Last Sunday evening, Rev. Heidi Thorsen and Will Oxford welcomed a new member to their family, Naomi Dean Oxford! Heidi, Will, and Selma are beyond happy. We give thanks to God for the gift of life and the love that Naomi will share with her family. Please continue to pray for them as they settle into a new routine of love and kisses. Rev. Heidi will be on maternity leave through the first Sunday of August.
Starting this Sunday, May 4, Rev. Charles Lemert will lead a three-part seminar exploring the place of gender in faith. Each of the writers studied were women of faith who made important cultural and political contributions to American society. The seminars will consist of an introduction followed by discussion. Handouts will be provided, and longer readings can be requested—email lemertcharles@gmail.com.
Schedule:
May 4 – Anna Julia Cooper, "The Colored Woman's Office"
May 11 – bell hooks, "All About Love"
May 18 – Fannie Lou Hammer, "I'm Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired"
Each session takes place at 9:30 a.m. in the undercroft library.
The Rev. Cecil Tengatenga, parishioner and father to Shami and Sekai, will lead our monthly Family Worship Service in the undercroft this Sunday. Join us at 10:35 a.m. for this shorter celebration of the Eucharist where our children are musicians, readers, and gift bearers.
Following the 10:30 service, our Spirit Quest Youth Group will be holding their Beartastic Bake Sale. Support the efforts of our young parishioners by purchasing an item or two! Thank you to all the parishioners who shared their baking talents with us. Cash only donations.
This summer, our Rector, Rev. Luk De Volder, will be on sabbatical from June 16 through October 10. During this professional leave a group of clergy will cover our normal rhythm of Sunday services. The Rev. Peter Sipple, our Priest Associate, will lead our Sunday worship on many Sundays. Also, Rev. Ellen Tillotson, former Associate Rector at Trinity, and her husband Rev. Bill Cavanaugh will be joining us for several Sundays. All in all, between Rev. Heidi Thorson's maternity leave and Luk's sabbatical, there will only be six Sundays during which our regular clergy are not present (Heidi will return to work on the first Sunday of August).
Our Community Care Minister, Lisa Levy, will be present to cover any pastoral calls or coordinate funerals if they occur. To contact the office, Kyle Picha, our Office Manager, and Liz Hanna, our Administrative Administrator, will be present. All three of them will be able to connect you with clergy if need be.
During his sabbatical Luk will take some time to write, follow an executive management course, participate in a practical theology course, spend time with family and friends, and with the Lord for spiritual deepening. In case of emergency, the wardens and the Trinity staff will be able to get a hold of him.
Sabbaticals are recommended for clergy formation and ministry refreshment at least every five years. Details of clergy sabbaticals are processed with the Wardens, the Vestry, and the Bishop.
The Trinity Book Group is meeting at the home of Carolyn Gould in North Haven, on Monday, May 12, at 4:00 p.m. (address provided upon RSVP). We will be discussing The Moffats (or any in that series), a children’s book first published in 1941 by Eleanor Estes (the mother of Helena, one of our members). It tells the story of four young children and their mother who grow up in a small town in Connecticut.
If you would like to join us, or to learn more about the book group, please contact Jenny Briggs. jenniferobriggs@gmail.com
Our Spirit Quest Youth Group is asking parishioners to help them raise funds for the Beardsley Park Zoo by baking items to sell at their Beartastic Bake Sale. Items are needed by Saturday, April 26 so they can be packaged and sold on Sunday, April 27. The proceeds will help take care of the animals. Coming up in May, Questers will be doing some spring cleaning at the zoo as a service project. Can you bake? If you can, contact Angela. family@trinitynewhaven.org
The City of New Haven Earth Day Community Clean Up takes place on Saturday, April 19 and Saturday, April 26 at various locations. For the complete list of locations and times and to sign up, please click HERE.
At Trinity, we list the names of departed loved ones in our Easter bulletin each year. Memorial contributions may be made in their name to support the special offerings of music and flowers at Trinity's Easter services.
If you'd like to memorialize a loved one, please follow these steps:
Submit the names of those you'd like remembered in the bulletin using THIS FORM.
Make a memorial contribution by sending a check to the Trinity office with "Easter Memorial-Flowers" or "Easter Memorial- Music" in the memo line or by using this REALM GIVING FORM.
Memorials must be submitted by Thursday, April 17 at 5 p.m.
We will host a festive reception at the end of the Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 19. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a try of hot cross buns (or another festive Easter item) and leave them at the back of the church as the service begins. Questions? Email Rev. Heidi. hthorsen@trinitynewhaven.org
On Palm Sunday (April 13), at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church New Haven (84 Broadway), Yale ISM students Rachel Segman, Augie Segger, Eliana Barwinski, Mahima Kumara, and Alex Whittington will present James MacMillan's monumental Seven Last Words from the Cross. This work will be performed by an ensemble of local singers and instrumentalists from Yale and the greater New Haven community. Simon Lee, Kyle Picha, and Sarah Reed are members of the ensemble!
"Widely admired as one of MacMillan's finest achievements, his Seven Last Words promises an absorbing and moving experience in concert for performers and audience alike. This cantata follows Christ's final utterances at the crucifixion, meditating on each to form a dramatic and emotional sequence. This is rightly regarded as MacMillan's masterpiece. It is not easy—none of MacMillan's music really is—but what riches there are for those who scale those heights. MacMillan's conviction in this music, stemming from his deep faith, is passionately obvious and could not leave anyone unmoved by this experience." —Paul Spicer
Food banks are facing reduced supplies and increased strain due to a recent $1 billion in federal funding cuts and pauses by the USDA, impacting programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and local food purchasing initiatives.
Milford Senior Center Food Bank—serving seniors, community families, and the unhoused. DONATE HERE
Loaves and Fishes—a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides food, clothing, and access to services that meet our neighbors' basic needs. All donations to Loaves and Fishes are tax-deductible. DONATE HERE
Following our March 9 Service of Lamentation and Healing telling the stories of Lucy & Lois Tritton, we invite members of Trinity and the wider community to donate money towards a grave marker at the unmarked resting place of Lois and her grandson Frederick, at Blake Street Cemetery, to memorialize their important place in New Haven history.
This project is a collaboration between Jill Snyder (community historian), Friends of the Green, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and Trinity on the Green.
The 144th Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting, Program, and Luncheon will be held on Thursday, May 29 at Aqua Turf, 565 Mulberry Street, Plantsville (Southington) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Susan Lee, Ph.D. This is a cherished time to reconnect with old friends, forge new relationships, and come together in worship as we celebrate the impactful work of the Episcopal Church Women in Connecticut. Each Annual Meeting serves as a powerful reminder of God’s grace and presence. There is a suggested donation of $25. The lunch options include a choice of salmon, chicken, or vegetarian lasagna. RSVP to Lisa Levy with your choice of meal! llevy@trinitynewhaven.org
On Palm Sunday, we will offer the usual palm branches to be blessed during the liturgy. But this year, we also will offer special Palm victory crosses for lawn decoration available for a donation. These Palm victory crosses will be in church coming this upcoming Sunday, April 6.
Our Spirit Quest Youth Group is asking parishioners to help them raise funds for the Beardsley Park Zoo by baking items to sell at their Beartastic Bake Sale. Items are needed by Saturday, April 26 so they can be packaged and sold on Sunday, April 27. The proceeds will help take care of the animals. Coming up in May, Questers will be doing some spring cleaning at the zoo as a service project. Can you bake? If you can, contact Angela Arpino and let her know! family@trinitynewhaven.org
Join Children, Youth, & Family Ministry for Sunday Spark this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the undercroft! Rev. Heidi and Deacon Kyle talk about why they chose to do what they do in the Episcopal faith. Join us for this all-ages exploration of the priesthood and diaconate. Bring questions!
As we head into the month of April, it's time to start thinking about our 2025 Christmas Market! Clean out your jewelry box and bring your donation to Trinity. Please place donations in the pink box in the Sexton's Office. Thank you for helping us get a jump start on the Christmas Market.
Questions? Contact Leigh Cromey. leighcromey@gmail.com
The next Trinity Book Group meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 9, at Maria Brandriff's home (address provided upon RSVP). We will be discussing Escape from Mariupol: A Survivor's True Story. We will be joined by Anne Howard who was told the story by Adoriana Marik. It is an incredible true story of an ordinary Ukrainian woman’s perilous journey to freedom in the face of Russia’s invasion in 2022.
If you wish to know more about the book group or to join us for this discussion, please contact Jenny Briggs. jenniferobriggs@gmail.com