This Lenten season at Trinity has, in many ways, followed familiar rhythms. We replaced the brass with wood in the sanctuary. The purple paraments marked our worship space. We shared in a meaningful Ash Wednesday service. Our Holy Week services will be appropriately somber as we journey through the days leading up to the Passion. But Lent 2025 arrived as we were also stepping into a new reality as a congregation.
In recent months, Trinity has experienced significant loss. Many beloved friends and fellow parishioners have chosen to worship elsewhere. Ministries like Sunday School have undergone dramatic change. Our offerings are down significantly. It’s only natural that we have felt a deep sense of mourning as we face an uncertain future. Remember to call the office by noon on Tuesday to make or change your reservation. This year, Lent at Trinity has felt different. It has not been confined to the sanctuary. We’ve also lived it out in the fellowship hall.
On two occasions, our congregation gathered to reflect on and reshape how we govern ourselves as a United Methodist church. In those meetings, we intentionally let go of practices and structures that no longer serve who we are becoming. In many ways, that was our Lenten fast—releasing the old to make space for the new. Yet Lent is never only about loss. It’s also a season that leans forward into the hope of Easter.
Our tradition reminds us that the Sundays in Lent are like “little Easters,” and Trinity experienced one of those on March 30. After worship, we gathered for a covered dish meal and a church conference. There was lightness in the room—laughter, joy, and a genuine sense of community. The meeting was marked not by division but by unity. We elected new officers, who are already working to chart a faithful course ahead. And we even welcomed a new member into our congregation during the conference!
The Spirit of God is alive and well at Trinity. God is doing a new and wonderful thing among us. Thanks be to God.
Joseph