Trinity Episcopal Church Concord, Massachusetts

Transcription

1 Trinity Episcopal Church Concord, Massachusetts 2011 Annual Report Addendum to Report Music Director Addendum to Report Building for Ministry Annual Meeting February 26, :30 am

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Rector s Report... 3 Annual Meeting Minutes... 4 Senior Warden... 8 Nominating Committee Newcomers Committee Associate Rector Christian Formation of Children and Youth Parish Life Think Tank Caring Connection Healing Prayer Team Trinity Arts Council Handcrafts Trinity Fayre Property Commission Beijing Circle Social Ministry Addendum to Report Music Director Human Resources Committee Funeral Reception Committee Lay Eucharistic Visitors (LEV) Trinity Ushers Technology Committee Stewardship Commission Memorial Garden Trust Treasurer s Report Addendum to Report Building for Ministry Financial Report

3 2011 Report Rector Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, What a wonderful year this has been!! We have garnered more than $3.5 million in pledges for the Capital Campaign in support of the Building for Ministry project which will lead to a much needed new Parish House facility. This has been a major undertaking for our church. We re not there yet, but so far we have raised more money than has ever been raised before in this congregation. In addition, we have received over $1 million in payments against those pledges. This is an extraordinary achievement. I pray that we will continue to move forward with this project because we know how important it is to the future of the parish. Thanks to all of you who have supported this project with your very generous gifts. It will make a difference to the future of our parish. We continue to experience more new members coming to Trinity. People of all ages are coming, and we value the contribution of each and every one of them. We have been especially blessed by the presence of young families. This has been a direct result of the work of the Newcomers Committee, the Adults Supporting Children (ASC) Committee, and the young families who are already part of parish life at Trinity who extend a welcome to their friends. Your enthusiasm for the church school program has made a huge difference. We also give thanks for those who have so faithfully supported Trinity throughout the years. They know that this is their church home. They continue to be the backbone of the parish in terms of its support. Their commitment over many decades has made the present reality possible. You are all a blessing to us! I also give thanks for the work that has been done by the members of the Beijing Circle who have led the way in establishing a relationship with Maranyundo School in Rwanda. This is an exciting new ministry for our parish reaching beyond ourselves internationally. Please take the time to read the report of the Beijing Circle to get a better sense of this new ministry. We are also thankful for the growing ministry with St. Stephen s in the South End. This has been a very important ministry to Trinity for many years. This year we purchased a commercial refrigerator for the church, which was badly needed to support the many programs that emanate from that church. We also have a growing ministry of tutoring in addition to the summer program which we support. We have one major challenge before us. We still have much work ahead of us to meet our goal for the new Parish House. This is very important to our future as a congregation. The need is obvious. The solution is at hand. We need only respond to the need. Finally, Lou and I want to thank you for the gift of a wonderful sabbatical. This is a blessing not available to many clergy in the Church. We valued it greatly. We had an opportunity to explore spiritual sites important to our tradition. But most of all we had a wonderful extended time to be together. That was a special blessing. I am very blessed to minister with all of you. This is a great parish with a great history and, most importantly, a great future. Each of you is an important part of that. Each of you brings the ministry of Trinity Church alive! Faithfully, Tony 3

4 TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH CONCORD MASSACHUSETS ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 13, 2011 There being a quorum of more than twenty-eight people, The Annual Meeting was called to order at 10:30 am. Tony Buquor appointed Libby Wilson to serve as Clerk for this Annual Meeting. The meeting began in prayer led by the Rector, The Reverend Tony Buquor. Tony introduced the Wardens: Senior Warden Tom Phillips Junior Warden Randy Hartnett A motion was made and seconded to accept the 2010 Annual Meeting Minutes. It was approved. The reports of the various Commissions and Committees are contained in the Annual Report. There were no questions from the meeting on the reports. The Staff and Commission Chairs were acknowledged: THE STAFF: The Reverend Nicholas Morris-Kliment, Associate Rector The Reverend Matthew Kruger, Curate Robert Barney, Director of Music Ted Hull, Sexton Anne Lynch, Office Administrator and Pastoral Care Susan MacDonald, Trinity Publications Nancy Marshall, Bookkeeper Jim Boyd, Sunday Sexton Emily Hanson, Professional Nursery Care Provider Carolyn Coffin, member of the Vestry and Chair of the Adults Supporting Children Committee, introduced our newest staff member, Carol Brady, who will be our Christian Education Director. The search committee for this position consisted of Carolyn Coffin, Kimberlee Coleman, William Garnett, Buck Grace, Chas Horvath, Martha Stone, Jennifer Ulbaldino, and Nick Morris-Kliment, ex officio. Nick thanked ASC for the thirteen weeks that they ran the Christian Education while we were without a Director, and Carolyn thanked Nick for all his leadership. COMMISSION CHAIRS: Charles Niessen, Fellowship Commission John Mandler, Property Commission Barbara and Arthur Walker, Social Ministry Commission John Lewis, Stewardship Commission Andrew Hawes, Finance & Administration Commission A motion to accept the Commission Reports was approved unanimously. 4

5 TREASURER S REPORT Bob Krumme gave an excellent overview of his Treasurer s Report to be found in page in the 2010 Annual Report. Trinity s finances are in excellent shape, and we are a growing church. Win Wilbur noted that the 2010 Fayre made $11,000, and that the Vestry needs to take charge of appointing leadership for the Fayre in a timely fashion in years to come. Clarification was asked as to what exactly was meant by Special Gifts. Approval of the 2009 Treasurer s Report was moved, seconded, and accepted unanimously. NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT John Woodward, Chair OFFICERS The Report of the Nominating Committee was accepted and it was moved, seconded, and approved that the proposed slate of Officers be elected for a one-year term. Senior Warden (one year term) Thomas Phillips Junior Warden (one year term) Randy Hartnett Treasurer (one year term) Robert Krumme Clerk (one year term) Colby Anderson VESTRY The Report of the Nominating Committee was accepted and it was moved, seconded, and approved that the proposed slate of Vestry Members-at-large be elected. Member-at large (three year term) Mart Doig Member-at-large (three year term) Pat Fleischauer Member-at-large (three year term) Barbara Morse Tony recognized and thanked the out-going Vestry members: Libby Wilson, Clerk Vestry Members: Greta Morgan Cheryl Mandler Continuing Vestry Members are: Katherine Berger (one year term) Charles Niessen (one year term) Larry Scarff (one year term) Carolyn Coffin (two year term) Linda Hossfeld (two year term) Michael Quayle (two year term) CONVENTION DELEGATES The Report of the Nominating Committee was accepted and the following resolutions were moved, seconded, and approved with respect to the proposed slate for Diocesan and Deanery Delegates: Resolved, that John Lewis and Ed Prewitt are elected to serve for one year as Delegates to Diocesan Convention and the Deanery, and it is further 5

6 Resolved that in the event that either elected Delegate shall be unable to serve, John Anderson is elected to serve as Delegate in such elected Delegate s place and stead with full rights and authority of the Parish and it is further Resolved that should any other Delegate vacancy remain at any time it shall be filled in accordance with the By- Laws. Tony thanked Colby Anderson who is completing her term as Delegate to Diocesan Convention. NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Nominated to the Nominating Committee by the Nominating Committee: Suzette Ciancio (two year term) Nominated to the Nominating Committee from the floor of the Meeting: Toby Bull (two year term) It was moved, seconded, and approved that the proposed slate of nominations for the Nominating Committee be accepted. Tony acknowledged the out-going Nominating Committee Members: Larry Barney Tracy Barron Colby Anderson John Woodward, Chair Continuing members of the Nominating Committee are: George Dallas Janine Penfield Sigrid Bott Jim Demeritt According to our by-laws, The Vestry will appoint a member of the Nominating Committee and the Rector will appoint one. The Chair recognized Randy Hartnett who gave a report on the Building for Ministry Committee. After many years of conversations with the Parish, many plans, and models from our architects, Taylor and Burns, and the hiring of the Episcopal Church Foundation to run a Feasibility Study for us, we are at the point of seeing if the Church is willing to support a Capital Campaign to build a new Parish House Facility. The Chair recognized Greta Morgan and Jay Luby to report on the Bishop Paddock Society. Its members have indicated they have included Trinity Episcopal Church, Concord, in their wills or bequests. Both Greta and Jay emphasized how helpful it is for the gifts to be unrestricted to give the Church as much flexibility as possible. The sixty-three members of the Society were invited to a luncheon at Dalya s in Bedford in 2010 as a thankyou. The Chair recognized Carolyn Coffin to report on the Adults Supporting Children Committee. They have some new members. One doesn t have to have children involved in Christian Education to be a volunteer. All volunteers are welcome as the Committee is hoping to expand. Work is being done to change their Mission Statement. 6

7 The Senior Warden, Tom Phillips thanked one and all for their hard work over a very productive and rewarding year. He especially thanked our Rector, Tony Buquor and Associate Rector, Nick Morris-Kliment for their outstanding leadership which has brought Trinity to this very favorable place in all aspects of the Church s life. The Rector, Tony Buquor gave special thanks to the Newcomers Committee and the Adults Supporting Children Committee for making such a difference in the feeling of welcome all over the church, and the wonderful work done with the burgeoning Christian Education classes. He noted how blessed Trinity is to have so many committed lay leaders in the church and he feels that is a good part of what makes Trinity special and so effective in its mission to do God s work. There was a motion, and a second to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. After a closing prayer, the 2011 Annual Meeting was dismissed at 11:45 am. Respectfully Submitted, Elizabeth H. Wilson, Clerk 7

8 2011 Report Senior Warden Trinity s Vestry executed a series of actions over the past year which stimulated both immediate and prospective development in our parish community. Building on the success of the 2010, 2011 was again an exceptional year. The Vestry s most important decision in 2011 was our approval to embark on the fund raising phase for the new Parish House facility. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the members of the Building for Ministry (BfM) Committee, especially Walter Birge and Greta Morgan, and Brian and Lucy Rosborough for spearheading this critical activity which has resulted in raising over $3.5million (70% of the goal) from almost 200 pledges. We anticipate that we will be able to raise another $500k over the current year and be well positioned for our final push for the balance of funds and realization of this first phase of our Master Plan. Our sound 2011 financial performance reflected the enduring impact of the streamlining of our financial processes and controls that have simplified our operations and fund access. Initiated as a result of findings in our internal audits from previous years, this action now solidifies our footing in sound financial practices and has revolutionized our fund accounting process to make us more agile to meet the strategic and operational demands we will encounter. This enterprise, and Trinity s on-budget performance in 2011, positions us to meet the challenges of a slow-to-rebound economy in 2012 and beyond. As in 2010, we would not have achieved our 2011 performance and the prospects of longer term blessings without the tireless leadership and contributions of our Treasurer, Bob Krumme, and our Bookkeeper, Nancy Marshall. The impact of their efforts will reverberate for years to come. The Vestry continues to provide direction and seek new approaches to enhance Trinity s dynamic parish life. Most surround ensuring that we best utilize our abundant resources of time, talent, and treasure for both our facility and our programs. Our parish s vibrancy is best exemplified by the contributions of both long-standing and new members and families. Beyond the Vestry s role in providing overall guidance and introducing ideas to leverage these gifts, however, there are also a myriad of noteworthy efforts intrinsic to our good fortune. I would specifically like to cite three achievements that reflect these offerings: Reinvigorated focus on outreach: In 2011, we experienced a reawakening of our potential as a positive force in the world beyond our walls. Through the efforts of Burch Ford, Trinity was introduced to the Maranyundo School in Rwanda, a non-denominational boarding school for high achieving girls from low income families. From this, Debbie Scarff lead the implementation of the principles of the Beijing Circle concept, resulting in a tangible outreach effort that assisted in providing books for the school library and extended much-needed tuition assistance to students. This effort, along with a complementary, outwardlooking initiative by Linda Hossfeld to enhance our overall external perspective have served as catalysts for the theme of this year s annual fundraising campaign: Expanding Our Circle. Trinity Fayre: The Fayre has been a mainstay for Trinity and our Concord community for decades. The effort required to successfully execute this outreach opportunity cannot be overstated. For years we have been fortunate to have the leadership of a dedicated nucleus of parishioners who have led this effort. In 2011, due to a number of factors, it appeared that Trinity would be unable to continue this tradition. Fortunately for us, Barbara Morse and Linda Vieira stepped up a scant four weeks before the appointed Saturday and pulled off a near-miracle, resulting in over $9k for distribution to local food pantries. I am delighted that they have volunteered to lead the 2012 Fayre, as well, so with the luxury of additional planning time and participation from the rest of us, our potential contribution to the community is seemingly boundless. 8

9 Our parish family: Both Tony and Nick enjoyed sabbaticals in This time allowed them some much deserved refreshment and possibility to recharge after eight and seven years of continuous service to Trinity, respectively. From my perspective, it also afforded us the opportunity to discover and confirm the fundamental strength of our parish: all of us. I want to acknowledge, and thank all of you, as your efforts made my role as the ecclesiastical authority (who knew!) incredibly easy. Throughout this report, I have cited a number of our parish s leadership contributions over the past year, but these are just a modicum of those experienced during Tony s and Nick s absences. We are a robust and abounding community. I especially want to thank the Vestry for giving me much support, and would also like to express my appreciation to our extended clergy who ably filled the pastoral void during these occasions. We will continue to feel the economic pressures of operating a parish in the 21 st century. Every year affords these same obstacles and increases in operational costs seem unrelenting. Despite this condition, I am grateful for the generosity and compassion of the Trinity family. Thanks to the outstanding planning and execution of our annual fundraising campaign by the Stewardship Committee, led by Buck Grace, and your response to their solicitation, we will implement another balanced budget in I have by no means captured everything we do for both each other and in the world beyond Trinity in this report. Thank you to everyone for your continued love and service to the rest of our Trinity family and your efforts as you represent the Trinity mission outside our walls. I will close with a special thank you to those rotating off the Vestry this year that have been faithful servants and true teammates as leaders in our parish: Katharine Berger, Chuck Niessen and Larry Scarff, At-Large members, and my partner-in-crime, Randy Hartnett, Junior Warden. We, on the Vestry, will miss your contributions and collaboration. Respectfully Submitted, Tom Phillips, Senior Warden 9

10 2011 Report Nominating Committee The Nominating Committee is pleased to offer the following slate of candidates for election by the Parish at our Annual Meeting on February 26, Vestry Officers (One Year Term) Senior Warden: Tom Phillips Junior Warden: Claudia Liebesny Treasurer: Bob Krumme Clerk: Colby Anderson Vestry at Large (Three Year Term) Steve Newbold Bob Penfield Martha Stone Continuing Vestry at Large One more year: Carolyn Coffin, Linda Hossfeld, Mike Quayle Two more years: Mart Doig, Barbara Morse, Pat Fleischauer Diocesan Delegates One more year: Two years: Alternate Delegate: Ed Prewitt John Anderson Deborah Stoessel Nominating Committee Two year term: Rod Hossfeld We thank the following retiring vestry members for their faithful service: Junior Warden: At Large Members: Randy Hartnett Katharine Berger, Chuck Niessen, Larry Scarff Respectfully submitted by the Nominating Committee: Members Leaving: George Dallas, Chair Sigrid Bott Jim Demeritt Janine Penfield Members Continuing: Toby Bull Suzette Ciancio Jay Luby Sally Myers 10

11 2011 Report Newcomers Committee The Newcomers Committee is comprised of a dedicated group of parishioners whose mission is to welcome newcomers and visitors to Trinity. The Committee is dedicated to modeling for the parish as a whole all the ways we can make ourselves open to faith, friendship and community, especially to newcomers and visitors, by building on the events and practices already in place, while creating a few institutions of our own in the process. The Welcome Table concept carries on with variations on location, personnel and other considerations. In addition to the current, permanent nametag system, paper nametags are available at several locations to allow parishioners and visitors to have an opportunity to make their names known. The Committee hosted two informal brunches for newcomers and their families, clergy, vestry, Trinity staff and parishioners in 2011 after the 10 o'clock service. We expect to host three in Sincere thanks go to the Committee members for their ongoing dedication, and to the clergy, church office staff, and parishioners for their support and guidance in ways too numerous to count. Anyone wishing to join the Newcomer Committee is invited to speak with anyone at the Welcome Table, or contact Janine Penfield or Lucy Rosborough. We would love to add more parishioners, old and new, to our corps of volunteers at the Welcome Table and Brunches. Respectfully submitted, Janine Penfield and Lucy Rosborough 11

12 2011 Report Associate Rector Christian Formation Trinity s Christian formation programs in 2011 remained robust. Our nursery continues to welcome a growing stream of little ones into a safe and loving environment. Our programs for children and youth continued to be strong. ASC (Adults Serving Children) continued its strong leadership of this group of programs. In March, having met the financial goal of the annual stewardship appeal, our prayer for a Church School Director was answered in the form of Carol Brady, who has led the Church School and consulted with the Youth Program with marvelous creativity, energy, and love. Our Forum program received an injection of new energy. All in all, a vision of a continuum of Christian formation opportunities for all ages came into clearer focus. Below are some snapshots of the various programs Trinity supported. Note: For Nursery and Church School, see the reports submitted by Carol Brady, our Church School Director, and Carolyn Coffin, chair of ASC. YOUTH: JOURNEY TO ADULTHOOD The Journey to Adulthood program continues to be supported by the faithful and energetic work of our mentors: Rite 13--Patricia Kent and Mike Quayle: Pilgrims-- Chas Horvath and Colby Anderson, Jennifer Ubaldino (first half of the year); and YAC (Young Adults in Church) Bob Penfield and Holly Steward. These adults integrate busy work and family lives with a commitment to the faith formation of their charges. Mentorship requires a great commitment of time, energy, flexibility, faithfulness, creativity, and a sense of humor. We are blessed to have mentors who demonstrate these characteristics so richly. YOUTH: RITE 13 GROUP The Rite 13 Group celebrated their Rite 13 ceremony in June. We have an active and busy Rite-13 group this year with 9 students: Julia Coleman, Cole Easton, Grace Materne, Max Newell, Ian Sampson, Michelle St. Francis, Matt Teitelman, Eleanor Van Arsdell, and Christina Vialle. They have been faithful in coming despite the busy lives we all lead. Mike Quayle and Patricia Kent have been fortunate to mentor this group. In class, we have spent time discussing respect and empathy in the setting of being members of the church. A big step for the Rite-13 students has been being a part of the first Sunday of the month service. The ushers have been patient with us in learning what we need to do during the 10 AM service, and we are grateful for the guidance we received from the Pilgrims. It is hard to get up in front of the congregation to do a Sunday reading, but we are very proud of the Rite-13 students for the great job they are doing. Once a month or so, we try to do a special activity together to get us out of our classroom. Our thanks go to the Rite-13 parents who have taken the lead in planning these extra activities for the group. We started off the year at Walden Pond on a beautiful fall day with a letterboxing adventure, in which you follow a set of written (often unintentionally cryptic!) directions that lead to a special hidden box. We have exercised our cooking skills by preparing and serving a pasta dinner together in the Trinity kitchen, and by baking for the Trinity Caring Connection supplies. We also volunteered one Sunday morning to help sort out food at our local Open Table Pantry. We were also fortunate to meet teachers from the Maranyundo girl's school in Rwanda and hope to develop a connection with them in the upcoming months. The Rite-13ers are thinking about the responsibilities of becoming Pilgrims next year and choosing an appropriate place for our pilgrimage to seek out God s presence. We are appreciative of all the support from the church and also the Rite-13 parents who have been instrumental in helping us to accomplish our goals. The Pilgrims have met faithfully on Sunday mornings as well as at other times for fellowship and service. Among their activities: game and movie nights, serving the Epiphany dinner for the parish, collecting paint cans for safe disposal, putting on the Haunted House for the Fayre, a car wash, serving at common cathedral, 12

13 delivering sand to Concord elders. There was considerable fundraising for their mission/pilgrimage in The group tithed the proceeds to St. Stephen s, common cathedral, and Open Table. The YAC group had a small but faithful cohort. One of their non-sunday activities was to work on a Habitat House in Bedford. We are currently in an in-between time as we discern who our next coordinator will be. Colby Anderson generously stepped in to serve as J2A coordinator to help coordinate the planning for joint activities among the groups. In the meantime, the mentors continue successfully to be responsible for communicating with parents and planning their programs, with monthly meetings for mutual support with Nick and Colby. CONFIRMATION We are fortunate to have Walter Birge and Jennifer Ubaldino leading our Confirmation program. They bring with them years of wisdom and commitment to young people. They are preparing a cohort to be confirmed at the Cathedral on April 28 th, This year parents of confirmands have been expected to meet with Nick concurrently with the kids program. ACOLYTES The acolyte program has begun a renaissance. Acolyte master Connor Neill, now a senior at CCHS, has successful recruited a number of new acolytes from the Church School to assist with the liturgy. ADULT FORMATION Wednesday Study Group led by the Rector, meets at Noon through the program year and continues to read a variety of books. During the winter months when footing outside is treacherous, the group met at Newbury Court. Those who are able stay for lunch after the discussion. Sunday Morning Adult Forum Sharon Dickinson came on board in the fall, taking over from the Rev. Maureen Kemeza, Ph.D. to coordinate the Forum Program. Through Sharon s energetic leadership, The Forum continues the thematic approach of Word, World, Witness, Wonder, and Worship started by Maureen. Roughly 35 adult forums were offered Sunday mornings at 9am. We publicize these on our website and in local media. Speakers, both homegrown and imported, presented a variety of topics. Attendance ranged from 15 to 50. Topics for the last 4 years can be found at our website. Education for Ministry, under the guidance of Karyn Barry, continues to meet in the library on Wednesday evenings during the program year. PERIODIC/SEASONAL OFFERINGS Communion Class: When there is critical mass, Tony offers a 2-part instruction and refreshment on the mystery of the Eucharist for children and their families. Lenten Weekdays: Two Soup and Study offerings for adults took place in Lent. Tony led discussions based on Diarmaid MacCulloch s book, Christianity: The First 3000 Years. This was very well attended. Another group, led by Nick, aimed at parents with children at home, gathered around the book What Size are God s Shoes, a collection of short, humorous essays on faith and family life people attended. Taking the Plunge, Trinity s family baptismal class, was offered to 6 families with Nick leading it. Putting Down Roots, a new incarnation of the Inquirer s Class, offered by Tony when there is critical mass. SABBATICAL I had the great privilege of being given a sabbatical by the vestry in May, June, and July. With that time I began to take piano lessons, sang in the choir at Emmanuel, Boston a few times, went to museums and movies when I felt like it, read, and helped with projects around the house. It was a wonderful time and wonderful also to be back refreshed and ready to go in the fall. I am blessed by my ministry here. Faithfully yours, The Rev. Nick Morris-Kliment, Associate Rector 13

14 2011 Report Christian Formation of Children and Youth It s hard to believe that almost a full year has gone by since I was hired at the start of Lent, It seems like just yesterday I made my first announcement in church wearing a red and white striped hat and in true Seuss form described our 3 session offering to children on Tuesday evenings: The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss! It has been a pleasure getting to know the children, their families, and the rest of the congregation. I have felt very welcomed and supported by all of you! In addition to getting better acquainted with you and the children, welcoming visitors and new families, and supporting our lay volunteer teaching staff, my goals for this past year were to create teaching teams for every class, to expand the number of trained Godly Play storytellers and doorkeepers, to bring back the awarding of bibles to the 3 rd grade class, to find a curriculum that would hone their bible skills, to select curriculum for our Gap year class, to make the seasons of Advent and Lent more meaningful for the children, to offer opportunities for children to help others beyond our church walls, and to support and enjoy the children s annual presentation of the Christmas Pageant. Much of this would not have been possible without the caring support given by the Adults Supporting Children committee! Truly, this has been a wonderfully busy and successful year. Mission Statement: Our goal is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children can grow in the Christian faith, and learn the tools for living out that faith in this community and the world. Overview: Our Church School program from Nursery to Grade 7 is managed by Carol Brady, our Church School Director, with the support of lay teaching teams, and a volunteer advisory group called ASC (Adults Supporting Children). There is nursery for the very young, and classes for pre-kindergarten through 6 th /7 th grade, at which point the young people join our Journey to Adulthood (J2A) program. For most Sundays from September through June, classes run concurrently with the 10:00 am worship service, and end in time for the children to join their families for the Eucharist. On six Sundays scattered throughout the year, children in grade 4 or younger learn the rudiments of worship through Children s Chapel. For Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, children worship with their families. Opportunities are available for children to help lead the service as Acolytes, Lectors, and Junior/Youth Choristers. Special programs and events are offered throughout the year, especially during Lent and Advent, with opportunities for mission outreach. Enrollment: This fall about 120 children (nursery through high school) were formally registered for church school. Once again, the bulk of our registrations were online. I am thankful to Cinda Nimmer for her meticulous attention to detail as she updated our database. We continue to welcome visitors and new families each week, and our church school continues to grow. Church School: Infant - 3 We offer nursery care for children from the infant stage through 3 years old from 9am to noon throughout the year. Our clean, light and airy nursery is staffed by Emily Waters, a professional childcare provider who coordinates a schedule of welcoming parent volunteers. During the week, Emily is a full time teacher at the Infant Toddler Center in Acton, a highly regarded child care provider. We are very fortunate to have her services. This fall we celebrated Emily s wedding with a cake and gift during our Back to School Fall Picnic. 14

15 Pre-kindergarten/Kindergarten: Godly Play New in the fall of 2011, this class hears stories written by Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman from their book, Young Children in Worship. These lessons, geared for shorter attention spans, introduce simple, spiritual worship practices as ways for children to ready themselves and be open to the presence of God. Through the efforts of many who colored, cut, laminated, sanded, and sewed we have created many new lessons for the children to witness. Special thanks go to Barbara Carvey for creating over 20 felt underlays! Our teaching team includes: April Prewitt, Kimberlee Coleman, Jaime Morris-Kliment, Alison Kugler, and Cheryl Mandler. Grade 1 & 2: Godly Play These worship practices and lessons are expanded as the children go deeper into the stories as described in Berryman s Complete Guides to Godly Play. New lessons are being introduced during Epiphany & Eastertide Our teaching team includes: Linda St. Francis, Caroline St. Francis, Sarah Khetani, Kathy Clark, Karen Sandman, Taylor Anderson, and Cathy Adams. Grade 3: Learning to Use My Bible New this fall and continuing through Epiphany, this curriculum written by Joyce Brown offers a learning center approach that increases children s familiarity with the Bible. Starting in Lent 2012, the ER&D Abundant Life Curriculum will expose this class to our Christian responsibility to help eliminate extreme poverty around the world. They will be able to use their newly acquired Bible navigation skills to look up references and wonder ever more deeply. Lead teacher, Linda Hull, is supported by Garnet Glover and Amanda Mahoney. Grades 4 and 5: Witness For these ages, Trinity uses a curriculum called Witness, published by Augsburg Fortress, which uses Old and New Testament stories to teach faith traits such as compassion, wisdom, thankfulness and stewardship. The class allows for deeper discussion among students and is team-taught by Florence Aldrich-Bennett and Janet Hentschel. Grades 6 and 7 (Gap-Year): We Believe In the fall of 2012, this group will become our next Rite-13 class. The curriculum, We Believe With Boldness and Freedom: A Survey of the New Testament, employs cooperative learning techniques and the use of multiple intelligences as students in this class contemplate the life and teachings of Jesus, as well as the issues faced after the Ascension as the community of believers grew into the early church. They enjoyed a field trip to the Harvard Semitic Museum where they had a tour of a life-size replica of a pillared house in order to better understand life in biblical times. Ben Smith and Gaylord Brynolfson team teach this class. Special Programs: For Lent: o The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss, a 3 session offering for children (10-15 participants) concurrent with a parenting program. o This year s mite box collection went to the Episcopal Relief and Development s relief efforts in Japan after the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. o A drop-in Palm Saturday program offering of walking the labyrinth. Shirley Blancke presented a brief introduction to the history and purpose of the labyrinth. Meanwhile in the Undercroft, several children helped create a smaller labyrinth which has remained available for anyone to use throughout the year. April: Easter Egg Hunt Eastertide: Each Sunday a different class learned about and walked the labyrinth with Carol Brady. 15

16 May: o While Nick was on sabbatical, I met several times with the Rite-13 teachers, offered curriculum support, and coordinated the logistics of the Rite-13 Liturgy. o Godly Play Day for Adults, a one-time offering for adults to experience a Godly Play session and learn of the role of storyteller and doorkeeper. Pentecost: All children processed behind the choir into the sanctuary waving ribbon wands of yellow, orange and red streamers in celebration of the Holy Spirit. June: o End of the Year Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Building for Ministries. o Recognition of Teachers September: Commissioning of the Teachers during a 10 am service followed by the Church School Open House and Registration. October: A Back to Church School Special Event after the 10am service that gave adults an opportunity to review the new curriculum offerings, to experience a Godly Play lesson, to encourage participation of children in worship through our choir and acolyte programs, to discuss safe church policies, and to meet with Building for Ministries. November: o The 6 th /7 th grade class enjoyed a field trip to the Harvard Semitic Museum for a docent tour of a Pillared House from biblical times. o Hat/Scarf/Mittens were donated by Trinity families to the children in St. Stephen s Afterschool Program. For Advent: o Advent Wreath Making o Advent Afternoon, a 3.5 hour Saturday afternoon program attended by 35 children who rotated through many workshops: Jesse Tree Storytelling by Sharon Dickinson, Jesse Tree Ornament Making with Kathy Clark, Carol Singing and Movie Fun with Robert Barney, Advent Wreath Games with Chas Horvath. Nursery was provided. Many J2A Pilgrims helped run the events and all proceeds went towards the J2A Pilgrimage Fund. o Christmas Pageant was simply and beautifully told by five children who narrated the Gospel story while other children adorned in costume presented a visual tableau under the direction of Linda Hossfeld and coordinated by Linda Vittum. Continuing Education: Last spring, I enjoyed a Godly Play sponsored workshop on Nurturing the Spirituality of a Child and a one day retreat for Christian Educators at the Bethany House of Prayer. This fall, I attended two workshops on working with children on the autism spectrum, and one workshop on incorporating worshipful practices in a church school setting. One of our lay volunteers became certified through a 3-day Godly Play training seminar this fall, too. April Prewitt and I offered in-house Godly Play training for our newest members on the team. Respectfully submitted, Carol Brady Director of Christian Formation of Children and Youth 16

17 2011 Report Parish Life Committee The Parish Life Committee seeks ways to involve people in activities that bring them together in communication, allowing them to connect and form friendships, strengthening the body of Christ. Any member of the parish is welcome to become involved with our work. During 2010, we participated in several events and programs, reflecting the diverse interests and talents of our parish, sometimes as sole organizers, sometimes as helpers to other groups. Some of these are: Sponsored monthly luncheons at the church as an opportunity to socialize over a meal. Wini Ferguson organized this project, and found a group of parishioners to share the work of putting on the luncheons. Typically attendance was over 30 parishioners. Sadly, Wini passed away this year, and will be sorely missed for all she did at Trinity. An all-parish dinner was held on January 7, 2012 in celebration of the Epiphany, following the Service of Lessons and Carols. The meal, (followed by entertainment), was arranged by the Pilgrims Youth Group and their parents in anticipation of the Group s future pilgrimage trip. It was a fun time! The annual Progressive Dinner was held on April 30, Thanks to the parishioners who worked to make it a success, particularly to Linda Latores, for providing her home for the hor d'oeurves, and to the six host families who opened their homes for the main course. Another Progressive Dinner is planned for spring 2012 in early May; we are in need of volunteers to help with the event as well as main-course hosts. A Fall Welcome Back Picnic Luncheon was held outdoors on our lawn after Sunday services September 18, Well over 100 people came to share food and fellowship at the start of the fall church season. We seek to involve more members of the parish in events beyond Sunday worship. If we are to function as a family, we need to see more of each other and to do things together. It is very important to get more people involved in the life of the church to form more of a sense of community. Suggestions for events and projects are always welcome from any member of the parish, and anyone who would like to join in the work is more than welcome. Respectfully Submitted, Chuck Niessen, Chair 2011 Report Think Tank Currently, the main purpose of the Think Tank is to see that the coffee hour after the 10 am service is well covered. The 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, and 4 th Sundays are run by a group of volunteers. There are four 5 th Sundays that are not covered, so we try to get volunteers. I understand some people are not attending because of the crowded conditions. We hope some of our new members will volunteer to lend a hand to set up and clean up. Many hands make light work. Respectfully Submitted, Currier Smith 17

18 2011 Report Caring Connection In 2011 the Caring Connection took to heart Jesus command that we love one another. This was evidenced in numerous ways, both visible and invisible. Birthday cards were sent throughout the year to those of a certain age to let them know we celebrate their lives. I am grateful to Neela Zinsser for her willingness to do this. Many phone calls were also made to connect with people and let them we care about them. 52 times a year on every Sunday parishioners volunteered to drive others to church. These rides were provided from Acton, Concord, and Lexington We also offered transportation numerous other times to medical appointments or grocery stores. We re looking for additional drivers, so please give Chris Davies, the transportation coordinator, or me a call if you re willing to help out occasionally. Thank you, Chris, for your assistance in getting people where they need to go! We provided meals to families in both happy times and sad; when there was a birth or a death, or other times when a meal was really appreciated. Anja Venkitachalam has done a wonderful job organizing this effort since June when she took over the responsibility from Kathy Clark. Many thanks to you both for jobs well done! Anja decided not to have a Cook-In this year, but rather schedule those who have volunteered to be Caring Cooks to provide a meal on a rotating basis. Please let her know if you d like to be added to the list. The Handcrafts Group once again supplied beautiful handmade prayer shawls and baptismal blankets and bears to members of our parish community as well as outsiders. I am grateful to Barbara Carvey and Margot Rafuse for spearheading this effort and making sure we always have had enough items on hand. The Concord Garden Club brought some cheer in the form of spring plants to 12 people whose names we gave them; and we brought some consolation to 22 parishioners who lost a loved one during the year by remembering them with a poinsettia plant at Christmas. We had hoped to start a caregiver s support group in 2011, but there was not enough interest to do so. This idea has been tabled and will be revisited again. The Caring Connection offered Good Grief, a bereavement support group where parishioners as well as others in the community who lost a loved one shared their stories, learned about mourning, and left enriched by the experience. My gratitude to Buck Grace, my competent co-facilitator for running the group with me. Care Notes, little booklets that address many life issues from a spiritual and psychological perspective, have been available in the narthex. People were free to take what they d like. Take care give care. Please let me know if you would like prayers for yourself or someone you care about, and the prayer chain will offer confidential prayers. Or if you find yourself in need of any of the ministries described, please call the church office. We want to help. Respectfully submitted, Anne Lynch 18

19 2011 Report Healing Prayer Team Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet, but yours. It is your eyes through which Christ s compassion looks out to the world; your feet with which he must walk about doing good; your hands with which he blesses humanity; your voice with which his forgiveness is spoken; your heart with which he now loves. ADAPTED BY KATHRYN CARRIGAN NORBERT As we begin the new church year, we also mark the beginning of the fifth year of ministry for the Healing Prayer Team at Trinity: A group of fifteen parishioners who have met faithfully on Tuesday s to attend the early morning service (7 am!), after which we meet until 9 am to support one another in this ministry, pray, study the scriptures, read books about others for whom God s call is challenging and inspiring. We have a prayer team at both the 8 am and 10 am Sunday services, who pray with those who wish prayer either for themselves or loved ones. Confidentiality is strictly maintained. We also are available to pray privately with people who desire prayer but are not able to be at one of the services. This Fall, several members of the Prayer Team traveled to St. Gabriel s Church in Marion, MA to share with their Healing Prayer Team, and to participate in the Sunday service offering healing prayer for their 8 and 10 o clock services. The loss of Wini Ferguson has been palpable! Wini was a faithful member who ministered to all of us by her presence, actions and words. We thank God for her presence among us and we miss her. We know without a doubt that she continues to be with us in spirit! On January 29 th, we will focus on Jesus healing ministry at our services and at the Forum here at Trinity. We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about this ministry to join us. Respectfully submitted, The Rev. Judy Krumme, Facilitator 19

20 2011 Report Trinity Arts Council During 2011, the Arts Council featured nine exhibits: Deb Loverd showing whimsical illustrations; an exhibition of Chinese brush work that was hung in time for the Chinese New Year; MM Alvarez de Toledo, whose watercolors I first noticed in the Trinity Cook Book; Al Kohlne, an acrylic and oil plein air painter; Elisabeth Kaplan, Brazilian/American mood painter; Harriet Damm, a retrospective; Joan Meenan, local landscape and portrait watercolor artist; and D Ann Brownrigg, transparent close-up nature watercolor artist. Over the summer months, several Trinity Church parishioners, their friends and grandchildren, exhibited paintings and other creative art. As I write, an homage to former Concord resident and jazz artist, Dick Freniere, arranged by Al Ehrenfried, is on exhibit in the Parish Hall. Musicians who were friends of Dick performed a jazz concert during a well-attended Sunday afternoon reception. Each featured artist submitted an overview of his/her work, an artist s statement, and photographs for listing in The Window, Sunday bulletins and The Concord Journal. Also, over the summer, Deb Scarff completed photographing Trinity artifacts: icons, stained glass windows, bas relief and carvings. Deb continues to work with Anne Winslow in preparing a book of Trinity art with the afore-mentioned photographs. When an accompanying text is written, the book will be available in the parish office. The Council looks forward to another all parish/all parishioner group show during the summer months, June, 2012 through Labor Day. Our group is also looking for new member(s) who would like to contribute time and talent to discovering and inviting new exhibitors; climbing ladders, pounding nails and attending a few meetings. All recommendations for future exhibits/exhibitors are welcome and will be considered by the Council: J Bangs, T. Bull, A. Ehrenfried, J. Newbold (new member), L. Rae, D. and L. Scarff, and M. Wailes. Future exhibitors include: Barbara Walker for her mother, Bunny Old; local artist, Jane Johnstone and photographer Ivan Massar; and parishioners Robin Masi, Judy Mariner and Margaret Wailes. In closing I would like to thank all Council members for recommending exhibitors, putting up, and taking down shows, promoting the vision, and sharing the various tasks of the Council. I would also like to thank the Trinity staff who edited correspondence, and helped to keep us on schedule and for the powers that be for providing a well-stocked tool box Respectfully submitted, Margaret Sutton Wailes 20

21 2011 Report Handcrafts Trinity s Handcrafts Group, in its 7 th year in 2011, continued its mission of bringing together in fellowship those whose creativity is expressed through fiber arts. The group generally meets year round on the 2 nd and 4 th Thursday of the month from 9:30 11:30 am, and on the 3 rd Saturday of the month from 9 12, in the library. Most in the group are knitters who are working on individual projects as well as prayer shawls and baptismal blankets. In 2011, 11 handmade prayer shawls were given to parishioners through Trinity s Caring Connection. In addition, four white baptismal blankets were given to Trinity s newest parishioners two years of age and younger. Two handmade teddy bears were given to newly baptized, older children. These gifts were donations not only from members of the handcrafts group but from other parishioners as well. Our needles are never idle, however; and many in the group have given prayer shawls to others in need who are not members of Trinity. We are grateful to all who have helped support our ministry in this way. In December we sponsored an Advent Handcrafts Sale and received wonderful donations not only of hats, mittens, scarves, sweaters (and more!) but also handmade wooden items, note cards and gift tags, homemade jams, jellies and gifts in a jar and many gift baskets. This well received and very successful event raised over $1300 for Trinity s Building For Ministry fund. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Carvey and Margo Rafuse 2011 Report Trinity Fayre The Trinity Fayre, held on October 29, 2011 was a huge success, in spite of an impending snowstorm. Over 100 parishioners volunteered through their donations, setting up before, helping the day of the Fayre and coming to participate. Thirteen different areas offered a bit of something for everyone, from Books and White Elephants, to Jewelry, Treasures and Linens/Art, Christmas items, Puzzles and Games and the ever popular Bake Table, Promise Tree, Lunch. Themed Gift Baskets were offered for the first time in a number of years and coffee and donuts made a comeback as well. In addition the Haunted House, put together by over a dozen Pilgrims and many parents, was enjoyed by children of all ages. As in past years, the biggest money makers were Books, the Promise Tree and the Bake Table. The Fayre brought in a total of $10, $3000 of this total was donated to local food pantries. The balance (net expenses) went into Trinity s operating budget. In addition, a number of other local agencies benefitted from leftover items, including the Concord Council on Aging, Goodwill, Inc., Vietnam Veterans of Massachusetts, and Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Morse and Linda Vieira, Co-chairs 21

22 2011 Report Property Commission The year 2011 included a number of unanticipated repairs that pushed the budget slightly over its allocation. In addition, energy costs for electricity and water rose, in spite of the fact that our usage did not change. The year started with the heavy snows of January triggering ice dams near the elevator and over the River Street office entrance. Thanks to Ted Hull and Tom Bull, for chipping away at the dams, minimizing the damage. In addition, Tom is currently looking into some remedial flashing to prevent a re-occurrence of the ice dams. Our oil contract was renewed again for 2012 with Bursaw Oil. The contract price is $.15 over their cost. The chapel heating renovation we had planned for 2011 was put on hold. The Vestry thought it best to wait until we undertake the BFM project, and include reworking the Chapel heating system at that time. Our major repair this year was masonry work. Kennedy & Co of Acton replaced the River Street Chapel steps, reseated the treads at the River Street office entrance, and replaced a number of cracked bluestones at the main Church entrance. LED lights were purchased for the church. The high efficient bulbs provide better lighting in the pews. Two lights over the altar burned out over the span of a few weeks in early spring. Given the labor expense to replace these lights, we replaced all four of them. Unfortunately, LED technology does not provide adequate light, forcing us to use standard incandescent bulbs. The dimmer switch in the main Church is no longer operational due to LED lights. It needs to be replaced with a dimmer designed for LED lights. The cost will be around $2,500. We ve decided to defer this for the present. April Prewitt, Altar Guild Head, coordinated installation of a new countertop in the church sacristy plus an On- Demand Hot Water unit. The countertop has to be custom-built because of the special size. Thank you, April. An electrical problem occurred in early fall that damaged one of the furnace motors. The incident required service calls from our electrician and Advance Mechanical to replace the damaged pump. The replacement pump failed and is still out of service. We will be following up on this. The Chapel roof repair project was postponed until this spring. In early October, a problem was found with the furnaces that heat the Church offices and Parish Hall. A pump was added by Advance Mechanical to provide the correct oil flow to the furnaces. Unfortunately an installation error caused an oil smell in the Parish Hall and Kitchen when the furnace fired. Advance Mechanical returned and addressed the problem. A damaged glass window in the vesting room was removed by Ted and replaced with a plywood sheet that will keep the vesting room dry and warm. The locking bar on the Link door broke in the late Fall. Patriot Lock installed a new locking bar. Thanks once again to Margo for keeping the minutes that provide most of the input for this report. Thank you to all the members of the property commission, and Ted and Randy for their input and support over the past year. Respectfully submitted, John Mandler 22

23 2011 Report Trinity Beijing Circle for International Outreach Women of Faith changing the World The Beijing Circle began meeting in January 2011 working with a study guide for International Outreach supporting women and children worldwide, developed by a group of Episcopal clergy. Through the use of this guide the women at Trinity decided education for women and girls and possibly a microloan program were the areas where they wanted to concentrate their efforts. Now the question of where and how to contact those in need was the next hurdle to overcome. Enter Burch Ford. Burch Ford is a Trinity parishioner who introduced us to Maranyundo School for Girls, Nyamata, Rwanda through a forum presenting her experience with the school in the late spring of She is a former head of Miss Porter s School, CT and she served as U.S. Program Coordinator at the Maranyundo School for Girls from May through October Her presentation was compelling, she had direct contact with the initiative that built the school and this initiative is based in Boston, MA. We invited her to our next meeting and after further discussion with Burch we decided to concentrate our outreach efforts toward this all-girls school in Rwanda. Some of the women along with The Rev. Tony Buquor attended a tea presented by the Maranyundo Initiative at Dana Hall School to honor the work that Burch Ford had contributed to the school. They announced a scholarship in Burch s name to support the tuition for the girls. Later the women decided to read, An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, the book that inspired the movie, Hotel Rwanda, for summer reading to gain as sense of Rwandan history. We met in July to discuss the book and the women who attended the tea were contacted about a matching grant for the Burch Ford Scholarship Fund. At this meeting it was decided to raise money for the scholarship so that we could take advantage of the matching funds. The small group raised $1050 by the deadline for the matching funds providing $2100 to the school. The group also decided to help them increase the size of their library. In early October we learned that two teachers and the head of the school would be in Boston to attend classes at Tufts University. We invited them to a dinner at Judy Krumme s house, welcomed them to church, followed by a luncheon at the Rosborough s house. These activities allowed for mutual introductions to Trinity s community and put a face to our international outreach efforts. We had all agreed that a personal relationship with our outreach partners was very important, and these activities provided a perfect beginning for our congregation. To welcome the teachers and the girls of the Maranyudo School into our lives at Trinity, the Beijing Circle members lead a parish wide collection of books to be brought to the school when the teachers returned home. Overwhelming parish response provided 189 books to be given to the girls at the Maranyundo School. The Maranyudo School is only four years old and is ranked second highest in Rwanda after taking the national exams for just the second time. This year the highest score in the country was attained by a girl from this school. Our Lenten program involving the Sunday school as well as the adults in the parish will focus on supporting these girls and their educational opportunities. The Beijing Circle activities will be centered around supporting the scholarship fund, and continuing to build their library over the next few years. Respectfully Submitted, Deborah Scarff 23

24 2011 Report Social Ministry Members are Jean Bell, Linda Hossfeld, Liela Rea, Jen Newbold, Linda Vieira, Janet Lovejoy, Lee Daniel, Barbara & Arthur Walker The disbursement of funding for various organizations is broken down into several categories. The three major areas that our commission gave to are food/hunger, families/children/youth/education, peace/justice/human rights. In 2011 the following organizations have received each amount. El Hogar Ministries Inc. $ Our Little Rose $ Alternative House $ Milly s Place $ Heading Home $ Ecclesia Ministries $ Solutions at Work $ Concord Prison Outreach $ Marie Strain International Peace Foundation Inc. $ St. Stephen s Church $ Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries $ Norman Millar/Advocacy Network to prevent homelessness $ Food for B-safe summer program $ Gaining Ground $ MA Coalition for the Homeless (bread & cookies sold) $ Maranyundo Initiative (Rwanda school for girls) $ Episcopal City Mission Delegate Barbara Walker, co-chair of social ministry is in her first year as our delegate to Episcopal City Mission. In that capacity, she attended a Saturday workshop at Christ Church in Needham in March She is on ECM s vision for working with communities in the area, and also attended the 2011 ECM Annual Meeting and dinner at Boston University. Arthur Walker also attended these events. In addition, Barbara and Arthur Walker attended the Diocesan Convention at the Cathedral in early November. Respectfully Submitted, Barbara & Arthur Walker 24

25 2011 Report ( addendum to report) Music Director In my eighteenth year as your Music Director, and I can bear witness to the fact that Trinity church is as vibrant and as healthy as ever and continues to be an exciting place to share music ministry with all of you good people, and our inspiring Rector as well as the gifted, hardworking and congenial clergy and staff. In my annual report I will cover the following areas of my work as your parish musician: Choirs, Other musicians, The Main Church organ, Other musical instruments, Music Events and Outside Musical groups. I look forward to future years of sharing a productive, working ministry with all of you. Choirs At the end of this report I present a list of all choir members. These people are filled with vigor and enthusiasm for learning and growing, as we journey together on in our spiritual paths and find joy in our work together to lead the praises of the people of this parish. The parents of our young singers are also committed and wonderful to work with. The Royal School of Church Music program continues to challenge and direct the musical growth of our Youth. My concern is that there are too few young people taking the opportunity to sing in the choir. The Cherub Choir again sang in the Pageant in the 3:30 service Christmas Eve. For 3 Sundays in December I led this group of young people that holds wonderful promise for the future! This year s Junior Choir consists of 5 very talented and energetic young people. The older, two-year members will graduate into the youth choir next year and I am hoping to add new members and have the then second year singers mentor them. If you know someone in the second or third grade, who wants to learn how to sing, and how to find his or her way through our service, connect them with me. It is also not too early for first graders to start thinking about next year! Parents please ask me questions! We have 4 extremely dedicated and very talented singers in the Youth Choir, and I couldn t be more thrilled with their commitment level and energy and talent. They continue to prepare music for our corporate worship experience on Sundays and at special Liturgies including Easter Vigil and Epiphany Lessons and Carols. Since the last annual meeting they also sang Choral Evensong services in June, and December, here in our Chapel. The Youth Choir will again end its academic year, with a service of Choral Evensong on June 3. Because the group is small, we count heavily on each singer but, if we could add a few more singers to the group, we could do more things, with a little less stress for each one. Now, perhaps we can find some more young people to be involved in this musical leadership in worship? The Parish Choir continues to experience musical growth, and we have again had some new members join our ranks since last year. I am continually delighted with the level of commitment as well as the increase in skills of our singers. Many parishioners comment on how well the choir is singing. It is because choir members give a great deal of themselves and their time in order to offer their talents to enhance our worship, and lead worship. Their high level of commitment and spirituality shows as members work hard every Thursday evening to learn the music, and again on Sunday, to review and polish music before the service. In addition to the Choral Evensongs, they also sing special music at Christmas Eve, Epiphany Lessons and Carols, Maundy Thursday, Easter Vigil, and Ascension Thursday, and sometimes for funerals and weddings. The Parish Choir prepares and sings an anthem every Sunday all year long, including the summer, one of the few all-volunteer choirs I know of to do so. They are a remarkable group and Trinity should feel proud to have one of the best non-professional choirs around! Other Musicians Although we do pay the brass at Easter and some instrumentalists at Christmas, much of our instrumental and extra vocal music is a gift of the many skilled musicians and students who offer their talents to enhance our musical life together through solos in church, recitals, and teaching at workshops. Our parish has at least four professional sopranos: Linda Hossfeld, Meredith Salisbury, Sally Sanford and Jeannette Hall-Wood and a trumpeter: Sally McInnis, a violinist: Peter Dabos, and a Flutist: Ethel Farny, as well as several other musicians who share their talents with us regularly. We are blessed to have a rich and diverse array of other incredibly talented musicians in our presence, who share their gifts to lead and inspire our worship life. I am truly blessed to be able to work with each and every one of them! I would put out a special call to students and musicians of any age who might want to share their music with us to contact me. 25

26 The Organ in the Main Church While this instrument, surprisingly, continues to function, despite the worn leathers throughout, from time to time things cease proper functioning, yet sometimes resolve themselves, but clearly we are on borrowed time. In addition to leaky switches, the leather actions are full of holes and it is only a matter of time before I will be confronting notes and whole ranks of pipes that play unpredictably or don t play at all. The entire organ is in serious need of major work or ultimate replacement. This matter has been under discussion since before I came to work here in 1994, and the Master Plan calls for replacing the instrument. Many things need to be determined before a decision can be made as to what our new organ should be and we should be discussing this subject openly, and putting a process in place now to plan our options, while this organ is still working. Any solution will take many years to implement, even after we have decided on a course, and the sooner we get on with this the better. I recommend that we form a committee now to begin discussing this matter before we enter a crisis period. Other Musical Instruments We have, in addition to the upright piano in the undercroft, another piano on wheels that can be moved about, on the elevator, as well as a Steinway Grand Piano in the Choir Room and a Baldwin Grand Piano in the main church. This gives us four wonderfully suitable pianos, opening a variety of possibilities for our musical use. A new, small, portable Chamber Organ arrived in October of 2011, given as a gift by an anonymous donor. This allows us to have an organ with instrumental and vocal ensembles in various places around the church, but it is in no way a replacement for the main organ. The Chapel Organ is used for a hymn or two on Tuesday mornings and, more frequently for weddings and funerals, and Evensongs and continues to work with spotty and irregular difficulties. Long-term planning should involve its replacement, especially considering there are issues with the organ chamber and any possible construction of the Parish Hall facility. Music Events In addition to the music at our Sunday Liturgies and Festival Services, the Music Program supports other music events as well, from concerts to workshops and special services such as Lessons and Carols and Choral Evensongs. Since the last annual meeting, on Tuesdays at 4:00 in June, July and August we presented two Tea-Time Recitals. Our Youth Choir has sung Choral Evensong in June and December, and we had three Prelude Recitals before Choral Evensong. All three Choirs sang a Service of Lessons and Carols on January 7 and In October we had a rousing Hymn Sing and Pie Party. On February 12, 2012, 4 other church choirs from Concord participated with ours in a Choir Festival here at Trinity. Still to come this spring, on March 4 and April 29, The Parish Choir will sing Choral Evensong, with a Prelude Recital before, and the Youth Choir will again sing Choral Evensong on June 3 to end their season. What a delight it is to work with so many diverse and talented musicians! Outside Musical Groups Other musical groups regularly use our choir room and church facilities for rehearsals and performances. The Concord Women s Chorus rehearses here every Tuesday morning and performs concerts here. The Concord Chorus sometimes sings concerts here. Recorders and Early Music Metrowest uses our building one Saturday per month, as some 60 or more players and/or singers assemble to learn technique and make music together, and the Spencer Brook Youth Orchestra rehearses here on Saturday mornings. We have two groups designated Ensemble in Residence, The Concordia Consort, a recorder group who meet each Monday night to rehearse to play worship services and concerts throughout the metropolitan Boston area, and, regularly for us in our worship, and BALA Brass who play for us at Easter. Ensemble in Residence means that they call Trinity their home, in exchange for sharing their music with us. All of this produces a steady stream of wonderful musicians and their families and friends who regularly pass through our facility, many of whom find their way into the spiritual life of our parish, one way or another. 26

27 A list of Choir members at Trinity Church as of January 30, 2012 Listed alphabetically * Denotes new since last year Junior Choir Members * Helen Gies Sam Morris-Kliment Sebastien Najinski * Chloe Venkitachalam Sadie Webster Youth Choir Members Rebecca Feist William Stone Jorie Van Nest Brooke Venkitachalam Parish Choir members Sopranos Karyn Barry Beverley Baxter Ellen Carlson Patsy Eickelberg Brenda Hawes Cinda Lavely Dorothy Post Meredith Salisbury Janet Vaillant Claudia Waterhouse Altos Barbara Beal Lou Buquor * Carol Burroughs Barbara Carvey Anne Colman Mart Doig Ethel Farny Nancy Goodyear Kathy Johnson Peggy Mallett Judy Marriner Kitty McGraw Ellie Morris Kathy Urban Tenors Larry Barney Gaylord Brynolfson Scott Doig Andy Dunmire John Woodward Basses Charles Atherton Walter Birge Brian Blanke Phil Carvey Peter Dabos George Dallas Mike Farny John Gunnarson Andrew Hawes William Leonard * William Murphy Wright Salisbury Arthur Walker Elliott Wilbur As always I welcome your comments and suggestions as I strive to serve the Rector, Wardens, Clergy, staff, and this entire Parish, faithfully as your Director of Music. Respectfully Submitted, Robert Barney 27

28 2011 Report Human Resources Committee Trinity Church continues to benefit from having a capable and dedicated staff and very low turnover. This past year there was only one new hire, Carol L. Brady as the Director of Christian Formation reporting to the Rector. Carol came to Trinity with considerable curriculum development, teaching, staffing, supervisory and program management experience at the Church of Good Shepherd and Acton public schools. Prior to her work in education, she was a business systems analyst. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lafayette College, she earned a B.A. degree in psychology. This year we utilized the newly assembled employment history summary sheets to more easily respond to questions from the Treasurer and Vestry on work, compensation and benefit histories for each member of the Clergy and Lay Staff. The Committee has begun a project to update and, in a few cases, to write a position description for all lay staff members if one cannot be found. We provided advice on benefits, compensation and policy matters. Current members of the Human Resources Committee are Lloyd Buck Grace, Virginia Jini Vockel and myself. Respectfully submitted, Claudia Liebesny 2011 Report Funeral Reception Committee During 2011 we held nine funeral receptions: Barbara Gilson, Kim Smith, Chet Larner, Art Schiller, RobRoy McGregor, Richard Pug Lett, Gordon Bell, Carol Anne Schiffer, and Wini Ferguson. Our committee of approximately 28, plus several back-ups, respond quickly and pleasantly to requests for service. The responders are divided into two shifts; the first to prepare and set up and the second for serving and clean up. Each reception involves volunteers. The reward for this service is the very grateful thanks we received from the families We would be hard pressed to do these receptions without the cheerful participation of our sexton, Ted Hull. We all appreciate his assistance. In 2012, I shall be sharing responsibilities as chair of this committee with Katherine Berger. This quiet ministry is well supported by the clergy and staff. Thank you all for your ongoing support and the response of the volunteers. Respectfully submitted, Deborah Stoessel 28

29 2011 Report Lay Eucharistic Visitors At Trinity Lay Eucharistic Ministers serve in two roles. We assist the clergy with prayers and as chalice bearers at Sunday services, at some funerals and at other special services. We are also Lay Eucharistic Visitors taking Eucharist from the services to parishioners who are unable to get to church. There are currently eighteen of us (Charlie Atherton, Liz Barris, Tracy Barron, Walter Birge, Gaylord Brynolfson, Suzette Ciancio, Lee Daniel, Gresh Lattimore, John Lewis, Catherine Mann, Emily Moss, Jennifer Newbold, Jay Powers, Ernie Steward, Deborah Stoessel, Merrie Thorpe, Jan Turnquist, and Jini Vockel), all trained and licensed by the Diocese of Massachusetts. We remember the life of Wini Ferguson, and give thanks for her many years of service as a Lay Eucharistic Minister. During this past year we have made over one hundred visits to parishioners, extending our worship and fellowship to them. You may see us being sent forth at the end of the service, carrying our black boxes (a small communion set containing the same bread and wine consecrated for the service). We visit parishioners in their homes, in nursing homes and in the hospital. We visit some parishioners every week, some occasionally and others for only a short time while they are temporarily unable to attend services. Please call on us if you find yourself unable to attend church and would like a visit. Let us know also if you know of someone who might like a communion visit. You can reach us through the church office. Respectfully submitted, Ernie Steward 2011 Report Trinity Ushers The Trinity Ushers continue to provide coverage at regular and special church services. There are currently 26 ushers; 9 of the ushers serve at the 8 AM services. On the first Sunday of the month, we are aided by members of the Trinity Youth Group, who are ushering as a service project. With a normal rotation of assignments, each person serves about once every 4 weeks. During 2011, we had a couple of ushers retiring; we thank them for their service! We were saddened by the death of Wini Ferguson, a long-time usher and a great contributor to our life together at Trininty. We still need more new ushers for each of the Sunday Services. We welcome volunteers of any age (4 th grade and up for junior ushers), any time of the year; please let me, or any of the ushers, know of someone who may be interested. Respectfully submitted, Chuck Niessen, Head Usher 29

30 2011 Report Technology Committee Our staff s computers are still running well, and we keep our fingers crossed that none will break. We did however, replace Anne s computer and upgrade all others to the latest version of Microsoft Office. The network in the church has been reconfigured to allow Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections to pass through. Finally, because of the generous donation by a parishioner of a working laptop, we are now able to record the entire service from the back of the church where the music and all speaking can best be picked up. The entire service and the Choir s Anthem are now available on the website (look under Worship ), joining the Sermons which have been available for years. Respectfully submitted, John Woodward 2011 Report Stewardship Commission In addition to sustaining a budget that supports the many parish ministries, the goal for the 2012 Stewardship Appeal was to expand our circle of Christian fellowship and support by reaching out to those in need, in our midst and around the world. To support this greater outreach, two specific objectives were set: 1. Expand our pledging base to beyond 300 pledges. 2. Achieve an increase of 5% in financial strength, aiming for a total of $700,000 in pledges. By mid-january 2012, 96% of the objective, or $675,000, had been received from 275 pledging units. There were 96 increased pledges and 27 new pledges. Economic hardship, deaths, and attrition resulted in 42 decreased pledges and the loss of 40 former pledges. Despite the losses, the total dollars pledged and the number of pledging units closely matched the results of the previous year. The entire parish is to be congratulated for its generosity and its show of faith in achieving this outcome, particularly during the period of a concurrent capital fund drive. Respectfully submitted, John Anderson Buck Grace Janine Penfield Debbie Scarff Larry Scarff Deborah Stoessel Charlie Stone Expanding Our Circle Growing Together Enriching Our Outreach Ministry... 30