Dear Trinity family,
There is so much to be grateful for: God’s faithfulness to Trinity for 150 years; our ‘little’ town of NYC; living in a country that allows us to worship God and to talk freely to our neighbors about Jesus and our salvation. This season I’m thankful for all of you who participated in the Love Where You Live series and for those of you who are making efforts to get to know and love your neighbors as Jesus asked us to do. And here are some other blessings that I appreciate this fall:
- Your hearts of prayer. There were 80+ people that participated in the 40-day prayer and fasting at Trinity. Please continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for the leaders at Trinity as we go through this transition period.
- Your hearts of generosity over these past few months, in particular, as the Trustees have wrestled with reducing the budget this year. Each dollar that you give supports our mission at Trinity and helps us to continue to bring people closer to Christ in NYC and the world.
- Your hearts of service. Every month, people from Trinity go to serve at the Bowery Women’s Mission Center, or World Vision, or Father’s Heart. And just last weekend we had over 60 people volunteer at the Cru warehouse on Saturday to fill Boxes of Love to send out to the poor and needy in our communities for Thanksgiving. For those of you that missed that opportunity, you can help out at His Toy Store on December 8 or 9.
And then, of course, I think of your love as a community… When I think of all that the Boyds have done to invest in us over the past twenty-five years, it’s hard to imagine how to thank them, but I think we pulled it off this past Sunday! From the band, the choir, the testimonies, the stories, the muggings, the prayers, the laughter, the tears, the delicious TEX-MEX food, the hand-made cakes, the decorations, the presence of so many incredible people (many of whom traveled long distances to be here), and yes, even the Dallas Cowboy jerseys! – the love was evident.
I can’t remember a time in recent history when our sanctuary was so packed or the energy level so high. It was a service focusing on gratitude. Our gratitude for God’s grace and all He has done for us, for all He is doing, and for all He is preparing for us. We are so blessed and we have so much to be thankful for! The love and gratitude expressed on Sunday was a perfect example of what God intended His church to be.
As a pastor, I can’t imagine a more appropriate gift than seeing God’s faithfulness manifested in His people and on Sunday, we brought it! We truly are a community of faith, obedience and joy! Thank you for making Trinity what it is. My heart is filled with joy as I think about you and all you’ve become. I’m confident that we honored both God and the Boyds on Sunday!
I am very thankful to serve alongside you.
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Love in Christ,
James Leonard
Interim Lead Pastor
PS If you couldn’t be with us last week, here’s a link to the Thanksgiving service and Chris Grisanti’s toast.
