Root Yourself in Community at Trinity Church
Dear Trinity Family,
This is a dislocating time, and it’s easy to feel lost in the chaos unfolding around us. Things feel off-kilter, off-center, just off. There’s an increasing sense that we’re in a difficult place and on our own.
I know that feeling. But if you feel lost now, my counsel is: Don’t give up. The gospel reminds us of the lengths to which God will go to save us from isolation. Even in our wandering, God meets us on the road and calls us home, back to one another. Because it’s when we’re united together, especially amid difference, that we most fully experience God’s love.
This fall, I encourage you to put yourself on that path to community here at Trinity Church. Whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime member, there’s room for you. In an uncertain world, know that you already belong here. Come find your people.
Enroll in our world-class Discovery discussion series, now back in session. This season, we’re engaging our faith in new ways so we might face life’s most difficult moments with hope and courage. On October 19, I’m joining to speak on finding the strength to forgive. And consider signing up for Into the Word, our two-semester, seminary-level course where you’ll learn from leading scholars about how to read the Bible not only skillfully but with joy. These days, that joy is key.
Try a church service that’s new to you, like the Choral Evensong coming up on October 29. Led by Trinity Choir, this traditional Episcopal liturgy allows us to step away from life’s busyness and, in the quiet of our hearts, hear God speak to us through song. I hope you’ll be there. Or join us at St. Paul’s Chapel on Sunday evenings for Compline by Candlelight, an ancient service of prayers, improvised musically by our choir, to end the week in peace.
It’s when we’re united together, especially amid difference, that we most fully experience God’s love.”
Have you heard our new pipe organ? It’s truly something, and we’re pulling out all the stops, so to speak, to highlight the magnificent new instrument that will bring the joy of music to our community for years to come. Save your seat for an upcoming PIPES: A Season of Celebration performance. Trinity’s own Avi Stein performs October 15, and our friend and exceptionally talented former associate organist Janet Yieh returns October 23.
Engage your mind and expand your imagination at our Trinity Talks series on the intersection of sacred and civic life. Last week I interviewed Kevin Sack, author of the fascinating Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church. We discussed the radical notion of forgiveness (it’s the topic of the season) as resistance. You can watch the recording of our conversation in St. Paul’s Chapel. And on Sunday we were joined by educator and peacemaker Maya Soetoro, PhD, who spoke with Summerlee Staten about what it means to create peace — first in ourselves, then in our communities — in this time of conflict. Read an interview in which Soetoro talks about storytelling as a tool for change.
Finally, if you want to go deeper, consider joining a parish group that resonates with your passion, whether that’s poetry, caring for the planet, or something in between. Allow yourself to be known in these smaller gatherings.
There’s no shortage of ways to get plugged in here at Trinity, and when all feels lost, that’s a good place to start. Because we’re not on our own; God is already with us, and we are here for one another. Root yourself in this community — and in the love of God that’s been here from the beginning.
Blessings,
Phil
The Rev. Phillip A. Jackson
Rector, Trinity Church