The Episcopal Church serving Hancock County, Ohio and beyond

Transcription

1 The Episcopal Church serving Hancock County, Ohio and beyond 2017

2 2 2 OUTREACH SEASONS CHANGE IS IT TIME TO CLEAN OUT CLOSETS/CUPBOARDS/GARAGES? TRINITY CONTINUES TO COLLECT NON-PERISHABLE FOOD, PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS, AND CLOTHING. IF YOU RE DOING SOME REORGANIZING AND CLEANING, WHY NOT DONATE THE EXTRA? RITA ROBERTS IS CHAIRING THE OUTREACH COMMITTEE AND LEADING EFFORTS TO PROVIDE THOSE GROUPS WHO NEED HELP WITH FOOD, CLOTHING, AND BASIC NECESSITIES. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE COMMITTEE, PLEASE SIGN UP ON THE BULLETIN BOARD. You never know when you might meet October is going to be a busy month for Trinity and CSG! From beginning to end, we'll be celebrating! On October 1 st, CSG is hosting a very special coffee hour for a very special person: Christophe Konkobo. Christophe is returning to Burkina Faso later this month and we'd like to say good-bye and thank you for everything! There'll be a card to sign, a gift to present, and cake to share! That will be the start of a busy week. Saturday, October 7 th Trinity is hosting our annual Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis. Posters have been distributed and notices placed in the Courier to invite all to this community wide event. If the weather cooperates, Fr. John will bless the animals starting at 4:00 p.m. on our lawn. Following the service, there will be treats for the animals and their human companions. Rain location: the Parish Hall. The next day, Sunday, October 8 th will be another special coffee hour, this one to welcome Bishop Hollingsworth and to honor our confirmands. Fr. John will present a personalized prayer book to each of the persons being confirmed (Asher Boyles, Kaia Boyles, and Keli Trudeau) and to Mel Proctor who is being received. Mini quiches, cookies, and other assorted goodies will be served. To end the month...and back by popular demand: ShoctoberFest!! Come one, come all on Saturday, October 28 th, at 7:00 p.m. BYOB (beer or wine) and a snack, cider and soft drinks will be provided. Costumes are not mandatory, but are definitely encouraged. Look for a sign-up sheet on the Parish Hall Bulletin Board. The next regular CSG meeting will be after the 9:30 service on Sunday, November 5 th. With lots going on, a reminder: we have wonderful greeters, but greeting newcomers and visitors is up to ALL of us! Ginny Lee Pilstl, CSG Chair Christ in a stranger s guise. SERVERS If you would like to become an usher, gift bearer, greeter, acolyte/server, reader, commentator, or chalice bearer for services at Trinity, please let Fr. John or Deborah know.

3 3 THE RECTOR WRITES Making reference to Christ's Ascension, the anonymous author of the fourteenth century mystical text The Cloud of Unknowing wrote the following: Yes, Christ did ascend upward and from on high sent the Holy Spirit but he rose upward because this was more appropriate than to descend or to move to left or to right. Beyond the superior symbolic value of rising upward, however, the direction of his movement is actually quite incidental to the spiritual reality. For in the realm of the spirit heaven is as near up as it is down, behind as before, to left or to right. The access to heaven is through desire. He who longs to be there really is there in spirit. The path to heaven is measured by desire and not by miles. How often we think about the Kingdom of Heaven as being some place far off! This Medieval writer, however, reminds us of something Jesus said over and over in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). The Kingdom of Heaven has come near. We often speak of the spiritual life as being a journey, but I wonder if that particular metaphor might be misleading. When one sets out on a journey one packs, but Jesus says to his disciples Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff. Likewise, a successful trip usually depends on some careful planning, but Jesus says When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. As popular as the journey metaphor is these days, Jesus never used it in describing the Kingdom of Heaven. What metaphor should we use, then? Well, Jesus himself gave us plenty. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field or a pearl of great value. It is like a lost coin or a lost sheep whose owners won't stop searching. What do all of these metaphors have in common? They all compare heaven to something whose acquisition depends on desire, just as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing did. The field and the pearl require sacrificing wealth in order to obtain them. The coin and the sheep require persistence in one's search. All of them, though, require that one really wants to get them. The means are already present. The pearl merchant and the landowner have the money to get what they want; the woman and the shepherd have time to look for their lost property. But without a strong enough desire, the pearl, the treasure, the coin, and the sheep will stay right where they are. We've got everything we need to experience the love and grace of God if we really want it. The question remaining, then, is simple. Do we really want it? St. Augustine, during his younger, more hedonistic days said something like Lord, make me a Christian, but not yet! He didn't really want it. It's easy enough to say that we want God in our lives. It's another thing to really want it enough to change our approach to life. This might sound fatalistic; it might sound like Calvinist-style predestination. One could say, either I want it or I don't! If I don't am I out of luck? I suspect, though, that deep down we all really want to be children of God. We all want this pearl of great value, even if we don't know it yet. We might get distracted by what the world says is valuable- money or prestige or some skewed version of self-reliance. We may not have been presented with a compelling account of what the Kingdom is and what it's worth, and I doubt God would hold that against us. The good news is that when we recognize our innate desire for God and the Kingdom we've not got too far to look. The path to heaven is measured by desire and not by miles. Jesus said, seek and ye shall find. What an extravagant promise! What a comforting truth! Yours in service to the Gospel, John

4 4 AN UPDATE ON BICENTENNIAL EVENTS On Sept. 25, 2017 we officially reached our goal of 200 Tutu Desks! A generous donation was made by Fr. John from the Rectors Discretionary Fund. Thanks to all of you who supported and contributed to this Bicentennial project! The Trinity family has always been generous and worked together to meet a need A HEART-FELT THANK YOU. Special appreciation to Sue Ann Sandusky, for all of her help; and Deborah who created and kept the thermometer display updated. PROPERTY COMMITTEE Trinitarians, A fall clean-up is scheduled for the 7 th of October, Saturday. Pulling weeds, power washing (if it's a nice day), painting the metal outside entrance to the crawl space, putting up the storm windows inside the church (if Rob hasn't already done so), trash pickup, etc. Shouldn't be a long day. Let me know if you're interested, mcreighton65@gmail.com. Thanks! Mark Creighton, Property Chair TRINITY KNITTING CIRCLE We were also successful in collecting over 250 plastic medicine bottles which were donated to the Episcopal Christian Women for Doctors Without Borders. Some continue to donate so we set up another box if you d like to add to the total. Again, THANK YOU! The Bicentennial Committee The Trinity Knitting Circle meets the second Monday of each month except December. Our next meeting will be Monday, October 9 th at 1 p.m. If you knit or crochet, please join our circle. If you would like to learn, you may give me a call at Purls, Pat Fox WEB SITE The Trinity website has been updated to include Father John's sermons. If you miss a Sunday, you can now read the sermons online. There's a link on our homepage under Sermons, or go directly there by typing this link into your browser - Please check it out and let us know what you think! WEEKLY PRAYER LIST We all need a little prayer and Trinity provides a prayer list each week in the bulletin for those who could use some extra. Would you please take a moment to review that prayer list and help us keep it up-to-date? If there are names which should be removed, let Deborah know. If there is someone on your heart, we can add that person. Thank you!

5 5 Join us for A ghoulishly good breakfast in the parish hall at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 14 th. THANK YOU! The sign-up sheet for breakfast hosts/cooks is almost complete for the rest of the year! ITEMS FOR November tidings Should be submitted By THURSDAY, October 19 th. thank YOU! DISCUSSION GROUP Would you like to be part of a discussion group, meet one Sunday each month, and look at social issues/changes/environment and other current topics of interest? Please let Fr. John know if you d like to be involved. COFFEE CORNER OCTOBER coffee hour hosts 1 st CSG 8 th CSG 15 th 22 nd Annie Stricklin 30 th Bryant HOSTS ARE NEEDED! Please consider adding your name to the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. You don t have to do it alone several families or a group may host together. THANK YOU for the donations of coffee and decaf! Ready for a road trip? Journey with the Lunch Bunch to Viva Maria in Ada on Friday, October 13 for delicious Italian food. We will meet at the church at 11 am to carpool. Please make your reservation with Joanne McPherson or Ginny Lee Pilstl by Wednesday, October 11, especially if you plan to meet us there. KROGER REWARDS Kroger shoppers of Trinity earned $ from the 23 households participating during the past quarter through the Kroger Community Rewards Program! PLEASE BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR MEMBERSHIP UP-TO-DATE! OR if you have not yet signed-up, consider doing so. It is now time to re-enroll! Members need to renew each year in order to continue to earning for Trinity. This program in no way affects your personal Kroger Rewards sales, fuel points, etc. If you would like assistance to sign up or renew please contact Deborah. WHERE DO YOU FIT?? Everyone has special gifts share yours with your church! Please consider lending your skills and talents to a committee in an area of interest or skill. Just contact a committee or vestry member to join.

6 6 KEEPING IN TOUCH OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS 3 Joe Boucher 11 Keli Trudeau 18 Michael Romary 24 Peg Gabel 25 Sara Bryant 26 Kent Asher 27 Claudia Benjamin 28 Anna Miller, Cindy Whitson OCTOBER ANNIVERSARY 1 Gayle Baltzell & Darin Boyles ALTAR FLOWERS Please let Deborah know by noon on Wednesday of that week what you would like printed in the bulletin for your gift of flowers. to trinfin@att.net or call When providing altar flowers from a florist they should be delivered to the church between 9 a.m. and noon on Friday. Thanks! Condolences to the family of Sarah Worthington who passed away September 20 in Fremont, Ohio PERSONAL NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR AND ABOUT THE TRINITY FAMILY. IF YOU HAVE ITEMS OF INTEREST TO SHARE, (BIRTHS, ENGAGEMENTS, GRADUATIONS, HONORS, AWARDS, WEDDINGS, PERFORMANCES, ACHIEVEMENTS, ACTIVITIES, ETC.) PLEASE SUBMIT THEM BY THE 3 RD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH FOR THE NEXT PUBLICATION. Thanks Our deepest sympathy to the family and loved ones of Margaret Haas. If ever there is a name omitted from one of these lists, or a date is incorrect, please contact the church office with the information. Thanks! The sign-up sheet for altar flowers is on the bulletin board in the parish hall. TRULY KEEPING IN TOUCH Some parishioners not able to attend services, or attend regularly, would enjoy calls or cards from the rest of us, and visits especially from people who know them. Others have moved so this is an update on their contact information: Marilyn Russell - P.O. Box , Palm Bay, FL Romelle Aldrich - 83 Harwood Road, Monroe, NJ John and Paula Wolper Dominion Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY Caroline Dunham Legacy at Heritage, 2820 Greenacre Drive, Findlay, Dave & Peg Bell 779 Tupper Street, Brockville, Ontario, Canada K6V6A1 Jean Bolmer 401 Hancock Street, Findlay, Chris s information is posted on the bulletin board in the parish hall.

7 7 A PRAYER FOR OUR TIME AND FOR THE EARTH Dear God, Creator of the earth, this sacred home we share; Give us new eyes to see the beauty all around and to protect the wonders of creation. Give us new arms to embrace the strangers among us and to know them as family. Give us new ears to hear and understand those who live off the land and to hear and understand those who extract its resources. Give us new hearts to recognize the brokenness in our communities and to heal the wounds we have inflicted. Give us new hands to serve the earth and its people and to shape beloved community. For you are the One who seeks the lost, binds our wounds and sets us free, and it is in the name of Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen. The Episcopal Church s House of Bishops Fairbanks, Alaska, September 21-26, 2017 Music Notes from Parker Maas Our choir is back in full swing! Rehearsals are at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays and all are invited. We welcome members annually, seasonally, and weekly. Please consider joining us! SHOCTOBERFEST On Saturday, October 28 th Trinity will host ShoctoberFest! We will have cider and sodas, games, and activities for all ages. Costumes are encouraged and you may BYOB (beer or wine). Please bring a snack to share. Get out your lederhosen or pirate s hat and plan to join the fun! TAIZÉ PRAYER RETURNS Sunday, October 15th marks the beginning of our 17 th season of Taizé Prayer here at Trinity. Please join us at 5:00 p.m. for a service of prayer, song, and contemplation. This service has developed into an important outreach ministry for our parish to the community at large. Our season of Taizé Prayer runs from October through March, held the 3 rd Sunday of each month at 5:00pm. We can always use more help in setting up, decorating and clean up; musicians; and hosting or helping to host the reception which follows each service. If you would like to help in decorating, just join us after church as we setup on the 3 rd Sunday of the month. If you are a musician and want to join our ensemble, we meet at 3:45pm before the service to rehearse you are most welcome. If you wish to host a reception or help with same, there is a signup sheet on the bulletin board in the parish hall. If you have been with us in the past, we encourage you to come again; if you have never attended Taizé Prayer, please join us on October 15th and give it a try we hope you will find the experience most worthwhile.

8 8 EVENT CALENDAR OCTOBER 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY OCT 1 OCT 2 OCT 3 OCT 4 OCT 5 OCT 6 OCT 7 8:30 Holy Eucharist NO Morning Prayer 9 a.m. Work Day 4 p.m. Blessing of the Animals OCT 8 OCT 9 OCT 10 OCT 11 OCT 12 OCT 13 OCT 14 Combined Service w/bishop & Confirmations 1 p.m. Knitting Circle OFFICES CLOSED NO Morning Prayer 12:05 Wednesday Worship Reservations for Lunch Bunch due Viva Maria (car 11 a.m.) 8:30 a.m. Parish Breakfast OCT 15 OCT 16 OCT 17 OCT 18 OCT 19 OCT 20 OCT 21 8:30 Holy Eucharist 5 p.m. Taizé 5:15 Bible study 12:05 Wednesday Worship ITEMS FOR TIDINGS DUE OCT 22 OCT 23 OCT 24 OCT 25 OCT 26 OCT 27 OCT 28 8:30 Holy Eucharist 1 p.m. Vestry 12:05 Wednesday Worship 5:15 Bible study 7 Halloween Parade OCT 29 OCT 30 OCT 31 8:30 Holy Eucharist 6:30-8 Trick or Treat 7 p.m. SHOCTOBER FEST 5:15 Bible study Flower of the month Marigold Birthstone Opal