Trinity NewsTrinity NewsTHE MAGAZINE OF TRINITY WALL STREET

special issue vol. 61 | no. 3

faithfullythe ministry of the 17th rector

DEPARTMENTS

1 Letter from the Rector

2 For the Record

7 Visitor File

8 Archivist’s Mailbag

27 Overheard

28 What Have You Learned?

29 Pew and Partner Notes

Trinity NewsTHE MAGAZINE OF TRINITY WALL STREET

SPECIAL ISSUE

VOL. 61 | NO. 3

TRINITY WALL STREET

120 Broadway | New York, NY 10271 | Tel: 212.602.0800

Rector | The Rev. Dr. James Herbert Cooper

Rector-Elect | The Rev. Dr. William Lupfer

Executive Editor | Nathan Brockman

Editor | Jim Melchiorre

Art Director | Rea Ackerman

Managing Editor | Jeremy Sierra

Copy Editors | Robyn Eldridge, Lynn Goswick

Multimedia Producer | Leah Reddy

FOR FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS

120 Broadway | New York, NY 10271

news@trinitywallstreet.org | 212. 602.9686

Permission to Reprint: Every article in this issue of Trinity News is available

for use, free of charge, in your diocesan paper, parish newsletter, or on your

church website. Please credit Trinity News: The Magazine of Trinity Wall Street.

Let us know how you’ve used Trinity News material by emailing

news@trinitywallstreet.org or calling 212.602.9686.

All photos by Leah Reddy unless otherwise noted.

FEATURE STORIES

10 Ministry Highlights

12 Finding Sea Glass in the Rubble An Interview with James Cooper

16 10 Years at Trinity

20 A Foundation of Lasting Support By Evan Davis

22 A Week at Trinity

24 It All Comes from the Table An Interview with Anne Mallonee

L E T T E R F R O M T H E R E C T O R

Send Out Your Light

It is a great honor to be one of the 17—soon to be 18—rectors who have served Trinity Wall Street. Those who came before me have helped shape the mission and ministry of this remarkable church, as has every parishioner, priest, partner, and staff member. I am profoundly grateful to be a small part of that long history.

During my 10 years here I have seen many lives enriched through the parish’s education and music, many grants given to help strengthen the Anglican Communion around the world, and many people in need helped through pastoral care or a brown bag meal. Each life touched is the result of our community. Every week, we return to worship together as a diverse and vibrant parish, and our work issues forth from that.

In the first letter I wrote for Trinity News, I spoke about the fact that Trinity is one parish. It has many parts, yes, but all of the good work that happens here is the result of the entire parish working together in the spirit of stewardship and service.

Trinity’s theme for Advent and Christmas in 2014 is “Send Out Your Light.” Christmas is a favorite season of mine, both because of what it celebrates and signifies and because the whole community comes together for worship. This theme is especially appropriate as we gather ourselves as one parish in this time of transition and change. We remind ourselves that we are loved by God, and that we continue to send out our light, God’s light, into the world.

Leadership is for a season, and seasons change. As my tenure as the 17th rector of Trinity Wall Street nears its end in February 2015, I hope and believe that Trinity is in a strong position to continue to serve New York City, the Anglican Communion, and many others near and far.

Even as I continue to serve at Trinity for the next several months, Tay and I look forward to this next step in our ministry, and to seeing what Trinity will do in the future. I know it will continue to build on the foundation established over three centuries, doing good in the world and spreading the love and light of God.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper

jcooper@trinitywallstreet.org

2 Trinity News

PAGE 2

80 Years of Faithful Living

PAGE 3

Taizé

Totes for Teachers

PAGE 4

Hour Children Working Women

PAGE 5

Acknowledging the Elaine Race Massacre

Commemorating September 11

PAGE 6

Planting the Tribute Tree

Back to Bach

80 Years of Faithful Living Marcella Coulthurst first came to Trinity as a young adult when she was working in Lower Manhattan. That was 62 years ago.

“I’ve watched Trinity change as I’ve changed,” she said.

On July 31, New Beginners, Trinity’s senior ministry, recognized six participants who are more than 80 years old, including Coulthurst.

“If my math is right, that’s 480 years of faithful living,” said the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, Vicar, as she and the Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones recognized each by name.

Eleanor Hill remembered the exact date she was confirmed at Trinity: April 9, 1966. Eileen Hope first came to Trinity in 1987, and Walter Oerlemans has been part of the community for 30 years. Shirley Quashie, who was also recognized and is the newest member of the group, joined about a year ago.

“I love the diversity,” said Selvena Mosley. She is a member of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, but she has been participating in New Beginners since 1984. She first visited with her sister and Trinity parishioner, Dolores Osborne.

“It’s very important to be able to come to a church where there are many different people,” said Mosley. “If you don’t know what the

Episcopal Church is supposed to be, come here.” They all enjoyed lunch together, as they do

every Thursday after the 12:05pm Eucharist. This time there was also a celebratory cake.

Since the beginning of September, Trinity has faced changes—moving out of 74 Trinity Place and the beginning of the transition to the 18th rector, the Rev. Dr. William Lupfer, with the impending retirement of the Rev. Dr. James Cooper in February 2015—but everyone seemed to be taking them in stride.

“I was a member of the planning committee when Trinity had chapels,” said Coulthurst, recalling the many ways in which the church has evolved over the years. “We planned to make the chapels independent churches.” St. Paul’s Chapel is the last remaining of the many chapels that used to be part of the parish.

“There are a lot of changes going on, but that has always been true,” said Coulthurst. “I think that’s what makes Trinity so vibrant.”

Jeremy Sierra

The Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Eileen Hope, Marcella Coulthurst, Selvena Mosley, Walter Oerlermans, Eleanor Hill, Shirley Quashie, and the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee.

Trinity News 3

Trinity at Taizé In July, I traveled to the monastic community of Taizé, France, with 25 youth and adults from Trinity and three sister parishes: Trinity/St. Paul’s, New Rochelle, N.Y.; St. Ambrose, Raleigh, N.C.; and Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, N.C. Ferina Moses, longtime member of Trinity and leader of the youth group for many years, worked for more than two years to gather the group. I asked the group members to frame their reflections in light of three qualities of healthy communities that are especially strong here at Taizé: participation, inclusion, and trust. Below are some of their reflections.

Participation: Members of healthy groups are contributors, not consumers. How have you experienced that this week?

“I was on the dish-washing team, which meant we always got drenched. I think it taught me patience more than anything else.”

“Really getting into the singing in church was one way I felt like I participated. At first it was hard with all the different languages we sang in, but I liked adding my voice to so many others from such diverse backgrounds.”

Inclusion: Healthy communities are not closed family units but are porous and open to draw in strangers and newcomers. How have you experienced that this week?

“I made friends with some people from Serbia. I had no idea how hard life was there and how they all have to travel abroad just to find work to survive. It makes me feel more connected to them now when I watch the news, which I used to just mostly ignore. Now they

are real people to me, not just something on the screen.”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been a foreigner in a group. I never felt like an outsider before. It was hard at first, but it actually feels refreshing now, like I have a new experience of what it is like to be in so many other people’s shoes. I’m glad I have that additional perspective.”

Trust: Taizé has this risky and rewarding approach to trust, where it is given BEFORE it is earned. How have you experienced that trust this week?

“Before I came I was a little afraid of silence. I think I was afraid of what I might find out about myself if I was too silent for too long. But during the week I really got more comfortable with it, and now I feel closer to myself.”

Totes for Teachers Last summer, the Trinity community collected more than $11,000 in school supplies for its Totes for Teachers program. The supplies were distributed to more than seven hundred teachers in Lower Manhattan who often spend hundreds of their own dollars to purchase school supplies. Totes for Teachers goes hand-in-hand with Trinity’s systematic effort to support public schools. In September, Trinity convened nearly twenty local partner organizations, such as Urban Arts Partnership and Henry Street Settlement, as well as a representative from the New York City Department of Education, to collect information in a series of group meetings. The information will be used for a report about how Trinity can best support local public schools. This is part of Trinity’s ongoing endeavor to provide the best and most effective assistance to children in the neighborhood.

“The first couple of days it felt like people were looking at us, judging us because we had a different look from them, maybe for the color of our skin. But then I realized that I was judging them for the way they looked at me, and as I got to know them I realized that they were more curious than judging, because they are from parts of Europe where they don’t see people who look like us. I think I’m learning not to judge so quickly.”

The grace of reflecting on our experiences is that when we do, it anchors them in our hearts in a deeper way. Just the act of reflecting unfolds new meaning and interpretation. Reflection on this journey is going to go on for days, months, and years, long after our return.

DANIEL SIMONS

Dan

iel Simon

s

The Rev. Deacon Lauren Holder blesses the school supplies.

4 Trinity News

The Working Women of Hour Children

What do you like about the workshops? What’s been your favorite thing?latisha: My favorite aspect of the program, I would have to say, are the women. They’re very personable, easy to get along with, and the conversation just flows. So talking to them is a breath of fresh air.

Where do you see yourself three years from now?latisha: Possibly on a 32nd floor in the middle of Manhattan in this really huge company that’s very busy and that really allows me to show my personality.

Why is Hour Children important to you?latisha: Hour Children is important to me because Hour Children gives me the support that I need to get to that 32nd floor. The workshops that we do, the networking, it’s all exactly what I need to get where I’m going. Whenever I need assistance or whenever I need someone to talk to, Hour Children is right there for me.

Why is Hour Children important to you?miyoshi: Coming home from prison is so overwhelming and so hard, and it gives you what you need, and the coverage and the confidence you need, and it helps with your children—that’s more important than anything in the world.

How has Hour Children made a differ-ence in your life?miyoshi: Well, it helped me reunite with my children. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity. It gave me the confidence I needed to step out to the workforce and job hunt. It built my computer skills. It helped me as a parent, as a person, as a sister, a friend. It built me [up] in all aspects of my life, and without Hour Children I don’t think it would have been possible.

How is this program going so far for you?aggie: I absolutely love this program. It has given me confidence, and it has made me feel very comfortable with all the women. And I’ve opened [up] a lot where I normally wouldn’t, and I’m learning so much—at 62, I didn’t real-ize there was so much left in me to learn.

Why is Hour Children important to you?aggie: I approached Hour Children when I was inside. They usually take mothers with children, young children. My children are grown, but they accepted me. They have three rooms for single women, and I was very fortunate to have one—I have nowhere else to go live if I didn’t have Hour Children. And then I found out they [have a] back-to-work program for women which is my lifesaver as well, because it’s getting me back into reality, into feeling socially [at ease] with citizens, and being accepted even for what I have done.

When did you get involved in Hour Children?sonianne: I got involved with Hour Children in October, last year, 2013. Goodwill Industries actually told me about it, said that they could help me with my situation. I was really kind of desperate and lost in New York and I was open to anyone to help me. And when I went to them, they opened my eyes to so many things.

How has Hour Children helped you?sonianne: The support. It’s made a big difference in my life. It showed me there are people out there that will help you, and they don’t sit there and judge you for something you’ve done in your past. They look at the person you are now, and I feel that’s very important for anyone that’s been in the situation as I have, and many other women have.

Trinity’s fourth annual Mission and

Service program with Hour Children

took place in July and August.

Hour Children serves formerly

incarcerated women and their

children. Sixty-one parishioners

and staff led job-training workshops

for the women, helped at the Hour

Children thrift store, and volunteered

at the children’s one-week music

camp at Charlotte’s Place.

Many of the women who participate

in the Hour Children program have

traveled a difficult road. Four of them

reflected on what Hour Children

means to them.

Latisha Miyoshi Aggie Sonianne

Trinity News 5

On September 11, Trinity prayed for peace and remembered those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Beginning at 8:46am, the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center, Trinity offered prayers for peace and rang the Bell of Hope in the churchyard of St. Paul’s Chapel. The bell is rung to remember those who have died in acts of violence. Special Eucharists were held at St. Paul’s and Trinity Church. The West Point Band and the West Point Glee Club celebrated the resilience of the American people and the 200th anniversary of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with early versions of the national anthem woven throughout a concert with other patriotic favorites.

On September 20, Trinity’s Task Force Against Racism sponsored a symposium about the Elaine Race Massacre, an event in Elaine, Ark., in 1919 in which more than one hundred African-American sharecroppers were killed and many more were unfairly convicted of murder.

“It was one of the most significant racial conflagrations in our country’s history, and yet, at the same time, it’s escaped even footnotes in American annals,” said J. Chester Johnson, who hoped to raise awareness with the symposium.

Johnson, a Trinity parishioner instrumental

in organizing the symposium at St. Paul’s Chapel, had a personal interest in the topic. His grand-father, Lonnie, was one of the white Arkansans who participated in the massacre.

The symposium brought together Johnson; Robert Whitaker, a historian who wrote On the Laps of Gods, an extensive account of the event;

Acknowledging the Elaine Race Massacre

Sheila Walker, a Syracuse, N.Y. resident whose great uncles were shot during the massacre but arrested afterward (one had his execution sentence overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court); and David Solomon, a native of the Elaine area who is working to erect a memorial to commemorate the massacre.

Commemorating September 11

The Rev. Dr. James Cooper rings the Bell of Hope

6 Trinity News

On July 19, Daniel Levatino, Trinity Cemetery Director, welcomed more than two dozen guests to the “Planting of the Living Tribute Tree: A Service of Dedication and Remembrance” at Trinity Cemetery, which is on the border between the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem and Washington Heights.

Ramon Solano of the Trinity Cemetery staff hoisted the tree, a Cryptomeria japonica “Black Dragon” Japanese cedar, and placed it into the ground, shoveling soil over its roots. Trinity Wall Street’s

Kevin Chen

Planting of the

Tribute Tree

Back to Bach’s CantatasThe Choir of Trinity Wall Street and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra continue to work their way through Bach’s 200 cantatas. Every Wednesday, the choir and orchestra perform Bach’s cantatas as part of a short service in St. Paul’s Chapel. Trinity has also added a Choral Evensong on Wednesday evenings, led by the choir and the Youth Chorus, providing another opportunity for worship and musical inspiration.

former vicar, the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, who led the guests in the prayer of blessing for the tree, later helped two children toss flower petals around it.

Because live plants and flowers are not permitted on the graves at Trinity Cemetery, the Living Tribute Tree stands as a symbol of nature and represents the ongoing connection between the living and those who have died, for whom, in the words of The Book of Common Prayer, “life is changed, not ended.”

Jim M

elchiorre

Trinity News 7

Have you enjoyed singing with the P.S. 140 chorus?

It was really hard. It was all girls, and I was the only boy. It took a while to learn to sing with them. Mr. Joe and Ms. Anna helped me.

Had you sung before?

No. I had no self-esteem. This gave me some confidence.

Do you sing at home?

Yes, I like to. My brothers don’t. They like to rap. They all play instru-ments, except my sister. I play the piano and guitar. Mr. Wesley was teaching me how to strum.

What else have you been doing this summer?

I had basketball. I go to [the music camp] first, and then I go to my game. I go home and I’m so tired, but I still want to learn so I go on my computer and learn piano. I had two different tournaments and also practice on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday I go to my church, Transfiguration in Chinatown on Mott Street. It feels good to be a part of it.

Has volunteering at the music camp been fun?

Yes. I want to make these kids have fun and to experience how we sing and how we do things together. I could do this for weeks and weeks and weeks.

Kevin started the ninth grade

last fall. For the past two years

he has sung in Trinity’s outreach

choir at P.S. 140. In August, he

attended the Hour Children

Music Camp as a volunteer.

BY JEREMY SIERRA

Kevin Chen

Jeremy Sierra

8 Trinity News

Colonial Epidemics: What Killed Richard Churcher?The oldest marked grave in Trinity Churchyard belongs to five-year-old Richard Churcher, who died in 1681. Was it one of the many “fluxs, agues, and fevers” that regularly visited the city, the “noysome” odors from filthy streets, or the wrath of God? There are no records as to how he died, but colonial history suggests he may have perished in a smallpox epidemic.

In 1731, 229 “members of the Church of England” were killed in a smallpox epidemic in New York. At the time, Trinity was the city’s only Anglican parish. In addition to revealing the impact the outbreak must have had on parish life, the fact that smallpox statistics were broken down by victims’ faith points to the centrality of churches and synagogues in 18th-century healthcare.

Building the Medical EstablishmentIn 1767, King’s College, which received early support from Trinity, opened the first medical school in the state of New York (the second in the colonies). In 1770, the school conferred North America’s first M.D. degree in a commencement ceremony most likely held in Trinity Church.

Clergy were also at the frontlines of birth, illness, and death in the young city. It’s not surprising then that two of New York City’s most important doctors, John Charlton and Richard Bayley, were the son and son-in-law of the Rev. Richard Charlton, Assistant Minister at Trinity Church from 1731–1747.

Charlton and Bayley were themselves men of faith. Charlton served Trinity as a vestryman from 1764 to 1784 and a warden from 1794 to 1806. Bayley raised a future saint, Elizabeth Bayley Seton, as a member of Trinity parish. During this time, Trinity, with other New York churches, regularly joined in days of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer to Almighty God for the preservation of our city from disease” when epidemics threatened.

Trinity and the Fight

Against Smallpox

Trinity Wall Street recently

made a $300,000 grant to the

Province of West Africa for

emergency relief and

response to the Ebola

outbreak. As the world works

to contain this 21st-century

epidemic, the Archivist’s

Mailbag looks back at

Trinity’s response to public

health challenges

throughout history.

Trinity News 9

Faith in God didn’t prevent Charlton and Bayley from waging a science-based battle with disease. In 1794, Charlton led a reinvigoration of the dormant Medical Society of the State of New York. The society lobbied for educational requirements for doctors and pharmacists and advised the city during the yellow fever epidemics of 1795 and 1798. The society’s work convinced the city that a board of health, with power to control city sanitation practices, was needed.

Dr. Bayley consistently put himself in danger in pursuit of the public good. He remained in the city during the 1795 yellow fever outbreak to serve his patients and observe the disease. He published an account of the outbreak, with all the data he had collected on the nature and contagion patterns of the disease. Thereafter he was appointed the city’s first health officer. He has been called the “father of the 1799 Quarantine Act,” which gave the federal government power to assist the states with implementation of quarantine laws. He also ran the city’s quarantine grounds on Staten Island. It was dangerous work: in 1801 he fell victim to a “malignant fever” (either yellow fever or typhus) and died.

Public Information and PrayersThere was no cure for smallpox in early America—but there was variola-tion, a precursor to vaccination that involved deliberately infecting some-one with what was hoped would be a mild case of smallpox in order to induce immunity. There were risks involved: a small percentage of those variolated developed virulent smallpox. Early on, there were religious

objections. Did variolation violate God’s ability to choose who lived and who died? Weren’t epidemics God’s punishment for sin?

Around 1800, variolation was replaced by vaccination. Vaccination was safe and effective, but it was still a hard sell to the public. So in 1807, the city’s Physician of the Kine Pock Department turned to the records of Trinity Church to convince citizens. In an article in the New-York Evening Post, the physician noted, “In the fifteen years immediately preceding the introduction of the vaccine disease into this city, it appears, by a regular record preserved by the Sexton, that 5,756 persons were interred in the cemeteries of St. Paul’s and Trinity, of whom 610, upwards of one tenth part of the whole number, had died under the immediate operation of the Small Pox.” Since the introduction of the vaccine, the article went on to say, one in 40 deaths in the city had been caused by smallpox.

In 1816, despite the availability of the vaccine, a smallpox epidemic again struck New York. In a letter to clergy, the city health officer asked for their assistance in promoting “one of the mildest of all remedies, which heaven has sent in mercy to mankind, for the purpose of exterminating one of the most loathsome of all diseases.” Trinity clergy were happy to comply and promoted vaccination in the parish.

A Changing CityA new menace arrived in New York in the summer of 1832: cholera.

Trinity’s response to this outbreak was both spiritual and practical, but all the prayers in the city couldn’t stop an epidemic that spread across poor and immigrant neighborhoods through sewage-contaminated water sources. It would take a concerted effort by the city, and churches like Trinity, to bring better services and infrastructure to crowded and neglected Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. Another issue of the “Archivist’s Mailbag” will examine Trinity’s role in turning around the health of the people of Lower Manhattan.

Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was an English physician and scientist who was the pioneer of smallpox vaccine, the world’s first vaccine.

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Ministry Highlights

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper will retire in February 2015, after

more than 10 years as the 17th rector of Trinity Wall Street.

In this issue, we look back on those years through interviews

with Dr. Cooper and the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee who,

as vicar of Trinity, was an integral part of Trinity’s ministry.

We chronicle a week in the life of Trinity and also hear from

vestry, staff, and congregation members. When Dr. Cooper

was called, the vestry’s mandate was to protect and enhance

Trinity’s endowment, focus Trinity on congregational vitality in

Lower Manhattan, and to move forward with Trinity’s partners

in the Anglican Church in Africa. Trinity has reached new levels

of partnership, engagement, and endowment stability, putting

the parish in a strong position to continue to serve people

near and far.

Leo Sorel

1 Development of Faith in Action, Faith Formation, and Faith Inspiration

Trinity organized its program areas to promote outreach, educate, and inspire through music and worship.

2 Worldwide Mission & Service Partnerships Established Trinity now has five mission partners in New Orleans, Panama, New York City, Burundi, and Haiti.

3 Hudson Square Transformed Trinity was instrumental in establishing Hudson Square

as a work/live community.

4 Rapid Response to Need After major disasters close to home and around the world, Trinity provided funds and other aid for disaster response and recovery.

5 Grants and Other Gifts Trinity gave approximately $65 million in grants and other

gifts over 10 years.

6 Financial Sustainability for the Anglican Church in Africa

Trinity convened seven conferences for nearly one hundred bishops to support the long-term financial sustainability of their churches.

7 Historic Transformation of Mission Center Trinity’s parish building at 74 Trinity Place will be replaced

with a dynamic new center for mission and community.

8 Church and Chapel Renovations The iconic Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, visited by three million people annually, received extensive renovations and repair.

9 Strengthened Anglican Communion Trinity convened U.S. and African church leaders in

El Escorial, Spain, to focus on mission and Bible study. The meeting formed and deepened bonds during a time of tension in the Anglican Communion and influenced the format of the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

Mission Endowment Under Dr. Cooper’s leadership, the value of Trinity’s mission

endowment has grown three-fold, and is now estimated at more than $3 billion.

10

12 Trinity News

Finding Sea Glass in the Rubble The Rev. Dr. James Cooper reflects on his

years at Trinity, including congregational

vitality, real estate rezoning, grants,

weathering a recession, and Haiti.

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper walks along the beach in Montrouis, Haiti looking for sea glass with two young Haitians shortly after the 2010 earthquake.

Jim

Mel

chio

rre

Trinity News 13

“Somewhere along the line is that little piece of sea glass that

enlivens people, and they begin to rebuild.”

The job as Trinity’s rector is unique. How do you balance dealing with real estate and, for example, praying with people as you did in Haiti after the earthquake?Well, it’s a combination of that whole package that we have. When we go into that setting, we pray, we read Scripture, we’re pastoring each other, but then there’s also the possibility for financial resources to assist. Trinity, wonderfully, can do both.

I have my most vivid memory of Haiti. We had seen the horror of the earthquake, and then we went out to their conference center, which is near the ocean, and there were two little boys walking on the beach, and I walked along with them. I wasn’t able to do the French and they weren’t much on the English, but as we walked I was finding sea glass amongst all the garbage and rubbish. They had never thought about a piece of sea glass and how it was sort of a precious stone, and beautiful, and then they ran up and down the beach to find pieces of sea glass.

That’s representative. Sometimes that little piece of sea glass puts in perspective the earthquake, the mess, the garbage. Still, there’s that little gem right there. No matter where you go, it’s always there.

How do you blend the two roles of pastor and CEO?Well, I have many experiences of it in previous ministries in Albany, New York, and Florida. A wise person, I wish I could remember him, said, “Remember, in administration the center word is ministry.” There’s always the potential for ministry. So the rector in any church is both of those things.

Any favorite moments over the last 10 years? There are things that represent all the wonderful moments with people and programs: the lighting of Jesus above [statue of] the crucifixion on the altar. When I came, only the crucifixion was lit, and now the risen Lord is lit, and to me that says it’s about life, and wonder, and joy. And I think my favorite service is Christmas Eve. It is just glorious. There’s nothing like Christmas in New York City and Christmas at Trinity Church. It pulls together all that we have into that one great celebration.

In 2007, 80 bishops gathered in El Escorial, Spain, to work on partnerships, with funding from Trinity. Half of the participants were U.S. bishops and half African. The style and format of that conference became the format for the 2008 Lambeth Conference. So those are high points that remind me of all the other high points along the way.

What are the things that have happened in your tenure that you feel most satisfied or fulfilled about?I think helping the parish understand the breadth of the ministries of Trinity Church, to begin to know more about them from one ministry to another, one part of the congregation to another. It’s a very complex place, but [it’s important] to really look at what we do as a whole.

The other is the ability, with help from all over the map, to grow the resources for Trinity to fund those ministries near and far—our real estate portfolio and investment portfolio. I know that’s the business piece, but in our business relationships, when it’s with banks or realtors, we have a chance to be Gospel people.

What was the greatest honor or blessing of your 10 years?It’s always the same: to stand in the center of the aisle in Trinity Church with the glorious choirs, and the ministries, and the activities, and to watch the diverse people come to communion.

What would you say, looking back, has been the toughest challenge?Well, we celebrate diversity, of course, but there are other types of diversity besides that of humanity, and that’s opinions and direction. This is a very big place, and to try and hear all, and see a direction [where we] might go. That’s the most challenging and yet exciting piece: to interact with people and see where we can build a consensus, a vision, and a plan to implement ministry in New York and around the world.

Our congregation is very diverse. What are the blessings and the challenges of a diverse congregation? Somebody asked me about that the other day, and I said, “You know, I no longer think of it as diverse. I just think of it as us.” On the other hand, we have to pay attention to keeping it diverse—how would that momentum be continued? It would be to [taking] those who are in the pew now and [reminding] them you’ve got to bring your friends from Brooklyn, or Battery Park, or one of the other boroughs, or New Jersey. The people that are here are diverse, and if they pray and work with their friends, and keep Trinity in the frontline of invitation and welcome, it will stay diverse.

Now that a year or two has passed, is there anything you’d like to say about the Occupy Wall Street experience?Well, I think it was a missed opportunity on both sides. A portion of the Occupy movement got overly focused on Trinity Church, which hurt our ability to be part of the movement. While people were out in front of my home at three o’clock in the morning banging drums, we were also hosting the assemblies of Occupy at Trinity Church in our parish hall, and it just seems to me the dichotomy of that was just so strange. There was the portion of Occupy who raised the issue that we interacted with in a healthy and wholesome way, and then there was this other part that unfortunately distracted time and energy from that effort—couldn’t quite figure out how to navigate that divided process.

At one point several members of the vestry resigned. How do you look back on that experience?Well, Jon Meacham, who was on the vestry, said, “It’s not unique. There’s conflict within the Church all the time.” Those who resigned were not asked to leave, but that was their decision, and we’ve moved on. I hope they’ve moved on as well. I don’t see all of them, but I see many of them.

What spiritual practices have you used to help your ministry when you’re under a lot of pressure? My wife and I have a daily prayer life. I’m a member of the Associate Order of the Holy Cross, which has a particular discipline. So those are private, obviously. I try to attend the 8am [Eucharist] at St. Paul’s Chapel to hear the sermon. I don’t have time to stay for the whole service, but I’m just in the congregation, and just listening to that preacher on that particular morning, and that feeds me for the week.

You and Tay have been here for 10 years. You were in Florida for 32, and you were in Albany for a couple of years as well. Talk, if you would, about your partnership with Tay. Well, I think they’re shared sacraments, marriage and ordination. Tay was not ordained, but she is confirmed, and so we both understand the Christian opportunities for leadership and participation. We’ve held that in common, even before I was ordained, of course.

“The greatest honor is to stand in the center aisle in Trinity Church and

to watch the diverse people come to communion.”

Any favorite Scriptures that you go back to again and again? “Behold the lilies of the field.” Our daughter teased me about that one. There was a song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and I said she was a little too humanistic. She said to me, “Dad, behold the lilies of the field.” It’s the same theme. Don’t worry, be happy, you know. Enjoy life. Yes, there are things to be done, and there are obstacles to be overcome. Her obstacle was hearing that she had a very severe cancer—turned out not be true, but she was able to behold the lilies of the field all the way through.

After the recession, Trinity’s grants increased, and its real estate now is doing extremely well. We were talking about your 10 years, and it sounds to me like stewardship of resources is a theme. Would you say that’s fair?I would say stewardship when you include all of it—the people’s activities, and the funding that supports those initiatives. There is both, steward of the people, their faith and mine, and the financial resources we have to accomplish some things that need money from time to time.

14 Trinity News

Trinity News 15

“Be a steward of the resources you have and meet the needs of the

day, but also prepare the church to have an extended life.”

You’ve talked in Africa about Trinity’s historical resources, and how it’s so important to use them in the context of stewardship. Do you want to say a little bit about that?Well, the Church is the Church. You don’t need a dime to be the Church, but you do need to know you don’t have one, if that’s the case. So don’t spend beyond your means. If your means is zero, be the church without funds. That’s fine. If you have funds, don’t spend beyond your ability and then go off the deep end. So Africa is working on that. We at Trinity are working on that. Maybe the decimal points are in different places, but it’s still the same thing—be a steward of the resources you have and meet the needs of the day, but also prepare the church to have an extended life. It’s today, and the future, and the next generation.

I think that if the money is right you have a chance of doing the ministry right. It’s all by faith and finding our way. But if the money is all wrong, it’s hard to do ministry. But, again, you don’t need the money. You can do it with zero. But you need to have an operating plan that’s based upon zero.

Right now the priests at Trinity are relatively diverse in terms of race, gender, and sexual orientation. That’s obviously important to you. We believe that baptism for all is the entry for all into ministry, and so why wouldn’t all people be able to act within all aspects of the ministry of the Church?

An important part of your time here has been the development of Trinity mission partners—in New Orleans, in Queens, in Panama, in Africa, and also in Haiti. Why has it been important to you for Trinity to have those kinds of partners?Well, I think it’s been important to all of my predecessors as well, but [we also] have more members of the congregation involved in the ministries in those distant places, along with New York. When a group goes to New Orleans, and it is made up of staff members who are taking vacation time, paying their own way, and congregational members who are taking vacation time from their jobs, and paying their own way, it’s pretty loud and clear that this is a group committed to the work that they’re doing, personally committed.

How do you look back on the Sandy experience? Because we were in Manhattan, and our home is in the midst of the real estate portfolio, I walked the properties. Our staff was not here, other than our security and maintenance staff. For just those two days [I would walk] around and hear their stories—some of them could not get in touch with their families, and here they were taking care of our buildings. They couldn’t communicate with their families, and there they were. So you really create a bond in that kind of time.

Following that, as we began to work particularly in Staten Island, where you’re with people trying to recover, it’s about the tragedy and the mess, but also about the personal relationship you develop; somewhere along the line is that little piece of sea glass [that] enlivens people, and they begin to rebuild, not as quickly as hoped, but begin to rebuild.

You emphasized the fact that the buildings in Trinity’s real estate portfolio are not just buildings: they’re the livelihood of people. There are 13,000 people that work in our buildings for these companies that employ them and give them their livelihoods, so they can have housing and send their kids to college. We’re a piece of it and try to be a healthy and safe environment for those who come to work each day.

Are there any characteristics that especially define Trinity Wall Street?It’s on Broadway, but it’s also on Wall Street, and strangely enough, when you look up Wall Street you don’t see the Stock Exchange, you see Trinity Church. I think it speaks loudly about the city of New York, that it’s a gathering place, it’s an international city, it’s a platform for moving a social agenda and the Gospel.

It’s like meeting a person. After you meet a person, you know a piece of [him or her], but the more time you spend, the more broadly you will understand the person, and Trinity is very profound, very complex. So if you only know one thing about Trinity, you probably don’t know the whole story.

Hudson Square has to be one of the areas that you look back on with a certain amount of fulfillment. Tell us why that was important.Well, because I’m a history major, I tracked the changes in that part of New York City for 300 years, from residential, to farms, to light industry, to housing, now to a mixed neighborhood. To see it actually move from all commercial office space to residential and more dynamic retail, it’s community building.

Do you feel that you placed more emphasis on Trinity as part of the neighborhood? It wasn’t as out of balance as some may have thought. We were getting lots of attention and celebration of the enormous work in Africa, particularly highlighted by Trinity’s participation in the anti-apartheid movement. I think what was being asked, as I came, was to see that we can celebrate the wonderful activities in New York City with the same joy and vigor. It just needed a little higher visibility. Now it’s through music and the arts, education, focusing on street ministry, and housing, that those are more understandably a vital part of our life.

So what happens next after February? After February we’ll return to Florida. We [will] just take a breather and look at some opportunities in civic work and where we could help the Church somewhere, either Florida or perhaps through other international connections that we’ve developed over our entire ministry.

The part that hasn’t really sunk in is missing New York and Trinity.

16 Trinity News

The Rev. George R. Bush, Rector,

St. Mary-le-Bow, LondonCharacteristic of Jim was his delight in an historic connection

between two churches, which he quickly converted into both a

personal friendship and a wider international network for the

service of the Communion. He combines a thorough knowledge—

and impatience with some parts—of the tradition with a strong

sense of what people need and may respond to in faith. His

own faith is practical, and he is unembarrassed to be a man of busi-

ness. Jim, together with Tay, is a firm and dear friend of mine and a

faithful ally of St Mary-le-Bow. I wish him well.

10 Years at Trinity

Carl Weisbrod, former head of Trinity Real EstateOne of the great accomplishments of Jim Cooper’s tenure as the 17th rector of Trinity has been his stewardship of the dramatic transformation of Hudson Square into one of the most important creative centers of New York City’s economy. The neighborhood is now poised to become a unique mixed-use, live/work community that will be in the vanguard of a new form of exciting urban life. For more than three centuries, Trinity Church has been a leader in shaping the environment of Lower Manhattan. Jim Cooper’s role in extending the church’s historic mission in the development of the city well into the 21st century and beyond will long be remembered.

RIGHT: The Rev. Jesse Jackson presents a certificate

to Trinity Transformational Fellow Christina Hing, as

Dr. Cooper (left) and the Rev. Canon James

Callaway look on.

FAR RIGHT: Parishioner Deborah Hope speaks with Dr. Cooper.

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, signs the bill rezoning Hudson Square.

Dr. Cooper with Linda Hanick, Vice President of Communications, at her retirement party.

The Rev. Dr. James Cooper with his wife, Tay, and the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, former bishop of the Diocese of New York, at his installation as rector of Trinity Wall Street.

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Trinity News 17

The Rev. Dr. Robert Lee III,

founder of FreshMinistries

Jim Cooper has always been a very visible person—one can’t

help but notice the “outward and visible signs” of his enormously

active ministry.  He is a visionary builder of both effective program

and church infrastructure.  His international work—reflective of a

deep understanding of the global nature of our community—

has supported and created successful ministries throughout the

Communion.  The list goes on and on.  But what most people don’t

see is the deep underlying grace that drives the surprisingly quiet

and private soul of Jim Cooper.  He is a man of deep compassion

for others—all others—and that is the foundation of all that he has so

effectively accomplished.

The Rt. Rev. Ogé Beauvoir, Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti From the day Dr. Cooper arrived, because of his vision of a missionary church, the way that people at Trinity do mission has changed. And Dr. Cooper’s vision has been helping me since that day up to now.  He went to visit with me in Haiti after the earthquake, walking close to gunshots, taking the risk to be with me there.  Always he has been there with me because of his missionary vision for the church.  I owe a lot to Dr. Cooper for his partnership, his friendship.  Through his vision of the church, not only Ogé Beauvoir benefited from Trinity, but also the people of Haiti, the seminary in Port-au-Prince, and the church in other places. 

Dr. Cooper blesses people with incense at the parade

celebrating the Yankees’ World Series victory in 2009.

Dr. Cooper helps with construction of the Faith Centre in Bujumbura, Burundi.

Dr. Cooper and the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee bless

the communion wine at City Winery in Hudson Square.

Dr. Cooper with parishioner Ben Johnson on Palm Sunday.

Dr. Cooper speaking with Diego Ibanez, a member of Occupy Wall Street.

Steve Tobin speaks with Dr. Cooper about his artwork in the churchyard.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu playfully bows to Dr. Cooper in St. Paul’s Chapel in 2005.

Trinity employee Luke Johns and Dr. Cooper at the top of the Trinity spire, which was covered in scaffolding during construction.Ji

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18 Trinity News

Susan Berresford, former vestry member

Jim Cooper is a kind and gifted priest, and he leaves Trinity far

stronger than he found it 10 years ago. Under his leadership,

enrollment in Trinity’s diverse congregation, Sunday school, and

Mission and Service groups grew substantially; Trinity’s music

reached new heights of performance and recognition. Our

real estate brings greater than ever financial returns, enabling,

for example, doubling of Trinity grant-making. And Trinity’s role in

the Anglican Communion has deepened. I believe Jim would say

that he owes much to the talents and efforts of the vestry and

Trinity’s staff. His modesty has been equaled only by his wisdom

and quiet determination to see Trinity flourish. We will miss him.

Dr. Cooper and members of the Trinity Preschool

staff in the new preschool building, which opened

in 2014.

Dr. Cooper blesses the Memorial Garden.

Dr. Cooper helps prepare the nativity scene in St. Paul’s Chapel.

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Trinity News 19

Tapua D. Tunduwani, President, Congregational Council 2014–15Dr. James Cooper’s clear vision to consolidate Trinity’s patrimony and promote congregational participation has forever transformed our local and global impact and ministry. This same vision drove Jim to convene and engage Anglican church leaders in Africa, training and helping them leverage their own real estate assets in order to generate income for sustainable mission work. Over the years, Jim has also been a steadfast and caring pastor, and when the setting was just right, you got to experience his sharp wit.

Dr. Cooper blesses the Memorial Garden.

Dr. Cooper at the clown Eucharist held in Trinity Church in 2005.

The Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones baptizes a baby on All Saints’ Sunday.

The dedication of the new video production control room.

Dr. Cooper with David Jette, head verger.

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“The list of ways to carry out our

mission vision is long, and our

capacity to do it is increasing.”

Trinity News 21

To some extent, Jim Cooper is a little bit like Moses. Moses got the people of Israel to the Promised Land, but God said that Moses could not go into the Promised Land himself. During Jim’s decade as rector, Trinity has seen lots of signs of improvement in, and mission benefit from, its resources, but the big payoff for mission is still to come. Jim won’t be rector when that happens.

I’ll start at the beginning. Back in 1705, Queen Anne gave a gift to the church of more than 200

acres of land, which was called the Queen’s Farm. She said that she was giving this gift in order to promote the best interest of Trinity Church and to provide a lasting foundation for its support. The acreage is much reduced since Trinity gave land to start Columbia University and endow the churches that it started, but what remains is still the core means of support for Trinity’s mission.

I think one mandate for all rectors—and it was for Jim, too—is to preserve and grow the patrimony, which he has done. There was also definitely an interest in diversification and in having a significant stock portfolio, in addition to what we already had, and we are on the verge of making that happen.

During Jim’s 10 years at Trinity, the market value of Trinity’s real estate has increased substantially for several reasons. People whom Jim and the vestry hired, like Carl Weisbrod and Jason Pizer, did a great job renting out the properties, and the area of Hudson Square became more and more desirable. People realized that it was just south of Greenwich Village, a little bit to the west of SoHo, a little bit to the north of Tribeca. This little piece of land between those more famous places became in high demand.

Trinity has also enhanced the appeal of its properties by recruiting creative tenants, such as Viacom, museums, and photography studios. In addition, Trinity worked hard to convince the city to rezone the area from commercial to both residential and commercial. These mixed-use neighborhoods are very popular because you can make a real work/live community.

Finally our current low interest rate environment makes Trinity’s properties more valuable because it would take a very big amount of money earning at today’s low rates to match the revenue capacity of Trinity’s properties. That will change when interest rates go up, but the other improved fundamentals will still be there.

Trinity is also in the process of increasing the diversity of its investments. It goes back to that phrase from Queen Anne, to provide a foundation of lasting support for the mission of the church. It would be a solid foundation for mission if Trinity had a big pillar of real estate and a big pillar of stocks with the earnings of both available for mission.

And support for mission—lasting, sustainable support—is what our endowment is all about. Its growth has already led to an increase in mission spending. We have almost doubled the grants we make. Last year Trinity’s spending rose by more than 15 percent—a major increase that we were able to do prudently and on a sustainable basis. There is more to come including making affordable and low-income housing an even more important and effective mission component.

Of course, Jim has not done any of this alone. He likes to work with people to jointly come to decisions. He’s not the kind of person to announce his desired result and then convince everybody to agree with him. Typically, Jim doesn’t take positions early. He waits to listen and see and then takes his position. I think it fits the notion of discernment— listening to and showing respect for individuals. The other thing that stands out about Jim: he is totally free from any speck of meanness. Which is actually quite unusual.

Jim is part of an ongoing move toward embedding Trinity in the community, near and far, with a focus on connecting Trinity more strongly to its Lower Manhattan neighborhood, more strongly to service, more strongly to congregational life.

I think Jim has taken these values to a deeper level and embedded them in the consciousness of the institution, which means they have a stronger chance to endure. That’s what changing DNA is: taking something that may have been on the surface and embedding it deeply in the institution itself.

Evan Davis, Chancellor of the Parish, reflects on stewardship and

leadership, from Queen Anne to the 17th Rector.

A FOUNDATION OF LASTING SUPPORT

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One way to understand

Dr. Cooper’s tenure at

Trinity is to look at the many

ways the parish engages

with each other and the

world every week. It

takes everyone, from the

rector, vestry, and staff

to the parishioners and

congregational council,

to make these things

happen. Here is a small

sampling of a week

at Trinity.

12:30pmRosemary English, Trinity parishioner, prays for peace in St. Paul’s Chapel.

1pm The Rev. Deacon Bob Zito, a lawyer and Trinity’s deacon, leads a discussion using the Eucharistic lectionary.

4:30pmMelissa Attebury leads a rehearsal with the Trinity Youth Orchestra, a gathering of children from all over the city, in which they practice the introit for the new Choral Evensong on Wednesday.

Sunday, September 28 Monday, September 29 Tuesday, September 30 Wednesday, October 1 Thursday, October 2 Friday, October 3 Saturday, October 4 Sunday, October 5

10am Children in the Care Bear classroom at the Trinity Preschool work on their fine motor skills by using bingo chubby stampers in an art activity.

12pmEmployees in Trinity’s Real Estate department pack Kleenex, colored pencils, notepads, and other school supplies for local classrooms.

12:05pm “The call of God every single day is to remember the wisdom of God,” says the Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones in his sermon at the weekday Eucharist.

7:30am David Jette and the altar guild prepare the altar at Trinity Church using a simple but detailed checklist.

9:15am Children receive magnifying glasses during Trinity’s new family-friendly service in St. Paul’s Chapel to remind them to always look carefully at their lives of faith.

10:15am A seventh grader says, “I guess I just want to learn more about what Jesus meant by the things he said,” in the first Sunday school class of the fall.

1pm Congregational Council member Susan Ward chairs a meeting of the Education Standing Commit-tee in which members discussed expanding adult education.

12pmThe Rev. Dr. James Cooper, Rector, meets with Christian activist Jim Wallis, Congressman Gregory Meeks, and other community leaders at a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C.

1pmThe Trinity Baroque Orchestra and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street kicks off Bach at One with a cantata Bach wrote for Pentecost that celebrates the promise of Christ’s return.

2pmSenior VP Al Amore and other Real Estate staff members inspect the office building at 345 Hudson to make sure everything is running smoothly.

3pmThe Rev. Kristin Miles and Sister Gloria take communion to a parishioner in Jersey City.

12:45pm Volunteers hand out 130 Brown Bag Lunches in the north churchyard.

1pm New Beginners, a group of Trinity seniors, eat lunch together in the Parish Hall after the midday Eucharist.

5pmTrinity parishioner and dentist Kevin Grant provides dental services to more than thirty children in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward as part of Trinity’s Mission and Service Trip.

6amSarah Arney, Trinity staff member, leaves for Burundi to help coordinate a peer-mentoring workshop to promote financial sustainability for the Anglican Church in Africa, joining bishops and diocesan staff from Burundi, the Congo, Madagascar, and Rwanda.

4pmJenny Stafford leads a rehearsal for an outreach choir for kindergarteners through second graders at a public school in Chinatown.

SunsetTamid: the Downtown Synagogue blows the Shofar to begin Yom Kippur observances in St. Paul’s Chapel.

10am Sathianathan Clarke, professor at Wesley Theological Seminary, and Kathryn Tanner, professor at Yale Divinity School, lead a Discovery Adult Education class on the Parable of the Dishonest Manager.

11:15amThe Trinity congregation sings hymn 448, ”O love, how deep, how broad, how high,” to begin the Holy Eucharist.

8pm The Choir of Trinity Wall Street improvises a chant to begin the service of Compline in St. Paul’s Chapel.

Sunday, September 28 Monday, September 29 Tuesday, September 30 Wednesday, October 1 Thursday, October 2 Friday, October 3 Saturday, October 4 Sunday, October 5

4pm Teresa Post and Chris Fletcher are married in Trinity Church.

7:30pmTrinity’s Movement Choir presents a three-part dance in Trinity Church in celebration of St. Francis Day.

It All Comes from the TableThe Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee on her years at Trinity

Trinity News 25

different areas of program that were unrelated to each other, coming out of that strategic planning process, like ministries were gathered together under single umbrellas, so that there was a possibility now for coordination and collaboration that hadn’t been in place with the previous structure.

Tell me why music has been so important to your ministry.

Music has been a strength of Trinity for a long, long time—long before I came here. Therefore, to build on that strength as we developed the parish was quite logical. I also believe deeply that beauty converts, and that when people access the music and the quality of music produced here, they have an access to the Divine that in many ways can startle them and open their hearts to an encounter with God that they may not have anticipated.

As you look back over 10 years, does anything jump out as your greatest honor?

I would say my greatest honor here would be the same as I would say in other places where I’ve served, and that is when I have the honor and the privilege to be invited into someone’s life, whether it’s a couple who are preparing for marriage, or someone who has just lost a loved one, or someone who’s struggling with trying to find a job and the economic fears that confront one in that situation. When I’ve been invited into people’s lives, that is a deep honor that I cherish.

Do you look back on anything as the biggest challenge of the past 10 years?

Well, there have been a lot of challenges. The economic downturn meant we needed to quickly be nimble and respond as we could. I feel that we rose to that challenge, and, of course, it hasn’t gone away. People are still struggling financially. That was followed quickly by Occupy Wall Street, which was a complex situation, where, again, I feel like we were able to be nimble and respond. Charlotte’s Place had opened only a few months before then. We had no idea what Charlotte’s Place would mean in that movement. Then there was Sandy—again, a need to be nimble and rise to the challenge. All of those I’ll always remember.

You preached on the 40th anniversary of the Episcopal Church’s first ordinations of women as priests. Is that meaningful to you?

There had been a lot of vicars in the history of Trinity, and I didn’t really realize I was the first woman until I had been here for a few months. It was not something that was emphasized in the announcement of my call, and I, however, feel grateful for that. I feel grateful to be able to be ordained. I’m glad I was born in a country and at a time when women’s ordination was available for me. I’m also deeply grateful for the women who were the pioneers in women’s ordination in the Episcopal Church. I was in the second or third wave, if you will, and I owe them a lot for opening the path. I also think about Jim Cooper’s legacy here at Trinity. There are many women in major leadership roles here, and he has been terrific about offering opportunities to women.

What do you remember about getting the news that you were going to be called as the vicar of Trinity?

I remember very clearly. I was in Bangor, Maine, and I received a phone call from Jim Cooper on my cell phone. I was outside, just having had dinner with family members, and the phone rang, and he simply invited me to be vicar of Trinity Church in New York. I remember being startled, and it felt right. It was both a surprise, an outrageous opportunity, and kind of an internal spiritual click—this is right. I remember that clearly. There was a beautiful moon in the sky. I remember the whole scene. It was always going to be in my memory.

I believe you’re a native of Kansas. And you served in Minneapolis. Are there differences in ministry geographically, or are there certain universalities in ministry?

There are geographic differences. There are also differences based on the context. I’ve now been a priest almost thirty years, and there are differences from when I began to the church now. At the same time there are great similarities. The reality is that God is love, and God is faithful and steadfast, and the mission of the church is to be able to proclaim that love and help people experience that love in the day, whatever the day is, and whatever the place is.

What were you called to do? In other words, what was your assignment?

My sense of coming here was very much based on an analogy of a cathedral. In the two cases where I was dean of cathedrals, there were strong relationships with the bishop and the diocese. Clearly, the bishop was head of the cathedral, but in both cases his responsibilities would not allow him to run the day-to-day operations of the cathedral and the ministries of the congregation. My sense was coming here would be very similar—that the vicar was to run the day-to-day operations of the cathedral, the ministry of this congregation analogous to a cathedral.

I would say for the most part that was a correct analogy. I was able to move into this role, having experienced that sense of being the vicarious one—vicarious is the root of vicar. The rector is the head of the congrega-tion, and I came to be the vicarious leader in title.

What did the rector want you to do? Did you have some general goals or assignments 10 years ago?

Jim called me to help build this parish, to help develop the congregation, and I had had a track record of doing that in a setting of a university chaplaincy, in a suburban parish, and then in two cathedrals. He came here to grow the parish, and he asked me to come and be his partner in that.

Your portfolio, though, is wide. It’s probably very exciting and also probably pretty challenging at times.

It’s thrilling. It is exciting. It’s extraordinary. The people with whom I get to serve are amazing. It has been a gift.

In 2007 the vestry developed the One Parish Strategic Plan. That led ultimately to a reorganization of the parish. Whereas before there were

In September, the Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee left her position as vicar of Trinity Wall Street to become

the Chief Ecclesiastical Officer of the Church Pension Group in New York City. Trinity News editor

Jim Melchiorre interviewed her before her departure.

Trinity is a very diverse parish, ethnically and economically. What are the strengths and challenges with ministry in that environment?

Diversity is a core value here, and it was one of the things that was very attractive to me in considering coming to Trinity. When one is in a congregation where people are of similar background, they may have similar values, similar experiences, they speak the same language, they go to the same schools, they don’t really have to talk about how they arrive at the decisions they make or what plans they would want to make as a parish. It’s, in many ways, much easier. Here, people bring with them different experiences, different expectations, different languages, different opportunities. Nothing can be taken for granted. No one can assume that one knows the motivation behind actions, because we are so diverse.

So we have to talk more about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it. I find that exciting and rich. It has spoiled me for life. I would find less diversity really kind of dull. But you have to work at it. We’re [also] diverse because we have people all around the world who are tuning in through the website, or coming through just for a Sunday, or for an event. And because another value here is hospitality, we want to be sure everyone has a place.

A couple of years ago you made a point that for all the things that Trinity does, you feel as though the central event each week is worship.

Again, that is a common denominator for the church. With the Eucharist, with the table, we know that Jesus is present in the breaking of the bread. We come together, we are nourished, and then we are sent out into the world. It is a pattern of breathing in, breathing out, coming in, being nourished, going out to build the kingdom. It all is anchored in that table.

We do a lot as a church, but the greatest connection to the world that

people [have] is their own ministries in their workplaces, their families, their schools, their communities, and that’s how the work of the church is multiplied exponentially. But, again, that all comes from the table.

One of the things I’m very happy about having been able to establish here is the presence of a deacon. The deaconate is an icon of the church being out in the world and the world being brought into the church. So our parish deacon is able to be the icon for what I’m hoping every single person will be doing when going out of the doors of the church, to be the church in the world.

Tell us about your new call, your new ministry. What’s this about, and are you excited about it?

I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of a great organization with a very strong and clear mission to support those who serve the church, clergy and laypeople who serve the church. The Church Pension Group is there to support their financial and well-being, and my role will be primarily to listen. It’s a time of great change in the church, and really God is doing some wondrous things, new things, and the people of God are listening and being very creative and innovative, and I’m eager to go see that firsthand and help support that.

What didn’t I ask you that you’d like to say?

I feel so blessed to have been able to be part of these 10 years, this small chapter in the very long history of Trinity Wall Street. I have been shaped by it and am deeply grateful to the people of this parish, to the congregation, the staff with whom I’ve adored serving, the people who have helped us become who we can be as a parish, who are in the world, who look to us.

I’m a different person. Certainly, the priest who came is the priest who’s going, but I’ve grown so much, and I’m so grateful to Trinity for that and hope that my 10 years have had just a fraction of the impact they’ve had on me.

Trinity News 27

overheard | O N E T H I N G

Father in heaven, what is man without you! What is all

that he knows, vast accumulation though it be, but a chipped fragment if he does not know you! What is all his striving, could

it even encompass a world, but a half-finished work if he does not know you: you the One, who is one thing and who is all!

So may you give to the intellect, wisdom to comprehend that one thing; to the heart, sincerity to receive this understanding; to the will, purity that wills only one thing. In prosperity may you grant perseverance to will one thing; amid distractions, collectedness to will one thing; in suffering, patience to will one thing. O you who give both the beginning and the completion, may

you early, at the dawn of day, give to the young person the resolution to will one thing.

As the day wanes, may you give to the old man a renewed remembrance

of his first resolution, that the first may be like

the last, the last like the first, in

possession of a life that has

willed only one thing.

Adapted from Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing by Søren Kierkegaard translated by

Douglas V. Steere, first published by Harper in 1938.

28 Trinity News

SINCE COMING TO TRINITY I’ve received more hugs than I ever expected. In a seminary class, I learned about the various metrics used for measuring the health of a church community. After my few months here at Trinity, I would propose that a hug metric be added to that class syllabus. I have experienced great warmth in this congregation.

PREACHING happens through all of us as “theology walking.” I once saw a sign that said: “You may be the only Bible people read this week.” We are preaching what we believe about God’s love and compassion by our actions and ways of being in the world.

ONE THING I LEARNED FROM MY WORK AS A HOSPITAL CHAPLAIN is that there will be moments when everyone will say or do something unhelpful, despite good intentions. Each of us is called to risk making mistakes in the service of love.

WHAT HAVE YOU

learned?THE REV. KRISTIN MILES JOINED TRINITY IN 2014 AS ASSOCIATE PRIEST FOR PASTORAL CARE AND COMMUNITY.

I LOVE BEING NEAR WATER because I am renewed by the movement of the current, the smell of the air, the quality of the light. I experience a sense of spaciousness and become more gracious about limitations and frustrations. From my youngest memories, I have been drawn to the water. I find solace and refreshment there.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT WELCOMING is to offer our full attention to the person before us. A welcome happens when we notice people, greet them, and listen to their stories. In a busy, noisy and unsettled world, it is a blessing when we are caring enough to stop, make eye contact, and truly listen.

MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT SUNDAYS AT TRINITY is the beautiful mixture of spontaneity and choreography. There is the patina of so many prayers within our church walls, combining with voices, and movement, and light streaming through the windows. Within this energy and spirit, our liturgy carries us so that we may rest in moments of silence and stillness between the words and sounds and be nourished by God through our shared ritual.

A LESSON I’VE LEARNED in my various ministry settings is, at times, we need to question our instinct to give rather than to receive. Though we rightfully respond when someone is experiencing an illness or a limitation or hardship in their lives, we can unconsciously deprive them of the satisfaction and agency from being the one on the giving end. It can be the most loving act to simply receive from another what they would like to give or tell us.

THE MESSAGE AND MEDIUM OF PASTORAL CARE is beautifully characterized by Coretta Scott King, who once described Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief in “a divine, loving presence that binds all of life.” Pastoral care is the companionship, witness, touch, and ritual experienced with an-other person, which helps us to connect with this divine, loving presence.

MY KIDS THINK MY JOB is very cool. They feel welcome in this wonderful church community, especially as part of the choir and when serving on the altar. They are full participants in the coffee hour. The worship time on Sunday is a natural part of the rhythm of our family life—often they may be in soccer uniforms as this is part of the journey of the day. They now have a larger, extended family to notice and remember them.

WHAT MY FAMILY LIKES BEST ABOUT NEW YORK is being able to walk everywhere—to the store, to play ball, to see friends, to go to school and church—and being closer to my brother who lives in Brooklyn.

Spread the WordDo you have news to share with the rest of the Trinity community? Email your news, milestones, and updates to news@trinitywallstreet.org or call 212.602.9686.

Anne PetrimoulxOn August 15, Anne Petrimoulx, Trinity’s Archivist and Parish Historian, participated in a discussion at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. She was one of 11 panelists speaking about web archiving. In addition to archiving Trinity’s printed materials and extensive historical records, part of her job is to archive the entire website, as well as Trinity’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Climate March On September 21, several Trinity parishioners joined more than three hundred thousand people from all over the country at the People’s Climate March in Manhattan. “When I look from the perspective of faith at what religious communities have done in the past, it gives me hope,” said Drew Peterson-Roach, a Trinity parishioner.

An Ark in St. Paul’sIn September, an ark was installed in St. Paul’s Chapel. The aron ha kodesh, or holy ark, houses a Torah. This ark is more than a hundred years old, and was recently acquired by Tamid after the Lower East Side synagogue that housed it was sold. Tamid is a synagogue in Lower Manhattan that holds Shabbat and High Holy Day services in St. Paul’s. The ark is enclosed in a cabinet made especially to fit in the Chapel.

Materials for the ArtsTrinity has donated many items, including furniture, art supplies, and books to Materials for the Arts, a city organization that distributes items to its member organizations. MFTA has 4,500 members, including every New York public school and many nonprofits that have year-round arts programs. Trinity’s donations were distributed to a variety of organizations, including several public schools, service organizations, and theater companies.

Universal Peace Day On August 5 at 7:15pm, the Trinity Bell Ringers rang a quarter peal in Trinity Church to commemorate Universal Peace Day. Over one hundred secular and religious groups around the world participated in the observance.

Kathy Bozzuti-JonesOn September 13, Kathy Bozzuti-Jones spoke to other spiritual leaders committed to social change at the Spiritual Summit for Social Change at Second Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Her topic was “Raising Heart-Centered Children.”

New 9:15am Service On September 28, Trinity began a new service at 9:15 on Sunday mornings in St. Paul’s Chapel. The liturgy is designed to be especially friendly for families with children. The service is 45 minutes long with a short sermon for both children and adults and features a mix of new and traditional music.

David Jette In September, David Jette, Head Verger, attended the 26th Annual Conference of the Vergers’ Guild held in Burlington, Ontario. A verger is a lay person who works under the direction of a priest to assist with the organization and operation of religious services in the Anglican Church. The conference includes four days of worship, continuing education, and field trips. Classes range from Verger 101, which gives the basics to new vergers, to 307, which Jette teaches, covering topics such as tips for celebrating Holy Week and how to deal with difficult volunteers.

Trinity SchoolThe sophomore class of Trinity High School visited Trinity to learn about the history of the church and enjoy a pizza lunch in the parish hall. The visit was part of a larger trip around New York, organized by the chaplain, to help the students understand their place in the city. Their matriculation a year ago was also held in Trinity Church. Although the school began as a charity school run by Trinity Wall Street, it no longer has any formal connection to the church.

News from Trinity’s partners and friends, near and far.

Books Donated to Liberia A large number of books that were previously in the 21st floor library at 74 Trinity Place were donated to the Anglican Church in Liberia. The donation was arranged by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge/USA, based at the University of the South, Sewanee, with the help of Andrew Kadel, librarian for General Theological Seminary.

Advocacy Academy Four Trinity parishioners, Tanya Dwyer, Sam Joanna Ghiggeri, Mutsa Tunduwani, and David Ward, are participating in a 14- hour program of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies called Advocacy Academy. The program teaches faith-based community leaders methods and strategies to organize around an issue. Each participant chose an issue, such as prison reform, immigration, the environment, and community revitalization.

Mobile Shakespeare at Charlotte’s Place The Public Theater’s Mobile Shakespeare Unit returned to Charlotte’s Place on October 20 for its opening performance of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Eight actors performed over twenty parts using minimal props. The performance was very well received by the crowd, which filled Charlotte’s Place. The Mobile Shakespeare Unit brings free productions to prisons, homeless shelters, and other community centers.

Celebrating St. FrancisThe Trinity Movement Choir observed St. Francis Day with a performance in Trinity Church on October 4. The multimedia dance included three pieces, “Dance for the Extinct Animals,” “The Phoenix,” and “Native American Myth: The Dog.” On October 5, the Rev. Kristin Miles and the Rev. Deacon Lauren Holder blessed pets in Battery Park.

120 BroadwayTrinity staff with offices at 74 Trinity Place have moved to 120 Broadway, a building on the block across the street from Trinity Church. While the building at 74 Trinity Place is being replaced, community events will take place at 2 Rector Street and other locations.

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JANUARY 22–24, 2015 • TRINITY CHURCH, NYC or AT YOUR LOCATION

The Most Rev. Justin Welby The Archbishop of Canterbury

Barbara Ehrenreich Nickel and Dimed; This Land Is Their Land

Robert Reich former Secretary of Labor (Skype Q&A)

Cornel West The Rich and the Rest of Us

A PRACTICAL CONFERENCE FOR ECONOMIC EQUALITY. As Christians, how do we take on the pervasive, overwhelming issue of economic inequality? This year’s TRINITY INSTITUTE (TI2015) speakers have real-world experience making change happen. They will provide you with practical tools you can use in your community to make a positive economic impact.

…and more! Visit TI2015.org to see the full line-up of speakers and panelists. Attend in NYC or become a Partner Site and host TI2015 at your location. TI2015 features a sliding fee scale to match your budget.

TRINITY INSTITUTE FEATURES:

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 9, 2015