My name is CJ Hill. My wife Lizzy and my daughter Zoe and I began attending Trinity Episcopal Church shortly after the COVID pandemic. Our way into the sanctuary actually came through the choir room.
Zoe had been encouraged by her friend Claire Fiechtl to come sing in the Chorister program, so we brought her to rehearsals. And stayed for Kids Club. And stayed for Tuesdays at Trinity. And stayed for Mass on the Grass.
And then, more and more, our family started staying. We came for Sunday services and for Christian formation. We came to community events like the Palm Sunday parade and the parish picnic.
We found ourselves coming back, not just because the choristers were singing, but because we had begun to feel at home in a way that we hadn’t at other times and at other churches.
And I think that’s one of the things that I’ve come to appreciate most about this church: It doesn’t exist only inside these walls. It finds ways to serve. It reaches out. It tries to be a neighbor, not just to the people who already belong here, but to people who are struggling, people who are in need, and people who might not have another place where they feel welcome.
That matters to me.
And so does the spiritual life of this community. Father AJ and Reverend Cara supported us and guided us. They have helped us think more deeply about our faith. They have called us to walk in love.
For me, that’s really what stewardship is about.
It’s easy to think about giving to a church as paying the bills: Keeping the lights on, maintaining the building, funding programs. And of course, those things matter.
But that’s not really all that we’re supporting.
We’re supporting the possibility of a child finding music and community here.
We’re supporting a congregation that can show up for its neighbors.
We’re supporting worship, teaching, service, and the people who make all of those things possible.
We’re supporting a place where people can come through the door for one reason and discover that they’ve found something they didn’t even know they were looking for.
Our family came here because our daughter was invited to sing. We stayed because we found a community.
And now we give because we want that community to continue being here. So I invite you to think about what this church has given you, what it makes possible in our community, and what you hope it will continue to make possible.
And then, as you are able, I hope you’ll join us in giving. Not simply to keep this church running, but to help it keep walking in love.
Thank you.
—CJ Hill
October 11, 2026
