Homecoming "Spirit Sunday" with Featured Musical Performers and Post-Worship Speaker

Trinitarian Congregational Church and its congregation are preparing an uplifting and engaging homecoming service, “Spirit Sunday,” scheduled for Sunday, September 13, 2026. 

Beneath its 145-foot steeple, community members and guests will be serenaded by renowned violinist Mariia Gorkun, whose musical renderings will complement an invigorating sermon delivered by the church’s new pastor, Reverend Janet V. Sandquist. After worship, Broadway actress and lyricist Caren Lyn Manuel-Tackett, will share her inspirational journey to stardom and how raising goats and falcons keeps her grounded. 

Featured Guests Perform and Present on Spirit Sunday at TCC

Ukraine-born professional violinist Mariia Gorkun has been invited to perform at TCC’s Spirit Sunday service. Gorkun, a resident of Andover, MA, has traveled the world to play in recitals and concerts, as a soloist and in ensemble and orchestra roles. She has performed at the Lincoln Center, the United Nations, and Carnegie Hall, among others. Apart from playing the violin, Mariia is also a bow maker who apprenticed under respected bow maker David Hawthorne. With a line of bows today sold under her own insignia, Mariia operates a shop within Somerville’s Luthier Collective. 

At the culmination of worship, guest speaker Manuel-Tackett will share how undeniable leaps of faith informed and catapulted a personal journey towards a highly successful and unexpected career on Broadway (Les Miserables, Evita, Rent). She will deliver performance and song snippets from her most beloved productions, and regale guests with an exciting timeline that ultimately brought her back to Massachusetts, where she and her family raise goats and falcons. Caren, who hails from Newburyport, continues her calling to perform through music, songwriting, and production. She is also a wife, mother, figure skater, and pro skating coach.