MISSION STATEMENT:
Trinity Church offers Christian community for the realization of God's presence through worship, relationship, and outreach.
WORKING TOGETHER
Follow-up to Parish Meeting 12/14/08
On Sunday December 14, we held a parish meeting following the 10:30 service to discuss the current global financial crisis and its effect on our church. The meeting was well attended and the participation was positive. While we have made progress in Stewardship and membership growth in recent years, we continue to operate at a deficit. Recent events on Wall Street have been felt as well.
As a follow-up on Sunday the 28th, vestry met after church and made the following decisions. We will hold a series of small group meetings to brainstorm and explore all options available. They may be held in parishioner’s homes or during a Sunday service. Each group will have a facilitator chosen by vestry who will conduct the meeting using a common template developed by vestry. The results of these sessions will then be taken by vestry to their annual retreat in February to develop our plan going forward.
We know that there is no quick fix. However we have developed such positive energy in recent years that I feel this presents a great opportunity to somehow come up with some new ideas that will allow us to continue to grow and move our parish into a more stable financial position. None of this will happen without broad participation from all of us and the Grace of God.
Please stay tuned for details through announcements and my team calls.
Faithfully Yours,
David Cobb, Senior Warden
E-MAIL ADDRESSES TO CHANGE
On January 7th we will be changing our phones and internet provider to Time-Warner, which means we will need to change our E-mail addresses. This change is taking place as a cost saving measure. We will be saving approximately $130 a month in phone and computer expenses.
We will overlap our internet providers for a month to give everyone time to make the adjustment. Until we are officially connected, we will not know what E-mail addresses we will have, but will get the word out as soon as possible.
Our telephone phone numbers will remain the same.
Thank you for your patience during this time.
Stewardship Update
We have received 62 commitments for our 2009 Connect the Circles Campaign.
The dollar amount stands at $131,288. This is very close to our 2008 pledged budget.
There are still several faith families of the parish that have been participants in many of the parish activities but have not felt the calling to make a financial pledge to maintain our programs. A reconsideration of their position would be appreciated.
As explained during our parish meeting of December 14th, the declining financial situation in the stock market has made the continued use of our endowment for operations problematic and alternative courses are being evaluated. The Vestry is confident that with God’s guidance a positive path, that is consistent with our true calling and purpose, will be made known. Your prayers, ideas and extra resources are appreciated.
Nancy Blair and Melody Williams Go on a Road Trip to Hear the
Presiding Bishop Speak on the Future of the Church
By Nancy Blair, Vestry Member
On a beautiful, warm and sunny Saturday in December the presiding bishop, Katherine Jefferts-Schori spoke on the future of the church as a part of the Church of the Redeemer’s 100th anniversary, year-long celebration. Melody and I took advantage of this opportunity and made the short journey to Cincinnati to hear her speak. Given the current economic situation we, as most churches, are concerned about the future of the church. We arrived a little early, and as we were finishing our coffee we entered the newest part of the church—a parish hall, library, office and classroom addition. We both had building envy.
As we entered the worship space its design reminded me of a cathedral in miniature. The cross behind the altar was made of square jeweled glass all pieced together that reflected a rainbow of light. It towered over the sanctuary. On the walls on either side of the cross were tapestries whose design resembled flowing water. The church reflected the advent season with purple altar hangings and purple throughout the church. For me, purple is a healing color; it made me feel safe and secure.
When the bishop came to the pulpit to speak I sensed she possessed a quiet presence. She is smart, thoughtful and the presence of God emanates from her. She directed us into a quiet moment in a powerful way—she led us into the presence of the spirit. Bishop Jefferts-Schori asked us to spend ten minutes in quiet time with God. Now frankly, this is not “my thing.” I am pretty impatient. If God didn’t speak quickly, I knew I would be done and on to other thoughts. The bishop, however, asked us to focus on these words, “You are my child in whom I am well pleased.” I wondered what it was in me that would please God. As I said, the bishop made us comfortable in that quiet space, and as I focused on those words I heard in my soul, “Circles — continue your work in Circles and invite others to do that work.” I also heard that there would be other things for me to do, but I didn’t need to know that now. Those ten minutes that I dreaded passed quickly, almost too quickly. Bishop Jefferts-Schori led me to listen; she in her quiet way was a catapult to make that happen for me.
As Bishop Jefferts-Schori talked about her vision of the future of the church, I was struck by how her vision matched our vision for Trinity. She talked about bringing Spirit into our worship instead of just walking through the service and about bringing Spirit into the community. We are different from other organizations. What makes us unique is the Gospel — this is what we have to offer, not donuts and coffee, praise bands or whatever we might use to dress up worship. We have the Word of God, the Gospel and an invitation into the presence of God. Our future is in being open to God’s Word and presence.
The church of the future is also one of healing and reconciliation. There is enough division and anger in the world, said, Jefferts-Schori, The church is called to lay aside divisions and become God’s instrument of reconciliation. The world longs to be healed; people long to be healed. The church is to be a place of the healing of souls. I have experienced this in our church. The Episcopal Church, at its best, accepts people wherever they are. Its teaching is an open teaching that invites all ideas, faith journeys and theological perspectives. One can think and grow as a child of God here, and we need to share that with the rest of the world.
Trinity is moving toward the future. The vestry has affiliated the church with The Center for Progressive Christianity and we are developing and exploring what that means for us.
The Center is a network of congregations of many denominations that are proclaiming that their congregations are an open and welcoming place for all people and that are focused on our journey with God and seek not to have absolute answers but journey together with our questions. These congregations, as well as ours, welcome a diversity of spiritual experiences and theological perspectives. By affiliating with The Center people in our area who are looking for an open congregation such as ours can find us by searching this site.
We are also a church of healing. We offer healing prayers in our worship, have Pranic healing clinics and parishioners who are gifted in energy healing. Barbara Brewer, a parishioner and owner of Harmony Farm, will be working with us to offer healing seminars and healing ministries. We have important outreach ministries into our community and the world. We are taking Spirit into the world to stop poverty in Troy, Kenya and to improve life in Sablino, Russia. Finally, we are a congregation that practices hospitality. We are in many ways like a big family. we miss members when they are not present and their absence creates a hole in the fabric of who we are.
Spirit is present in our leadership. Vestry is spirit-led with God present when we are making important decisions. We are asking what is God calling us to do. We are learning to be patient, to listen in silence for God’s voice, and to resist the urge to run ahead of God. We, as a congregation, are learning to be in silence so that we can be in God’s presence and deepen our relationship with the One who gave us life.
Melody and I left feeling renewed and not so much alone as we seek to renew Trinity Church, with God’s help, and move toward the future. We felt invigorated by all the stories we heard as others shared their journey toward the future. There is no program that can be implemented to become who God calls us to be. Each story we heard was a particular story for a particular place and ours is a story and a ministry for our own place and time. I am excited about the future. I learned that God is directing my future and I know that God is leading us there also.
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY CELEBRATION
The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial March and celebration will be January 19 in downtown Troy. Those wishing to participate in the march are asked to assemble in the southwest quadrant of the square at 9:30 am. We will proceed to the Grace Family Worship Center. The keynote speaker is Pastor Howard Collier. A luncheon, catered by Outback Steakhouse, will follow the celebration at First Place Center of the 1st UMC.
The public is also invited to the King Prayer Breakfast at 8:00 am on Sat. Jan. 17th at the Church of the Brethren, 1431 West Main Street, Troy. The Dayton Peace Choir and Dr. Jerome Stevenson will offer the keynote address.
MEDITATION GROUP
AT HARMONY FARM
When: January 15 and February 5th
(Beginning in March we will meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday
of each month.)
Where: Harmony Farm, 5578 So. State Rte 202, Troy
Time: 7:00-8:00 pm
Cost: No cost, donations accepted
Meditation with Don Kramer
The Meditation Group will be led by Don Kramer, PH.D.; Don is a
clinical Psychologist who has been in private practice for 30 years.
He has special interest in integrating spiritual practice with
psychological intervention and has led many meditation groups and
workshops. Don has always felt a special connection to the energies
and work of Harmony Farm and is looking forward to using his fond-
ness for the Farm in this ongoing meditation group.
CHRISTMAS CAROLING 2008
Sunday afternoon turned out to be very brisk and quite chilly with a biting wind, and most of our potential carolers decided not to make the rounds. But two hearty souls, Chester Howes and Mary Deisman went out and visited two of our parishioners who are in care facilities.
The first visit was to Florence Hilbert at Koester Pavilion. They found her enjoying her afternoon nap, and after trying gently to rouse her, stayed with her for a bit, then left her with a musical greeting to “Wish her a Merry Christmas”.
After fighting the wind to get back to the car, they proceeded on to Harborside to see Janet Shuler. When they arrived they were pleasantly surprised to find Janet’s daughters visiting with her, and were able to chat with them for a bit. They had a nice visit with Janet and also left her with a musical greeting wishing her a Merry Christmas. She joined in and sang along with them.
Thank you, Chester and Mary for braving the cold and bringing the love of our community to those who cannot be with us.
Trinity Affiliates with The
Center for Progressive Christianity
(also known as Emerging Christianity)
As part of our ongoing effort in becoming known in our community that the congregation of Trinity Church is an open and inclusive church the Vestry voted to affiliate with The Center for Progressive Christianity in December of 2008. This is a new term for most of us and there are many terms batted around for congregations who are open to all including those differing theological ideas and spiritual journeys.
As was mentioned in Nancy’s article, affiliating with the Center allows us to be part of a network of congregations of all denominations from many countries to have online discussions about this renewal movement, and to identify ourselves as open and inclusive. If someone in our area is looking for such a congregation they will be directed to us. Our website will include a link to the Center as well.
The beginning of this movement was rather simple. (from the Center’s Website, www.TCPC.org) The Center was founded in 1994 by Jim Adams who was, at the time, rector of St. Mark’s Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. At that time there was no organization, scholar, or church leader publicly using the term, “progressive Christianity.” His vision was to create a non-profit organization that encouraged churches to focus their attention on those for whom organized religion had proven to be ”ineffectual, irrelevant, or repressive.” According to Adams, the goal “was to keep the churches from drying up and blowing away.” This was a response to the recently published statistics showing that membership in mainline churches had dramatically declined in the 1980s, the third decade in a row this had occurred. Based on Adam’s experience at St. Mark’s Church, he was convinced that if churches would become bolder about professing their progressive tenets, they could thrive. Adams and a small group of peers agreed that they needed to provide some way to help “open and progressive” churches find way to self identify as “progressive.” This was the genesis of TCPS’s Eight Points defining progressive Christianity. This early founding group also thought it important to provide opportunities for these churches to network, to share “progressive Christian” articles and book reviews, and to gather occasionally for conferences and workshops.
By the year 2002 the term “progressive Christianity” had become a common term that was being used by scholars, the media and other Christian organizations, not only in this country but in the Western world as a whole.
From its inception, the focus of TCPC has been primarily about rethinking and re-conceptualizing the theological and Christological foundations of the Christian faith. The leadership of the organization was and has remained convinced that our supporters and readers are expressing a deep desire to find resources and constructive ways to understand and teach what the newest science, biblical, sociological and historical scholarship has to say about the Christian religion and a way to integrate that information into one’s faith and to create healthy, dynamic Christian communities.
During the next several months we will learn more about progressive Christianity (or as I, your rector, call Emerging Christianity) through these pages by reflecting upon the eight points that helped us to self-identify as a progressive Christian community. We will be in discussion this year about how it is vital how we tell our story and understand ourselves as followers of Jesus.
I have set up a web site for this discussion. You will find a link to a blog at www.ingodwedance.com —(click the on-line discussion). This is the website for the organization Spirit Time. We are hoping that this will be the local site where members as well as seekers can creatively discuss what it means to be a Christian today.
Worship Experiences
Additionally, on the first and third Sundays of the month at 4 pm we will begin a worship service at the church that practices ways through which we can encounter the presence of God in community. This will be a quiet and contemplative service with music that will encourage inner silence. We will engage the scriptures together as well as pray together and we will share Eucharist. This will be worship that grows out of our need and yearning for God’s presence.
On the second and fourth Sundays at 4 pm there will be a similar service that is ecumenical and held at a site that is yet to be determined. We hope to draw to this service those seekers who are struggling with organized religion and those who cannot find contemplative worship in their own settings.
Discussion and Reflection Opportunities
In February we will begin a series of discussions for seekers and church members. This will be held off-site and you will hear of those details soon.
This is an exciting time in our congregation. If you know someone who has been “burned by the institutional church” tell them that we are different and invite them to be a part of our journey. My hope is that you will grow more deeply in your relationship with God as we take this journey together, after all…..
In God We Dance,
Melody
Next Month: You might be a progressive Christian if you “have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.” (First Point: The Center for Progressive Christianity, www.TCPC.org)
A LETTER FROM TEH BARBOURS
Dear Trinity Parishioners:
Thank you so much for the knitted hats and scarves for Maggie (age 11), Ben (age 9), and Sarah (age 6). As you can see from the attached pictures they all fit nicely and are wonderful colors. When I described to them that I wanted to send some pictures with the scarves and hats along with a thank you note, Maggie immediately seized the opportunity to organize an impromptu “Fashion Show”.
Ben got the shirt/tie and poses right, but we could not persuade him to change his pants. Sarah is wearing the dress she recently bought to wear for Christmas and Maggie is sporting an outfit she purchased today for a birthday party she is attending on Saturday at Tai Koo Shin mall.
I also should add that these scarves are coming in handy. The weather is turning cooler fast since the middle of November. We live by the sea where even if the temperature is not real low the breeze is quite cool as it comes off of the water. So the kids have used these as they go to their bus stops each morning.
We enjoyed seeing the Shaws several weeks ago and had a great time dining out in Kowloon and enjoying a view of the lights on Hong Kong Island. I am sure they gave you all the run down on our first 4 months in Asia and shared the pictures we passed along to them. We’re now getting busy with the holiday school programs, doing our Advent box and preparing for our Christmas vacation in Cairns, Australia to see the Great Barrier Reef.
On a more serious note, I was in Mumbai, India at the airport on the night of the terrorist attacks. Fortunately I had arrived at the ITC Sheraton hotel on the airport grounds by about 8 pm. This hotel is one similar to those attacked. I saw on CNN the initial reports about shootings in Mumai around midnight. My colleague and I immediately left the hotel to go to the airport and check in for our flight. International flights out of India depart beginning around 1 am and our flight was scheduled for 3:30 am. My logic was that the safest place would be in the secure areas of the airport with my boarding pass in my hand. From there we watched CNN International in the business class lounge and worked our Blackberry phones with Emerson security and our families.
I got back to Hong Kong Thanksgiving morning at noon and was never so thankful to hear the Chinese language! We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner later in the day at the American Club with several other families and after being in Mumbai, it seemed pretty darned normal.
We will miss the great Christmas season with our parish family at Trinity. We think about our life in Ohio and the special things we did together like decorating the church and eating chili, making Advent wreaths in Sunday school, Ann organizing the Christmas pageant, the Partners in Hope Giving Tree and the generosity of the parish members, delivering the gifts to the families, etc.
Again, thank you Knitting Guild for the hats and scarves. We wish you all a great holiday season.
Scott, Leslie, Maggie, Ben and Sarah Barbour
KNITTERS GUILD AND EWETOPIA NEWS
Our combined efforts meant that we were able to give 53 handmade items to Harborside. (At the November 30 service, Bishop Breidenthal accepted Melody's invitation to bless our work, making our first donation to the Center a very special one.)
I wish you could have been with Briggs and me to hear the oohs and aahs over all the colorful goodies in the bags.
We also took the hats to Partners in Hope -- 22 hats and five had matching scarves. The woman who received them kept saying, "They're so wonderful."
I am so proud of all of us. Our next Guild meeting is here at our house, Thursday, January 15, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
— Jo Gamblee
DONATIONS NEEDED
TO REPLACE ALTAR CANDLE HOLDERS
We need to replace the altar candle holders (2) and have found nice ones from Almy. They cost $173.00 a piece.
This would be a great idea for a remembrance or a gift in celebration of God’s goodness and love.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
Mark your calendars!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
following the service.
One service at 9:30 am.
Carry-in lunch following service.
ALL REPORTS DUE IN THE OFFICE
NO LATER THAN JANUARY 14TH.
NEWS ABOUT: Sylvia Bravo Larsen
All of the children of Bob and Lucia Bravo grew up at Trinity. Sylvia, who is now Sylvia Larsen, lives in New Hampshire and is a state senator. A news item, received here by Marilyn Houser, reads:
"Senate President Sylvia Larsen was re-elected in the democratically controlled New Hampshire Legislature. In a historic first, Larsen will head the first state legislative body in the United States where women are in the majority. Thirteen of the 24 members are female. 'As the first-in-the-nation primary state, we're always glad to lead the way,' said Larsen, of Concord.”
A Thank you
May 2nd seems a long time ago, but that’s when I broke my leg.
From May 2nd until now I have received cards, flowers, candy, visits, phone calls, a trip to see the quilts, and many other expressions of kindness.
I am very thankful for all of the above.
And then you had to have a special coffee hour in my honor, for being treasurer. Icing on the cake!
It was my honor to be your Treasurer, and a bit of fun spending your money.
God bless you all.
Phyllis Sarber
GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER BORN
Congratulations to Emily and Joe Grace on the birth of their daughter, Natalie Eileen,
(a great-grand-daughter
for Eileen Katzenberger.)
Natalie was born December 30 in Eauclaier, Wisconsin.
ATTENTION! * PLEASE NOTE!
NEW CHURCH E-MAIL ADRESSES
We have recently changed to Time-Warner as provider for our phones and computers.
We will let you know of our new E-mail
addresses as soon as we’re set up.
Phone numbers will remain the same.
If cable should be down for any reason, you can reach the office or Melody on the following cell phones:
Office: 681-4868
Melody: 542-1559
Trinity Episcopal Church | 60 South Dorset Rd | Troy, OH 45373-5616 | 937-335-7747 | trinitychurch@trinitytroyohio.org