Fellowship

Pastoral Care

Formation (Children, Youth
& Adult)

Newsletter

Special Events & Calendar

Our Coffee Hour

We host a weekly Coffee Hour and Continental Breakfast after all three Sunday services where parishioners can gather over a cup of coffee, pastries, fruit, and other goodies, and catch up. This is a great time to reflect on the sermon, find out about upcoming Trinity events or simply socialize. On the third Wednesday of the month, following the 12:10 service, the Souper Seniors gather in the upper parish hall for a luncheon. This group shares a hot meal and occasionally sponsors a speaker. The Men’s Breakfast (second Saturday of the month at 9 AM) and the Women’s Eve-ning (third Friday of the month at 7 PM) combine social time with lively discussion. The Women’s Eve-ning also includes Bible study.

All are welcome to join in these ongoing fellowship events.

Our faith and the spiritual life can be a great comfort to us in difficult times as well as a reason for joyous celebration in the wonderful works of God. On occasion, it becomes important to discuss our thoughts and feelings with a compassionate, confidential and trained listener. Trinity offers a number of resources for these moments. The Clergy at Trinity are always willing to arrange a private meeting at a convenient time and can also direct parishioners in need of special services- counseling, mental health or finanical assistance, susbstance abuse issues- to the proper resources in our community. Stephen Ministers, a team of trained lay people, provide longer term, one-on- one care to those experiencing a life transition, a sudden loss, or for those who would benefit from time spent with a compassionate caregiver for issues of grief and bereavement or divorce. Other pastoral matters that engage the Trinity community are caring for our homebound parishioners, those in the hospital, and those who live in nursing facilities. Trinity’s team of Eucharistic Visitors are lay people who are licensed through the Bishop’s office to take communion to shut-ins. It is important for parishioners to make their pastoral needs known to the clergy so we can care for them in these important times.

A Message from our Director of Children’s and Youth Ministries:

At Trinity Episcopal Church we believe that Christian Formation begins at birth and continues throughout our lives.  We also believe that the most teachable moments in our children’s lives do not occur in the forty minutes of Church School on Sunday morning.  These moments happen during our day-to-day activities.  We are here to help you raise your child in an intergenerational faith community that offers study in the areas of scripture, prayer and the Anglican tradition and participation in a spiritual community of peers (church school and Journey to Adulthood). The goal of Trinity’s ministry with children and youth is to create an atmosphere and space where our children and youth can listen, hear, and explore the Word of God with caring and intentional mentors, so they may carry God’s word with them into the world as a comfort and strength.
Linda Snyder, Director of Children's and Youth Ministries

Cradle Roll

Nursery Care

Our Sunday nursery is a warm, inviting, age appropriate area.  It is led each week by a staff person and a volunteer from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.  This affords time in between the services to participate in Adult Christian Formation or various ministries taking place in this time frame.

Preschool Age Programming

Our Preschool class is held each Sunday during  the Church School hour.  During the liturgy, child care available for these children in the Nursery as their parents choose to make use of it.  Bible stories using Godly Play and Beulahland, and  song, dance, and arts & crafts activities are also included.  Various mealtime prayers accompany snacktime.

Chapel Time

Children ages 4 to seven years have the opportunity to attend a chapel program during the first half of the 10:30 AM service.  The program runs from the end of Church School until the Sign of The Peace, at which time the children are brought up to join the service.  In this program the children explore prayer, the seasons of the year, and additional Bible stories while learning appropriate behavior for church worship.

Kindergarten through 6th Grade

All classes are held on Sunday mornings from 9:30AM to 10:25AM.  Our teachers  use the Episcopal Church Curriculum and enhance the children’s liturgical experience with an opening  reflection on the lectionary readings.  The ECC program has a three year cycle focusing on unit themes of Old Testament, New Testament, The Sacraments and The Church.  Additionally, workshops are added throughout the year to complement the curriculum and the church seasons.  Some of these programtopics include:  Advent wreaths, The Christian Calendar, Christmas Pageant, Epiphany Celebrations, Eucharist, Baptism, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost workshops and celebrations.

Journey to Adulthood is a program of Spiritual Formation for young people that 

1. 1. Provides a liturgical frame for their experience in our modern culture
2.  
3. 2. Celebrates their individuality and their creative potential
4.  
5. 3. Instructs them in skills needed for successful adult participation in church and society

This program has three distinct phases, each lasting two years:  Rite 13, J2A Pilgrims, and YACs (Young Adults in the Church). 

Rite-13

The Rite-13 program assists young people as they take the first steps of passage into their young adult lives.  It begins with a liturgical celebration of the gift of womanhood and manhood.  During these two years, the community acknowledges the gift of gender, celebrates the amazing creative power and potential of these young people, and creates a safe haven to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities.

J2A “Pilgrims”

J2A Pilgrims is the heart of this entire program—it blends action and contemplation in teaching young people the skills for faithful adult living.  To prepare them for adulthood, they learn six basic skills:

Active listening
Negotiation
Assertion
Research/information management
Partnership
Leadership

After the two years they make a holy pilgrimage and upon their return, they are acknowledged in the community as equipped for new levels of responsibility.  In the past, our ‘Pilgrims’ have traveled to Utah, South Dakota, and Nova Scotia. Adult responsiblities assumed on their return include teaching Church School, working for the Soup Kitchen, serving on the Property Commission, joining the Trinity Choir and serving as Lectors, Chalice Bearers and Ushers.

YAC (Young Adults in the Church)

Fifth Sundays 

Other Opportunities for Children and Youth at Trinity 

Children are welcomed as important members of our parish family in our regular church services.  It is important that families worship together and that children are included in our communal life.  Parents can assist their children in worship by turning to the correct pages in the appropriate books and quietly directing them in the proper posture.

From Grade Three on, children are invited to serve as Acolytes, or assistants in worship.  They are trained to carry the processional cross and torches and to help with various parts of the service. 

Children with a gift for reading and public speaking are encouraged to inquire about becoming lector, or reader. Each week, the lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Epistles, and the Intercessions are read by  lay people.

Ushers and greeters are important roles in which that children and youth can participate  on their own or with other family members.

Adult spiritual formation is taken very seriously at Trinity, where we firmly believe that one’s growth in Christ is a “cradle-to-grave” journey. We also believe that God has created us with a variety of gifts and abilities; therefore, appealing to all sorts of learning styles is essential in promoting growth in our relationship with God. Formation, then, at Trinity, consists of events that are academic, experiential, and social.

Every Sunday morning, an informal discussion group called Brewed Awakenings meets at 9:30, during church school time for the children. Topics of discussion are open to whatever people want to talk about. Ongoing monthly programs include a Men’s Breakfast and a Women’s Eve-ning, a Book Group, and an advanced “Questions in Theology Group.” See the calendar below for a complete schedule of events for this month.

March 2008

REGULAR EVENTS:

Sunday services, Holy Eucharist, 8:00 am and 10:30 am, Eucharist for families with young children, 9 AM; child care available for all services, Sept. through May and for 10:30 in summer
Fourth Sunday offers the sacrament of Healing at 8 and 10:30 services
Midweek service, Holy Eucharist and Healing, Wednesdays 12:10 pm

Wednesdays during Lent: Adult formation, theme of reconciliation, 1:30-3 pm or 7-8:30 pm following simple supper

SPECIAL EVENTS:

7-9: Friday-Sunday- Lenten retreat, Holy Cross monastery, West Park NY
9: Sunday - Concert by Gaudemus, 4 pm
11: Tuesday- Stephen Ministry meeting
17: Mpnday, 7 pm, Living Room, book discussion: The Last Week by John Crossan and Marcus Borg
19, Wednesday- Service of Tenebrae, 8 pm
20: Thursday- Service for Maundy Thursday with washing of feet, 8 pm
21: Friday: Good Friday service, 12-3 pm
22: Saturday - The Great Vigil of Easter service, 8 pm
28: Friday - Women's EVE-ning, 7 pm

UPCOMING:

April 1 - Monday, Book discussion group to discuss The Master by Colm Toibin. A “hybrid” of biography and fiction concerning the author Henry James, this was chosen as one of the 10 best books of the year by The Book Review.