I write a
lot of
words

This month’s note is a little less reflective and a bit more all over the place, but I hope you’ll forgive me. September was a busy month, and I thought I’d offer some snapshots of the past month as we look ahead to October and beyond. The Harvest season began on September 6 with the invitation to “Come and Center.” I asked, “Knowing that God is holding you, what can you put down?” I’ve been accused of preaching directly to some of you before, but the truth is, I’m preaching

Who is God calling us to be in this time and place? This was a foundational question for the pilgrims who gathered here in 1962. When Trinity was chartered in 1963, it was already a community deeply grounded in the practice of discernment. We still are! Back then, we were very much a neighborhood church. Today, our members come from near and far to worship together - VERY far, including our friends in India! While most of our members are not close enough to walk to church, we

It was such a gift to gather together and celebrate the life and ministry of Don Allen. If you missed the service, you can view it online. Over the course of my decade here, it has been a privilege and a gift to get to know the “extended” Trinity family - those who grew up in the church but who no longer live here. Most of the opportunities to get to know these family members have been at memorial services, which feel as much a homecoming as homegoing. For those who actually

Last month, Columbia Theological Seminary announced a restructuring that impacted 18 staff members. “[S]even employees accepted early retirement through an incentive program, and a reduction in force affected eleven employees.”1 That’s what Columbia’s official press release said. What it did not name was that the early retirees are mostly white, and nearly all of those who were let go are people of color. The changes go into effect today. Columbia has a very robust and growin

An update from Grounds for Hope: Over the past 9 months, we have worked with Proximity Project and Cite Design to engage the congregation and community in a process to discern a comprehensive vision for the missional use of our grounds, now and in the years to come. The deteriorating state of the parking lot has been a catalyst for this work, but we don’t want necessity to drive mission and vision. We are grateful for the participation of the congregation and community in thi