Reflections from Trinity

April 8, 2026

Christ is Risen, Alleluia

The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia

Dear Easter people,

It’s already ready Wednesday in Easter week, and my heart is still extraordinarily full, thanks to what we did together, from Palm Sunday through Holy Week and the Triduum and the Sunday of the Resurrection.

There are more stories than I could possibly make room for here, and so here is my invitation to each one of you:

Ask you see your fellow Sugar River Episcopalians in the coming Easter season, ask them: What do you remember best? What’s your number one story from Holy Week and Easter?

Ask.

And then listen.

The e newsletter included a few photos from last week, but again: even if our time together in worship and contemplation and celebration was completely documented, those images would simply serve as one more prompt to tell the story of “What’s happening here.”

I’ll just say this: We pray these words each time we sing “Where the Sugar River flows,” and this is what I saw last week, this prayer made present: May we all be one in Christ, where the Sugar River flows.”

Faithfully,

Kelly+

April 2, 2026

Dear Trinity people, the ancient name for the coming days is “Triduum”— which means nothing more (and nothing less) than “three days.” Three holy days, measured from Thursday evening to Friday; Friday evening to Saturday; and Saturday evening into the Sunday of the Resurrection.

Those days have arrived, and our Triduum observance begins tonight, with Maundy Thursday: hearing Jesus’s new commandment to love one another; imitating him in washing one another’s feet; and experiencing first, the gift of his Holy Meal, and then the enacted abandonment as his disciples fall away, and our sacred space is stripped bare.

The second part of Palm and Passion Sunday — when we heard the Passion Gospel, and contemplated the events of the Passion through the Centurion’s eyes (thank you again, Deacon Geof, for that moving sermon on Sunday) — I’d encourage you not to think of that as a “spoiler,” and persuade yourself that, having heard the story that far, you’re ready to acclaim the Resurrection come Sunday.

Passion Sunday is a prelude, a sketch, a road map.

If you can, return on Maundy Thursday and on Good Friday, to worship with your community at Trinity. Saturday morning — Holy Saturday—make time to be still and pray, wait and watch. By Saturday evening (at 7 pm at Epiphany, Newport) the time will have come, with the Easter Vigil, to shout again with joy, and again on Sunday morning.

Until then, do not rush this Holy Journey.

Faithfully, 

Kelly

March 26. 2026

Dear Trinity people, I hardly have words for what a remarkable day this Wednesday, March 25, was. Around noon our time, the Most Rev. Sarah Mullally was seated as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury—the first woman (the first in more than fourteen centuries) to serve as the most senior bishop in the Church of England, and as such, the head of the the world-wide Anglican Communion. Wednesday evening—still the Feast of the Annunciation, the day of Mary’s “Yes”—the universal Church gained two new deacons, including Trinity’s own (newly) the Rev. Elizabeth Moriarty. During the service, the Rev. Deacon Ema Rosero-Nordalm proclaimed the Gospel in Spanish, alongside the Rev. Deacon Kara Maslowski, who followed with Luke’s account of the Annunciation in English. I’m almost certain that this was the first ordination in our diocese when the Gospel was proclaimed in more than one language. Trinity showed up with joy and enthusiasm, singing in the combined choir, reading in worship, helping to formally present Elizabeth to Bishop Rob, and just being present to worship and celebrate a great day for the Church. And “Where the Sugar River Flows” was sung during Communion, moving and inspiring the whole congregation of nearly 200. That’s a lot of joy tucked into the last few days of Lent, but all in line with (and permitted by) Wednesday’s Feast day. With all those reasons to celebrate, I’d suggest that focus on this one first of all: As with Mary, it’s not the high and mighty, not the famous and conventionally powerful who God invites into places and actions and roles that transform the world. As we remember how Mary said “Yes,” as we celebrated Archbishop Sarah’s “Yes,” and Deacon Elizabeth’s “Yes,” we are invited—each and every one of us—YOU included—to listen for how God is showing us where our “Yes” has the power to heal, to create, to beautify, to bring mercy and peace, justice and love, to a world that sorely needs those blessings. Faithfully, Kelly+

March 12, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

The phrase “great cloud of witnesses” comes to us from the Letter to the Hebrews. 

We usually hear it as the capstone to a long and thrilling list of ancestors and heroines & heroes of the faith, in Hebrews chapter 11.  And just in the way it’s been used as the title of a book of capital-S Lives of the Saints,  our habit on hearing it may be to think first of late-and-great folks, whose exemplary lives we could never live up to.

Try this on, though: 

You, Trinity people, you, too, are a GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES: a group of people with good news to share about your faith, your church community, your connection with God, your friendship with Jesus, your awareness of the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life…

Last Sunday’s sermon words from Joan and Jackie, I am quite sure, moved more of you to share stories of how the Holy One has been and is present to you. That’s what I mean by calling you witnesses, and witnesses with good news:  you, Trinity people, are Evangelists.

Keep it up — or try it on. Who in your world could be open to hearing something of your story of faith? 

Faithfully, 

Kelly

March 5, 2026

Dear Trinity people, 

Force of habit is real, and so is joy, which may explain why the usual-for-any-time-but-Lent word-that-starts-with-A burst out last Sunday during worship, followed by at least one “whoops” and plenty of kind laughter.

While Sunday’s hymns and scripture surely reminded us of our need for mercy, the rejoicing “A” word we set aside for Lent, springing up as it did, was a reminder that Lent will end, and that the promise of Easter will be kept.

In the moment, though, our outbreak of “A” had me rewriting the sign on LaValley’s in Newport as I drove home. That one starts, “Plenty of winter left.”

For us, the message is, “Plenty of Lent left!”

It’s fine (really!) if you’ve not yet figured out how to mark this season of repentance and repair, this season of saying a heartfelt “Sorry,” and starting over. Or maybe your Lenten observance is underway. Maybe it’s going great. Maybe, as St Paul puts it, the flesh is willing, but the spirit is weak.

This message is here to remind you that there is time to begin again. There’s time to subscribe to the SSJE monk’s messages (start here https://www.ssje.org/) and join the Sunday study group, or to find your way (or find your way again) to whatever it is that will focus your heart on Lent and its steady new beginnings.

Faithfully, Kelly+

February 26, 2026

Dear Trinity people, 

“By the grace of God and the people consenting…”

That very “churchy” phrase gets used a lot in the other half of my job (on Bishop Rob’s staff, shepherding folks who are in the process of becoming deacons or priests), and now —referring you to the invitation just below—it’s one that’s very relevant to our life as a congregation, too. 

On March 25, in Manchester, Trinity’s own Pastor Elizabeth will be ordained a deacon (and again, God willing and the people consenting, in about 6 months, a priest).

Given how Trinity has continued to grow, some folks will not have been here during the time when Elizabeth Moriarty served at Trinity, and so an introduction (or refresher) is in order. 

Elizabeth began serving at Trinity in the late summer of 2023 as Trinity’s first Lay Pastor, living and ministering in the full authority of her baptism. Some of what she did is like what Deacon Geof does (pastoral care, preaching, teaching, leading liturgy), some of it overlapped with what’s now Zadiah’s role, keeping Trinity’s connection to the wider Claremont community flourishing, including through the Warm Welcome Shelter. 

But exactly as Geof and Zadiah do their work wholly and uniquely as their one-of-a-kind selves, so did Elizabeth. And it’s safe to say that many of the things that now make Trinity “Trinity” can be traced to Elizabeth’s creative, transforming, friend-making presence here—including the vibrant chairs that contribute to Trinity’s being “Claremont’s favorite front lawn.” 

Trinity is not formally on the record as the Episcopal congregation that is sponsoring Elizabeth for ordination. (For the record, that’s All Saints in Peterborough.) But Trinity is a community that formed and transformed her—just as she formed and transformed us—and so it’s absolutely fitting that Trinity supports her on March 25 with our prayers, our presence, or both.

For anyone who’d like to be part of a pick-up choir at that service, led by the music director at Grace Manchester, please let me know, and I’ll put you in touch for that. 

If you want to attend the service, it’s not too early to start planning your trip to Manchester, especially for arranging shared rides.

Thanks be to God, this will be a great day for the Church — please be there if you can!

Faithfully, Kelly+

February 18, 2026

Dear Trinity people, 

Lent begins today! 

Energized by our festive Pancake Supper, we turn towards a season of prayer, reflection, and fresh starts.

Tonight at 6 pm, we gather for the imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion at Trinity.

And here’s what will help you prepare to gather as part of the Sunday Lent discussion group, which will study the Beatitudes together.

Using the Sunday essays from On Earth as in Heaven, we’ll respond to a Question for Reflection and discern together a Prompt for Action. Grab a cup of coffee and join me around the office table from 10:45 – 11:30.

The Sunday “Beatitudes” essays were all authored by the Episcopal monks of the Society of St John the Evangelist, a monastery in Cambridge, Mass. You can access the week-by-week essays via SSJE  here (as well as through the online book.) 

Here is a link to an excerpt from the online book that contains only the Beatitudes essays.

Question for Sunday 2/22: Where do you sense yourself “blessed”? Where are you aware of your “poverty”? (Please read both the essay for Ash Wednesday and the one for the First Sunday in Lent.) 

May we be blessed on this pilgrimage towards Easter together.

Faithfully, Kelly+

February 12, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

One of the practices we’ve come to hold dear is “making new friends over food.” The coming days offer several ways to do that:

Dinner at the Common Man Claremont TONIGHT ! You’ll need the voucher to make sure a portion of your bill is earmarked to benefit the WWS. (Find that on our website, HERE) Bring a friend, make a friend, join in if you can.

Next Tuesday, 2/17, a Shrove Tuesday pancake feast, in the parish hall at Union, starting at 6 pm.

And next Wednesday —Ash Wednesday —we’ll gather at the Holy Table, for a communion service, and our launch into Lent. (That’s next Wednesday, 2/18, at 6 pm.)

Come as you are able, and come as you are. Jesus our friend meets us, his friends, whenever 2 or 3 are gathered in his name.

Faithfully, Kelly+

February 4, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

There’s a print on the wall in my office at D House, that I’ve mentioned in more than one sermon, that shows these words from the poet and mystic Kahlil Gibran:

“Work is Love Made Visible”

The work I want to hold up before you all today is the love for God and for this church and for the wider community, as it’s been made visible in recent years by Trinity’s elected leaders.

We thanked them by name at Annual Meeting last Sunday, and it’s a blessing to thank them each again here:

Thanking leaders whose terms are ending:

• Roger Formidoni, (final) 1-year term as Treasurer ending Feb 2026
• Eleusa Livermore, 1-year term as Clerk and vestry term ending Feb 2026
• Duncan Hunter, filling an unexpired vestry term ending in Feb 2026 & an unexpired term as Junior Warden
• Bill Quinn, previously resigned as Junior Warden
• Diane Orchecio, 3-year Vestry term ending Feb 2026
• Doug Moses, Convention Delegate, 2-year Term ending Feb. 2026
• Shelly Page, Convention Delegate, 2-year Term ending Feb. 2026
• Pam Marvin, Alt. Convention Delegate, 1-year term ending Feb 2026

and Affirming the terms of those who continue to serve:

• Warden, Jackie Hall, a 3-year term ending Feb 2028
•     Shelly Page, Vestry/BC, filling an unexpired term ending in Feb 2027
•     Jan Cochrane, a 3-year Vestry/BC term ending Feb 2027
•     Joan Garuti, 2-year term as Convention delegate ending Feb 2027

As our transformation towards becoming the Sugar River Episcopal Mission continues, there are necessary changes in what our roster of leaders looks like.

The vote by diocesan convention in October 2025 ensured that on January 1, 2026, Trinity would become a mission of the diocese, with a leadership team — one that is typically smaller than a vestry — known as a Bishop’s Committee.

As I noted at Annual Meeting, there are enough elected members with un-expired terms to staff Trinity’s portion of an executive team/Bishop’s Committee for the Sugar River Mission, when Bishop Rob appoints that group—which will also include leaders whose first church home is Epiphany or Union.

I also want to re-affirm this truth: that while the terms and titles of Trinity’s elected leaders are shifting, the work, the responsibility, and commitment and call to care for our people and our resources continues unabated, no matter what our role or our title might be.

Our support of our community? That continues.

Our responsibility to manage our building and our finances well? That continues.

Our support of each other, Congregational Care? That continues, and our Shepherds team already provides an excellent model of how a ministry team does its work as group of baptized people.

There will be more ministry teams forming and re-forming, alongside existing teams like Shepherds, the Choir, Altar Guild, Comfort Crafters, BackPacks, Worship Leaders…

Creation Care?

Hospitality?

Fundraising/Stewardship?

Building Care?

Garden Care?

Take the time now to consider your gifts, your passions, your capacities.

How will your work make your love visible?

Faithfully, Kelly+

January 29, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

When the next newsletter comes out from the diocese, I’m told that Trinity is going to feature prominantly in a collage of photos of our New Hampshire churches in the snow. (Thank you to both Linda Patch and our guests from PA two weeks ago, for capturing winter images of Trinity!)

I wish I’d thought to get a photo of Union on Monday, as family and friends of Dale Butterfield (Stevens Class of 1977) gathered to give thanks for his life, on a cold and snowy day, one that exemplified winter in NH.

We’ll be gathering this coming Sunday for Trinity’s annual meeting, and if you’re reading this, please check in with a Trinity friend or neighbor to make sure they know that we’re hoping for a potluck luck feast to share on Sunday—even though it’s been slow work getting the word out — in part, thanks to the snow.

The winter storm that started last Sunday, and that was accompanied by such low temperatures, meant that fewer folks than usual were around last Sunday to put their name on a sign up sheet for sharing food this coming Sunday after worship.

More than usual, if you’re an old hand at congregational meetings, this year’s gathering will be more celebration and less business. The transformation we’re in the midst of, towards a regional Sugar River collaboration with Union and Epiphany, means that some of the things that often need voting on each year won’t come before us until later in the season.

Ministry leaders are busy preparing their ministry reports, and we’ll have a number of folks to thank for the gracious service to Trinity, as their terms on vestry or as convention delegates come to an end. We’ll pause to remember those who passed into God’s nearer presence this past year, and we’ll embrace our future by singing “Where the Sugar River Flows.”

Above all, we’ll give great thanks to God for all that’s taking root and growing in our midst. Come and celebrate! See you on Sunday!

Faithfully, Kelly+

January 22, 2026

In praise of kindness.

Dear Trinity people, If you’re connected to Trinity’s facebook page, you may have found your way to read the words above, which are part of a message shared by some of the guests and newcomers who were at Trinity this past Sunday. I was so delighted to be made aware of this Hebrews 13:2 moment: (“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it”) as was Bishop Rob, when I shared it with him. Let’s not forget to show hospitality and kindness to each other, too. Here’s one way we can do that for each other. (And yes, what I’m about to say goes for me, too—I know I need reminding on this point, sometimes, too!) Faithful people need Sunday morning to be Sunday morning: a time for worship, first; a time and place for respite, holiness, sanctuary; for prayer and praise and thanksgiving, to hear the Word. We can show the same kindness to each other that we show to strangers and guests who are joining for our community for worship: Connect, share a warm hello, welcome one another, prepare for what is right before us: worship as a community. Worship renews and refreshes us to do all the work we are called to do. There will be time for church business soon enough. (Zadiah makes a related point in her message below: The way to get news or questions about the Warm Welcome Shelter to the proper destination is to deliver it directly, to Zadiah. On Sunday morning, shelter volunteers treasure the grace to set aside that work for the moment.) Steadily each Sunday, whether we’ve gathered for Morning Prayer or Holy Communion, we begin with this prayer; I invite you to join me in taking it to heart, week by week, Sunday morning by Sunday morning: O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray you, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Faithfully, Kelly+

January 17, 2026: For Ed Watson

For Ed Watson, at Trinity Claremont: 17 January 2026

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.” John 15:9-17

We are here because Ed is our friend.

That probably sounds like a very simple and obvious thing to say, and it is — AND it’s true, and it’s complicated and deep, too, and worth honoring our friend Ed by spending some time thinking about friends, friendship, about being friends.

Social media did, social media does, something to what “friend” can mean. Bottom line, when social media because such a presence in our lives, it added a new way, a speedy, one-click way, to claim somebody as a “friend.”

Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It lets real people be in touch with real people. It can be a lifeline. It can share news (happy or sad news) and it make (and re-make) connections, real connections.

And it can make those sorts of good things happen very, very quickly —  we know this too: the sour things, the bitter things, the hurtful things that can pass along those same social media lines, it lets them move very quickly, too

Today though, as we spend some time thinking about how Ed was a friend, I want to take us to a very old fashioned way and old fashioned word for describing “friending” —

That word is “befriend”

B-E-F-R-I-E-N-D

You’re more likely to hear me, growing up in the south as I did, say it “buh-friend,” and that may actually be helpful, because “buh-friend” lets us talk about more than “be-ing” a friend, though that’s in there.

The word “befriend ” holds a sense of choosing, of coming near, of deciding, of engaging. Of being there, and continuing to be there. Of doing the work, and sharing the wisdom, and telling the stories, and giving the gifts — it’s state of the heart, and it’s an ongoing, active choice.

I’m here with you this morning, standing here, because Ed befriended me.  He befriended this church community; he befriended this building: noticing and reminding us to tend to the chimneys (We are, Ed!), noticing and tending to the landscape and the grounds: who was here, what might be worth other people knowing and noticing, too– never in a nosey or judgy way, just always, as a friend.

Ed befriended the Warm Welcome Shelter, befriended the community meals served here, and for more than a handful of people who are part of Trinity Church because they love and follow Jesus, and count Jesus (as Jesus offers in the Gospel passage I read) — who count Jesus as their friend because Jesus befriended them, first — Ed befriended people he met at Trinity and people he met because of Trinity.

For the people who befriended Ed themselves, who befriended Ed back, those friendships became real, and lasting, and deep.

Nobody here knows all of Ed’s story — or all of Ed’s stories — certainly not me — though I’d hope that when we gather a bit later in the parish hall for food and fellowship, that more of those stories get shared, stories of the ways that Ed befriended <you>.

Stories, we all know, stories are one of the ways that our friendships and our communities stay stitched together.

We’re here because Ed’s our friend. Because Ed befriended us. Because we did our best to befriend him back.

And: Probably not for the first time, but certainly this time: because is Ed our friend, our hearts are broken. Because of the love that’s at the root of those big feelings — the maybe even overwhelming “thank you for befriending me” that we feel towards Ed (each in our particular way) — because of that love, we still have the gift and power to “bear fruit that will last” that we heard about from the scripture:

To live and act and care and give and show up for each other in ways that matter, and in ways that shape our communities for good, and in ways that will outlast any one of us.

That’s beautiful and that’s powerful—and that’s also NOT telling us (I’m not telling you) to make Ed himself into a poster child or a reason or a hero or a symbol for this or that cause or concern or change that we know, we know!, the world needs.

Ed our friend — Ed, <your> friend, in only and exactly the way that <your> friendship lived– that stays just that, in all your friendship’s and your friend’s uniqueness, everything, for better or worse, that is Ed Watson.

And yet: that habit, that ability, that willingness to befriend, truly, all sorts of folks: that’s something that each of us, because Ed be-friended us: that’s the gift that will continue to give each one of us the power to keep be-friending, and that is absolutely a good and healing thing, a thing that absolutely does make a hard world and a hard road that much more sweet.

Jesus’s words I read before: those words come from a moment in his life when he is trying to help his friends be ready for the time when he will no longer be walking alongside them in the flesh.

How in the world, Jesus knows his friends will wonder, how in the world are we going to be able to go on without our friend, right here beside us?

Jesus’s answer is here for us too, and it’s exactly something we can keep learning from Ed, as well:

Love one another. Befriend one another. Amen. (KSS+)

January 15, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

Monday night, Trinity’s elected leaders (the vestry) spent time praying with and reflecting on the words of theologian Howard Thurman’s words printed below, “The Work of Christmas.”

Go take a look, then come back here and read on.

Here are some upcoming invitations to join in the work, with your time, your talent, and/or your treasure:

• Honor the life of Trinity friend and neighbor Ed Watson by attending his memorial service at Trinity on Saturday, January 17 at 11 am, followed by a reception.

• The Claremont Soup Kitchen will be able to be open this Monday, January 19, MLK Day, which is a federal holiday when the Soup Kitchen had expected to be closed— as long as enough volunteers step up. Email Robin Witteman, our amazing liason to the Soup Kitchen, to volunteer and/or find our more at: babystepnh@gmail.com

• Still in the mood to bake, even though it’s January? The Granite State Organizing Propject (GSOP) has chosen WWS as the beneficairy of a MLK Day bake sale taking place at Centerra in Lebanon (the shopping center on Rt 120 opposite the DHMC entrance road. Deacon Geof will deliver any baked goods you’d like to contribute; just bring them to chuch this Sunday 11/18.

• Our “clergy discretionary fund” — which is distinct from our congegational ministry budget — allows me as your priest (in consultation with Deacon Geof and other trusted advisors) to respond to crises, primarily addressing issues of hunger and housing instability. Anyone can contribute to that fund at any time, with a designated gift.

• Plan to attend a concert at Trinity by Josh Hall on Febraury 7 at 6 pm (snow date Feb 13), a fundraiser for the Warm Welcome Shelter

Faithfully, Kelly+

January 8, 2026

Dear Trinity people,

This Sunday, when the church celebrates the Baptism of Christ, it seems remarkably appropriate that our preacher, Joan Garuti, is called to that ministry as baptized person. Trinity’s embrace of shared leadership in worship, welcoming lay and ordained people to gather us in prayer and praise, is a sign of this community’s vitality and depth of faith.

“Liturgy” — our church word for the way our worship is order — has its roots in a Greek word that referred to “the work of the people.” And while scholars continue to ponder the implications of that verbal link, our lived experience points to the reality that we are called to be all-in when it comes to worship.

You’ll be reminded during the announcements this Sunday (and can read more details below) that Deacon Geof and I plan on offering a workshop on worship leadership on Sunday, January 18.

There is a place for you in being a part of our shared Sunday work, whether that’s reading a lesson, or offering the prayers of the people, lighting candles or carrying the processional cross, to serving the chalice at Communion or officiating Morning Prayer.

Let your heart wonder how you might be called to serve. Come with curiosity on Sunday 1/18. We promise that showing up and learning what’s what does not commit you to serving — it’s fine if the skills and insights shared at the worship leadership training session simply enhance your appreciation for Sunday services. We also encourage long-experienced folk to be a part of the session, to refresh your own skills, and to speak a word of encouragement to new and potential servers.

Hope to see you there!

Faithfully, Kelly+

December 31, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

Tuesday morning, I woke up with scraps of a song we had sung on the 4^th Sunday of Advent in my head: “Longing for light we wait in darkness…”

The song resolves, of course, into “Christ be our light.”

In the moment, though, the feeling was 100 percent literal.

Most of Monday, the ice storm took out power to most of the town where I live. It was back on by the evening, but early Tuesday morning, electricity had popped off and on at least twice, and I was waiting for the sun to rise enough to see what limbs might have fallen in the night, and if one tree in particular was still in one piece.

Sunrise (a beautiful sunrise, by the way) made it clear: so far, so good. And though that was no guarantee it would stay that way, it was good enough for the moment – and enough to send me back to the rest of Bernadette Farrells’ words that we had sung together a few weeks ago:

Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst.

Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed.

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.

Longing for warmth, many are cold.

Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone.

Trinty people: since serving the Thanksgiving meal, and the since the Warm Welcome Shelter opened a few days later, on December 1, our extended Trinity community has been living the reality of those words.

Everyone who is a hands-on volunteer or worker; everyone who is praying alongside the physical and emotional work of sheltering and feeding our neighbors; anyone who enters Trinity’s building, whether that’s for worship or ministry or a meeting: we all are being impacted, day by day, by the reality of hunger and housing instability in our neighborhood.

Our hymn’s refrain is utterly fitting for the church season we are about to enter, the season of Epiphany: a season of revelation, discovery, and proclamation. As you may have heard me say before, Epiphany is when we start figuring out what we actually got for Christmas.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.

Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light!

Shine in your church gathered today.

Those words are a prayer, and an invitation.

During worship this Sunday, when we’ll celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (a little ahead of its actual January 6 date), I’ll read the Epiphany Proclamation, the Church’s great save-the-date message, announcing the holy days for the coming year, from Ash Wednesday to Easter to Pentecost and all the way to the return of Advent. We’ll chalk and bless our many doors for the New Year, too.

Your first chance, though, to celebrate the FEAST of the Epiphany is at Epiphany Newport, at a potluck supper and table Eucharist, starting at 5 pm this Saturday, January 3. It’s Epiphany’s “name day,” and so a day for a particular celebration!

We are on a journey together that is asking much of us, soul and body—so take advantage of the opportunities listed below to be refreshed, body and soul. Beyond that list, our emerging Sugar River Mission partnership brings a wider team of leaders, lay and clergy, into the circle—and so we can anticipate chances to pray and study, guided by leaders from throughout our circle.

There will soon be invitations to join (online) with Bible study offered through the diocese and other sister congregations. Deacon Geof and I will hold a worship leadership training session, to equip leaders—returning and new—to read, lead prayers, and minister the chalice—with grace and confidence. (RSVP for that below)

You are invited: Use the year ahead of us to nourish your faith and understanding.

Faithfully, Kelly+

December 4, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

How can the Warm Welcome Shelter, the Christmas Day Community Dinner, and worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day co-exist, alongside the ongoing, year-round Trinity schedule?

The honest answer is, we don’t know.

And: I trust that we will figure it out. It’s too important not to.

I do know that you are thankful, generous people — and I know that the work and service that happens here is steadily drawing more and more friends and neighbors to join in.

On Thanksgiving Day, I met dozens of folks, of all ages and from many different towns, who had come to Trinity with a friend or with their whole family, simply because what was happening in our space on that day gave them a chance to give back.

Kindness may feel in short supply in many (most?) places in the world —but it is flourishing here, and it will need tender attention for that flourishing to continue.

In many Latin American cultures, the last hours of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter in Bethlehem are re-enacted late in Advent as “Las Posadas.”

As the procession travels through a town or a neighborhood, door after door closes in the faithful actors’s faces, until that night’s chosen “Yes” comes along, and “Joseph” and “Mary” and all who’ve been walking alongside them are welcomed in through an opened door, to a shared celebration.

May this place of many doors continue to gladly embrace that holy spirit of hospitality, as we continue to say, “Yes, come in: We’ll make room.”

Faithfully and gratefully,

Kelly+

November 13, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

To observe the obvious: winter is here. The calendar may not say so, but the cold, dark nights and the days of snow flurries tell the truth.

Feeling the cold, I am so grateful to know that the Warm Welcome Shelter will be opening in a matter of weeks – days, really, at the start if December. We’ve felt it the past few Decembers, how long it was to wait for January for the WWS doors to open. This year, with hard work and planning, a lot of grace and a lot of generosity—the wait for a Warm Welcome will be one month less.

There is still much to do: training for volunteers and paid staff, more donations to solicit and gather, more money to raise. And yet: we’ve got this. We’ve really got this—thanks to the focused teams Zadiah has built, and to steady, hard, inspired efforts they are offering.

Shelter-focused work will be ongoing through the rest of November—and on into shelter season itself, of course. The work of the church—whose spirit is reflected in the work of Warm Welcome—continues, too: Sunday services, Thursday prayers and fellowship, Shepherding and music ministry and Comfort Crafting and the Blessing Box… Our partners carry on, too: for Thanksgiving dinner, the collaboration with BabySteps’ circle of friends and helpers—which includes Trinity folks!—and our building partners: the youth and their leaders of the 4H programs that meet downstairs, NA, and Scouts, and other non-profits that gather here to learn, and grow, and serve.

We know—not just from taking in the “news of the world,” but from listening to each other—that life—our common life as citizens and human beings on this planet—life has a lot of rough spots and worry right now.

Hold on to this: The photo above, of light in the darkness, and the warm welcome it signals, is not just an icon of the Warm Welcome Shelter.

Trinity people: It is also an emblem of all the good things that this community of faith is, and will continue to be, no matter what comes.

Faithfully, Kelly+

November 6, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

“NOW” is now “THEN,” and NOW we have work to do.

No, that’s not a riddle.

“NOW,” backed by a beautiful autumn photo, was the theme of last weekend’s diocesan convention, and one where, with pride and joy, our fellow Episcopalians set the Sugar River congregations forward on our work to become, officially, one year from now, the oldest/youngest congregation in the Diocese of New Hampshire: the Sugar River Episcopal Mission.

When the recording of convention is posted, we’ll be sure to point everyone to where you can watch the part of the recording when the convention musicians (the Chapel Street Band, out of Portsmouth) played their arrangement of “Where the Sugar River Flows.”

And on Sunday, when Deacon Geof and I saw each other, our first question—both of us—was: Did you tear up? And we both answered: OF COURSE! It was BEAUTIFUL and moving – just, Wow.

One thing I know for sure: the whole diocese is rooting for us, and praying for us (in a good way!) Be sure you look closely at Bishop Rob’s face in the first picture below (in the “thank you” zone)

It will be sweet work, but work nonetheless. Between “now” and “then”—diocesan convention in the fall of 2026—with lots of help from Concord, especially from diocesan finance director Lauren Tennett, who’ll serve as our first treasurer, the people of Trinity, Union, Epiphany, and their leaders, will figure out how our new arrangement will work—from bylaws (never fear, we have a diocesan model to work from) to a logo and newsletter title, to discerning how to bank, to gathering combined teams and their tasks (mission, buildings, hospitality, etc).

Please be wondering how your own gifts will come into play.

And as the song goes, “May we all be one in Christ, where the Sugar River flows.”

Faithfully, Kelly+

October 30, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

So much news! So many thank-yous to share.

Welcome to our new Church Administrator, Katie Rohrbach. Katie is usually in the office on Thursday mornings, and during midday prayers. Come say hello!

Tonight is our October Last Thursday community supper. Come for the food and the fellowship and the new friends you’ll meet. Thank you Robin Witteman, and BabySteps Family Assistance and friends for taking lead in the kitchen and the dining room.

Meet-Your-Church Newcomers’ Tour is on for THIS SUNDAY — catch up with me during coffee in the parish hall, and we’ll tour the building (Did you know there’s a 4H bike shop in the basement?), talk about who’s who (in Claremont and Concord and beyond), and make sure that anyone who calls Trinity their church home knows all various ways that you can live out your faith (and your curiosity about faith) in the context of this community.

This Sunday, November 2, the whole Church celebrates All Saints Sunday. Keeping a tradition that’s now several years old, we will remember those whom we love and see no longer, our beloved dead, with photos and mementos placed on the chapel altar, and with special prayers for those who are now in the closer presence of God. Start thinking about how you might remember your departed loved ones on that day, with a remembrance for the altar.

Faithfully, Kelly+

October 23, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

As shops and neighbors and community groups all around us prepare for Halloween, we as faithful people have work to do too, getting ready for the last weekend in October and the start of November.

Along the way, there are meals and celebrations: Bluegrass and Bountiful Desserts this Saturday 10/25, and a Community Meal on Thursday, October 30.

On Saturday, November 1, Diocesan Convention meets. Delegates representing all the Episcopal congregations of the Diocese of New Hampshire, gathered in Whitefield NH, will hear convention musicians The Chapel Street Band perform Martha Maki’s song “Where the Sugar River Flows,” and (God willing) vote to move us all closer to a re-organization as the Sugar River Episcopal Mission.

The very next day, Sunday, November 2, the whole Church celebrates All Saints Sunday. Keeping a tradition that’s now several years old, we will remember those whom we love and see no longer, our beloved dead, with photos and mementos placed on the chapel altar, and with special prayers for those who are now in the closer presence of God.

Start thinking about how you might remember your departed loved ones on that day.

I also invite everyone and anyone who feels “new to Trinity” — whatever that might mean to you–to be a part of the first of set of “Meet Your Church” events, also starting on Sunday, November 2.

On 11/2/25, starting from Coffee Hour in the parish hall, we’ll tour the building (Did you know there’s a 4H bike shop in the basement?), talk about who’s who (in Claremont and Concord and beyond), and make sure that anyone who calls Trinity their church home knows all various ways that you can live out your faith (and your curiosity about faith) in the context of this community.

Please drop me a note if you have questions (especially ones you’d like answered that Sunday!) or want to RSVP: kss@nhepiscopal.org

Faithfully, Kelly+

October 17, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

Fair warning: this message is going to talk about money.

On Wednesday morning, I received this email from the Rev. Reed Loy, chair of the diocese’s Mission Resources Committee (You can read about their work here)

Hello Trinity Leaders,

I’m joyful to share on behalf of the Mission Resources Committee that we have approved your grant of $15,000 for A Shared Lay and Clergy Leadership Model. We pray for your liveliness in the Spirit as you enter this year of both continuing ministry and mission, and of institutional transformation. 

This grant is the source of some of the funds that have allowed Trinity to employ—going into a third year now—a non-clergy “Pastoral Community Outreach Coordinator,” first, Elizabeth Moriarty (who held a more broadly defined role and a half-time position), and now, Zadiah Eisenberg, who truly works wonders in her 10-hour-per-week role.

Since the grant period began (and since I arrived in June 2023) Trinity has been engaged in an experiment that is setting an example for small congregations not only in our diocese, but across the wider Episcopal church. The point our experiment has been making is this:

Congregational vitality and impact can grow and thrive in a system with shared leadership, with intentional turning outwards towards the neighborhood, and without full-time clergy on staff.

That grant from Mission Resources is just one part of the pieced quilt — or jigsaw puzzle — that is Trinity’s finances, of how we marshal the resources — from grants, special gifts, building use/rental income, fundraisers, and donations —and from what each of us is able to give towards the work of the church.

The Episcopal Church talks about annual congregation giving as “pledging” — which is simply this: as the congregation heads into a fresh calendar year, folks are invited to figure out what they plan to give in the coming year, and make that promise (or “pledge”) to give.

Adding up those “pledges” — and estimating what might come in as offerings week to week — allows a congregation’s treasurer and other leaders to make a responsible spending plan for the coming year. (It’s important to say, too, that if someone’s financial picture shifts during the year, for better or worse, that it’s completely normal to alter your plan of giving.)

Next month, with the advice and encouragement of Gerri Smith (she’s married to Deacon Geof, and an enthusiastic and experienced fundraising coach for Episcopal congregations and other organizations) a team of Trinity folks will take up the holy work of ENCOURAGING all of us to trust that “what we need is here.” God gives abundantly, we steward those gifts, and we give back in thanksgiving.

Are you called to be one of this year’s team of Encouragers?

If you think you might be, please have a word with Senior Warden Jackie, or Deacon Geof, or myself. And be ready to consider a faithful “yes” — perhaps to serve, and certainly to give, as you are able.

Faithfully, Kelly+

October 10, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

As Deacon Geof and I mentioned last Sunday, we spent the first half of this week at a conference alongside our fellow NH Episcopal clergy. The teaching—rooted in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and aimed at helping us nurture healthy, resilient communities where folks learn to love God, their neighbors, and themselves—was presented by the Rev. Spencer Hatcher, friend of Trinity and director of the Barbara C Harris Camp (a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, even given its location in Greenfield, NH, near Peterborough).

We’ve invited Rev. Spencer to return to Claremont to lead a MHFA workshop, which would be open to the entire community. That’s really good news, and we’re grateful that she’s eager to come back to Trinity to teach.

As important as the content she was offering us was, in leading us into the tender work of discussing hard topics related to mental health-related crises, Spencer used songs in her teaching sessions, inviting us to adopt the words of John Bell’s “Don’t be afraid” (that’s a link) as a reassurance to enter the work, and Ana Hernandez’s “Another World” to draw us further forward.

This is a link to the version of that song that is beautifully blended with a sung version of Julian of Norwich’s “All shall be well.” (And apologies in advance for whatever ads YouTube puts in the way of your getting to the music; persevere!)

The words we sang with Spencer start about two minutes into that recording, which, as Hernandez notes, are from a commencement address given by Arundhati Roy: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. She is on her way.”

I was so grateful to Spencer, for bringing back those songs to my attention, songs which have long been precious to me.

Their words are our truths, too, in this moment, friends.

There is so much we do not know about what our life together as the Episcopal Church in our corner of the world, in Claremont and Newport and “where the Sugar River flows,” will look like.

And yet, even as Diocesan Convention is still a few weeks away, when the vote on Resolution #1 starts the official path towards our future—the crucial work of building relationships is already underway, and:

I cannot emphasize enought how meaningful and moving and inspiring our example (and the movement towards multi-congregation collaboration in Manchester) is to our fellow New Hampshire Episcopalians, as they learn more and more about what we’re up to.

The ways in which we are already drawing closer to each other are living, breathing examples of the lives of reconciliation that Jesus calls us to. This weekend’s worship—when Deacon Geof preaches on Saturday in Newport and in Claremont on Sunday; when Gale leads worship at Trinity and Rev. Lucretia in Newport; when I’ll be preaching and presiding at Union: it’s a graceful braid, already, of sharing who we are and what we have. Another world is already on the way, and all shall be well.

Faithfully, Kelly+

October 2, 2025

Dear Trinity people,

The diocese has a new communication team in place, and Emily, the communications specialist, brought an exercise for us to do together at staff meeting on Tuesday morning.

Emily passed around index cards, and invited us first to write three quick words or phrases that we thought described what the Diocese of New Hampshire is about. She then instructed us to flip our cards and, on the other side, write down one thing that we each thought that the dioceses could aspire to—something we could be doing, or were called to be doing, but weren’t quite yet.

I’ll save the details of what we came up with, as they may show up soon enough in the way that the diocese’s website and other communications are shaped by the new team’s work.

But Emily’s exercise with the index cards did remind me of a set of conversations I’d had recently, as various grants were being sought to support both Trinity and the Warm Welcome Shelter. Because, the granting agencies were asking: What is your mission? What’s your mission statement? Who do we say that we are?

The conversations that followed were both really thought-provoking. Zadiah crafted a statement about the WWS that’s clear, compassionate and direct – and I’d anticipate you’ll hear more about it along the way as shelter season draws closer.

In the other thread, Shelly Page and I soon realized that the theme song Martha Maki had written for Trinity had already given us what was needed, at least for the application deadline: “Love in action.” It’s short, and clear, and true, and just right for what it needed to do, in that context.

It also got me thinking, because there’s more we could say—starting with a fundamental “why,” expressed in two more key words:

“Following Jesus, we are Love in Action“

And how do we do that? What is it that we say and do most often? My list started like this:

·     We make new friends over food, at the Holy Table in worship, and at every table we share.

·     We “seek the welfare of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7), understanding that to include our neighbors, our region, and the Creation.

·     We trust that “what “we need is here” (Wendell Berry). God gives abundantly; we steward those gifts, and give back in thanksgiving.

What do you think? What more might we say?

Faithfully, Kelly+

Dear Trinity people, 

As Diocesan Convention draws closer, convention delegates have been gathering online for Convocation meetings focused on learning about the resolutions that Convention will vote on on November 1 — including Resolution #1, which begins the process of creating our Sugar River Episcopal Mission. 

If it’s been a minute since you’ve thought about that transformation-in-the-works, refresh your memory by visiting this section of Trinity’s steadily-improving website: 

Becoming the Sugar River Episcopal Mission 

Twice this past week, I’ve been part of those evening gatherings, being online with dozens and dozens and dozens of faithful New Hampshire Episcopalians, leaders selected by their congregations as their elected representatives when the diocese gathers for its annual meeting. We’ve listened to Finance Director Lauren Tennett review the 2026 diocesan budget, which is a balanced one for the coming year, a long-sought goal for Bishop Rob and diocesan finance leaders. We heard the wise and patient retired priest Celeste Hemingson review this year’s “loose canons,” part of the Constitution and Canons committee’s ongoing work to ensure that the way the diocese works together is coherent, and logical, and realistic. 

Now: all this may sound a bit church-y “inside-baseball,” especially considering the kind of topics we usually ponder together here on a Thursday morning. 

But here’s the beating heart of it:

Thanks to my dual role as diocesan staffer and your priest, I’ve had the honor and privilege of speaking with those gathered faithful folks, to share the stories behind not only our Resolution #1, but of resolution #3, too, which is also a “change of status resolution.” 

Like Trinity and Union-St. Luke’s, St. Andrew’s in Manchester is asking to become a mission of the diocese. Their story is different than ours (and I encourage you to read about it in the Pre-Convention Journal here, where it starts on page 56), but, like us, St Andrew’s has, with thought and prayer, chosen to seek its future as an Episcopal congregation by drawing closer—closer to the diocese, and, in a distinct way, closer to other congregations in the city of Manchester.

Being in relationship is one of our super-powers as Episcopalians. No Episcopal church is an island (to borrow a phrase from Renaissance poet and Church of England priest John Donne). We exist as part of a diocese, shephered by our bishop, and connected to and supported by our fellow congregations. The “fair share” giving that we (like every congregation in the diocese) send to Concord each month funds our shared work as New Hampshire Episcopalians—and comes back to us directly, in the form of grants and mission support. 

It was an honor and a gift to hear the praise and pride that our fellow NH Episcopalians expressed in those convocation meetings for us, and for St. Andrew’s, for the way that we are faithfully following the Spirit into a new, more connected way of being church. 

And come Convention, we’ll be sending another gift from our connection-making, love-in-action faith community in the Sugar River region. Martha Maki’s new song for the Mission, “Where the Sugar River Flows,” which the choir has begun singing regularly in Sunday worship, will be sung for the gathered diocese during convention worship, too, arranged and led by the Chapel Street Band.

As the song’s chorus goes: 

May we all be one in Christ, where the Sugar River flows.

Faithfully, Kelly+

Dear Trinity people, 

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray you, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Those of us who were at worship last Sunday, September 7, heard me pray that prayer at the start of worship, after the bell had been rung, and before we sang the opening hymn. I plan to keep doing that, and to also adapt our practice of Morning Prayer to include that “Prayer for Quiet Confidence” as well. 

There are so many things–things around us and feelings inside us–that might have the power to unsettle us. A list would fill this space, and then some. 

That prayer “For Quiet Confidence” (you’ll find it on page 832 of the Book of Common Prayer) expresses the same spirit as these words of St Teresa of Avila, who lived from 1515-1582:

Let nothing trouble you, Let nothing frighten you, 

Everything passes, God does not change, 

Patience overcomes everything. 

Whoever loves God, lacks nothing 

God alone is all we need 

In your thoughts arise, rise up to heaven 

Let nothing disturb you. 

Follow Jesus Christ with a generous heart, 

And come what may, let nothing frighten you.

And taking us further back, the BCP prayer quotes a verse from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 30:15), which dates to at least the 7th century BCE. 

Worry is human, feeling overwhelmed is human, and it is ANCIENT. If we humans could have figured out how not to be anxious, we probably would have a long time ago. 

Resting in God, and resting in prayer, is not about fixing our problems (or the world’s troubles) — or about denying the very real feelings that we feel. But what that prayer—and St Teresa’s “nada te turbe”—points us to, is God’s ongoing invitation to root ourselves in his love, and in the peace that passes understanding—and, from that solid ground, carry on with the work (big or small) God is calling us to do.

Faithfully, Kelly+

Dear Trinity people,

As we move into the Season of Creation, we’ll be singing a “Gloria” as the hymn of praise, taking the place of the “Kyrie” we’ve been singing all summer. Before we say goodbye, though, here’s a chance to savor the words of that song that’s actually a prayer.

For peace in the world, for the health of the church, for the unity of all;

for this holy house, for all who worship and praise,

let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord

That we may live out your impassioned response to the hungry and the poor;

that we may live out truth and justice and grace,

let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord

For peace in our hearts, for peace in our homes, for friends and family;

for life and for love, for our work and our play,

let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord

For your Spirit to guide; that you center our lives in the water and the Word;

that you nourish our souls with your body and blood,

let us pray to the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.

If you’re not already singing those verses in your head, perhaps the refrain is easier to recall:

Kyrie eleison, on our world and on our way,

Kyrie eleison, ev’ry day.

(ELW Setting 8)

“Lord, have mercy” (that’s how “kyrie eleison” translates from the Greek) is one of the church’s oldest, most simple, and most-heartfelt prayers.

The particular focus that the songwriters give in this song is brilliant and beautiful: Asking for Christ’s mercy first, you’ll notice, on the world, and only then on us, the faithful, singing worshippers.

Except: not on “us,” but us-on-our-way, as faithful people in motion, living faith in action. You’ll remember, too, that one of the earliest names for the Jesus movement was “people of the Way.”

And — the prayer is for “every day.” Not just for the Sundays when it would be sung, but every day. Every single day.

Like, for example, a Thursday, when (best guess) close to 200 people came to dinner on Trinity’s front lawn. I lost count of how many times I traded the phrase “Looks like the Kingdom of God!” with Trinity people and other faithful folks. Brilliantly organized, sometimes messy in practice (because: HUMANS), and all-in-all a profound blessing.

But also, for another example: a Sunday, where, last Sunday, in response to her sense that “the time is now,” Debbie P. asked to be baptized, and we sorted things out and welcomed her into the “household of God.”

New people keep finding Trinity, every day. One of those, this past Sunday, was actually a Lutheran pastor, on sabbatical, visiting nearby, and choosing to worship in Claremont. We spoke before and after the service—yes, a bit a of “shop talk” beforehand, anticipating with gratitude the perfect mix of the Lutheran hymnal and Episcopal prayers.

And afterwards: mutual wonder, as pastors, of being in a place where the words of the Kyrie quoted above are being made real. Thanks be to God.

Faithfully, Kelly+