Why I Pledge to Trinity Church
Comments by
Carol
Davidson on November
1, 2009
Trinity on the Green, New Haven, CT
Decades ago, I was baptized and confirmed here at Trinity. I attended all twelve grades of Sunday school and I sang in the first girl's choir. I met the young man who later became my husband in our very active Young People's Fellowship. When I was in college I was active in Canterbury Club, a national Episcopal organization for college youth and I was selected to be the female representative from the Diocese of Connecticut to the first national conference for Episcopal college youth. My educational and spiritual experience nurtured by my family and Trinity contributed immensely to my receiving this honor and to the many years I continued to be a faithful and active Episcopalian.
My husband and I were married here and we both taught Sunday school at the parish house at 53 Wall Street until we moved to Northford. Leaving Trinity for a small suburban church was not an easy decision. My husband felt very strongly that our children should be raised in a parish where they would be with children from our community, though both of our daughters returned to Trinity to be married. (Young brides want long aisles and beautiful churches in which to be married.) We joined the small parish and had a rewarding experience, meeting new people, sharing in the joys and sorrows of a community of worshipers and participating in the multitude of committees, including my ten years as a delegate to the New Haven Deanery and my husband as Junior Warden in the parish.
Time changes many things. The beloved rector left, we battled over the new prayer book, the ordination of women, the politics of the parish, joining a cluster and the loss of income as people left. We left too. My husband was completely disillusioned and he stayed home while I tested the waters of the Charismatic movement, the Anglo/Catholic movement, the Evangelical movement and, finally, no movement at all. While I was on my sabbatical from organized religion, Olive Getlein and others from Trinity continued to take care of my mother's spiritual needs. She lived to be 105, and at the time of her death, she was the oldest living member of Trinity.
One Sunday, ten years ago, after many years of no significant church attendance, I realized that it was Advent Sunday, the beginning of the new church year. I had this overwhelming need to hear the Trinity Boy's Choir sing, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". I entered the church and I knew I had come home. I guess the Holy Spirit was at work that day because the choir sang the hymn and I haven't heard it on the first Sunday of Advent since. Seriously, others in these talks have mentioned Trinity as "home." Home means comfort, acceptance, renewal and refreshment. My greatest regret is that I waited so long to come home. You welcomed me, you took me in and most importantly my spiritual life has been renewed.
During recent years, due to special circumstances, I have worshipped in twenty-five churches in this diocese. These parishes have beautiful buildings, but too many have few children, young adults and members under the age of fifty. At Trinity, we have children, young adults, growing families and granted a few gray hairs, too. We are vibrant, diverse, committed to our community and to each other. We are followers of Christ, our Lord. We welcome, we sing, we smile, we comfort. We are blessed. I support our mission with time, talent and money. Please commit your time, talent and money for this our "blessed Trinity."