From Feast to Fast: A Christian Rhythm of Life

Dear Friends,

We have just come from a feast. Candles were lit, voices lifted in song and prayer, stories shared, laughter and hugs exchanged, food passed around tables. We marked 175 years of Trinity not simply by looking back, but by showing up together, body and soul, as the church has always done. And now, almost immediately, the calendar nudges us toward Lent. That movement — from feast to fast — is one of the quiet gifts of our tradition. The Church does not choose between celebration and surrender, or between fullness and hunger. It invites us to practice both.

We feast because life is a gift—because God meets us in real bodies, real bread, real community. And then we fast — not to undo the feast or punish ourselves, but to make space. Space to notice what we cling to that isn’t God, what distracts us from following Jesus, and what truly gives us life. Lent doesn’t cancel joy; it deepens it by helping us stay rooted in God.

A church that only feasts risks becoming shallow. A church that only fasts can grow brittle. But a church that knows how to do both — celebration and surrender, gratitude and humility — becomes resilient. Fully alive.

The pages that follow are all photos from our 175th celebration—no articles, just faces and moments of joy. I did my best to represent as many parishioners as possible, with many more photos still to come on our website and social media.

So we stand between feast and fast, grateful for what has been and open to what God is still doing. I invite you to begin that journey with us. But first, we’ll feast. Join us for Shrove Tuesday, pancakes for dinner on February 17 at 6:30 p.m., followed by Ash Wednesday services on February 18 at 12:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Yours in Christ, Rev. Dana