26 December 2021
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

~~Collect for the First Sunday of Christmas
In This Week's eVoice:


  1. Update on Our COVID Response
  2. Christmas Eve Services
  3. Giving Through Smartphone
  4. AFEDJ Thank You
  5. Office Holidays
  6. Giving Envelopes
  7. Christmas Tide and Epiphany Events
  8. Compline
  9. Women Together
  10. Adult Christian Formation
  11. Worship With Us
  12. Calendar
  13. News from EECT
  14. ECCT Bishop Search
  15. eVoice Deadline
  16. QR Codes
Update on Our COVID Response

Dear Trinity Community,

As COVID continues to surge again, I want to give you some updates regarding our plans for worship, inform you of new COVID protocols that we are implementing, and remind you of existing protocols.

At the 21 Dec 21 Vestry meeting the lay leadership and I agreed that it is very important for us to continue to offer in person worship while encouraging everyone to make the decision of whether to worship in person or online based on their individual circumstances. While we will continue with in person worship, we will discontinue Coffee Hour for the time being. In order to make in person worship as safe as possible we are implementing a few new protocols:
  • All Communion Ministers, Acolytes, Vergers, and Intercessory Prayer Team Members are being asked to provide me with proof of 2 shots of COVID Vaccine.
  • At Communion, people will be invited to pick up their own cup from the tray instead of the Communion Minister handing it to them. The cups will be spaced out in the tray so that a person picking up their cup will not touch another one.
  • We are asking everyone to wear either a surgical mask or a (K)N95 mask. Cloth masks alone have been shown to be inadequate in preventing the spread of COVID. (If you want to wear a cloth mask feel free to wear it over a surgical or (K)N95 mask.
As a reminder of our current protocols:
  • All persons should wear a mask covering their mouth and nose at all times when inside public parts of the building. (Staff in their offices may remove their masks as long as they are alone and their door is closed.)
  •  All persons not in the same household/exposure bubble should maintain at least six feet of distance, including at the Communion Rail. 
  • There should be no physical contact between persons not in the same household/exposure bubble. 

Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to seek to keep each other safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me.

In Peace,
~Rev. D.
Christmas Eve Services: Friday, 24 December, at 5 and 10 PM (Musical Prelude at 9:30.)
Easier ways to Pledge and Give
 
Exciting news! You can now make a Pledge for 2022 as well as pay your pledge or make any other donation with just your smartphone. At the bottom of this email you’ll find a QR code for making a 2022 Pledge and a QR code to make a pledge payment or any other donation to Trinity. Simply open the camera on your smartphone, focus it on the desired QR code, follow the link, and fill out the information from there. If you have any questions please talk to Rev. D., Casey, or Jake.
Advent 4 at Trinity Church.
AFEDJ Thank You

Thank you to all the parishioners who were able to support the Holy Land Giving tree this Advent. $485 was raised through the selling of ornaments and these monies were sent directly to American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem for the Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The Outreach Team, now called Faith in Action, will be sending an additional $515 to AFEDJ to make our contribution a total of $1000. Supporting the Ahli Hospital has been a longstanding project of the parish and supporting this needy hospital is so vital to its ministry.
Thank you again.

Kate Smith for Faith in Action
Parish Office Closed for Holiday Observances

The Parish Office will be closed on Friday, December 24th, in observance of the Christmas Day Holiday and on Friday, December 31st in observance of the New Year’s Day Holiday.
Blue Christmas at Trinity Church.
Giving Envelopes

The supply chain backup has impacted Trinity Church! We do not expect our Envelope order until mid-January. The office will send you an email when they arrive. If you need some spare envelopes to tide you over, please contact Barbara in the office. In the meantime, please remember to write your envelope # on your check. If you’re not sure of it, you can log into your profile on Realm and check it out, or you can call Barbara. We apologize for the delay.
Christmastide and Epiphany Events


Friday, Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at Trinity Episcopal Church will include an early service at ​5:00pm and a late service at 10:00pm, which will feature the adult choir as well as The Choir School of Hartford singing works by Darke and Joubert, among others. The late service will begin at 9:30pm with an extended prelude of special instrumental and vocal music. 
 

Sunday, Jan. 2nd, 9:00pm - Christmas Compline 

Join us for our third monthly service of compline. This late-night service of choral music is held in a darkened sanctuary and will feature Christmas choral works sung in an intimate atmosphere of candles and prayer. 

Thursday, Jan. 6th, 12:00pm - Feast of the Epiphany 

A special Noon Day Eucharist in the chancel of the church for Epiphany.

Sunday, Jan. 9th, 9:00pm - Epiphany One, Baptism of Christ 

Eucharist at 8am and 10am with renewal of Baptismal vows and Chalking of the Doors for Epiphany
Women Together Meets Again
in January 2022

In the new year, Women Together begins a new, 7-week series on the book The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris. All women are welcome to attend. Currently, women from Trinity, St. Monica's, St. John's, and friends attend this weekly discussion and fellowship group. The meetings take place on Tuesdays, beginning January 4th, from 2:00-3:15 in the Reception Room at St. John's, with all attendees wearing masks. At the meeting on Jan. 4th, we'll cover pages 1-52. For more information, please contact Cathy Rowe (crowedy@yahoo.com) or Linda MacGougan (macgougans@gmail.com).
Adult Christian Formation
 
Confronting Social Injustice
as a Christian
 
We hear almost daily about injustice in our society and around the world. If you sometimes wonder how our Christian faith calls us to respond, you are not alone. Join us on Sunday, January 9, when Rev. Dr. Frank Kirkpatrick presents a forum on Christian ethical principles for confronting social injustice. This forum will take place on Zoom after the worship service. Stay tuned for more details!
Worship With Us at Trinity Church
Friday, December 24: Christmas Eve
5 PM Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Church

9:30 PM Musical Prelude in the Church

10 PM Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Church and live-streamed via YouTube
Sunday, December 26: First Sunday of Christmas
No 8 AM Service

10 AM Morning Prayer in the Church and live-streamed via YouTube
Thursday, December 30

Noon Prayer via Zoom

This is a Standing Meeting.
The log-in and password will remain the same each week.
Join Zoom Meeting via computer or tablet

Meeting ID: 597 938 892
Password: 323842
Dial in
929 436 2866
Meeting ID: 597 938 892
Password: 323842

Please Note: if you call in on a land line, long distance charges may apply.

(Thursday noon services will be Eucharist in person on the first Sunday of each month, Noon Prayer on Zoom the remaining Thursdays.)
Warm Up Before Lessons and Carols at Trinity Church.
Weekly Calendar
 

Sunday, December 26th    The First Sunday after Christmas
         10:00 A.M.              Morning Prayer (Church)
 
Thursday, December 30th   
         12:00 P.M.            Noonday Prayer (Zoom)
 
Friday, December 31st      New Year’s Eve – Office is closed
            7:00 P.M.           NA Group Meeting (Huntington Hall)
 
Sunday, January 2nd          The Second Sunday after Christmas
              8:00 A.M.            Holy Eucharist – Rite II (Church)
            10:00 A.M.            Holy Eucharist – Rite II (Church)
               9:00 P.M.           Compline (Church)
News from the Diocese

Click the links below to read up on what's going on in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, and in our North Central Region.
Bishop Search & Transition News
 
Updated information about the search for our next bishop can be found at ctbishopsearch.org.
eVoice Deadline

All announcements should be submitted to George at chienga@sbcglobal.net by Thursday 9am for publication that week. Announcements that are submitted late will be held until the following week’s edition.
120 Sigourney Street
Hartford, CT 06105
860.527.8133