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Many thanks to the Rev. Heidi Truax who celebrated Eucharist with us this past Sunday.

This Sunday October 25 at 9am, the Rev. Jim Wheeler returns to celebrate Eucharist with us. We hope you can join us!

November Celebrations! 

We will have much to celebrate in November! 

On the 8th, we will gather our pledges to Trinity in a special service. We will then gather for a special coffee hour to celebrate our commitment to the church and one another. In addition, we will welcome staff from the Northwest CT YMCA who will help us learn more about our guests at the NW CT Emergency Cold Weather Shelter, which is scheduled to open 1 December 2026. Please be sure to join us for this full, rich day!

On the 22nd, we will welcome our new Rector, Father E. Wayne Rollins as we celebrate The Eucharist for the first time together. We will then welcome him at another special coffee hour, featuring full breakfast, complete with cake for dessert! Rich and Tiffany Santiago, Ella Frauenhofer, and Mary and Bobby Naeher are working on this event. Please contact one of them if you would like to contribute to this celebration!

Trinity has a New Rector!

Please click here to read the official announcement from our Senior and Junior Wardens.

************

A Short Biography from Trinity’s New Rector, the Rev. E. Wayne Rollins

I was born and raised outside Charleston, West Virginia, and attended a non-denominational

fundamentalist church until the middle of my college years. I hold a BS degree in Education, and have

been certified to teach Music in grades K-12. I hold a Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance

from Westminster Choir College. A highlight of my time there was singing in a choir of 200+ in the first

choral performance on a Live from Lincoln Center presentation of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.

I have served as Organist/Choirmaster/Music Director in Presbyterian, United Methodist, Roman

Catholic and Episcopal churches. I have also taught music courses on the college level, including two

classes each quarter in a maximum security prison in southern Ohio.

Subsequent study in the Fine Arts followed. Then after a few years of discernment, I obtained the

Master of Divinity Degree from The Methodist Theological School of Ohio. I was ordained a Deacon in the West Virginia Conference, but left after a few years. I explain that time as taking a long hike in boots

that don’t fit.

After a few years of trying anything but churchwork, including sales and as a licensed social

worker, I returned to the Episcopal church in Charleston, singing in the choir and sometimes playing the organ. I began exploring ordination there, resulting in ordination to the diaconate and priesthood in 2004.

I’ve served Episcopal parishes in West Virginia, Maine, Ohio, Michigan, and Delaware. I also

served four years as Pastor in an Evangelical Lutheran congregation in southern Ohio after a year-long

Clinical Pastoral Education residency in a nearby medical center.

I look forward to working in ministry in northwest Connecticut, and making new friends as we

spread the Good News of Christ Jesus together.

Stewardship - Your help in planning for our future

Over the next 60 days, your Vestry will be creating a budget for 2027.

Much of that budget is made up of known quantities – the salaries of our staff, insurance costs, the fact that Eversource wants to raise our electricity rates by more than 25% - you know – the same stuff that you think about when you are making financial decisions for yourself and your family.

But what if you didn’t have any idea how much income you had? What if you didn’t know whether your employer was going to pay you the same amount next month? Or if your annuity was going to be the same next month? Or if Social Security was going to be totally different next quarter?

You couldn’t live that way, right? I know I couldn’t.

Trinity’s budget relies on promises that we make. Those promises are known as pledges and they make up the majority of the income which allows this parish to do everything we do! Our pledges, our promises, allow the Vestry to understand how to budget for the year ahead. But they do more than that.

Our pledges signify our commitment not only to doing our best to assure that the work here continues but also our commitment to everything which Trinity stands for in the world.

Our pledges signify our willingness to continue as followers of Jesus, to spread the Good News in the world, to work toward healing the pain and suffering with which this world exists every day. They signify our willingness to be good Stewards of God’s Word in this world, to be good stewards of this physical plant and good stewards of the mission of this parish.

Now no one will ever tell you how much you should pledge. And if they do, please immediately and kindly ask them to mind their own business. Conrad and I have been working toward tithing 10% of our income for years. And while we have not gotten there yet, we continue to keep our eye on that prize. But I know that I speak for your Junior Warden Ella Frauenhofer, your Treasurer Jessica Magda and your entire Vestry when I beg of you to pledge SOMETHING.

A dollar a week. A dollar month. A dollar a year.

The amount of your pledge is a private matter between you, your family and God. Only Trinity’s Treasurer and Bookkeeper will ever know your pledge amount. Your promise to Trinity will never, ever be the subject of conversation in any committee or Vestry meeting.

All pledges, whether for ten thousand dollars a year or a dollar a year are critically important in the future of Trinity Torrington. So I beg of you to prayerfully consider what you can offer to Trinity, with God’s help, and join us as we gather our promises to Trinity, to God and to one another together on the 8^th of November.

~Lydia

SOUND HEALING
Returns on November 7, December 5 and January 2!

SOUND HEALING returns to Trinity Torrington! Join us for a highly relaxing hour of singing bowls and guided meditation from Richard Ruiz, a local practitioner. His rain drum is a neat new sound, too!

Sound Healing will be held on Saturday November 7, December 5, and January 2 at 1p. SAVE THOSE DATES NOW!

Sit in a pew, or bring a yoga mat or blanket if you wish to enjoy this hour lying down.

The session is free but donations are appreciated.

We have started a new book in Formation on Sunday, Oct 11, the Gospel of John! Some of us will also be reading The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary, by David F. Ford, but that is not a requirement for participation. We will look each week at short passages from John, working our way through this important Gospel and taking time to discuss its riches.

Please consider joining us! 

Attention all book lovers, C.S. Lewis lovers, fellowship and discussion lovers:

We have begun, in partnership with Trinity Lime Rock, a monthly discussion group to read and explore C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Lewis, famed Oxford professor, scholar, and Anglican writer gave a series of radio addresses making a case for the essentials of the Christian faith, and later put these into book form. Speaking during WWII, he was clearly addressing the relevance of Christian faith in a time of violence, tribalism, and existential conflict between democracy, fascism, and terror. Given our world today, his thoughts continue to have resonance.

Please consider joining us! Our reading and discussion schedule is below. Even though we've started, each session can stand on its own and feel free to jump in at any point. We meet from 7-8 PM in the Upper Parish Hall and online. See Bobby Naeher or Ella Frauenhofer for more details. All readings are from Mere Christianity. 

• Nov. 15- Book 4: 7-11

Questions? Contact Bobby Naeher.

COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We definitely need some people to step forward and host Coffee Hour.

Remember - 
no hosts, no Coffee Hour.

Hosting Coffee Hour is very easy and very appreciated! Just sign up for a date, then bring in some snacks (home-made or store-bought), set up the table, percolate percolate percolate, then clean up.

If you have any questions, please ask Ella, Tiffany or Richard. The sign-up is in the Upper Parish Hall.

Happenings Around Town and Beyond...

An Evening with Senator Chris Murphy at the National Cathedral - via Zoom!

Wednesday, Nov 18 | 7 pm

Join U.S. Senator Chris Murphy in conversation with Dean Randy for an evening exploring the challenges facing civic life today. Drawing from his new book, Crisis of the Common Good, Senator Murphy will discuss trust, connection and what it means to rebuild a sense of shared purpose across differences.

Click here for details and registration.

Come Away to Camp Washington for Thanksgiving!

Rooms available Wednesday and Thursday nights

November 25-27, 2026

Join us for a Thanksgiving Celebration with delicious food & the exceptional hospitality you have come to expect at Camp Washington.

Join us for one night, two, or just for Thanksgiving Day and dinner. Come with family, friends, or come alone and make new friends. There is a place for you at the table!

Relax by the fire, participate in worship, go for a hike, do a puzzle, take a nap, read a book, watch the game or just simply be. Leave the holiday stress behind.



Come away to Camp Washington and make our Thanksgiving tradition yours.



Thanksgiving Dinner Menu:

Roast Turkey with brown butter gravy

Butternut squash and goat cheese gratin

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Green Beans and crispy shallots

Cornbread stuffing with apples and sausage

Honey roasted carrots with carrot top pesto

Fresh cranberry sauce

Brussel Sprouts with candied bacon and walnuts

Spring greens

Assorted dinner rolls

Traditional pies with Kimberly Farms ice cream  



Thanksgiving Day Ticket includes Meals & Activities    9 AM - 6 PM    

$60.00 per person   

Pricing for overnights & additional meals is available by clicking the Registration link.

Thanksgiving at Camp Washington tentative schedule:

Wednesday, Nov 25 - Thanksgiving Eve    

3 PM: Arrival / Check-In    

6 PM: Dinner - for overnight guests

Thursday, Nov 26 - Thanksgiving Day    

8:30 AM: Breakfast - for overnight guests

9AM: Continental Breakfast available - for day guests

9AM - Noon: Macy's Parade Viewing / Hiking / Walking / Puzzles / Games / Crafts    

Noon: Thanksgiving Day Eucharist    

2 PM: Thanksgiving Dinner    

3:30 - 6 PM: Afternoon Activities    

6:30 PM: "Leftovers" Supper - for overnight guests

Friday, Nov 27 -         

9 AM: Breakfast - for overnight guests

11 AM: Check-Out / Departure

THEOLOGY VIA MEMEOLOGY

Thanks to Alicia Kirsch Withnell for the above image!

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.

This newsletter was created by a human being, 
not by Artificial Intelligence.

You're welcome.