Journeying Together in Faith!

Dear Trinity Church,

Each year on Kick-Off Sunday, we gather with excitement and hope to begin a new chapter in our shared journey. In these moments, I pray that we reflect on just how much Trinity Church enriches our lives. More than a place of worship; Trinity is our spiritual home—a source of strength that sustains us through the many seasons of life. Faithful stewardship calls us to recommit ourselves to this sacred place, our church home where we gather, grow, and serve.

Stewardship means not only maintaining the physical walls of our beloved church but also nurturing the spiritual and communal bonds that make Trinity a true home for all of us.

To continue this important work, we need your support. Your generosity helps us expand our ministries, care for our sacred space, and ensure that Trinity remains a beacon of hope and faith, both in Princeton and beyond.

As we embark on our 2025 stewardship campaign, I invite you to prayerfully consider how you will support Trinity Church. Whether through financial gifts, volunteering your time, or sharing your talents, every contribution strengthens the fabric of our community and moves us closer to fulfilling our mission. You may make your pledge online here; stewardship letters have been sent via US Postal Service as well.

I am profoundly grateful for all the ways you have supported Trinity Church in the past, and I thank you in advance for your continued generosity. Together, we can embrace the opportunities and meet the challenges before us, ensuring that Trinity remains a welcoming and vibrant spiritual home for all. To that end, I ask you to prayerfully consider making a pledge for the 2025 calendar year. 

Thank you for your faithful generosity and commitment to our beloved Trinity Church.

Forward we go - Journeying together in faith!  

With blessings and gratitude,

Paul

Hurricane Relief

Litany in Response to a Natural Disaster

(Modified)

Holy God, Creator of heaven and earth,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy and Mighty, redeemer of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Immortal One, Sanctifier of the faithful,

Have mercy upon us. 

Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, One God

Have mercy upon us. 

For all those affected by the devastation of Hurricanes Milton and Helene

O Christ, hear us. 

For all who suffer from injury and illness, emotional and spiritual distress. Give them hope and encouragement to meet the days ahead.

O Christ, hear us.

Console all who grieve: those whose loved ones have died, whose families are torn; whose homes have been destroyed, whose possessions have been ruined.

O Christ, hear us. 

In the midst of incomprehensible loss, grant us eyes that see, ears that hear and hands that work so that we may discern how you would have us respond.

O Christ, hear us.

For all churches, agencies, and individuals who assist in relief efforts; continue in them the good work you have begun, through them your presence is made known.

O Christ, hear us. 

Grant your people grace to witness to your word, to open their hearts in love, and to give generously from their abundance, that they may bring forth the fruits of your Spirit.

O Christ, hear us.  

You are our refuge and strength,

   our very present help in trouble.

In you, Lord, is our Hope

   And we shall never hope in vain.

 Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever. Amen.

To support relief efforts:

 Episcopal Relief and Development

https://support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief/?ID=WS24-DRR_240930DPAHR0100&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=fy24hurricanehelene&utm_source=WS24-DRR_240930DPAHR0100

American Red Cross

https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief.html

Local Relief Effort

Important News and Notes from the Rector

Important News and Notes from the Rector

Dear Beloved Community of Trinity,

I’m thrilled to share some exciting updates about the vibrant life at Trinity Church! 

A Fantastic Start to the Year!
We’re experiencing a wonderful surge in attendance and participation across the board. Kara, our beloved “keeper of the numbers,” recently shared this with the Vestry: “Since the start of the program year, we’ve consistently seen over 300 people on Sundays, with an average of 230 attending the 10:30 service. That’s compared to last year, when 180 felt like a ‘good Sunday’ at 10:30. Great things are happening at Trinity—let’s keep the momentum going!”

Kara’s Charts!

Thank you Kara!

Family Ministries Update
Have you noticed more families with young children joining us for worship, choir, and formation? This fantastic news!

However, just before "Kick-off Sunday," we found ourselves unexpectedly needing a new leader for our Family Ministries. While this caused a delay in getting things up and running smoothly, I’m so grateful to our Family Ministries Oversight Committee—Krista Galyon, Luise Lampe, Chris Leavell, and Alicia McCarther—for their hard work and dedication during this transition.

We’ve posted the Family Ministries position and are working diligently to staff our Nursery, recruit Sunday School teachers, and secure leaders for Playful Worship (Children’s Chapel). Thank you for your patience as we rebuild these vital ministries. If you’re interested in volunteering or know someone who might be, please reach out!

 Youth Ministries Update
In case you missed it, we’re thrilled to welcome Donte Milligan as our new Youth Ministry leader! Donte brings great energy and enthusiasm to the role. However, I want to clarify that his part-time position is focused solely on youth, and he is not our Director of Family Ministries.

 Stewardship

Keep an eye out for Stewardship materials arriving in your mailbox next week! A link will also be available on our website. Your financial support is vital to continuing our mission and ministry here are Trinity.

Annual Meeting:

Please note that the Annual Meeting is Sunday, November 10.  This will be a very important meeting as together we speak honestly about our current reality and articulate a vision for the future of Trinity Church. I encourage everyone to participate in this important conversation.

 Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I welcome all conversations—even the difficult ones!

 As I’ve said many times since returning from sabbatical: “It’s good to be home.”
There’s no place like home, no place like Trinity Church.

Blessings to all,

Paul

Contact Fr. Paul

Waffle House!

One of the great gifts of the South is Waffle House. Every time I find myself back "down South," as they say, my Waffle House radar is activated. Open 24 hours a day, Waffle House serves as a safe harbor in an often unpredictable world. People come in at all hours, for all sorts of reasons, and each one of them has a story to tell.

It's early Friday morning, and here I sit in a Waffle House. Some are here after a long night shift, and others getting ready to start their day. A woman sits alone at the counter, meticulously wiping it down as she prepares her glass of sweet tea, and awaiting her scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. The waitress approaches me with a lightness in her step and asks, "Can I get you some coffee, honey?" I place my usual order, and she replies with a smile, "Ok, baby, we’ll have it right up for you." Moments later, faster than expected, the cook brings over my eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. "Here you go, sir. I hope it’s OK. Is that bacon too crispy? I’m happy to make more if it’s not right."

Before long, Lonni, the cook, and I strike up a conversation. I ask, "Do you mind if I make a video?"

This moment reminded me of a video I had made early in my sabbatical, also during an early morning at a Waffle House. Life comes full circle in these quiet, simple moments.

 We all have a story. We have dreams and people we love. We want to be happy. We want a good life and a better one for our children. We’re all just trying to make it in this world, and with a little dignity. Whether you're dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant or sitting in a booth at Waffle House, that’s not the point. It’s about living your life with the people you love, having a dream, and trying to make that dream come true.

 I pray that Trinity Church is a place where people can come as they are, with the truth of their lives, their hopes and dreams, fears and struggles, sadness and joy. A place where, together, we find a safe harbor, and even more so, a home. A home to ground and sustain us on this amazing, challenging, unpredictable, and blessed journey of life.

Peace and Blessings,

Paul

P.S. Just before I left, Lonni came over and said, "Hey, nice talking to you. One day, I want to go back to Michigan. I want to open a diner—like one of those 1950s vintage diners." I gave him my number and said, "I’ll pray for you. You’ll do it! And when you do, call me. Because I’m coming."

Kick-Off Sunday

Dear Good people of Trinity Church,

This Sunday, as you well know, is kick-off Sunday! With the celebration of Labor Day, summer is “officially” over yet we long to hold on to it.  School buses are back on the roads, football season is underway, and fall is just starting to make its presence felt. All of this signals that it’s time for us to come together, to recalibrate, and to prepare for the year ahead. It’s a moment to open ourselves to the possibilities of what God may have in store for us as the people of Trinity Church.

As we live into this new year, I am reminded of the words of the Celtic teacher, J. Philip Newell, who writes, “At key moments of transition in the history of Christianity, inspired Christian teachers have asked, ‘Who is Christ for us today?’” We now find ourselves in such a moment—a significant time of transition not only within the Church but also in our nation and the world. Newell goes on to say, “What are the brokennesses of our world today? What are the battlefields among the nations and the gaping wounds of creation’s body? What are the discords in our communities and the struggles in the most important relationships in our lives?” There is work to be done, Good News to be proclaimed, and love to be shared!

As we embark on this new program year, what will be our role and responsibility in this season? Who is Christ for us today? The ability to articulate clearly and embody fully the answer to that question will determine who we are and what kind of church community we will be.

I so look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

It’s good to be home. 

Let’s go!!

Peace and Blessings,

Paul

Sabbatical Reflection

Dear Good People of Trinity Church,

What an incredible few months it has been! My sabbatical has been a time of profound renewal and joy. It has given me the precious gift of time—to reconnect with my own soul and to share special moments with my family. I’ve traveled more extensively and flown more miles than ever before in my life.

What has made this journey so wonderfully liberating was the knowledge that I have a home and a community filled with love and support. As John O’Donohue beautifully writes in To Bless the Space Between Us, “Home is where the heart is. It stands for the sure center where individual life is shaped and from where it journeys forth.” 

The certainty of our home in Christ and within our beloved Trinity Church community frees us to fully embrace the adventures that life presents, wherever they may lead. We find our grounding and assurance in life’s uncertainties because we are always anchored in God’s love, no matter where our path takes us

Well now the time has come for my travels has come to an end and blessedly the journey has brought me and my family safely home. It’s good to be home! 

I look forward to being with you all on Sunday, September 8th as we Kick-Off our program year and open possibilities of where God will lead us this year!!

Peace and Blessings to all!
Paul

In Gratitude: Remember

Happy Derby Day from Fr. Paul!

Sabbatical

IN GRATITUDE: REMEMBER, REFLECT, AND RENEW

Journeying Through the Seasons of Life with Christ and One Another

Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.
Give us inquiring and discerning hearts,

 the courage to will and to persevere,

 a spirit to know and to love you,

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. 

Amen.

Dear Good People of Trinity,

Tomorrow, I will drive to Kentucky and spend a few days with my mother before heading to the Abbey of Gethsemane for a week-long silent retreat.  Upon my return, there will be a couple of days to prepare before my family and I embark on our exciting adventure to Kenya.  

I am deeply grateful for the gift of this time away. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked so hard to prepare the grant proposal and the subsequent planning and preparation that made this opportunity possible. 

I was profoundly moved on Sunday by your kind words and gestures, sending forth me and my family with great love and support. What a blessing it is to serve as your rector! 

With gratitude and love,