Thank you to Diane Mack for her heartfelt reflection. This was published in our Lent 2016 Newsletter. View more here
It was years before I even stepped into the church but I knew that First Trinity was a unique place. I had met Pastor Tom and Rene at different social functions around Bridgeport and heard about their…how shall we say…unorthodox church functions. Now, I was coming to terms with a very strict Christian organization that I had been a part of for years and an activity like “Beer and Carols” would be unheard of. However, when I was dating my now fantastic husband, Andrew, he told me about his experience a few years ago when he was going through a hard time and having a downer day. That night, he went to the “Beer and Carols," and he told me that there was so much joy, cheer, and light from the people of Trinity that it was an awesome experience. So when we decided to get married, we wanted to have the service at First Trinity because we believe in the people of the church and what they are doing. Even on the honeymoon we excitedly talked about how we wanted to become members and become more involved, for we had many ideals and beliefs that we wanted to put into action and First Trinity does just that. They actually feed and clothe the poor, stand up for social justice with protest and activism, accept and show grace to those who otherwise feel like outcasts. We feel God’s spirit move in the people of Trinity. We like that it’s not the picture of the “perfect church” that society presents to us. We like that it’s diverse, that there are people from all walks of life and with that, it can sometimes be uncomfortable, challenging and frustrating.
Yet, it is in those times when we can truly grow. For instance, I was able to help with the kid’s Christmas pageant this year. Now growing up in suburbia and helping out with many children’s activities inside and out of the church, the kids would usually sit and listen and for the most part, go along with the program. For all that, trying to get the kids to get on stage and practice their lines for the pageant was another story. When we were ready and I called the kids to the stage, they would just disappear, every one of them left the one time. I couldn’t believe it and I didn’t believe we could pull this off. Yet, I had no choice, I had to be patient. At the end, while we danced off the stage, I think I was more proud of them for pulling through and doing an amazing job than if they had gone along with it the whole time. The kids (probably not knowing they were doing this) completely changed my belief of what it should look like (perfect) to what it could be (awesome) if I just believed in their abilities and who they were. It was, to say the least, an eye opening experience and I would gladly do it again.
To conclude, we want to thank First Trinity for letting us be a part of the church, it is an honor and we are grateful for the people there. You challenge us, change us and move us to be closer to who God is. The people of Trinity strive to live out the beatitudes even when it is tough and that is truly a blessing.
We are grateful
Andrew and Diane
