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October 26, 2012

Updates on developments related to Hurricane Sandy can be found on this page. The parish has received many emails and other messages of support since the storm began, for which the community is deeply grateful. If you would like to add a message or report on your status and safety, please scroll down to use the message area, which is now open below. 

Thursday, November 6, 2012, 3:15 pm:

The full roster of programming will resume in Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel on Sunday, including Sunday School and Compline and all other previously scheduled classes and events.

Wednesday, November 5, 2012, 1:50 pm:

All offices at 74 Trinity Place will remain closed until further notice as the building has no heat and final inspections are not complete.

Monday, November 5, 2012, 5:00 pm:

All offices at 74 Trinity Place will remain closed on Tuesday as the building has no heat and final inspections are not complete. Trinity staff and tenants may check in with security to retrieve items from their offices if they wish, but will only be allowed in the building briefly.

Monday, November 5, 2012, 9:30 am:

Reminder: 74 Trinity Place Offices are closed today.

Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel are open.

Watch the video of Sunday's service here.

Sunday, November 4, 2012, 7:35 pm:

Trinity worshipped at 11:15 this morning -- the first worship service since the Hurricane. At the service, Trinity announced that in the same way we have stood with New Orleans and Haiti, we would stand with our immediate neighborhood and Staten Island. The suggestion to support Staten Island came from Bishop Dietsche, and we are grateful for his leadership.

Worship this morning was a happy reunion for our far-flung congregation. We had three baptisms and there was an amazing stewardship testimony offered by a member of the congregation.

That we were able to gather was in large part because of our facilities and security staff. Our audio engineers and communications video team also deserve tremendous gratitude. The service was recorded and will be available on the web later in the week.

Afterwards, volunteers helped pack brown bag lunches in the back of the church. Food and water outreach will continue this week, and tomorrow, Faith in Action staff will begin to plan for Staten Island outreach.

After the service, we were glad to host Community Board 1 for their first meeting after the Hurricane.

Tomorrow, an outreach team with basic but essential supplies will head to Knickerbocker towers, which we are told is the last high-rise in Manhattan without power.

Blessings,

Jim & Anne

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, rector

The Rev. Cannon Anne Mallonee, vicar

Saturday, November 3, 2012, 5:25 pm:

St. Margaret’s House is seeking Department of Buildings approval for occupancy. When that is received, St. Margaret’s will announce that it is ready for occupancy and will begin to welcome its residents back. Until that time, the building cannot be occupied.

Saturday, November 3, 2012, 3:15 pm:

Dear Trinity Community,

We wanted to share a few details on liturgical life at Trinity, as we are making progress toward resuming our usual schedule.

The Sunday 11:15 am service at Trinity tomorrow, November 4, will proceed. This will be the only service or activity on this Sunday. Please use care in getting to church, if you choose to attend. Bishop Dietsche has asked that we designate our offering to Hurricane Sandy victims in Staten Island, which has been incredibly hard hit.

Sunday evening’s Compline service is cancelled, as is Monday’s (November 5) Bach at One service at St. Paul’s Chapel.

Please note: Our usual liturgical offerings and events at Trinity and St. Paul’s will proceed according to schedule for the remainder of the week. This is very good news.

Finally, a reminder that our Pastoral Care team remains hard at work. Although Trinity phones are not operational, people can call the pastoral care number 917-488-0717 with pastoral emergencies (such as reports of illness, hospitalization, births, etc.).

As our foundation becomes more secure, we will look to reinvigorate our efforts to help others.

Blessings,
Jim and Anne

Saturday, November 3, 2012, 2:50 pm:

Trinity Institute has been postponed. Details can be found here.

The Trinity Preschool will be closed next week. Details here.

Saturday, November 3, 2012, 12:15 pm:

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, rector, issued a staff announcement today in which he reported that all Trinity staff members (roughly 180 people) are safe and accounted for.

He also related these updates regarding parish ministries and properties:

1. 68 Trinity Place suffered significant flooding and resultant damage to its electrical panel. As a result, this building will not be operational next week. The Preschool will be closed for the week and a team will investigate a temporary relocation should that be required. Further details on this will be made on this site and direct communication with parents is commencing. This also affects Charlotte's Place and our Webcasting operation.

2. 74 Trinity Place has power and is operational pending a final inspection. Trinity's offices will be closed Monday.

3. As a result of the status of 68 Trinity place and the continuing uncertainty around transportation and hotel re-opennings in lower Manhattan, Trinity Institute's National Conference, scheduled for next weekend, has been rescheduled for December 7-9th when Sr. Joan Chittester, keynote speaker, is available. The Institute team is working on the implications of this decision and will make updates available on this site.

4. Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel have power and are operational. The Sunday 11:15 am service at Trinity will proceed. Sunday evening’s Compline service is cancelled as is Monday’s Bach at One service at St. Paul’s Chapel. Our usual liturgical offerings and events at Trinity and St. Paul’s will proceed according to schedule for the remainder of the week.

5. Power is restored to all our properties in Hudson Square and those buildings are in the process of coming back on line and are expected to reopen to tenants on Monday. 205 Hudson, however, suffered damage to its electric panel and will reopen later in the week.

6. Trinity's email system is operational. We anticipate that Citrix and access to Yardi will be functioning Sunday evening. Phone service in our buildings is still uncertain.

7. St. Margaret's House is currently still under an evacuation order and deemed a “restricted” building. Reoccupany will occur when this is lifted.

8. Trinity's website and social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) are posting regular updates.

Friday, November 2, 2012, 4:05 pm:

Trinity Institute staff members are working hard to determine what Hurricane Sandy will mean for next week's conference. They expect an update within 12 hours. Use this page for Institute updates.

Friday, November 2, 2012, 2:30 pm:

Dear Trinity Community,

I want to underscore a point made in my last letter, given growing concerns about gas shortages and transportation in Lower Manhattan and the metro area in general.

We will worship at Trinity Church this Sunday at 11:15, and all are welcome. However, please do not put yourself in harm’s way. If you are at all concerned about traveling to Trinity on that day, I would urge you to find a local church that is open, of whatever denomination you choose, and worship there.

I have made the same offer to the people of Lower Manhattan who are accustomed to worshiping at places other than Trinity: if your place of worship is closed or otherwise inaccessible to you, and you can reach Trinity easily, know that our doors are open.

In short, please pay close attention to the circumstances of travel on Sunday morning; gasoline and public transportation may be in short supply. Also know that we will have the recorded webcast online later in the week (but not webcast live).

The Vicar and I gathered with a small group in Trinity Church to celebrate the Eucharist for All Saints Day on behalf of the wider community. We remembered the faithfully departed and gave thanks for the resilience of our community. Our worship and our ministry continue.

Faithfully,

Jim

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper

Rector

Friday, November 2, 2012, 12:15 pm:

The service of Compline this Sunday at St. Paul's is cancelled.

Bach at One on Monday at St. Paul's is also cancelled.

Thursday, November 1, 2012, 3:45 pm:

The basement of the building that houses the Trinity Preschool remains flooded, despite the ongoing efforts of teams to pump the water out. There is also no electricity in the building. As a consequence, the Preschool will remain closed on Monday.

Thursday, November 1, 2012, 11:45 am:

Trinity Church will open its doors for Sunday service on November 4 at 11:15 am – All Saints’ Sunday.

This will be the first service at Trinity since Hurricane Sandy struck. I can’t tell you how much it will mean to gather as a community on this day. At the same time, I am aware that the City and surrounding region is in recovery. If for any reason you are unsure of your safety in coming to church, I urge you to remain where you are safe.

There will only be one service this Sunday. No parish spaces will be available on the 2nd and 3rd floors of 74 Trinity Place. Exceptions will be made for wheelchair access across the pedestrian bridge. Coffee Hour and other Sunday programming is also cancelled; the vision and planning meetings will be rescheduled. The service will be recorded for later viewing, but not webcast live.

Since our parish community is drawn from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, New Jersey, Connecticut and beyond, the theme for the day is reconnection, person to person, and as a community.

We worshipped in Lower Manhattan after the Trade Center site became ground zero. We will worship after Hurricane Sandy.

Faithfully,

Jim
The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper
Rector, Trinity Wall Street

Thursday, November 1, 2012: 9:40 am:

Trinity Church will be open this Sunday, November 4, for a service at 11:15 am. This will be the only service on Sunday at Trinity or St. Paul's. All are welcome, but please be safe in your travels.

No parish spaces will be available on the 2nd and 3rd floors of 74 Trinity Place. Exceptions will be made for wheelchair access across the pedestrian bridge. Coffee Hour and other Sunday programming is also cancelled. The service will be recorded for later viewing, but not webcast live.

Wednesday October 31, 2012, 12:25 pm:

From the Rector and the Vicar on Pastoral Care for the Trinity Community--

Although the Trinity offices, Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, and St. Margaret's House remain closed, prayers and pastoral care are up and running. The pastoral care cell phone can receive texts and some calls: 917-488-0717. Staff email is working somewhat, but can't be relied on yet. Please let us know if you are aware of pastoral needs within the Trinity community. If you live in one of the affected neighborhoods and towns, and can call or text, please let us know how you are. We continue to pray for all who have been affected by Sandy.

Blessings,

Jim Cooper and Anne Mallonee

Wednesday, October 31, 2012, 11:30 am:

There is water in basements across the real estate properties, including the Preschool building at 68 Trinity Place and staff offices at 74 Trinity Place. Crews are working hard to remove the water. Electricity remains out in these buildings as well. In addition to the Preschool closure announced yesterday, Trinity offices are closed until further notice and St. Margaret’s House remains closed.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 3:40 pm

The Trinity Preschool will be closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Our hope in making this decision now rather than day by day is to help parents plan ahead as we likely will remain without electricity in the building.

Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel remain without electricity, but have not taken on water.

I am deeply grateful to staff who cared for parish facilities during the storm and continue to do so in its aftermath, and for the help we have received from friends. I heard today of a neighbor in 71 Broadway who was kind enough to loan us a generator to help pump water out of the sub-basement of 68/74 Trinity Place. Thank you to one and all. 

--Jim Cooper

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 11:50 am

At this time, we have had no reports of parishioners or staff injured in the storm, although many are struggling with damage to property and loss of utilities.  There are also no reports of significant damage to Trinity Church, St. Paul's Chapel, Hudson Square properties, St. Margaret's House, Trinity Preschool, or Charlotte's Place.

Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

Monday, October 29, 2012 9:30 pm

The Trinity email system is currently down. Please be advised that emails to parish staff will not be returned immediately. For emergencies, texting will be the best method to reach people urgently.

The condition of Trinity Church and St. Pauls’ Chapel, and Real Estate and other properties, is being monitored. At this point, the damage reported is not significant, but monitoring will continue into the night. 

Monday, October 29, 4:40 pm

St. Margaret’s House, Trinity’s housing facility for low-income elderly and disabled people near South Street Seaport, has safely evacuated and found a place to stay for every single one of its 320 residents.

Many are staying with friends and family, but a significant number have gone to city shelters. Eight residents in need of care were accepted at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Joe Breed, director of St. Margaret’s House, was grateful to all involved in the effort, noting particularly Beth Israel, the city shelters, and the New York Police and Fire Departments who “have been superb and done remarkable work.”

And City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, “who made a bus appear out of nowhere for thirty people who needed transportation at the last minute.”

Monday, October 29, 2:20 pm

Mayor Bloomberg has announced that NYC schools will be closed again on Tuesday. Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel will remain closed as well. There will be no services, events, or meetings at either location.

Monday, October 29, 2:15 pm

Dear Trinity Community,

As we continue to face the challenges of this storm, please know that you are being supported in prayer by our partners, near and far.

From around the Anglican Communion, I am thankful for the many emails of encouragement I have received on your behalf.

I join in the prayers with our partners from Haiti, to Africa, to London and those closer to home, that all of you be safe and comforted.

Faithfully,

Jim

The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper 

Sunday October 28, 2012, 4:45 pm

With public safety as the highest priority, the decision has been made to close Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel. Beginning this evening, there will be no services, meetings, or other events at either location until further notice. An announcement on reopening will be made once the situation presented by Hurricane Sandy is reassessed on Monday.

Sunday, October 28, 1:15 pm

In addition to Compline and Bach at One being cancelled, please be advised that the Trinity Preschool and Trinity staff offices will be closed on Monday, as is the policy when New York City public schools are closed by the Mayor. Decisions on reopening will be made and announced after assessing the situation on Monday.

Sunday, October 28

The Mayor has advised New Yorkers to complete travel by 7 pm on Sunday night.

Compline at 8 pm on Sunday and Bach at One on Monday at 1 pm, both at St. Paul's Chapel, have been cancelled.

Sunday services and all other scheduled activities for Sunday will proceed, including the 3pm Trinity Youth Chorister concert at St. Paul's Chapel.

Friday, October 26

Dear Parish Community,

As we continue to monitor the track of the approaching storm, please check Trinity's website for updated information regarding any schedule changes for Monday or Tuesday. At this point, we do not anticipate conditions to affect services or any of the scheduled parish activities on Sunday. Webcasting of the 9am and 11:15am Sunday services will also proceed as usual. Both the Broadway and rear (via 74 Trinity Place and the pedestrian bridge) entrances will be open and accessible. Please use the one that is most convenient for you.

Faithfully,

Jim
The Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper

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