TheTrinity Herald

Trinity Episcopal Church650 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ

Tel: 732-634-7422www.trinitywoodbridge.org

December 2016

In this issue

Mother Angela..........1, 2Christmas Schedule.....3Announcements..........4-6Stewardhip......................7Sunday School...............................8St. Anne's Unit............... 9DOK.................................10Diocese of NJ............11,12Bishop Curry..................13Food Pantry.....................14Valentine Society...........14Images.............................15Calendar.........................16Birthdays........................17

Mother Angie's MusingsLast month, I spoke about the need to remember and focus on the principles of

the Kingdom of God as we went into the voting booths. Now the election is over, yet the tension and unrest has yet to subside and some would argue has intensified. Since the election, we have a seen a sharp increase in the number of crimes targeting Muslims, women, gays and lesbians, and non-whites of every ethnicity. Some of these crimes have been vandalism and threats and others have been violent beatings and sexual assault. None of these crimes are congruent with the values of the Kingdom that were outlined in last month’s column.

In so many ways, it is easy to see the growing violence and throw our hands up in disgust and despair. We sometimes think to ourselves: Where is God in all this chaos? How can there be a loving God who allows so much evil and pain? The first question is easy for me to confidently answer. God is directly in the midst of the chaos. God is by each of our sides; hurting and crying alongside us. That is the power of the Incarnation – God became human so that God could forever be inside our suffering and support us through it because God truly understands us and our pain. God knows what it is like to be rejected, hated, scorned, and betrayed.

The second question however is harder to answer and no one human being has come up with the ultimate answer. The answer that I have come to believe and accept is that God truly is love and there is no qualification on that. The existence of evil and suffering in this world is a matter of human free will. God created us and gave us free will. In doing so, God knew that sometimes our free will meant that we would hurt each other. Human suffering is not what God wants, nor is it something that God causes to happen in our lives. It is the result of a human or group of humans exercising free will to the detriment of other human beings. If God were to intervene, God would have to overrule our free will and God does not do that. Instead, God never stops speaking to our hearts and minds through the power of the Holy Spirit to show us the way of Love, which is the Kingdom of God.

The Trinity Parish Herald is published monthly except during July and August and is a publication of Trinity Episcopal Church 650 Rahway AvenueWoodbridge, NJ 07095732-634-7422Fax 732-634-7085ParishOffice@Trinitywoodbridge.org

Publisher: Rev. Angela Cipolla

Wardens: Jane Strauss Ginny Kershaw

Editor: Gemma Murphy

Photographers: Allen E. Francis David Forsythe Gemma Murphy

Contributors Arlene Guellnitz Janet Temchus Allison Brennan

@Trinitywdbridge Mother Angie

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This is our crucial role in the world, especially during times of heightened pain and suffering of our fellow human beings. It is incumbent upon us as citizens of America but more importantly as members of the Kingdom of God to not only speak out against such hatred and violence, but to actively resist and oppose it; working instead to further bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.

There is such a vast number of ways that we can choose to become active in resisting evil and bringing about the Kingdom of God that I could not hope to come up with a comprehensive list. What I am about to propose here by no means precludes you from taking up other methods and in fact, I think it would be a great compliment to a lot of other practices and actions.

During the month of December we will embark upon the Christian journey of preparing our hearts and lives for the coming of the miracle of Christmas. It is a beautiful time of reflection and prayer but it is also a time meant for action. One tradition that carries great meaning for many families is that of the Advent calendar. The calendar provides not only a physical reminder of our preparation time and countdown to Christmas, but it can also be a great opportunity for teaching and prayer. There are countless different versions of the Advent calendar, but one that has caught my attention this year is a calendar of random acts of kindness. This version provides an opportunity for us to take concrete steps each day of our Advent preparation to focus on bringing the Kingdom of God into this world. It gives us small attainable goals in what can seem like a nebulous concept and at times an unobtainable reality. It is one way that we can combat the hatred and violence of this world, by bringing love and kindness into the lives of those around us.

Most of these random acts of kindness calendars are designed for children and families but please don’t underestimate the power of these types of activities for people of all ages. It can be a tool used for prayer, meditation, and reflection for adults as well as for children. My challenge to each of us is to take up this practice for the season and see where God is leading your heart and mind. You may be surprised at how some of these tasks will impact you. Be courageous; be bold; and live each day of this Advent season with intentionality to bring the Kingdom of God into reality in this world. Day by day, action by action, we have the power to change the world – with God’s help. Here are a few links to get you started:

h"p://wondermomwannabe.com/random-acts-kindness-christmas-calendar-kids/

h"p://maketodayhappy.co.uk/act-of-kindness-24-kindness-advent-calendar/

h"p://www.coffeecupsandcrayons.com/random-acts-of-christmas-kindness-advent-calendar/

h"p://www.naturalbeachliving.com/2016/09/acts-of-kindness.html

h"p://www.thehappierhomemaker.com/2013/11/good-deed-christmas-countdown/

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Christmas ServicesSaturday, 12/24

5PM --- Children's Service10:30PM --- Carols11:00 --- Eucharist

Sunday, 12/2510 AM --- Eucharist

Trinity's Annual Giving Tree

One very important mission at Trinity is to take care of those in our community who find themselves struggling to make ends meet. At no time is this more pronounced than around Christmas.

Christmas is a joyous time when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. The Magi brought gifts to honor our Savior at his birth. We, in the same vein, exchange gifts with our loved ones. Yet, there are some in our community that do not have the resources to exchange gifts with their families and especially to give gifts to their children.If you are able and find it in your heart to help these families, you will be truly blessed because you will experience the true meaning of Christmas.

Jane Strauss has a list of all in our community who need help. Please see her, pick a child (children) or an adult, and buy them a gift. You will truly experience Christmas in a very special way.

All gifts are due back to the parish office no later than December 9th.

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Our Annual Christmas Potluck Dinner/Party will be on December 16th at 7pm. See Fran Kurtz to sign up for a dish to bring.

Fun, fellowship, and lots of laughs! Don't miss out! See you there!

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Drawing will be on December 11, 2016 at 11:30 amPrice of each ticket is $10

Proceeds of this event will go to the Trinity Rectory Restoration Project.Parishioners will be selling tickets.

Please contact the parish office at 732-634-7422 if you would like to buy or sell tickets or if you would like more information.

Grave Clean-Up

If you decorated or left a wreath or blanket for the holidays at a grave in the Trinity Cemetery, it must be removed by February 1st. Wreaths, grave covers, and any holiday decorations should be removed and left by the parish hall stairs on the

grass, not the dumpster. This will enable the town pick-up.

The Christmas celebration is not only about the moment Jesus was born 2,000 years ago. It is also about the current moment of invitation to invest ourselves in His kingdom. How we respond to that invitation to follow Him is how we prepare for our eternal existence (with or without Him). Christmas shows us that God draws closer to us so that we can draw closer to Him. Christmas invites each of us to invest our lives in the kingdom of God. All that we have in life comes from God and can assist us on our journey home to the Father. Of course these gift could also keep us from drawing closer to God.

Even as people claiming the title of “Christians,” recognizing God’s generosity and our stewardship responsibility, we still experience tension between the spiritual and the temporal. The investment into the kingdom of God is a difficult struggle to put the spiritual before the temporal. This struggle is exemplified by our thoughts and activities in preparation for Christmas - our thoughts and actions are not always focused on the birth of our Savior, rather, all that needs to get done before December 25th.

The Advent message is a stewardship message - prepare for the fulfillment of the kingdom... straighten out your life... if we have, we should give... The birth of Christ is the moment of fulfillment that leads to another moment of fulfillment. His coming 2,000 years ago is more about our inevitable face-to-face meeting with Him and how we have prepared for that encounter. Do we “lay-up for ourselves treasures in heaven” - investing in His ultimate kingdom or do we invest in something else?

To lay-up for ourselves treasures in heaven is how we prepare for future heavenly economics. Imagine that you are living in Iraq a year ago. You have acquired a large amount of dinar (Iraqian currency with Saddam Hussein’s image on it). There is some warning that the U.S. troops, and allies, would invade Iraq and soon topple the Saddam Hussein regime. You have an opportunity to cash in your dinar for U.S. currency, prior to the invasion. Would you prepare for the new kingdom, or keep your “investment” in the old? A good Christian steward recognizes the inevitable and invests wisely.

The Christmas message is an opportunity to cash into the future. Most of us will never be able to invest all that we have, perhaps because we lack faith. However with the application of a little faith, we can make a proportionate investment in God’s kingdom and that proportionate offering will prove to be most fruitful. There are many opportunities to invest our time, talent and treasure in the kingdom of God, even if it is a simple gift of time spent in prayer, contemplating God’s love for us because He gave us the gift of His Son. Of course this investment of time may very well lead to further investment of self-giving.

No matter where we are in life or what we have to offer as an investment in the kingdom, Christmas offers us many opportunities to draw closer to Him. Christmas makes it easy for us to draw closer because our approachable God has been given to us as a meek and humble little baby. We are all invited to draw closer, even if we are smelly, disheveled shepherds.

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Allison Brennan

Sunday School has been meeting every Sunday since the end of September. In October we had many new faces and we welcome them all into our church family. In November, the children helped celebrate the end of our liturgical year with the Feast of Christ the King. They each made a crown as unique as themselves! We look forward to learning about Advent throughout the Sundays in December. There is no Sunday School on 12/4 and 12/25.

St. Anne's UnitArlene Guellnitz

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St Anne’s Unit wishes all our friends and family at

Trinity Church a very Merry Christmas!

St Anne’s Unit will have our annual Christmas celebration on Monday, Dec 5th at 7pm. Dinner will be an array of appetizers, main courses and desserts. We will sing some carols, celebrate our friendships, and review the meaning of Christmas and exchange gifts.

Planning ahead – On Jan 2, 2017, St Anne’s will have a business meeting. We will finalize our plans for the year. Refreshments will be served.

Dear God, Open our hearts to Your grace and love that we may realize that where we are is where You planned for us to be.

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News Briefs from the Daughters of the King Janet Temchus

"I can not do all things but I can do something. Lord what will you have me do?"

We Welcome All Parishioners To Join UsWe will be discussing the Gospel readings of the Second Sunday of each month. What does the Gospel mean to us in our daily lives? How can we live the Gospel message? When we are given the mandate to "go out to love and serve the Lord" for any particular week, what does that mean? What is expected of us? The answers to these questions and many others will be discussed at our next meeting onDecember 11th. Please join us! All are welcome! 

On November 23rd we went to visit Mary Bauman. Janet Temchus, Arlene Guellnitz, and Fran Kurtz went to visit her before Thanksgiving. God Bless You Mary! Your Trinity Family Loves you!

Dear People of the Diocese of New Jersey,He has told you, O mortal, what is good;and what does the Lord require of youbut to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8

Today is Veteran's Day. The origins of this day and observance coincide with Armistice Day in Europe, a day commemorating the end of World

War I "on the 11th day in the 11thmonth at the 11th hour." This day honors all those persons who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States at any time - in peace or during wartime. It is a day to acknowledge and give thanks for their sacrifice and service.Veteran's Day should remind us all that those who have served still merit our attention, respect, and care. Homelessness, addiction, and mental illness continue to plague many who have served. As a nation we can and should do better by our veterans. We should be mindful of this more than once a year, but Veteran's Day is an important reminder that we have a continuing obligation to those who have served faithfully and often at great personal cost.Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United States. For some in the Diocese of New Jersey, this is cause for celebration; for others it is cause for despair. There are those who feel Mr. Trump's election represents a much-needed change in this country; that he lifts out of silence the "forgotten man." Others believe his election represents the triumph of racism, xenophobia and misogyny.   In his victory speech, the President-elect said, "Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, [we] have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people."This will not be easy to accomplish."I'm living in terror now," a young African-American woman said to a small group of us on Tuesday night as we sat together watching the election results. It had become pretty clear that Mr. Trump was going to win the presidency. "I'm the only black person in this room, I want you to know his election terrifies me." She is not alone. As I watched television and scanned social media, many people were clear in expressing their satisfaction at the election results. Others shared more troubling sentiments. Fear and terror were expressed across a wide spectrum:  by people of color, undocumented workers, women who feel their reproductive rights and other rights are in jeopardy; LGBTQ persons fearful that hard won marriage equality and other rights will be forfeited; Muslims who are now targets of unfettered Islamophobia; people concerned about the environment, refugees who fled horrifying conditions of war and poverty and many others.  If this nation is to experience healing as the President-elect seems to desire, he will need to understand the terror and fear of those for whom he has thus far shown little concern or empathy. Hearing their fears, their terror, is essential for binding the wounds he speaks of in his victory speech. We are a divided country. Mr. Trump didn't even win a majority of the popular vote. In Federalist Paper #51, James Madison observed, "It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure." Madison's prescription for preventing a "tyranny of the majority," was to advocate for a complex federal government with independent branches - "checks and balances."   In this election, all three branches of government (cont'd next page)

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 have been ceded to one party thus imperiling minority rights and this nation's historic concern for all people.I agree that significant portions of our population have been forgotten as both political parties allowed themselves to be coopted by special interests, Wall Street and big business. Among the forgotten have been white working-class men, many of whom have suffered as a result of globalization and the export of manufacturing jobs to countries where labor is cheaper. Their pain and suffering have gone unheard, at least until now. Mr. Trump has promised to address their concerns. That, I feel sure, is a good thing. But they are not alone.For example, black men have been treated far more oppressively in this country. The so-called "war on drugs," - a "law and order" effort targeting black communities and creating mass-incarceration -  has resulted in an expansive "New Jim Crow."  Huge numbers of black voters, mostly men, have been systemically disenfranchised as a result.  When Mr. Trump said in his victory speech, "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer," I hope and pray he is including them in his list of the forgotten and that he intends to work to restore their rights and dignity.In post-election comments to the nation, President Obama called upon Americans to root for Mr. Trump's success.  In her concession speech, Secretary Clinton stated her hope that Mr. Trump will be "a successful president for all Americans" and urged that all "owe him an open mind and a chance to lead."  I agree with and support these sentiments. As Americans, we have a vested interest in Mr. Trump being a successful president for all.  This election makes clear, however, our need to engage in rigorous dialogue and action to determine the definition of "success." As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I feel compelled to stand in this moment with those who are frightened and afraid: with that young African-American woman who shared her terror with me on election night; with the poor who are always the forgotten of our society; with people of color who feel we are marching backwards on hard won rights and respect, with women who are feeling vulnerable because of the degradation and abuse they have been forced to endure in this election cycle; with brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith who are feeling unfairly targeted; with LGBTQ persons whose rights are threatened by the dominance of the religious right, with other marginalized persons who feel they have lost their voice and power as a result of this election.Our Baptismal Covenant calls upon us all to seek and serve Christ in all persons loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being (See Book of Common Prayer, p. 304-05). These are demands that brook no compromise. They point me, and us, to the ministry of reconciliation (BCP, p. 855) and to the means of healing our nation. Fulfilling these promises is how I understand success for Mr. Trump as president of our broken and wounded country. Fulfilling these promises is how I personally plan to work at healing and reconciliation the next four years. I urge you to do the same. May God bless you and keep you. In Christ, 

The Right Reverend William H. Stokes, D. D.Bishop of New Jersey 

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Episcopalians take stock of Hurricane Matthew’s damageDanger not over for Carolinians, officials sayBy Mary Frances Schjonberg | October 10, 2016 1 Comment |

A utility pole with a no-parking sign sits in a Fayetteville, North Carolina, creek after a lake burst its dam because of a deluge from Hurricane Matthew Oct.10. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians along the southeast coastal United States are assessing the damage wrought by Hurricane Matthew.

Some still cannot return to their homes because of severe damage in their communities or because rain-swollen rivers and creeks are still flooding.The storm killed more than 1,000 people in Haiti by the estimate of the Reuters news service. Officials there have begun burying people in mass graves.At least 21 have died in the U.S. – nearly half of them in North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. Most were swept away by flood waters and officials worry that the U.S. death toll may rise as impatient people drive around road barricades into swiftly moving floodwaters. Water from the torrential rains that hit eastern North Carolina over the weekend continue to swell rivers and levees and dams are threatened. Some people missing since the storm have been found but others are still missing, the news service saidEpiscopal Relief & Development said Oct. 10 that it continues to provide technical assistance to local partners in the areas affected by Hurricane Matthew, as the storm dissipates over the Atlantic Ocean. In the places most severely impacted, information gathering is hampered by downed communications lines, widespread power outages and damage to critical roads and bridges, the organization said.”“From what we are seeing so far, the damage is extensive in a number of areas and it will take a long time, even years, for many of these places to recover,” said Abagail Nelson, senior vice president for programs.Members of the Diocese of North Carolina on Oct. 10 were still trying to assess damage there, but “as of this afternoon, we don’t have reports of major damage sustained by churches within our diocese,” Director of Communications Christine McTaggart told Episcopal News Service via email. Diocesan officials had not yet heard about major damage to any church.“We’ll continue to stay in touch with churches in the areas hardest hit until rivers have finished rising and the danger of additional flooding has passed,” she wrote.Diocese of East Carolina Bishop Robert Skirving and the Rev. Canon J. M. “Sonny” Browne, canon for diocesan life, worked from home Oct. 10 to check in with parish leadership. The two had learned that Trinity Center, the diocesan camp and conference center at Pine Knoll Shores sustained light wind damage and tree loss; Trinity Episcopal Church in Chocowinity had several inches of water enter its undercroft; and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville experienced some flooding.The Fayetteville Observer reported that St. John’s parking lot was submerged Oct. 9, as well as the children’s playground and bottom floor of the church. The choir room, preschool chapel and an administrative office on the bottom floor were among the areas that sustained serious damage, according to member Mary Holmes, who said the church had recently undergone a major restoration in anticipation of its 200th anniversary next year.More than 45 people came to help clean the church out early on Oct. 9, Holmes told the paper. By afternoon, rugs and children’s toys littered the parking lot as volunteers worked to save what they could.Diocesan House in Kinston, North Carolina, was without telephone and internet service. Water entered offices there; it was “fortunately not deep, but enough to wet the carpet thoroughly,” Browne said via email.“Bridges are closing as I write this email, as the rivers are swelling,” Browne reported. “At this hour, we are unaware of catastrophic loss of parish property in our diocese.”Later in the day, Browne emailed to say that East Carolina was experiencing horrible flooding and evacuation.  “The damage to the state’s road infrastructure is astounding with a great many roads washed out in one or more places,” he wrote.Member of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina were also regrouping on Oct. 10 and trying to find out how congregations in the Lowcountry along the coast fared, Holly Behre, director of communications, reported via email.Information posted on the diocese’s Facebook page pointed evacuees to Episcopal churches in the Dioceses of Upper South Carolina, Western North Carolina, North Carolina and Atlanta.Members of four of those coastal congregations had organized Eucharist together the day before near Hendersonville, North Carolina. Most of those attendees were from All Saints Episcopal Church on Hilton Head Island, which was very hard hit. They are still not able to return home, Behre said.The Rev. Richard Carroll Lindsey, All Saints’ rector, wrote on the church’s website that an eyewitness reported that the church weathered the storm with only a street light down, a small tree across the entrance and the cross on the steeple damaged.

Trees knocked down in Hurricane Matthew lie outside of the doors of St. Francis of the Islands Episcopal Church in Savannah, Georgia. Photo: Diocese of Georgia via FacebookIn the Diocese of Georgia, six of 24 coastal churches held services on Oct. 9. As evacuees were returning home Oct. 10, Bishop Scott Benhase said that damage on the coast was “less than was feared or forecasted.”

However, Benhase said, “we know that others in the southeastern United States, and particularly our sisters and brothers in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, did not fare so well. Our hearts and prayers go out to them.”He urged people to donate to Episcopal Relief & Development.Twenty-two coastal churches and the retreat center suffered minor damage or even no damage from the storm, Benhase said. St. Francis of the Islands Episcopal Church, Savannah, lost a significant number of trees, which in turn damaged the church porch, education building and playground. No survey of All Saints Episcopal Church on Tybee Island has yet been possible, although some areas near the church experienced flooding and wind damage, the bishop said.“In the days ahead there will be insurance claims to file and lots to repair and to clean up. We will do that and move on,” Benhase predicted. “God has called us together so that we might be the hands and heart of Jesus for others.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials survey damage on Highway A1A near Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo: FEMADiocese of Southeast Florida Bishop Peter Eaton voiced similar concern for those in the Caribbean after Matthew. “While we in our diocese were not hit by the full force of this storm, others have been terribly hit, and I hope that we can give from our strength and sense of gratitude,” he wrote Oct. 8.

In Jacksonville, Florida, St. John’s Cathedral opened its doors during the storm and became a sanctuary for some people, the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead said.The dean predicted in her Oct. 9 sermon that the congregation would not soon forget the hurricane or the anxety of wondering if they would see each other again. She recounted riding out the storm with her husband and sons in one part of their home away from the side shaded by a large water oak tree. They worried that the tree would fall on the house but, instead, it fell into the front yard. “We just have one hole in the roof – a small one,” she said.However, the downed tree trapped the family in the house for two days until they could cut through some limbs with a chainsaw and get her car out of the driveway. Freed, Moorehead and one of her sons drove down the street and almost got hit by an oncoming car in an intersection.“Aren’t you grateful after this storm to be alive?” she asked.Such gratitude, she said, is about “opening our eyes to the truth that God has given us life and, no matter what happens, all we can say is ‘thank you.’ ”

People walk along a street in downtown Jeremie, Haiti, Oct. 6, two days after Hurricane Matthew made landfall nearby. While the capital Port-au-Prince was mostly spared from the full strength of the class 4 hurricane, the western cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie received Matthew’s full force. Photo: Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAHMeanwhile, nearly a week after Hurricane Matthew began its destructive journey, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Oct. 10 that nearly $120 million in aid was needed to help the devastated portions of Haiti.

Local aid officials struggled to get food, medicine and water to increasingly desperate communities still isolated almost a week after the blow from Hurricane Matthew, the Associated Press reported. Officials said that young men – some of them armed – in villages along the road between the hard-hit cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie were putting up blockades of rocks and broken branches to halt convoys of vehicles bringing relief supplies.Episcopal Relief & Development it will support local partners such as the Bishop Tharp Institute (BTI) in Les Cayes to provide food and water to displaced people sheltering on the school’s campus.“Papa, J’ai peur, je veux du soleil (Daddy, I am scared, I want to see the sun),” Ernest Cajuste’s 4-year-old son told him as the hurricane bore down on their Haitian homeCajuste, an Episcopal Relief & Development program officer, wrote that “the strong winds made it sound like our house might disappear into the air,” about riding out the hurricane in Haiti. “We could hear a high, shrill, piercing clatter when our window frames vibrated. This is the first hurricane he has lived through. That was certainly a scary moment for him, but after the long, dark night of tension, we were fine. We were lucky.”– The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor and reporter for the Episcopal News Service. 

Statement from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," is not just a slogan, it’s who we seek to be and the witness we seek to make, following the way of Jesus.November 14, 2016Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry has issued the following statement:

Last week I shared what I pray was a reconciling post-election message to our church, reminding us that 'we will all live together as fellow Americans, as citizens.' Today I want to remind us that during moments of transition, during moments of tension, it is important to affirm our core identity and values as followers of Jesus in the Episcopal Anglican way.Jesus once declared, in the language of the Hebrew prophets, that God's "house shall be a house of prayer for all nations" (Mk 11:17). He invited and welcomed all who would follow saying, "come to me all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens" (Mt. 11:28).We therefore assert and we believe that "the Episcopal Church welcomes you" – all of you, not as merely a church slogan, but as a reflection of what we believe Jesus teaches us and at the core of the movement he began in the first century. The Episcopal Church welcomes all. All of us!As the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement today, we Episcopalians are committed, as our Prayer Book teaches to honor the covenant and promises we made in Holy Baptism: To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being.As Christians, we believe that all humans are created in God’s image and equal before God – those who may be rejoicing as well as those who may be in sorrow.As a Church, seeking to follow the way of Jesus, who taught us, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," (Mt. 22:39) and to "do to others as you would have them do to you" (Mt. 7:12), we maintain our longstanding commitment to support and welcome refugees and immigrants, and to stand with those who live in our midst without documentation.  We reaffirm that like all people LGBT persons are entitled to full civil rights and protection under the law. We reaffirm and renew the principles of inclusion and the protection of the civil rights of all persons with disabilities. We commit to the honor and dignity of women and speak out against sexual or gender-based violence. We express solidarity with and honor the Indigenous Peoples of the world. We affirm the right to freedom of religious expression and vibrant presence of different religious communities, especially our Muslim sisters and brothers. We acknowledge our responsibility in stewardship of creation and all that God has given into our hands. We do so because God is the Creator. We are all God's children, created equally in God's image. And if we are God's children we are all brothers and sisters."The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," is not just a slogan, it’s who we seek to be and the witness we seek to make, following the way of Jesus. Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry

Please Remember the Trinity Food PantryIt continues to be a difficult time for the food pantry, especially as prices increase and the economy dips. Our resources are depleting due to the high demand for help. There is a way that you can help. When you are shopping, please buy one extra can or box of one of the items listed below and bring it with you to Mass on Sunday. Just one extra can or box can make a difference! We are always in need of Boxed cereals, Canned/Dried soups, Canned Fruits, Dried/Canned Milk, Canned Vegetables, Canned Pork & Beans, Sugar, Pasta/Spaghetti, Canned Fish/Meat, Rice, Tomato Paste, Puddings/Jello, Dried Beans, Tomato Sauce, Cake Mixes, Tea/Coffee, and Flour.

Also diapers, diapers, diapers! Especially needed are diapers in sizes 5 and 6. However, diapers in all sizes are very welcomed and needed.

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Did You Remember Trinity In Your Will? Even a small portion of your estate left to the parish can help insure the continued growth and financial security of the parish. Our parish endowment fund was begun many years ago with a gift of less than $1,000 and through careful management and continued additions to the fund, it has grown to the point where it is now able to provide a real help in fulfilling our obligations as a parish.

Please remember Trinity in your will!

If you would like more information please contact Arlene Guellnitz, Chairperson of the Valentine Legacy Society or any member of the Valentine Legacy Society.

Images of Trinity

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Birthdays, Anniversaries and Commemorations for the week of November 27-December 3. Birthdays: Gianna Ruttler, Alex Fortunato, Ruth Teeter, John Yekel, Jaime Selingo, Ronald May, Evelyn Kalinowski, Janis Idell. Anniversaries: Mark & Mary Jane Christian. Commemorations: Mavis Mastres, Margaret Zimmerman, Thomas Albino, Frances Fiigen, Harvey Hillyer, Mabel Hooper, Chester Cunningham, Janet Schrump, William Nemeth, Victoria Sasso, Timothy Sturtevant In our parish cycle of prayer, we remember the following: Carol Tandyrak; Janet & Amber Temchus; Carroll & Michele Thomas, Brittney Crawford; Christine Thompson; Steven and Laurie Thompson; Phyllis Tory; Angelo & Rosalind Valetutto; Jason, Xavier & Ophelia Valetutto; Karen & JuanVarella; Anne, John, Jessica, Kaylyn and Nicole Vignola; T. J., Sara, Cecelia & Julietta Vignola; Joseph & Robin Vitale; Dan & Erin Wasik; Dean & Karen Wasylyk; Howard & Terry Welsh; Patrick, Loreth, Lori Ann and Lawrence Welsh; Jean White; Arlene Wilson; Ginny, Rula, Megan & William Wilson; David & Sandra Wilson; Deborah Woodward; Carlton & Maureen Yackel; John, Maxwell, & Ian Yekel; Lisa Marie Yekel; Kevin, Eva, Leianna, Nicole & Michael Zuckerman; Brian, Amy, Nicholas, Domenic & Taiylor ZwickBirthdays, Anniversaries and Commemorations for the week of December 4-10. Birthdays: Alice Byoris, Megan Wilson, Christopher Joy, John Hogan, Frank DeCicco, Cassandra Bonventure, Raymond Kreusch, Louis Polise. Anniversaries: Edward & Linda Levinsohn. Commemorations: James Storey, Stanley Karnas, Jean Thomas, Mary VanPelt, George C. Painter, Helen Vint, Stephen Shaffer. In our parish cycle of prayer, we remember the following: Dawn Aceta; Ikenna, Ebby & Maya Ajegbo; Paul, Diane, Nicole & Tina Marie Alaimo; Dawn Albino; Victoria, Evans & Natasha Alexander; Noreen Anderson; Michael, Susan, Marina & Gina Ansaldo; Omari Ansong; John, Shari, Sarah, Kathryn & Jennifer (Helley) Asiel; Patti, Lara & Caylie Asmonda; Tope & Seye Awofisayo; Sandra Baird; Theresa Barbieri; Gerard, Nancy & Michael Bartolino; Mary Bauman; John Bednar; John, Carol & Sophie Beier; Bob, Katie, Brian, Casey, Caitlin and Cristen Belko; Wayne, Lorraine & Meredith Bell; Angelo, Nicole, Angelo, Krystal, Anthony & Brett Berardi; Christopher & Alyssa Bergacs; John Bergacs, III; John, IV & Melissa Bergacs; Susann and Joshua Bergacs; Ann Bernath; Christian & Janice Beutelscheiss, James Norman; Paul & Deborah Beyfuss; Cookie Bills; George Bines; Jeffrey, Ellen, Hunter & Devin Blazier; Tristan & Anna Blankenship; Lise Bonalski; Anthony, Sharon, Alexander & Cassandra Leigh Bonventure; Rose M. Borcicky; Dorothea Borkowski; Fr. Peter & Jeanne Boyle; Martin, Allison, Martin Joseph & Maggie Brennan; Sr. Thea Joy Browne; Bruno & Katherine Brizzi; Douglas & Barbara Bruen, Andrew & Jessica Bernath; Terry Bukofsky; Alice Byoris; Thomas, Donna, Jill & Kristy ByorisBirthdays, Anniversaries and Commemorations for the week of December 11-17. Birthdays: Bryan MacArthur, Runi Sriwardena, Coral Waddell, Marion Marino. Commemorations: Robert Ellis, Caroline Rodney, Samuel LaPenta. In our parish cycle of prayer, we remember the following: Veronica Carr, Cynthia Joseph-Walker, Christopher Parks, Jordan & Mya Walker; Mark, Mary Jane, David and Alexis Christian; Steven, Brooke & Charlotte Christian; Ingrid Christoffersen; Mtr. Angela & Jenna Cipolla; James & Erin Collins; Fr. Geoffrey Collis; John, Hope, John, Jr., Nicholas & Anthony Colucci; Gerald & Diane Composto; Ruth Connor; Valerie, John, Ross John, & David Matthew Cooper; Dorothy & Charles Corrado; May Corrado; Robert & Sharon Counselman; Don, Holly, Brooke, Zachary & Bobby Counselman; David, Marijane, David, Jr., Sharon, Jessica & Joseph Counselman; Michael, Christine & Emily Rose Cowen; Max Crawford; Glenn, Laura, Kristen, & Dana Cunningham; Joseph, Lisa, Samantha & Sabrina DeBenedictis; Sam Hsu & Robert DeCesare; Carl, Donna, Christina & Alexander DeCicco; Frank, Leah, Angela & Frances DeCicco; Dawn, Robert & Dale DeHart; Maryanne DeSantis, Matthew, Staci, Theo & Kennedy Duffy; Betty Earl; Dorothy Edwards; Karen, Jacqueline, Jennifer & Jessica Eletto; Mary Ellinger; Donald English.

Birthdays, Anniversaries and Commemorations for the week of December 18-24. Birthdays: Joseph DeBenedictis, Corinna Polise, Carol Ryan, Mark Hartman, Tess Powell, David Cooper. Anniversaries: Joshua & Katherine Forsythe. Commemorations: Hertha Schlenker, Mary Cunningham, Marion Shomsky, Marie Guellnitz, Florence Hershaw, Foster Wadell, Sr. In our parish cycle of prayer, we remember the following: Christopher, Anthony & Gale Ferraro; Thomas, Amanda, Julie & Hailey Foerster; Linda Foley; Frank & Audrey Foley; David, Amparo & Joshua Forsythe; Allen & Norma Francis; Mary Francis; Pat, Lynn, Lisa, & Tara Fratello; Sister Elias Freeman; Charles Frederick; William Frelish; Richard & Bridget Fritzch; James, Maureen, James Jr. Ryan & Christopher Fuller; Kyle, Anastasia & Benjamin Geardino, Lukah McCann-Juliar; Randy, Janet & Tori Geardino; Edwina & Carmen Giampino; Preston, Christine, Megan & Jeremy Giles; Lorraine Godleski; Chakkrapani, Priya, Joanna & Evan Grandhi; Linford, Lisa, Brianna & Stephen Grant; Daniel, Beverly & Daniel Harvey Green; Robert, Arlene & Ross Guellnitz; John, Sandra, Jonus & Joseph Gurski; Frank & Lynn Haley; Ronald & Maureen Harbachuk; Allen, Jennifer & Kalib Herbert; Jack, Beth, Maggie, Joshua, Samantha, Jake & Lilly Heyer; Joseph, Melissa, Leanne & Abigail Higgins; Joseph Higgins, Sr.; Colleen, Nicole & Chelsea Hodgeman; Mary Hoffman; John, Susan & Bryan Hogan; Paul, Beth, Heather, Kristen & Joy Hoglund; Gail Housman; Gene, Debbie & Michael Howe.Birthdays, Anniversaries and Commemorations for the week of December 25-31. Birthdays: T Peter Boyle, John Bergacs III, Kathryn Asiel Barbara Bruen, Krystal Berardi, Frank Haley, William Frelish, Danielle Mohr, Manuel Barbosa. Commemorations: Anna Izzo, Mary O’Donnell, Rose LaPenta, Ed Greenwood, Jean Hameier, Pierrepont Bartow, Frederick Blauvelt, Joseph Elletto, Doris Smith, Nancy Shaffer, Sue Gyukeri, Grace Ruge. In our parish cycle of prayer, we remember the following: Barry & Janis Idell; Daffodil Isles; Lauren Jeffs; Douglas, Colette, Annabelle & Katherine Johnson; Christopher, Kelly & Christopher Robert Joy; Steve, Sandra, Jessamy & Megan Kalista; Kay & Brian Karlick, Dean Rogich; Joseph & Mae Karnas; Ginny Kershaw; Matthew, Amanda & Mia Kershaw; John, Lisa & Molly Kocher; Conrad & Ann Kochevar; Patricia Koebel; Rana & Daniel Korintus; Brenda Kowal; Peter Kozlakowski; Judith & Paul Krall-Russo; Raymond, Laura, Raymond, Jr., & Jacob Kreusch; Allen & Kathy Krupa; Allen, Jr. & Rachel Krupa; Matthew, Samantha, Tyler & Lily Krupa; Christopher, Kathy & C J Krupa; Fran Kurtz; Marlene Layne; Don LaPenta; Leonard & Danielle Larsen; Bill Leeming; Ray & Dorothy Leone; Lorraine Lescinsky; Michelle Lewis; Libby, Janet & Meghan Lichauco; Larry Lopez, Rikki Portner, Morgan Lopez & Leo Portner; Jeanne Lutz.

The Trinity Herald

Trinity Episcopal Church650 Rahway AvenueWoodbridge, NJ 07095-3530

Address Correction Requested

December 2016 Edition