Dear Trinity Church,
Three and half years ago, I landed at Trinity Church. And on my first day as a new pastor, Pastor Matt was preaching on Acts and I'll never forget what he asked us as the congregation.
"Do you know what Carson's first job is?"
(We all took a moment to silently guess...)
"It's not being a pastor at Trinity Church; it's resting as God's beloved child."
If you've been around Trinity for a couple weeks or more , you've probably heard some version of this call to enter into our identity as children of God.
For me, this message has taken years to sink in from the head to the heart ("the 18-inch journey" as one ministry I know calls it). And where the rubber met the road was when I became a dad.
Many of you were here when my son Emerson was born a couple years ago. In sermons and in conversations on the patio, I shared some of the challenges and pains of welcoming a new child into our home. You nodded your heads because many of you know firsthand how life turns upside down when kids enter the picture!Well - in September of 2020, a year and a half after my son's birth, I started to write about all that I experienced, and what eventually helped me turn the corner into feeling a sense of love, joy, peace & connection with my son.
And once I started talking to other dads about their difficult experiences with fathering, I realized that this book had the potential to give language to what many of us are going through, but not talking about.The book is written not as a series of how-to’s, but rather in the form of letters to my son. I decided to package them this way in hopes of reaching other new dads who might be experiencing similar feelings…and starting the conversation where we're at.
Finally, after a year of writing, the book was born. It's finished! All I need now is the final editorial, internal design and printing. And I've created a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to get this book out into the world.
Trinity - you helped give me the space and freedom I needed to process becoming a dad and to write about all that I learned. Thank you.
Would you consider supporting this project by clicking below? If nothing else, watch the 3-minute video that Charlie Atkinson's son helped me produce! And then send it to some new parents you know...
With all my appreciation,
Carson+
P.S. - Many of you have taken the Burning Word course with Pastor Matt. I was so delighted to receive an endorsement from the author of The Burning Word, Judith Kunst! Here it is:
In the tradition of Agnes Sanford’s The Lost Shepherd, this book invites us into the inner life of a professional minister with raw vulnerability and an almost slow-motion depth of spiritual and emotional curiosity. As I turned each page, walking with Carson through his painful journey as a new dad, I alternated between recognition and surprise—the classic duality of being human! Whether or not you are a parent, you will be pierced to the quick by this book. And then, like the author, you will be offered a chance at transformative grace. I’ve read numerous stories about birth and parenting—but nothing like the last chapter of this memoir. I know I’ll carry the picture of “the eternal hug” with me forever—and so I know this book has become for me what all the best books become: an indelible part of my own story, my own slow-waking life.
- Judith Kunst, author of The Burning Word
This Sunday
If you've missed a message from the last several weeks, you can listen to the audio on our Sermons page, or view them on our YouTube channel.
This week, Pastor Carson will be preaching on the Letter to Smyrna from Revelation 2:8-11. Please read ahead and start wondering about what it means to conquer.
We are looking forward to singing the Blessing over all of our Godly Play and Youth teachers this Sunday as well, so be ready to send out blessing! These people are pouring themselves out all school year to train and disciple and wonder with our children, and we want to recognize them for that and pray for the Spirit's empowerment.
Reminder: Set an Alarm to Pray for Youth
It takes just a casual glance around the Trinity Church congregation to recognize that we have a whole lot of youth in our midst. It has become a major area of focus for the staff and Vestry to find a person who can provide leadership to this next generation.
Here's how you can be part of something life changing. PRAY – that’s right. The Vestry has resolved to pray every day for 40 days. This began back on September 15. Would you consider joining us?
If your answer is yes, set an alarm or reminder to pray each day through Sunday, October 24 for our young people (grades 7-12) and specifically for a person to lead them in their journey following Jesus.
We are not sure what or who God might have in mind, but we do know that He delights in us asking Him for his direction and provision. We are excited to see how God answers our corporate prayer on behalf of our kids!
Charlie Atkinson
Warden of the Vestry
Key Info for Church this Fall
Our services this Fall are at 8:00am and 9:15am.
Live stream our 9:15am services HERE
Register for services HERE (just once for the entire Fall, no need to register every week)
Watch past services on YouTube
Listen to Sermon audio