Worship With Us at Trinity Church

Sunday, 17 December

The Third Sunday of Advent

Holy Eucharist Rite II

8:00 AM in the Church

10:00 AM in the Church and

live-streamed via YouTube

Trinity Church YouTube

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A Service of Remembrance and Hope - 15 December

Transition to Eternal Life

Church by the Pond - 16 December

Greening of the Church - 17 December

Christmas Pageant Information

Godly Play Dates for Dec / Jan

Update on the Season of Listening

Christmas Memorials Due - 18 December

Advent and Christmas Services Schedule 2023

Holy Land Giving Tree

Giving Envelopes are in

Notes on Year-end Giving

January 2024 - Save the Dates!

Trinity Book Group - Meeting Rescheduled

Music Season at Trinity - 2023 / 2024

Prayer List Requests

Special Prayer Requests

Calendar

News from the Diocese - December Newsletters

A Service of Remembrance and Hope

Friday, 15 December

7:00 PM

Transition to Eternal Life

Trinity Church notes the passing of Alice Turcotte, a former and faithful member who served the Church and was a choir member, and member of Trinity's former drama group. Our sympathy and prayers are with her family and friends.

Father of all, we pray to you for Alice,

and for all those whom we love but see no longer.

Grant to them eternal rest.

Let light perpetual shine upon them.

May her soul and the souls of all the departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Church by the Pond - December 16

Trinity's next opportunity to participate in this ministry led by Christ Church Cathedral is Saturday, December 16.

- We'll meet in the Trinity kitchen at 12:30 to prepare bag lunches, entering though the outside door to the kitchen.

- At 1:45 we'll bring those lunches to Bushnell Park, where we'll participate in the worship service by the pond, led by Rev. D. 

- We'll distribute our lunches and personal care items following the service, along with offering donated hats and socks, and finish around 3:00.

All parishioners and families are welcome - especially at Bushnell Park, with winter and holiday items to offer. Please contact me if you have any questions, or to let me know you are planning to participate.

Penny Pearson, convener: pennypearson at comcast.net, 860-243-0020 

The Greening of the Church

People look east, the time is near,

of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

trim the hearth and set the table.

People look east and sing today:

Love, the guest, is on the way.

~~Eleanor Farjeon

This Sunday, December 17th after the 10 AM service, the Nave of Trinity Church is transformed from Advent Blue to a festal display of red, white, gold, and green. There are banners to be changed, wreathes and garlands to be hung, and much more. Many volunteer hands and hearts help this joyful work to go forward quickly. Get your after-church coffee and refreshments and then join us in the Nave to prepare the space for the celebrations that will follow on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Pageant 2023

Trinity’s Christmas Pageant will be held on Christmas Eve at the 5:00 pm service. If your child (or you) would like to participate, please contact Amity Gaige at awgaige at gmail.com.

Godly Play Dates for December / January

December 17, 31 (No Godly Play on Christmas Eve)

January 14, 28

Update on the Season of Listening

We received a wonderful response to our invitation this fall to one-on-one conversations we call our "Season of Listening". This is both a blessing and a challenge, as we are a small team of folks leading these conversations and everyone in the process has an extra busy schedule at this time of year.

Many of the conversations, which have been a wonderful way to know each other more deeply, have already taken place or are on the calendar to take place after the holidays. Please know that we are committed to meeting with everyone who signed up before the beginning of Lent, so if you have not yet heard from us, we ask your patience as we will connect with each person who signed up to participate.

Trinity GHIAA team

Ash de Las Casas

Cathy Rowe

Martha Freimuth

Heather Kramer

Kimmy Okeke

Rev. D Littlepage

Christmas Music / Flower Memorials

Due Monday, December 18 

If you would like to contribute to the 2023 Christmas flowers and music in memory of a friend or family member, or as an offering of thanksgiving, please fill out the form here and send it to the parish office, along with your check, by Monday, December 18. Checks, which may be for any amount, should be made payable to Trinity Church and earmarked “Christmas Memorials.” Names of those in whose memory contributions have been made will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletins.

Holy Land Giving Tree 2023

Remembering the Holy Land at this time of year is very important for our Anglican faith. However, with the recent events there and the chaos of war, I didn’t have the heart to set up a pretty tree. Things there are not pretty. Therefore, I hope you will consider sending your own donation to AFEDJ (The American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem) with Ahli Hospital in the memo. No amount is too small. Please send those checks to AFEDJ at 25 Old Kings Highway North, Suite 13 Darien, CT 06820. Credit Cards can be used through the website: www.afedj.org For an update on the ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, go to Recent News/Current Updates or Newsletters on the AFEDJ website. Archbishop Hosam thanks you for your assistance and continued prayers.

Kate Smith, Kate48smith at comcast.net

If you ordered Giving Envelopes when you made your pledge in October, they have arrived and you can pick them up in Goodwin Hall after the services on 12/17. 

Notes on Year End Giving

For your contributions of cash or checks to appear on your 2023 year-end statement, please note the following. If you are dropping off a check, it must be received in the Trinity Church office by Thursday, December 28. Anything mailed must be postmarked by 12/31/2023 and any on-line contributions must be in by 12/31/2023.

If you plan to donate by stock to Trinity Church, please contact Financial Manager, Tom Villano at finance at trinityhartford.org or 860-527-8133 ext. 206 before you or your broker initiate the stock transfer. Stock transfers can take up to two weeks.

REMINDER: Please make every attempt to turn in your 2024 Pledge Card before the year’s end.

Please contact the office (office at trinityhartford.org) if you need a pledge card.

Thank you for your support of Trinity Church!

Trinity Book Group

Looking for a good book to read over the holidays? Here's one: French Braid, by contemporary author Anne Tyler. "Full of heartbreak and hilarity,.... a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humor that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives." It's the featured work for the next meeting of Trinity's Book Group, on Friday, January 12th, 7-9 p.m. All are warmly invited to attend! Amy Arlin will host at her home in Avon. Please let her know if you plan to attend; she'll send you directions - and make sure to have plenty of refreshments on hand! (aearlin@gmail.com)

Special Prayer Requests

A member of our parish, Jacqui Lucier has advanced kidney disease and is in need of a transplant.

As we pray for Jacqui, we also ask that you prayerfully consider being screened as a potential kidney donor. For more information about living organ donation and to sign up to be screened, please visit nkr.org/SBB483. Please encourage your friends and family to consider donor screening.

To hear Jacqui talk about her illness and need for a transplant, watch this clip that has aired on local news.

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.

ECCT Newsletter - December 13, 2023

North Central Region Monthly Missive - November 2023