Dear Trinity Church and friends,
Grace and Peace to you on this first day of September! I hope the afternoon finds you and yours well, having enjoyed a summer of warm, good days, and with a glad fall of the same now approaching on a near horizon.
On Sunday, September 13, we will begin a new “Program Year,” that bustling season of congregational life stretching from the first Sunday after Labor Day through early June. On September 13, we will return to our Program Year worship schedule: 8 am, 10 am, and 5 pm, and at the 10 am, we will bless backpacks for our students and teachers returning to school. After that same service, we will gather on the Clarendon Lawn for a community picnic – to include our Annual Parish Photo! On Sunday, September 20, Formation for all ages will return at 11:15 am.
On February 9, 2027, we will commemorate the 150th anniversary of our church buildings’ consecration. Last January, we chose “From These Stones” as the Program Year theme to surround that occasion. While we will share more about the animating and prophetic energies of our theme in the September 13 sermon and during our September 20 and 27 Forums, you may have already noticed a change to the “look-and-feel” of our publication materials.
To announce this Program Year’s arrival, our 150th logo resembles a stamp – an expression of the receiving and sending that “these stones” inaugurate. As our Director of Communications, Brigitta Patterson, explains: “Trinity is a very human place,” and the custom typeface based on the verses in the apse “reflects the imperfections and charms of human craftsmanship.” Brigitta drew the symbols and images of the logo from features of the building, and here you can read more about that creative process.
All of Trinity Church has been aiming for this commemoratory season for well more than a year. With last year’s “Visioning Parties” and the faithful work of the 150th Committee at the vanguard, our planning has been a “for the parish, by the parish” undertaking. In a June presentation, 150th Co-Chair Izzy Allen presented broad themes of the ideas generated by the parish, sorted by the 150th Committee, and prioritized by our Ministry Council Cohorts. Within these themes, the parish energies ranged from grand: under the banner of “Welcome,” a more accessible West Porch; to longer-horizon seeds of wonder: under the theme of “Nourishment,” the renewal of our 5 pm Sunday worship; to community hopes: expressing our commitment to “Justice & Representation,” deepened support of TBC and the commissioning of new art in the building and in our choral repertoire; to brass-tack details: under the bright heading of “Celebrations,” event plans around the February anniversary and next year’s Trinity Sunday on May 23, 2027.
In support of all the above, a broad cohort of parish leaders to include the 150th Committee, Ministry Council, Stewardship Committee, Program Staff, and Vestry, will meet in September for a day retreat facilitated by the Rev. Steven Tomlinson, Ph.D. Trinity will then welcome Dr. Tomlinson – an engaging teacher and business leader, Episcopal priest and playwright – as our guest preacher the morning of September 27. As these plans focus and our priorities firm, look forward to more details in the weeks and months ahead.
For 150 years, God has inspired many and varied graces “From These Stones” of Trinity Church. Come and join this Beloved Community during the Program Year ahead, as we share the great privilege of setting a course for the next 150 years of this holy space’s receiving and sending, welcoming and nourishing, celebrating and loving.
With high hopes,
The Rev. Morgan S. Allen
Rector