My dear friends in Christ,

Aside from sporting pink hair, I am not a person naturally drawn to rash action. I have ever been a late-bloomer, slow-mover, and moderate thinker. Anyone among my friends and family will tell you that in my private life I sometimes suffer from “choice paralysis” as a result of prolonged deliberation. This does not always translate into great patience, but on the whole it is fair to say I am not hasty and I am definitely not someone who seeks major change for its own sake.

And so it is no small thing that I propose to lead Trinity into a fairly significant change in our worship schedule starting in September. What I envision is two Sunday morning services of Holy Eucharist—times and liturgy styles to be determined through community conversation–and one evening Eucharist that will be relatively quiet and liturgically minimal.

The purpose of this change is to invite and make welcome the many members of the greater Towson area who cannot (or will not) come to church in the morning. Many Towson undergraduates are weekend commuters who don’t return to the area before Sunday afternoon. When youth sports are in high gear, families can get pulled away from church because of team commitments. Some people just don’t want to get up early. I want us to connect with all these people and help them find a spiritual home here at Trinity.

I realize that each of us is spiritually fed and nurtured by the particular service we are used to attending, and I am not interested in robbing people of what gives them life. For these reasons I will hold community conversations about these changes between the 8am and 10am services for the next two Sundays (July 28 and August 4). It is important that everyone has a chance to voice their concerns and contribute to the hopeful possibilities. I am, of course, always open for personal conversation about this or anything else.

This is an enormous expenditure of my “honeymoon” capital, I know, but I am confident this change will be invigorating for our community and allow us to live out our mission “to welcome and celebrate the diversity of all people through spiritual education, growth in faith, and service in Christ’s Name.” The beginning of the new school/program year, the arrival of a new priest, and the timeless faithfulness of this parish make now an ideal time to do something new. We have so much to offer this community. I hope you will support this fresh effort to make our community of faith and action available to all.

In peace,