Trinity Episcopal Church 128 West Hardin Street Findlay, Ohio The Episcopal Church serving Hancock County, Ohio and beyond

Transcription

1 Trinity Episcopal Church 128 West Hardin Street Findlay, Ohio The Episcopal Church serving Hancock County, Ohio and beyond 2017

2 2 OUTREACH GREETINGS ALL THANKS TO ALL. OUTREACH SERVED 2 STAGE-FOUR CANCER PATIENT FAMILIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WOW!!! NOW THE HOLIDAY IS SEASON OVER, AND WE ARE BACK TO REALITY. BLANKETS ARE IN GREAT NEED BY THE VARIOUS CHARITIES. FOOD ITEMS SUCH AS CEREAL, CANNED GOODS, LAUNDRY SOAP, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, CLOTHING, ETC. ARE ALWAYS DESIRED. OUR HAT AND MITTEN TREE HELPS KEEP KIDS WARM IN THE WINTER. FOR A SMALL CONGREGATION WE ARE TRULY BLESSED BY YOUR GENEROSITY. YOUR OUTREACH COMMITTEE, NANCY AND PAUL O'SULLIVAN You never know when you might meet CSG started the new year by organizing the carry in for Trinity's Annual Meeting. Thanks to everyone in the parish who set up, cleaned up, and provided delicious soups, tasty breads, and scrumptious desserts. While our resident bread maker, Nancy Abbey, is enjoying warmer and sunnier Florida, Sue Ann Sandusky and Christophe Konkobo will be providing the little loaves of bread that go into the green bags given to Trinity visitors and newcomers. Meanwhile, birthday and anniversary cards continue to be sent and the Parish Breakfast on February 11 th will be provided by the Trudeaus. Our next meeting is an important one: Easter is coming up and we also need to discuss what we can contribute to the Diocese's Bicentennial celebration. Another event to be planned, an idea contributed by Fr. John, is a board game night. Fun for all ages! So please grab a cup of coffee and a friend as we meet after the 9:30 service on Sunday, March 12. Ginny Lee Pilstl, Chair PANCAKE AND SAUSAGE SUPPER Christ in a stranger s guise. Once again, Trinity's Vestry members (and friends) are serving a Mardi Gras Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday. All-you-can-eat Pancakes (including the ever-popular chocolate chip variety) and sausage, will be served in the Parish Hall. There's no charge, donations are, of course, always welcome. Following dinner, Fr. John will burn last year's palms, a service to which all are invited. So bring your appetites (and palms) on Tuesday, February 28. Pancakes and sausage will be served from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

3 THE RECTOR WRITES 3 Dear ones, We are going to be hearing more in the coming weeks and months about the bicentennial of the Diocese of Ohio and the What's Your 200? program in which we will be encouraged to set goals as both individuals and as a parish. I am grateful that both Gloria Wolph and Sue Ann Sandusky have agreed to help lead our process of considering both what we are already doing and what practices we can take on during this celebratory year. By the time you read this we will have mentioned some of the possibilities for our engagement in this program at the annual meeting and I hope many of you are already coming up with your own ideas to share with the rest of us. I would like to make a suggestion regarding how you can participate on your own in addition to whatever we do as a congregation. This is a commitment I've personally made, so let me explain the process by which I made this decision. My initial thought was that during 2017 I would endeavor to spend two hundred hours in private prayer. Now, I like to set goals that are achievable but will also stretch myself, taking into account what I'm already doing and enhancing that. When I did the math, I discovered that two hundred hours over the course of a year amounts to about thirty-three minutes per day. Now, I pray the daily office of morning and evening prayer. I've timed myself over the last several days and determined that this averages out to twenty-five minutes per day when I'm not joined by somebody else for morning prayer. This, by the way, is the case most of the time, but I've decided that the mornings somebody does show up at eight o'clock to join me I will not count that time as private prayer (at that point it becomes a public service of the church). I encourage you, therefore, if you'd like to add ten-tofifteen minutes to the amount your rector prays every day, to come and join me some morning! Anyway, assuming I'm saying both morning prayer and evening prayer by myself most days, this means I need to add eight minutes per day of prayer. No sweat, right? I could add up all the short, in the moment prayers that I say every day - the Lord, help John Doe whom I just learned is sick and the Lord help me finish this newsletter article on time type of prayers - to my grand total. These might be the most powerful type of prayers, after all. I absolutely agree with the sentiment, to my knowledge first expressed by the anonymous fourteenth century author of The Cloud of Unknowing, who wrote that brief, sincere prayers pierce the heavens most effectively. Nevertheless, this seems a bit like cheating and I certainly don't plan on keeping a stopwatch around to time these types of prayers to ensure I'm meeting my quota. All this being the case, I've determined I'll add eight minutes of intentional, scheduled prayer time to my daily calendar. Some days this will mean praying a litany or observing a formal devotion. (If you're curious, I find Saint Augustine's Prayerbook (Holy Cross: New York, 1967) a particularly useful volume for this.) On most days, though, I'll likely engage in some form of silent, contemplative prayer, largely because I find this an especially challenging exercise. The more I consider this commitment the more I'm struck by how small a thing it seems. Certainly God deserves more than thirty-three minutes of my praise, penitence, and devotion every day. I pray always and most of the time I really believe that grace will make an otherwise underwhelming offering sufficient. I am often reminded of the fact that despite being a religious professional I am in some ways still a spiritual novice, but practice will, in the end, make perfect (if not in this life, then I the next). In all events, I invite you to join me in this commitment. Perhaps you desire some advice or instruction in how to pray. If this is the case, know that you are not alone. This is a topic I love to discuss with individuals and small groups of people. I'm always happy to make an appointment to discuss different approaches to prayer and help people identify ways they can pray more regularly and effectively. Alternatively, it will be a topic of one of the sessions of the Confirmation classes I'll be offering starting on March 5 th. I'll make certain to post the syllabus so anyone interested can attend that session. Whatever your approach, whether you're a well-practiced spiritual athlete or a struggling bush-leaguer like me, I'm confident that the best thing any of us can do as individual servants of God, as a parish, and as the Body of Christ throughout the world is to become more practiced in prayer. It sustains our connection to the Most High, it strengthens our witness, and it opens us up to identify and meet the needs of God's children from all walks of life. Yours in service to the Gospel, John

4 4 Music Notes The choir is always looking for more voices! Join us we would love to have you. Our goal remains to help enrich our services and bring us closer to God. Thanks for your interest and support of music at Trinity. Parker Fr. John and Annie will be on vacation February 18 th through the 25 th. Both 8:30 and 9:30 services will be celebrated on Sunday, February 19 th Offering envelopes are on the table in the parish hall. There are also several boxes of un-numbered ones help yourself! If you would like numbered envelopes and didn t order them, there are several boxes still available. Please let Deborah know if you would like a set! PROPERTY COMMITTEE This property committee is being re-established this winter with a few new members. If any of you are at all interested, like the choir, we welcome warm bodies! If you like to mow, trim, shovel snow, swing a hammer, wield a paint brush, etc... please contact me. Thanks to all! Mark Creighton, Property Chair Trinity Episcopal Church is... a welcoming community that is accepting of others who are different. a place to experience genuine relationships that help us grow. people who volunteer to reach out into the community. people who value tradition, music, and prayer in their worship. 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 The Trudeau family will host and cook the parish breakfast on Saturday, February 11 th at 8:30. Bring a friend to enjoy good food and fellowship. There are openings for helpers and hosts for Trinity s parish breakfasts at 8:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. If you are able to cook or to help clean up at any of these, the sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Thank you. 5 On Friday, February 10 th the Lunch Bunch is going to Cheddar's, 2100 Tiffin Avenue. If you'll be joining the group there at 11:30 am, please let Joanne McPherson know by Wednesday. February 8. 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. COFFEE CORNER FEBRUARY coffee hour hosts 5 th Boucher 12 th 19 th 26 th 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! KROGER REWARDS!! Kroger shoppers of Trinity earned $ from the 19 households participating during the past quarter through the Community Rewards Program! PLEASE BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR MEMBERSHIP UP-TO-DATE! OR if you have not yet signed-up, consider doing so. 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.

6 Trinity Thank Offering (TTO) The TRINITY THANK OFFERING is a way in which our parish recognizes the importance of thanking God for its many blessings. Those in need locally benefit as Thank offerings are directed to the Rector's Discretionary Fund. Please continue to give thanks with offerings in the green TTO box. TRINITY KNITTING CIRCLE The Trinity Knitting Circle meets the second Monday of each month except December Our next meeting will be Monday, February 13 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 TRINITY 2017 VESTRY Ginny Lee Pilstl, Senior Warden Mark Creighton, Junior Warden Sue Ann Sandusky, Clerk Nancy Abbey Jim Ellerbe Karen Eubanks Lisa Robeson Will Slater Gloria Wolph Peg Daily Treasurer 6 ITEMS FOR MARCH TIdings should be submitted By Wednesday, February 22 nd. thank YOU! The sign-up sheet for altar flowers is on the bulletin board in the parish hall. Trinity on Facebook. Find our page by searching for Trinity Episcopal Church, Findlay, Ohio. Be sure to like the page to get posts delivered to your News Feed. If you're not on Facebook and you want to know more about it, please call Ben Dolan or Emily Boerger at Your talents are God s gift to you what you do with them is your gift to God. WEB SITE The Trinity website has been updated to include Father John's sermons. If you missed a Sunday, you can now read the sermons online. There's a link on our homepage under Sermons, or you can go directly there by typing this link into your browser: Please check it out and let us know what you think! Ben Dolan is our web master.

7 7 KEEPING IN TOUCH FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 6 Nick Solomon, Bob Weaver 21 Cathy Bryant, Paula Sue Russell 22 Nancy Abbey 23 Todd Russell 26 Michael Bennett 27 Bob Abbey 29 Mark Bolmer FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES 14 Catherine Albrecht & Michael Romary 24 Nancy & Paul O Sullivan 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! 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 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! CHURCH CALENDAR As a central area of communication, there is a monthly Trinity scheduling calendar on the bulletin board in the parish hall. It includes all events, activities, and facility usage. THIS IS YOUR CALENDAR IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE ADDED, DO SO. IF THERE IS AN ERROR, PLEASE CORRECT IT! You may submit items to Deborah anytime for the upcoming calendar, but please feel free to make this an interactive tool for the parish! 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: Betty Berlekamp Birchaven Road, Room 310, Findlay, Marilyn Russell - P.O. Box , Palm Bay, FL Sarah Worthington 172 Legacy Lane, Heritage House, 2820 Greenacre Drive, Findlay, 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.

8 8 The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio Bicentennial We now have an box set up to collect all your ideas for projects relating to the diocesan bicentennial program. One of the key elements and activities for this celebration is What s your 200? This is a way for us (parish and individuals) to reflect on the past 200 years and express what we aspire to be in the years to come. We are invited to discover our own 200 s. What is meaningful to us in our faith? What defines our parish? What are we most proud of? What areas would we like to make more of an impact? No idea is too audacious! As a guide, check out the diocese s excellent video presentation at: We look forward to hearing your ideas as we celebrate together this exciting year together, recommitting ourselves to being Christ s Body in Findlay, Hancock County, and beyond. You may send your ideas to trinfin200@att.net, present them in person, by phone, or through the mail. TAIZÉ PRAYER The next Taizé Prayer at Trinity is Sunday, February 19 th. 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. by Kim Grove Taizé Prayer is based on an ancient Christian principle expressed by Brother Roger, a founding member of the Taizé community in France: Nothing is more conducive to a communion with the living God than a meditative common prayer with, at its high point, singing that never ends and that continues in the silence of one s heart when one is alone again. The focal point of this communion is the cross the symbol of God s saving presence in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our season of Taizé Prayer runs from October through March, held the 3 rd Sunday of each month at 5:00 p.m. 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 3:45 p.m. 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 February 19 th and give it a try we hope you will find the experience most worthwhile. A PRAYER FOR FEBRUARY Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus shows us that you give the world a great big hug and that you never stop loving us; you always forgive us when we make mistakes and you care for us more than we could ever imagine. Help us to know just how much you love us and to remember that no-one is ever left out of your love. In Jesus name. Amen. CONFIRMATION CLASSES Beginning Sunday, March 5 th, CONFIRMATION CLASSES will be held at 11 a.m. in the yellow room. All who wish to be confirmed and those who would like a refresher course are invited. No sign-up needed.

9 9 Sisters and brothers in Christ, Across the country and around the world, the reaction and response to the Presidential executive order regarding immigration and travel, particularly as it affects Muslims from seven Middle East countries, have been strong. Both support of and opposition to it have been widely and clearly expressed. I am certain that in every congregation of the Diocese of Ohio there is a similarly broad range of opinion on the legal, moral, and political justification for this action. Our national security is a critically important responsibility of government, especially in this dangerously polarized world where there is, in some quarters, deep mistrust and hatred of the United States. The security and freedom of our citizens and others deserve serious and thoughtful attention and debate. That there is such passionate and diverse response to how that security and freedom are protected is unsurprising. As Christians, we are formed and informed by the stories of our spiritual forbears, whom Holy Scripture describes alternately as oppressors and oppressed alike. Indeed, perhaps more numerous than anything else in the Bible are accounts of the challenge of living with differences and differentness, and the seeming universality in every era of immigration and the need to seek refuge. In my prayer for those immediately and most devastatingly affected by this ban, I am reminded that they are in the company of Adam and Eve who were expelled from Eden, Abraham and Sarah, Noah and his family, Lot, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Naomi and Ruth, and so on to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus who fled to Egypt. All, at one time or another, were immigrants, strangers seeking refuge. Throughout the Levitical and Deuteronomic laws are countless injunctions about how to treat the alien, the stranger, the other. "For the Lord your God...loves the strangers. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."[i] Moses, a migrant himself, is instructed to provide refuge to the Levites, so that in turn refuge might be provided to the children of Israel when they are aliens in the land of Canaan.[ii] Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Malachi, and other prophets expressed God's expectations of how the other is to be treated. "I will be swift to bear witness...against those who thrust aside the alien..., says the Lord of hosts."[iii] And Matthew's Gospel reports Jesus being very clear about the measure of righteousness: "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."[iv] I do not pretend to have all the answers to difficult issues like the ones we currently face. Nor, however, will I demur from expressing my conviction that this executive order is morally unjust and, while it is intended to increase national security, it puts our country and those who serve on our behalf in diplomatic and military capacities overseas at greatly increased risk. It contradicts values I hold as essential to our identity and vocation as Americans. Both literally and figuratively, the pedestal on which Lady Liberty stands proclaims, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."[v] It is important, as we wrestle with issues of immigration and national security, that your and my voices, whatever our perspectives, are heard by one another and by our leaders, and that the seriousness of our commitment to democracy and peace is observed by the world. Our responsibility as citizens does not end at the ballot box, but continues in our ongoing engagement in civil discourse and public policy debate. And as we exercise that democratic responsibility, let us remember that as Americans, with the exception of indigenous peoples, we are all of immigrant descent, both in our familial and our spiritual heritage. More importantly, let us remember that we are Christian, not among other things but above all things. Formed by the legacy of our spiritual ancestors, we are called to grow into the full stature of the Christ whose name we bear and whose very body we are, to the end that we and all the beloved of God may be "no longer strangers and sojourners, but...fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."[vi] I encourage you to be fervent in prayer and action. The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. Bishop of Ohio [i]deuteronomy 10:17-19 [ii] Numbers 35 [iii] Malachi 3:5 [iv] Matthew 25:35 [v] New Colossus, Emma Lazarus [vi] Ephesians 2:19

10 10 EVENT CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY FEB 1 FEB 2 FEB 3 FEB 4 Morning Prayer Morning Prayer Wednesday Worship FEB 5 FEB 6 FEB 7 FEB 8 FEB 9 FEB 10 FEB 11 8:30 Holy Eucharist 9:30 Holy Eucharist Coffee hour 4 p.m. Full Sound Concert 5:15 Bible Study Reservations for Lunch Bunch due 12:05 Wednesday Worship 11:30 Lunch Cheddar s 8:30 a.m. Parish Breakfast FEB 12 FEB 13 FEB 14 FEB 15 FEB 16 FEB 17 FEB 18 8:30 Holy Eucharist 9:30 Holy Eucharist Coffee hour Winter Convocation 5:15 Bible study 12:05 Wednesday Worship Fr. John & Annie on vacation FEB 19 FEB 20 FEB 21 FEB 22 FEB 23 FEB 24 FEB 25 8:30 Holy Eucharist 9:30 Holy Eucharist Coffee hour 5 p.m.taizé Prayer NO. Morning Prayer NO Bible study OFFICES CLOSED NO. Morning Prayer FEB 26 FEB 27 FEB 28 8:30 Holy Eucharist 9:30 Holy Eucharist Coffee hour 11 a.m. Semi-annual Worship Conversation 1 p.m. Vestry 5:15 Bible study 5 6:30 Pancake & Sausage Supper Burning of the Palms NO Morning Prayer NO Wednesday Worship Tidings items due NO Morning Prayer Fr. John & Annie return Flower of the month Violet Birthstone Amethyst