliers with all the details are in the back of the church. Take one for yourself, and one for the poet or painter you know. Contact Rev. Cara if you have questions!

WESTWOOD HILLS BOOK DRIVE

Help Westwood Hills Elementary rebuild their library. We’re collecting donations of new or used fiction and non-fiction for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade in the green box in the back of the church. During the week you can bring your donations to the copy room. 

ADVENT WREATH WORKSHOP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT EMMANUEL

Our neighbors at Emmanuel are inviting us to make Advent wreaths with them! Bev Coffman will lead a workshop on Sunday, November 15, at around noon (after Emmanuel's service) in their Fellowship Hall, just in time to have your wreath ready for the first Sunday of Advent. Wreaths will cost about $20 to $28 each, and Bev needs a headcount to order supplies, so if you'd like to join, please let Barbara Damico know by Thursday, October 15, at bcdamico@gmail.com or 540-290-9155.

SPOOKY ORGAN CONCERT • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 4 PM

Come in costume on Halloween afternoon for an organ concert that's just spooky enough. It's free and open to all, and not just for kids.

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG

Father AJ's October 4 sermon:

Practicing Gratitude and Generosity

A Note from Fr. AJ: Stewards of Our Vote

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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