The Trinity

Herald

Mother Angie….pg 1-2

Gratitude Calendar…pg.3

Christmas Services...pg.4

Daughters of the King..pg.5

St. Anne’s Unit….pg 5

Coffee Hour…pg 6

Stewardship…pg 6

Trinity Vestry…pg.7

Sunday School…pg 8

Upcoming Events:

- Tree Lighting...pg 9

- Westfield Concert…pg.10

- Annual Potluck…pg.11

- Christmas Dinner…pg12

- Joining Jesus…pg 13

- Blood Drive…pg.14

Assistance Programs:

- Food Pantry…pg 15

- Soup Kitchen… pg 16

- Deacon’s Table…pg.17

The Wider Church:

- Diocesan Youth…pg 18-19

- Diocesan Events…pg 20

Images of Trinity…pg 21

December

2017

Mother Angie’s Musings

Advent is a time of reflection and preparation. Like Lent, it is a

time when we are called to take stock and repent of our failings

and our sinfulness. It is a time to ask ourselves, how are we doing

in our Christian walk? Are we preparing our hearts and minds to

celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas or are we

caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping, decorating, and

writing out cards? The pace of the holiday season can get so

frenetic that it is easy to skip over the season of Advent all

together, especially as stores decorate earlier and earlier in an

effort to sell more merchandise.

So with all of our crazy schedules during this season, how are we

each going to set aside some time to do this important reflection?

Although it takes dedication and commitment to follow through,

there are several simple ways that we can make this Advent truly

meaningful. One of the easy ways to be mindful of our preparation

for Christmas is through Advent calendars. Last year I highlighted

some of the them that were geared toward performing random

acts of kindness each day. This year, I will be including in the

Herald a donation calendar which begins on December 1st and

goes until Epiphany (Jan 6th). This simple calendar will help us put

away pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. each day as we remember the

many things that we have to be grateful for and that some people

do not have. As we conclude the feast of Christmas on Jan 6th, you

Trinity Episcopal Church

650 Rahway Ave., Woodbridge, NJ

Tel: (732) 634-7422

www.trinitywoodbridge.org

Mother Angie’s Musings continued...

will total all that you have gathered throughout this devotional period

and donate it to the charity of your choice.

Another way that we can make sure to celebrate this Advent season, is

to make a commitment to celebrating each of the Sundays of Advent

with our Trinity family in worship. The lessons of Advent are

specifically designed to help us prepare ourselves for the feast of

Christmas. On Sunday December 10th we will also be celebrating the

season with our annual Lessons and Carols at the 10am service. This is

another great way to remember the stories and to ready our hearts. On

Sunday December 17th, I will be holding a special mini-retreat that will

help us to take some time out of our busy holiday schedules to slow

down and have some quiet time with God.

These are just a few examples of the many paths and tools that we can

use to help guide our Advent. Which of these we choose is not as

important as the act of choosing to follow our Lord on this journey

toward Bethlehem. Although we are preparing to celebrate the mystery

of the Incarnation which happened several thousand years ago, we are

also preparing to celebrate the coming of the Kingdom of God in all its

fullness when Jesus returns at the end of time. As the Gospels reminds

us, we do not know the day nor the hour that Jesus will return so we

must always be ready. Are we? What can we be doing to be better

prepared? How is God calling us to wait? What is our role in the

coming of God’s Kingdom? These are some of the critical questions

that we ponder during Advent. May this season be for you a time of

great joy, reflection, and anticipation as we prepare our hearts and

minds for the inbreaking of God into the world at Christmas.

The Trinity Parish Herald is published monthly except during July and August and is a publication of Trinity Episcopal Church

650 Rahway Avenue Woodbridge, NJ 07095

732-634-7422 ParishOffice@Trinitywoodbridge.org

Publisher: Rev. Angela Cipolla

Wardens: Steve Kalista Ginny Kershaw

Editor: Heather Gondek Photography: Phyllis Jones Carroll Thomas Michele Thomas Joe Vitale Contributors: Arlene Guellnitz Janet Temchus Allison Brennan

Gratitude Christmas Calendar This is a thoughtful way to make a family contribution to a charity. It emphasizes the basics: healthy food,

clean water, and adequate housing – things many of us take for granted. Each day reflect on the day’s

donation topic and collect the appropriate change in a jar. When we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany and

the magi’s gifts to the baby Jesus, give the total collected by your family to the charity of your choice.

December

1. How many people are in your family? Put in 2 cents in for each person.

2. Put in 3 cents for each room in your house

3. How many bathrooms are in your house? Put in 10 cents for each

4. Put in 2 cents for each electrical plug in your home

5. Put in 5 cents for each bed in your house

6. Count the blankets on the beds in your house. Put in 2 cents for each one

7. How many chairs are there in your house? Put in 2 cents for each one

8. Put in 3 cents for every water faucet in your home

9. Put in 2 cents for each piece of fruit in your fridge

10. Put in 25 cents for each car your family owns/uses

11. Put in 5 cents for each glass of milk or juice you drank today

12. How many windows are in your house? Put in 2 cents for each one

13. How many eggs are there in your fridge? Put in 1 cent for each one

14. If you own 10 stuffed animals, put in 25 cents. If you own more than 10, put in 50 cents

15. Put in 3 cents for every year you have lived

16. Count the pairs of socks you own. Put in 2 cents for each pair

17. Put in 2 cents for each time you used water today for drinking or washing

18. Put in 10 cents for each television in your home

19. Put in 10 cents for each wastebasket or recycling bin in your home

20. How many stairs are there in your home? Put in 1 cent for each stair.

21. Put in 5 cents for each box of cereal or pasta in your cupboard

22. If you have any pets, put in 25 cents

23. If you have Christmas lights inside or outside of your home, put in 10 cents

24. How many people will you give Christmas presents to? Put in 2 cents for each person

25. Count the number of lights on your Christmas tree. Put in 2 cents for each one

26. How many Christmas cards did you get? Put in 1 cent for each one

27. Put in 25 cents if you are going to take any presents back to exchange them

28. If you own more than 10 books, put in 10 cents

29. Put in 5 cents for each pair of shoes you own

30. If you own a bicycle, put in 15 cents

31. Put in 3 cents for each movie you have been to in the past month

January

1. Count the number of times you ate today. Put in 5 cents for each time

2. Put in 5 cents for each pair of pants you own

3. If you ate out in the past 2 weeks, put in 20 cents

4. Did you throw out any reusable cans or plastic bottles today? Put in 15 cents if you did

5. If you ate any food today that was packaged in plastic, put in 10 cents

6. Put in 10 cents for each telephone in your home

Celebrate the Advent and Christmas Seasons with Trinity

Advent 1

Saturday, December 2nd - 5pm

Sunday, December 3rd - 8am and 10am

Advent 2

Saturday, December 9th - 5pm

Sunday, December 10th - 8am

Lessons and Carols - 10am

Advent 3

Saturday, December 16th - 5pm

Sunday, December 17th - 8am and 10am

Advent 4

Saturday, December 23th - 5pm Choral Eucharist

***Please Note there are no services on Sunday morning***

Christmas Eve

5pm Children’s Service

10:30pm Christmas Carols

11pm Midnight Mass

Christmas Day

10am Christmas Day Eucharist

St Anne’s Unit St Anne's Unit will be celebrating Christmas

Meeting time: 6:30pm Dinner and Gift Exchange

Join us for .... .... some praying

.... some friendship .... some laughter .... some smiles .... some food

.... some desserts

.... some presents .... some thanks

Number 2 Announcement

St Anne's Gets Down to Business Date: Jan 8, 2018 (yes .... that is 1.8.18 (a lucky day??)

Time: 7PM Regular Meeting: This will be a business meeting

All women of Trinity are invited to attend and encouraged to join St Anne's

-Arlene Guellnitz-

The Daughters of the King will meet on the second Sunday of

this month. We will be discussing the ways we can best go out into the world

and do God’s work. With the possibility of starting an outreach at the Veteran’s

Home of Edison. This seems the ideal place to start God’s work since one of our

very own members Mary Baumann lives there. There are so many residents

there that would love a visit.

If anyone in the parish feels called to join, please speak to me at coffee

hour. “We cannot do all things, but we can do something”.

We will also be celebrating with St. Anne’s members at the Christmas

party, on the First Monday of Dec at 6:30.

-Janet Temchus

Coffee Hour is an important part of our fellowship after 10AM Mass

If you agree, won't you sign up for one Sunday?

Just bring something yummy to eat and we will take care of the rest.

Thank you for your anticipated help to keep this fellowship alive!

Is God calling you to get more involved at Trinity?

We are looking for people who are willing and able to serve on the Vestry

The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and

articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church's

mission by word and deed, to ensure effective organization and

planning, and to manage resources and finances. The vestry meets once

per month and each vestry member is usually the chair of one of the

committees of the parish. Vestry terms are three years and a vestry

member may serve two consecutive terms before rotating off for at least

one year. Serving on the vestry is a great way to get active in the

congregation, get to know people, and learn more about how the

congregation operates. If you think that God may be calling you to this

important ministry, please see one of the Wardens (Ginny Kershaw and

Steve Kalista) or Mother Angie for more information and to add your

name to the upcoming election.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURH

Welcomes you to participate in

Family Advent Events

Sundays at 9:30a m

December 3: Advent Wreaths

December 10: Ornaments

December 17: Celebration

Children of any age are welcome, with their families, to join us

as we prepare for the coming of Christ

All crafts will be made in Parish Hall

Snacks will be served prior to 10am Mass

Calling All Chefs of the Parish!

(and everyone who isn’t quite a chef too)

Join us for delicious food, fun games, and great fellowship as we celebrate the end of another great year together

Saturday December 16th

Beginning at 6pm

Look for a sign-up sheet in the Parish House Contact Michele Thomas at (732) 331-2703

for more information.

See you there!

We were able to help so many families have a truly giving of thanks Thanksgiving dinner. By

providing so many in need with a much-needed holiday dinner we ran our stores of food a bit

low. So we are asking for any donations of foods listed below that can be spared or given so we

may continue to provide meals and comfort for those in need.

Our Food Pantry continues to provide a vital

service to the community. Our ability to help all who

come to us in need is the direct result of the generous

contributions we receive. 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.

If you or someone you know is in need you can, or

have them, contact our office to request the form

needed to join those who receive food assistance.

You\They can either show up during office hours or call

the office at 732 634 7422 and leave a message with the

main office as we adjust to our new phone system. The

new established extension to Food pantry will be

released as soon as it is available.

. .Advent Clergy Day Tuesday, December 5

Trinity Cathedral .

Communications Meet and Greet

Thursday December 7

Rossi’s Bar and Grill, Hamilton

. Communications Meet and Greet

Thursday December 14 The Green Olive, Bridgeton

. Rise Against Hunger Lock-in

December 15-16

Trinity Cathedral

. Communications Meet and Greet

Thursday December 20 JJ Biting’s Brew Pub, Woodbridge

.. Theo’s Cafe

Thursday, December 21

Bishop Stokes’ Home, Trenton

. Communications Meet and Greet

Thursday December 28 Fred & Ethel’s Lantern Light, Galloway

Images of Trinity

Welcome Alexandra Elizabeth Vitale

Members of Trinity enjoyed the Lay Empowerment Day with Jay

Sidebotham

We bring our offerings to God on Consecration Sunday

We all enjoyed the amazing brunch at Consecration Sunday

Soles for Harvest 5k/1 mile Team