"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!"

Transcription

1 VOLUME SEVEN ˑ ISSUE FIVE MAY 2018 Dear People of God: "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!" This has been our trademark slogan for decades. The iconic sign hangs from sign posts and power poles all over the country. And yet, "welcoming" is, in many ways, a passive ac vity. For most of us, "welcoming" means opening the church building doors on Sunday mornings and hoping someone shows up. As the importance of religious affilia on con nues to decline in our culture, we can no longer simply wait on others to discover us. A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF TRINITY CHURCH WAUWATOSA Studies have consistently shown that the way most people find their way into a local congrega on is because they have been invited. Indeed, as many of you know, a simple invita on by a co -worker to a end the Christmas Eve liturgy at the local Episcopal Church nearly 27 years ago is what led me to become an Episcopalian. Without that invita on, I would have likely never decided to visit an Episcopal Church on my own. Not because I had something against Episcopalians, but because this way of being a Chris an was so far out of my frame of reference, the thought of visi ng such a church wouldn't have even occurred to me. Further, once I decided to join that local Episcopal congrega on, the ways in which I could get involved in parish life were largely opaque. Episcopalians used strange lingo. They were a bit introverted, and they were so keen "not to impose" or "be to aggressive" that I almost mistook this introversion for ambivalence about new people in their midst. People were so busy gree ng their close friends at church, I o en felt invisible. I was always welcomed graciously into the liturgy, but ge ng connected to people and ministries outside of Sunday morning was a bit more daun ng. Over the past several years, a new program in the Episcopal Church has been working to help congrega ons get be er at these three key prac ces of invi ng, welcoming, and connec ng. I've been reading about it for some me now, and later this spring, I intend to use a few of my con nuing educa on days to learn more about it. Here's a bit of descrip on from the program's website: inside: Friday Fellowship....2 Drop-in/Drop-by....2 Ascension Day Liturgy..3 The Gathering...3 Legacy Sunday Family Peace Center....4 Blankets for Cath Lab...4 Hai Project News.. 5 Habitat for Humanity..6 What's with the Blue Dots...6 Trinity Founda on Update..7 Awesome Auc on.7 Parish Picnic...7 Vaca on Bible School..7 (Con nued on page 2) 1

2 (Con nued from page 1) "Invite Welcome Connect is a transforma onal ministry that equips and empowers clergy and lay leaders to cul vate inten onal prac ces of evangelism, hospitality, and connectedness rooted in the Gospel impera ve to Go and make disciples of all na ons (Ma hew 28:19). Designed to accommodate congrega ons of all sizes, Invite Welcome Connect has been integrated into 45 dioceses of The Episcopal Church, seminaries, colleges, and other parts of the Anglican Communion." You can read more about it at the ministry's website: h p:// I want to learn about more effec ve ways of extending the invita on to people across our community to become a part of this vibrant parish. I want to learn more about effec ve ways of welcoming our guests who take the risk of showing up for liturgy on any given Sunday. I want to learn more effec ve ways of connec ng folks to the ministry opportuni es within our parish so that they can feel a part of this community more quickly. My inten on will be to share this informa on upon my return and gather folks who are interested in inten onally making this parish more invita onal, more welcoming, and more connec ve. We have a great opportunity to share the Gospel -- in Wauwatosa and beyond. I pray we do not hide our light under a basket. I hope a few of you will feel the call of the Spirit to join me in this work. Faithfully, The Rev'd Gary B. Manning, Rector Friday Family Fellowship The First Friday Family Fellowship group will gather on Friday, May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall for a potluck meal and fellowship. All are welcome. Par cipants are asked to bring a dish to share. To RSVP, contact Liz Paulsen at or liz.paulsen@yahoo.com. Drop-in/Drop-by Rector's Drop-in /Drop-by Hours for May are: Wednesday, May 9 10:00 am 2:00 pm Thursday, May 31 5:00 pm 8:00 pm 2

3 A Little Time, A BIG Difference The Ascension Day liturgy will be observed on Thursday, May 10 at 7:00 pm. Do you have a little time available on a Friday morning? Join us Friday morning May 11, at 10:00 at Trinity Church to make bagged lunches for Gathering guests, as they exit the Saturday lunch meal site. These lunches will provide guests with an additional meal for later that day. To volunteer, speak with Jenice Carolan at Trinity Sunday, May 27, 2018 is Legacy Sunday A Legacy Society is used by many charitable and religious organiza ons to promote the use of planned (legacy) gi s. It is designed to be a publicly acknowledged group whose members have made a financial commitment such as a planned gi or by sta ng that they have included a bequest for Trinity Church or the Trinity Founda on in their estate plans. The Helen Hodges Walker Legacy Society encourages members of Trinity Church to provide a legacy gi benefi ng Trinity or the Founda on. Gi s may be in the form of a designa on in their will, naming Trinity as a beneficiary in their life insurance policy or re rement plan (401k or IRA), or in the form of a charitable remainder trust or other estate planning vehicle. Helen Hodges Walker was a member of Trinity Church who, a er her death, le a bequest of $ in her will. In 1932 the parish voted to use that bequest as the ini al contribu on to the Trinity Endowment Fund (the Trinity Founda on). In the ensuing eighty-plus years the fund has grown to $1.3 million through the generosity of many of those who have gone before us and through prudent investment management. The Founda on annually contributes in excess of $63,000 to the parish annual budget. The Legacy Society raises awareness of the importance of legacy gi s to the church. It is a way in which we thank all those who have included the parish or Founda on in their estate plans. If you are interested in more informa on about the Legacy Society there are brochures in the tract racks, or you may contact Dave Lorenz at or dlorenz1@sbcglobal.net. 3

4 Collec on of School Supplies for Sojourner Family Peace Center Sojourner Family Peace Center is an emergency domes c violence shelter for women and their children located at 619 W. Walnut. The children who come to the shelter are displaced from their homes and schools, o en very suddenly. Sojourner offers age-appropriate support groups and an a er school program that assists children with their homework and strengthens core academic skills. All children are assisted with school placement and provided with school supplies. Trinity has assisted Sojourner Family Peace Center for many years. Please pray for their vital work in our community. The Outreach Commi ee has decided to fill up to 50 backpacks with some basic school supplies and donate them to Sojourner Peace Center. We will purchase the backpacks and some supplies using our outreach funds. The backpacks will be filled with the purchased and donated supplies. Please help us by bringing the items listed below to church from June 15 to August 5 and deposi ng them in the bins in the narthex. We will fill the backpacks during Vaca on Bible School. Last year the vaca on bible school children learned about the children who would receive the backpacks and did an awesome job filling the backpacks with the needed supplies. Once this is done, we will make a plan to deliver them. Your support is greatly appreciated. Below is the list of supplies we would like for the backpacks. (Sojourner asked that we pack 2 or 3 of each item for elementary students and 1 to 3 items for middle and high school students). We learned that 50 is an ambi ous goal and without your dona ons we will need to fill less backpacks. Even a small dona on helps. If shopping is not your thing, monetary dona ons will be accepted and we will do the shopping. Folders Loose-leaf wide-ruled paper Markers Crayons 24 pack Colored pencils Glue Glue s cks Flash drives Highlighters Pencil boxes Pencils Protractors Spiral note books Rulers Please contact Jill Paradowski or her at jill.paradowski@gmail.com if you have any ques ons. Blankets for Children's Cath Lab The Outreach Commi ee would like to thank all who have helped with dona ng fleece, tying blankets during coffee hour, delivery of the blankets, comple ng the blankets at home or on a scheduled day each month and praying for their pa ents. To date we have delivered 75 blankets. We can use your help with more fabric and the comple on of the blankets. If you are interested in helping you can contact Jill Paradowski. We have precut blankets you can take home and complete if you wish. If you are interested in helping deliver the blankets, let us know. 4

5 Dr. Elie Haiti Project News The Hai Project would like to extend our thanks to those who par cipated in the matching gi s to fund Dr. Elie St. Mar n's posi on in the St. Marc's Health Clinic ten days a month. An anonymous donor offered to match up $2,500 in gi s. This match was exceeded in less than 24 hours! We now have funding extending beyond a year for ten days of service a month. Thanks be to God! The Hai Project celebrates a grant award from St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Anapolis, MD for a playground for St. Marc's Preschool. Sarah Hyde traveled as a youth from St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Dousman to Jeanne e, Hai. Currently, a parishioner of St. Margaret's Anapolis, she advocated for a grant for a playground for St. Marc's Preschool students. Thank you Sarah and thanks be to God! Preschoolers Praying! Hai Project June Trip 2018 will celebrate the third gradua ng class from St. Marc's School; co-lead an art camp with Fedler Descobet, the art teacher at the school; engage in a teacher's exchange workshop; and host soccer workshops with kids in the village. Trip par cipants: Bob and Laura Love - Trinity Wauwatosa, Julie and McKayla Spanton - St. Mary's Dousman, Cami Santa Cruz - Christ Church Whitefish Bay, Holly Starck - Holy Communion Lake Geneva, Jon and Jenny Cushman - St. Ma hew's Kenosha, Joann Sarow Grace - Madison, Kristen and Cyndi Bryan, Heidi, Dave, and Darshana Ropa - St. Andrew's Madison, Abby Moore and Mia Murray. Are you interested in a future trip to build rela onships with our partners in Hai? Save the date: Medical Trip November 2018 and January 4-13 Hai Project History Trip. info@hai project.org for more informa on. Heidi Ropa Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Hai Project Coordinator (608)

6 Habitat for Humanity Update Trinity is suppor ng a match for the building of two new homes that are being supported by Thrivent Financial. Thrivent has challenged churches to help Habitat in several ways. We sent off $1500 to help with this project from outreach funds. Now we want to help in other ways. Trinity will help with the installa on of drywall on June 30 th. We may schedule a day in Fall to help with interior work on one of the new homes being built. Here is what you need to do to par cipate: Saturday June 30th - Thrivent- Trinity Episcopal- Drywall Address: 2201 N 29th St Milwaukee, WI. Sign-up: Please direct those interested in signing up via our site: h ps:// mkehabitat.volunteerhub.com/lp/thrivent/ When signing in/crea ng an account directly through this link, they will be auto joined to the Thrivent Builds group. They will be able to see all Thrivent events but should register for only the one they are a part of (Trinity Episcopal). Please note that everyone will need to create an account/ sign in AND register for the event. Age Restric ons: The minimum age to volunteer on a Habitat construc on site is 16; no one under 16 is permi ed on the job site while work is being done. Task restric ons for 16 & 17 year old volunteers include: prohibited use of power tools; work at heights 6 feet & above; par cipa on in any poten ally hazardous ac vity (ex. Demoli on). ReStore: Habitat raises money to build new homes through sales at the three ReStore sites in Milwaukee. ReStore came and recycled many useful items when we took down the house on Milwaukee Avenue. Restore also has volunteer opportuni es to work if you are interested. Trinity plans on having a restore truck come to Trinity one morning in Fall for a collec on. If you are doing any remodeling or have any extra items they may use before then, please check out their website milwaukeehabitat.org for a complete list of what they will accept. Thank you for your interest. If you have any ques ons please contact Jill at jill.paradowski@gmail.com What s with the Blue Dots? The Buildings and Grounds Oversight Commi ee has started the inventory of Trinity s hard assets. Once an item has been accounted for, a blue dot will be put on it to indicate it has been inventoried so the commi ee isn t spinning in circles any more than usual for a commi ee. The dots will be put in places as inconspicuous as possible and they are removable. We ask that you please do not remove the dots un l the inventory has been completed. Please also explain to your children what they are and to please not remove them. We will announce the comple on and remove as many as we can. Thanks for your help. ~ Buildings and Grounds Oversight Commi ee 6

7 ~ TRINITY CHURCH FOUNDATION UPDATE ~ As we write this, we remember the recent passing of Mike Hagon. Mike was a long- me steward of the Trinity Church Founda on, and most recently served as President up un l last year. Mike s strong financial acumen has helped put the Trinity Church Founda on on solid ground for many years to come. Mike will be greatly missed. Recently, the Trinity Board of Directors met with our BMO financial representa ve was a year of strong growth, thanks in part to a 14.61% return on the Founda on por olio. We were quickly reminded that not every year will be this strong, and we need to con nue to be vigilant in our investments as well as look for addi onal ways to grow the Founda on por olio. It is important to note and may be worthy of no ng in every Trinity Founda on update, that the Trinity Church Founda on contributes 5% annually to the Trinity Church Opera ng Fund. For 2018, this amounts to $67,052, and these funds are used for general opera ng expenses as well as many outreach opportuni es. Year to date, the Trinity Church Founda on has received 2 contribu ons from parishioners, and we kindly ask that you keep the Founda on in mind for addi onal giving opportuni es. No amount is too small, as the power of compounding will con nue to grow the por olio for many years to come and will con nue to contribute to the great work of Trinity Church. When contribu ng, please be sure to write For Trinity Founda on on the check memo line. Trinity Founda on Board of Directors Bridie Fanning, Krislyn Holaday-Wondrachek, Don Kennedy, David Lorenz, Bob Love Awesome Auc on for Outreach Fun Facts This is the first year that the parish voted on the theme: Kentucky Derby The auc on is the event that raises the most money for outreach. Trinity does not have a line for outreach in our budget so without events such as this we would have few funds to share with those outside our doors. All of the items are donated by area businesses or parishioners please ask a business you frequent for a dona on. Costumes make the night much more fun. Kentucky Derby is known for large unique hats. Why not start thinking about what your hat might look like when you a end the event on November 3, Saturday, July 14 4:00 pm 7:00 pm At Trinity Church Games for all ages, Food, Fun! Beverages and meat are provided. Please bring a dish to pass. Watch for the signup sheet in June. Vaca on Bible School Shipwrecked: "Rescued by Jesus" August :00 am 11:30 am 7

8 8 w w w. t r i n i t y w a u w a t o s a. o r g TIDINGS Trinity Church 1717 Church Street Wauwatosa, WI May, 2018 Mark Your Calendars Now! Parish Picnic - Saturday, July 14 4:00 pm 7:00 pm At Trinity Church Vacation Bible School August :00 am 11:30 am

9 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 6:30 pm Tai Chi 3 7:00 pm Choir rehearsal 4 6:00 pm Family Fellowship Easter SCRIP 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:30 am Holy Baptism 10:45 am Fellowship & Christian Formation 10:45 am Auction Mtg. 11:00 am Adult Forum 7 7:00 pm Men's Spirituality Group :00 am 2:00 pm Rector's Drop-In/Drop-by Hours 10 ASCENSION DAY 7:00 pm Ascension Day Liturgy 11 10:00 am Sandwich making for The Gathering Easter 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship :30 am Book Group & St. Monica's Guild Luncheon 16 6:30 pm Tai Chi 17 7:00 pm Choir rehearsal :30 am Visitation for Michael Hagon 11:00 am Memorial Service for Michael Hagon 20 Pentecost 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship & Christian Formation 11:30 am Vestry Meeting :30 pm Tai Chi 24 7:00 pm Choir rehearsal Trinity Sunday 8:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:30 am Holy Eucharist Graduation Recognition 10:45 am Fellowship 28 Memorial Day Parish Office Closed :30 pm Tai Chi 31 5:00 pm 8:00 pm Rector's Drop-In/Dropby Hours