IMPORTANT & TIMELY

Mugs and Munchkins – Tuesday, November 18 from 9:30am-10:30am
Guess what, friends? Details for our NEW Trinity Playgroup have been finalized! Mugs & Munchkins will be every third Tuesday of the month from 9:30AM – 10:30AM.  Our first gathering will be on Tuesday, November 18th in the Preschool Room upstairs at Trinity.  This will be a relaxed, welcoming space where caregivers can connect, kids can play, and we can all build friendships that will last a lifetime! Check out our flyer for all the upcoming dates & details. ​Mugs & Munchkins Flyer 2025.pdf​ More questions? Contact Annie Slabaugh (a.slabaugh@grtumc.org) or Laura Johns (l.johns@grtumc.org). 

Hanging of the Greens – Sunday, November 23
Help make the church festive following the service Sunday, November 23rd.  Make sure to stay afterwards for the Thanksgiving Dinner benefitting the Mission Work Camp Fund (MWCF)!

RVSP: Thanksgiving Dinner – Sunday, November 23 at 11:15am
Join your Trinity family for our annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 23rd at 11:15am. Lunch will include a full spread – turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, vegetables, salad, cranberries, relishes and pie! Your donation of $15 per adult, $10 per child 12 & under supports the Mission Work Camp Fund. Come for the delicious food. Stay to hear more about potential opportunities to put your faith into action over the coming year – something the funds we raise helps make possible!  Contact Laura or use our online form at: https://tinyurl.com/MWCF-Turkey-2025! Advanced registration is appreciated.

LEND A HAND: Thanksgiving Dinner – Saturday, November 22 & Sunday, November 23
Our annual Thanksgiving Dinner is back and we’re looking for volunteers to help prepare the feast on Saturday & Sunday, as well as folks to donate salads, relishes, and pies! To volunteer, use our SignUpGenius at tinyurl.com/MWCF-Turkey-Volunteer25 or contact Laura Johns at L.Johns@grtumc.org.

United Women in Faith – Christmas by Candlelight – November 30, 2025 at 6:30pm
A Seasonal Favorite is Back!  Join us for an evening of holiday cheer! Gather at 6:30pm for punch, followed by a festive program at 7:00pm featuring the John Shay Trio performing Christmas music. Enjoy delicious desserts and warm fellowship throughout the evening.  All are welcome!  Cost: $6.00 per person.

Missed Worship Yesterday?
Click here to watch.

2026 Estimate of Giving 
Pledge Here

Looking for the Latest Newsletter?
Click here for November Trinity in Touch Newsletter
The next newsletter will be for December.  December newsletter articles are due by November 18.
(NOTE: Going forward, newsletter articles will be due on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. If a month has five Tuesdays, the due date will be the 4th Tuesday instead.)

UPCOMING

The Greatest Advent(ure): Exploring Advent Together – December 6 from 9:00am-11:30am
The Greatest Advent(ure) is back! Join us on Saturday, December 6 for an all-ages Advent experience. Our Advent(ure) will start with a light breakfast from 9:00am-9:30am. Once you’re fortified, you’ll have 90 minutes to complete your quest – an epic journey through the four weeks of Advent! Crafts, activities, prayer stations, a mission moment, and more will guide adventurers toward deeper understandings of the hope, peace, joy, and love we celebrate each Advent. You won’t want to miss the opportunities that will be found around every turn including a NEW special family Advent craft. At 11:00am, we will all gather again as a group for a hot cocoa bar, a time of sharing, and a storybook reading! Come – all ye faithful – and experience The Greatest Advent(ure) as we prepare our homes, our families, and our hearts for Christmas. Come explore Advent with us! Questions? Contact Laura Johns at L.Johns@grtumc.org.

Blue Christmas: A Service of Comfort and Hope – December 9, 2025 at 7:00pm
For many, the holidays aren’t merry and bright. Grief, loneliness, or the weight of the world can make this season hard to bear. Our Blue Christmas service offers a quiet space for reflection, remembrance, and healing. Through candlelight, prayer, and gentle music, we’ll hold space for sorrow and seek the light that still shines in the darkness.  Come as you are, no pretending, no pressure. Just peace, presence, and the hope that love still finds us, even here.

God’s Naturehood: Adult Edition (Meijer Gardens) – Friday, December 12 from 10:30am-2:30pm
This God’s Naturehood is extended so that we can take a wintertime walk outside as well as visit the Christmas & Holiday Traditions Exhibit and eat lunch together in the café. Participants are responsible for covering their own admission & lunch although we usually have plenty of free passes to share. If cost is an issue, contact Laura about options, as we never want price to prevent participation!  Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is located at 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, 49525. Meet inside the Welcome Center but before ticketing.

Winter Break Family Night (Moana) – Friday, January 2 from 4:30pm-8:30pm
Great news! You don’t have to find out “just how far you’ll go” to escape your Winter Break blues. You can do it at Trinity. That’s right, friends, Winter Break Family Night is back in 2026! Celebrate the end of your long winter break with us on Friday, January 2 from 4:30pm-8:30pm! Don’t miss “Moana” themed crafts, gym time, dinner, dessert & an epic glow dance party. Plus, we’ll join our church-family for the Faith at the Movies film screening! In order to plan supplies and food appropriately, we need folks to RSVP. There is a suggested donation of $10 per person; maximum $35 per family to help offset food & supply costs. That said, we never want price to prevent participation, so you’re always welcome to select the subsidized options on our online form. Get all the details and register at: https://tinyurl.com/TUMC-WBFN26. Questions? Contact Laura Johns at l.Johns@grtumc.org.

ONGOING

Keep Watch with Me (Adult Faith Formation) – November 30 to December 21
With the coming of Advent, plan to join us for a special opportunity. We’ll be reading the daily devotional Keep Watching with Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers and then discussing select passages and practices on Sunday mornings during Faith Formation. Keep Watch With Me offers stories, reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices to sustain and challenge the faith of those who work for justice and peace, and long for the coming of God with us. Books will be available starting November 2 on the counter near the office with a suggested donation of $15 per book.

United Women in Faith Assembly 2026  – May 15–17, 2026 | Indianapolis, Indiana
Dream it!  Believe it!  Do it!  Women from across the country will gather for this inspiring national event, celebrating faith, fellowship, and mission. 
Registration: Check with Judi Ryan at judiione@gmail.com
Cost: $365 (early bird pricing) plus travel and lodging.  ***Scholarships may be available.***

Acolytes – Sign Up Today
Is your child interested in helping to light the candles on Sunday mornings? Sign them up using our SignUpGenius: https://tinyurl.com/TUMC-AcolyteFall2025 

Friends of Rohr at Trinity (FoRT) Small Groups
FoRT (Friends of Rohr at Trinity) is a group of over 40 folks who enjoy studying Father Richard Rohr’s writings. Together we desire to integrate action and contemplation in our lives. As we gather each week to discuss our reading and enjoy fellowship together, we find we are “growing Deeper, loving Better, seeing God more Clearly.” You’re invited to join us! DBC meets on Sundays from 5:00pm-6:30pm in the Fireside Room and is reading The Divine Dance. Everything Belongs (EvB) gathers in the upstairs Library on Thursdays from 6:15pm-7:30pm and is discussing The Naked Now. Questions about any of these acronyms or the amazing groups of people they represent? Contact Laura Johns at l.johns@grtumc.org or other members of the FoRT Leadership Team: Merrita Tumonong, Penny Murray & Steve Murray. 

Social Justice Resource Document – Available Online
Find our latest justice resources online HERE!  Our Google Doc is updated weekly and includes resources, organizations & direct action steps.  Thank you for being part of this journey!

Sacred Justice Book Club – Quarterly on the First Tuesday of Various Months at 7:00pm
The Library Team is excited to announce our schedule of books & meetings for the next program year.  Our next two meetings are February 3, 2026 – The Story of More by Hope Jahren and May 5, 2026 – Queer & Christian by Brandan Robertson. We will have a time of sharing to start each group and then discuss the book we’ve read. The Library Team will provide beverages and dessert for all.  If you have any questions, please reach out to the Library Team (Dani Patrick, Hannah Marshall & Laura Johns).

Gophers each Tuesday at 9:15am
The Gophers Exercise Class will be held at 9:15am in the Discovery Room.  It is an exercise class for all ages & abilities.  There is no fee, sign-up, or special equipment needed.  Any questions contact Katie Orent @ kateorent@gmail.com.

Coffee & Conversation- Tuesdays at 10am, Parlor
Need a bit of social time with your Trinity friends and staff? Join us every Tuesday for Coffee & Conversation in the Parlor at 10am.

Did you know?  
The Kent Dems now collects compost material through Organicycle and also accepts clean Styrofoam for recycling (like packaging Styrofoam). Folks can drop off material to the Kent Dems (301 Fuller NE) M-F from 10am-4pm.

Looking for Links?
Not sure where to find something online? Check out these links below…

• Sign up your acolyte HERE.
• Become a Greeter HERE. 
• Order a “Belong, Be Love, Be You” Trinity Shirt HERE.
• TNT Dinner Signups HERE
• Trinity’s New Social Justice Resource HERE
• Trinity Kids Volunteer Signup HERE
• Youth Volunteer Signup HERE
• Pastor Mike’s Sermon Blog HERE

Altar Flower Schedule
If you’d like to sponsor a Sunday by purchasing Altar Flowers in honor/memory of your loved one, please sign up on the bulletin board near the Calkins entrance, west side of the church. Cost- $40. After worship on your designated Sunday, you have a beautiful arrangement to take home with you! Contact Dani in the church office for more info at office@grtumc.org.

Trinity Name Tags
For those of you who ordered a name tag and would like to cover the cost, click here to pay the $8 fee. Or– drop your payment in the offering plate, or to Dani in the church office. Thank you!