November 2017
Praying at Trinity's Windows
The Rev. Anne Grizzle, Deacon

The beautiful stained glass windows are one of the great resources of Trinity. In September, when a group gathered to pray in the sanctuary with the windows, light flowed in through the Sermon on the Mount window reflecting an amazing trinity of figures on the ceiling to the amazement of all gathered (see photo). Every day and time offers new light through our holy space. Come enjoy the windows and pray that the Holy Spirit will allow us to more fully experience the beautiful and graces of our God through quiet prayer time. I will begin the prayer time with an introduction to listening prayer possibilities followed by a walk around the windows with brief introductions.  Participants can then pray at one or many windows in a silent time, with a reflective time together at the end. Come see how God will meet us.
 
Monday, October 30 at 1:30 – 3:00pm 
All Saints week praying at the windows
 
Monday, December 4 at 10:30am – 12pm 
Advent praying at the windows
Sundays at 5 All Saints Concert & Evensong
Virginia Bolena, Organist & Choirmaster

November 5 at 5pm
As we remember the saints who have gone before us, we celebrate their lives with a program of organ music and Choral Evensong. Trinity's organist Virginia Bolena will offer a performance of music by J.S. Bach, Helmut Walcha, and a lovely prelude on the tune "Eventide" by C.H.H. Parry. Trinity Choir will sing favorites from the Anglican repertoire including music by Richard Ayleward, Herbert Sumsion, and C.V. Stanford. A reception will follow in McCracken Hall. 
All in White
Lundy Pentz, Senior Warden

You may have noticed, and wondered, why the people who assist at the Eucharist are dressed in white robes; perhaps you have been to other churches (or even, on occasion, here at Trinity) where they did not wear these but just their street clothes. This is sometimes done because of a desire to avoid “clericalizing” them – that is, making them look like clergy. I would rather explain what it really means instead (of course). In the early days of Christianity, any Roman citizen who was running for public office took care to have his toga or tunic bleached as white as possible as a sign of innocence – the very term for such people, “candidates,” survives today, and it comes from the Latin for “shining white.” (We call people “candid” when they are forthright and honest for the same reason.)

In Scripture, this is taken to a higher level – when Jesus is transfigured on the mountain, Matthew tells us that “his clothes became dazzling white” (Matthew 17:2) and when the angel appears to the women at the tomb on Easter morning, his clothing is “as white as snow” (Matthew 28:3). In Revelation, the seer is bidden to write to a troubled and dying church that there are still a few who have not soiled their clothes and “will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes..” (Rev. 3:5). 

The early church took this imagery quite seriously. Normally baptism was for adults in this pagan society, and they were immersed naked, anointed with oil, and clothed in – of course – white robes. These baptismal garments were usually kept and used on special religious occasions later, and sometimes were used as burial shrouds. We in Virginia are familiar with a survival of this in the “christening gown,” a long white robe often beautifully embroidered, but always white, used for the baptism of infants and handed down in some families from one generation to the next. So being clothed in white is, or ought to be, the special sign not of the clergy but of all baptized Christians!

Over the centuries, ordained clergy adopted additions to the basic white, such as the Roman judge’s silk neck scarf or the fancy evening dress poncho, but always over the basic white robe. They developed a short, wide-sleeved and pleated form of the white robe to wear over heavy garments in cold weather, and you see it every Sunday on our choir as the white surplices (from the Latin “over the furs”) they wear. So white is really our basic Christian uniform, not a special clerical badge. When you see choristers, or acolytes, or Eucharistic ministers, wearing white during the services, remember that it’s your “uniform” too even if you have never put it on physically. You don’t need any special ordination to do these ministries, and many others as well, just a little training. We all have a calling to some form of ministry, and the white robes worn in services are a reminder of it. 
Worst Noon Lunch Nightmare
Carter Hannah, Noon Lunch Co-Coordinator

We have had a busy Noon Lunch summer. Our guests have really enjoyed the fresh vegetables and treats that we are given each Saturday by the very generous farmers at the Staunton Farmers’ Market. This has taken some hours of coordination and some interesting discussions about how to cook vegetables that our guests will eat. Actually, they have responded well to Swiss Chard, many varieties of squash, eggplant, okra and salads filled with an assortment of lettuces, raw vegetables and fresh herbs (as long as Ranch dressing is available).

We have also had several cooking groups call and say they could not work on their appointed day. Fortunately, we have had volunteers fill in and other teams willing to switch days. So, that took our time but it all worked out. Having a team cancel is a bad dream but workable.

Our Noon Lunch nightmare has always been that a team would not show up on its appointed day. Our mission is to feed our guests each weekday—we do not cancel except in snow events or major holidays and the guests know when these times are going to happen. Lunch is served from 11:30 each weekday. One weekday this summer, Laurie called at 11:15 to say that they were worried because no cooking team had come in. What to do?—Cancel?? NO! We do not have to cancel because our office staff, Tom Fechtel, and Bob Boyle were there and ready to help. They found canned beef stew and assorted vegetables and tomato soup. They quickly put together a wonderful “stoup.” They sliced bread and cheddar cheese and made cheese toast. They cut cakes for dessert. We ran to the store for bags of chips and bananas. And, lunch was served. We had help from one of the guests and everyone was thankful and helpful and we all enjoyed our “worst nightmare” emergency day. God provides and we can work together and do what has to be done. When Deidre and Laurie had to go back to work, Robert stayed until every dish was washed, every table cleaned, and the silverware was wrapped for the next day.

At Church, the Bishop said that our Noon Lunch program was a wonderful mission. It is and it is because of everyone at Trinity that it happens each weekday without fail. 
Reflections on Trinity’s Choir Tour to England
Sally James

The Trinity Choir spent a glorious 10 days in England--- the fourth such choir trip and first with Gen Bolena at the helm. Once again Clive Richardson and Ann Gray, who is a former choir member, arranged the venues, organized our transportation, and planned our outings. They also booked delightful lodging on the edge of town that backed up to the River Thames canal and had a horse farm next door, so we woke to sounds of the countryside! Several talented and delightful musicians who are friends of Gen’s joined us as choristers and Bruce Neswick of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, as organist. Gen did a great job of leading us, especially in our music. 

Our musical home was Christ Church Cathedral at Christ Church College, which was about a mile’s walk from our hotel. Christ Church College, which is part of the greater Oxford University, was founded in 1546 as Cardinal College by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey---talk about history! After Wolsey’s fall from grace, due to his failure to secure an annulment for Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon, the king took over sponsorship and renamed it Christ Church College. The church is imbedded into the college courtyard. It is a pastiche of architectural styles, beginning with the remnants of its former life as a twelfth century Romanesque monastery chapel. Architectural alterations continued through the Gothic and Renaissance periods. After the Reformation it was designated the cathedral for the Diocese of Oxford. The acoustics were remarkable, but I was drawn to architecture, especially the carved choir stalls and the stained glass windows. In addition to their beauty, the changing dappled light they cast on the walls indeed transformed earthly light into something ethereal. Several windows date to the late Middle Ages. Four large ones were designed in the late 1800s by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris, both of whom were older contemporaries of Louis Tiffany, and like him, they worked in the Art Nouveau style.

At Christ Church---in fact through Oxford--- we were continually haunted by the ghosts of Alice, of Wonderland fame, and Harry Potter. The real 10-year-old Alice Liddell, daughter of the dean of Christ Church College, encountered mathematics lecturer Lewis Carroll during a boat trip on the River Thames. Alice enchanted Carroll, who made up stories about a girl named Alice for her and her sisters. So the tale of Alice in Wonderland was born---set in the walled garden surrounding Christ Church Cathedral, which we visited. The big gnarly tree from which the Cheshire Cat surveyed the garden and wooden door of the ever-late White Rabbit are still there. In the twentieth century, Christ Church College, especially the courtyard and the Great Hall, gained new fame as the setting for Harry Potter films. 

The gracious sub-dean, other clergy, and congregation of Christ Church Cathedral gave us royal treatment. They even hosted a champagne reception for the choir in the North Transept following the 11 o'clock (actually 11:05) Eucharist on Sunday. Prayers were personal and included mention of the horrific incidents in Charlottesville, which occurred while we were there. The former organist, who was well into his nineties, attended regularly and critiqued our music. He had definite favorites, but he also gave some high praise, which was most heartening. 

We had wonderful outings in and out of Oxford. Our first group excursion was through the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, stopping at a pub for lunch and Broadway for exploring, and on to Gloucester, where we sang Evensong in the cathedral. Like Christ Church, it too was once a Romanesque monastery church that underwent several stages of Gothic renovations. Whereas the ceilings at Christ Church are of timber, at Gloucester they are vaulted in stone, which makes the sound resonate ever better! We went to Coventry, where the bombed out remains of the Gothic cathedral lie next to a handsome modern cathedral as a grim reminder of German bombings in England during World War II. Another day we went to Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born. The lavish stately house, art collection, organ, and vast gardens were a feast for the eyes and ears. The remarkable eighteenth century landscape architect Capability Brown designed the extensive Italianate gardens and park-like setting of the 2,000 acre estate. Our final outing was to Bletchley Park, a nineteenth-century country estate that served as the top-secret headquarters of the World War II Codebreakers. There, Alan Turing developed the machine that cracked German enigma code. The 2014 highly acclaimed and Oscar and Golden Globe-winning film The Imitation Game brought the story to life. In the evenings we enjoyed a variety of English foods in local pubs and restaurants. Often we gathered at the evening’s end on the hotel patio for drinks, to reflect on our music, and share our adventures.
 
Each afternoon we returned from our adventures to rehearse and sing Evensong. On Sunday, our last day, we sang both morning and evening services. The last Evensong was the musical highpoint, with choir and director engaged as never before. The whole experience was both demanding and exhilarating. We returned with our horizons broadened musically and spiritually, and our friendships deepened.   

Photos
Above: Choir outside Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, England;
Below left: Choristers at dinner after the last Evensong
Below Right: Trinity's organists on the roof of Ely Cathedral
Sunday Morning Coffee Hour
Join us for Coffee Hour on Sunday in the Foster Room from 10 to 10:50am.
Pledge Cards
Lee Beam, Stewardship Committee Chair

By the time you read this, we are winding down our “Stewardship Month” at Trinity. Many of our various committees, groups and activities will have participated in our Ministry Fair on October 22, and hopefully you were able to visit their displays and maybe even sign up for an activity or as a volunteer. The Finance Committee is busy developing a budget for Trinity for 2018, and the Vestry has been presented with the lengthy list of all of the ideas shared by congregants at the October 8 services when we discussed the things we want to continue doing at Trinity and what we’d like to add, change, or improve.

So what’s missing? Well, to reach our goals of mission and ministry for 2018, we need your financial support. And yes, that means that we encourage you to complete a pledge card, telling us what amount of financial support we can expect from you next year.

Pledges are our way of giving back to God from the bounty that he has given us. As such, at Trinity we present the pledge cards at the Altar on All Saint’s Sunday as a GIFT to God.

So, if you haven’t already, I hope you will read through the beautiful Annual Report that was included in your pledge package, and reflect on all the good that is done by the volunteers and staff of Trinity. And then, prayerfully consider what your pledge of support for our mission and ministry will be for 2018. After you complete your pledge card, just seal it in the envelope and bring to church and put in the offering plate, or mail it to the office. And thank you for all that you do for Trinity!
Administrator Notes
Laurie Clements, Parish Administrator

  • A donation was made in honor of Thurston Robinson thanking him for giving a Saturday tour of the church.

  • A monetary gift was received from Evelyn Hickman for the Broman Music Fund in honor of Cindy Hickman's birthday.

  • A memorial gift was given to Trinity in loving memory of Mary A. Tattersall O'Brien, M.D., "whose grit, intelligence, and physical presence I greatly miss", by Richard Rutherford.

  • Noon Lunch received a contribution this past month from Wendy Bartee. Wendy is giving this gift in honor of her good friend, Lisa Moore. 

  • Another friend of Lisa's visited us from Easton, Maryland. Judy Goeghegan came to tour Trinity's beautiful sanctuary, enjoying the Tiffany windows. During that visit she learned of our Noon Lunch program, and wanted to contribute a gift also in Lisa Moore's honor. 

  • We are very appreciative of the kindness of many people that contribute to Noon Lunch, allowing us to extend that kindness to others in our community.

Novel Theology
Novel Theology meets throughout the year on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Foster Room—earlier weeks in November and December. Everyone and anyone is invited to attend. The only rule is you must read the book for that month. Come and bring your friends and acquaintances. We have lively discussions.

November 14 –   Signs Preceding the End of the World  by Yuri Herrera: This is one of the most arresting novels to be published in Spanish in the last ten years. Yuri Herrera does not simply write about the border between Mexico and the United States and those who cross it. He explores the crossings and translations people make in their minds and language as they move from one country to another, especially when there’s no going back.  Led by Oakley Pearson.

December 19 —   A Child’s Christmas in Wales  by Dylan Thomas: This gem of lyric prose has enchanted both young and old for over half a century and is now a modern classic. Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), one of the greatest poets and storytellers of the twentieth century, captures a child’s-eye view and an adult’s fond memories of a magical time of presents, aunts and uncles, the frozen sea, and in the best of circumstances, newly fallen snow.  Led by Carol Kipp.
Prayer Requests Bowl
A glass bowl saying "Prayer Requests" is available for our quests at Noon Lunch. It is on a card table along with paper and pens beside the piano in McCracken Hall. If one of our guests has a prayer on their heart, they can write it down and put it in the bowl. If anyone sees a prayer request in the bowl, they can take it and make that prayer a part of their own prayer life. I'm inviting anyone in the congregation or visiting Trinity to use the prayer requests bowl to submit their own prayers or to take prayers out of the bowl and pray over them. If you have and questions or suggestions, please contact gingerwarrick0@gmail.com or ctucker59@gmail.com .  
Don't Miss it!
Annual Pancake Breakfast & Fair-trade Market
Saturday, November 11

Featuring
Ten Thousand Villages’ amazing array of fair-trade gift items
Tom’s Terrific Toffee,
Grandma Auld’s Shortbread
Margaret’s freshly baked scones, to go or served with jam and cream
Fabulous pancake breakfast with sausage & apples (served 8 to 10:30)

Trinity’s McCracken Hall
8:00 am – noon
Proceeds support the Trinity Education Project in Copan, Honduras
The 2018 Honduras Mission: Should You Go?
The deadline for signing up for February’s mission trip to Copan, Honduras is November 15. There are spaces available and we are arranging for both educational and manual labor opportunities to interact with and support the church communities and other local projects that we have been involved with for the past 13 years. Whether you go once or many times, this is a trip that will help you understand how poverty in many parts of the world is not just being poor. It is different in ways that challenge our social and spiritual assumptions and help us understand who we are and who we might be. It is slightly unnerving for the newcomer, but in fact our trips have always included much enjoyment of the people, the food, the community, and the beauty of this place.  

Anyone interested in participating in February should contact Margaret ( mephome@gmail.com) or Oakley Pearson( mepjop@gmail.com), who can provide more details and answer questions and concerns. There is financial support available if needed.  
Trinity Historical Highlight
Lilchy Huffman

The Ascension (pictured above)
This Ascension Triptych above the Altar was given by the congregation in loving memory of and to honor Major Henderson Moffett Bell for his 38 years service as a Vestryman and Senior Warden.

Born in Staunton July 3, 1826, Henderson was a son of James and Margaret Craig Bell. A lawyer, Henderson served in the Confederate Army on Gen. John Echols' staff. After the war, he formed a partnership with Gen Echols and Col. Richard Catlett (Easter Morn window). He married Ann Maria Kinney who died in 1885. He then married Martha Virginia Bell. In 1855, Henderson bought pew #64 – his silver nameplate is in the arm rest. Henderson died October 9, 1899 and is buried in Thornrose Cemetery.

His grandsons, Henderson Moffett Bell, III, James Alexander Bell, John Berry Bell, Robert Porterfield Bell (all brothers) and Richard Phillips Bell, Jr. all fought in WWI and are listed on the Tiffany WWI Plaque in the back of the church. Four of his great-great grandsons and their families have followed in his footsteps and are active members of Trinity. They are Tom and Clair Bell, Taine McPherson and Liz Lewis, Tom and Tricia McPherson, and Richard and Claudette Obenschain.

This window is dated 1897 and is signed and copyrighted by The Tiffany Studios. It was installed at Trinity in 1901 and was the first of our Tiffany windows.

Sermon on the Mount (pictured right)
Anne Bell Liggett Willson, a daughter of Henderson Moffett Bell (The Ascension triptych) was born in 1862 and baptized in 1863. She married John R. Liggett on November 13, 1889 but sadly, he died May 6, 1894 at the age of 30. Their son, Henderson Bell Liggett was born August 22, 1890 and died Oct. 7, 1967.

Three years after John's death, Anne married Gilpin Willson, Sr., a pharmacist in town. They had 2 children: Gilpin Willson, Jr., born in 1899 and Anne Bell Willson Bartels, born December 13, 1901. Gilpin Willson, Jr. was the President of The National Bank of Staunton and married Isabel Woodbury who gave this window in 1972. His sister married John Ries Bartels of Staunton in 1930. She died in 1967 in Brooklyn, NY but is buried in Thornrose Cemetery.

Anne Bell Liggett Willson's great-grandson and his wife, Richard and Claudette Obenschain, are active members of Trinity. This is the last stained glass that was installed at Trinity. It came in 1972 from the Wipple-Mowbary Studios in London.

During the late morning/early afternoon, the sun's light casts the images from this window on St. Columba Chapel's floor. In the evening when the spotlight is on it, the image is on the ceiling. (See photo from first article in this Tribune.) Look for the gold robe.
Prayer List Yearly Renewal
Beginning Sunday, December 3 we will remove all names from the prayer list that were added before November 1, 2017 unless names are specifically indicated in our notes to remain on the list. If you have questions or concerns about a name, please contact Deidre at 886-9132 or communications@trinitystaunton.org by November 27.
New Liturgical Year Calendars Available
Calendars showing the liturgical colors and saint days are available in the office for $5 each.
Send in Your Memorials for Christmas Flowers
Before Christmas, the Altar Guild collects Flower Memorials Gifts to purchase the flower decorations for the Christmas services and to fund raise for the Altar Guild Ministry. Memorials may be given as a memorial, or to honor a friend or a child. There is no set monetary fee. If you would like to make a donation, please use the enclosed envelope or submit your memorial via our online form. Go to our website, www.trinitystaunton.org , then hover over the menu heading of “Members” and choose “Christmas Memorials” from the drop down menu. You may then send your donation by mail. Please return your gift to the Trinity office no later than Monday, December 11.
Giving Tree
Giving Tree:  The giving tree will be at the back of the church decorated with gift tags listing gift items requested for persons residing at Ritenour Rest Home beginning on December 3. When you take a gift tag please sign it out on the form posted next to the tree. All gifts should be wrapped and dropped off in the church office copy room or under the tree by Sunday,  Dec. 17 . Please securely attach the tag to the gift.
Money for Outreach Dinner Gift Cards
Gift Cards:  During this Advent season (or before if you wish), we ask that you consider making someone else's Christmas a little brighter by helping us purchase 100 gift cards for our noon lunch guests that attend the Christmas Eve Outreach Dinner. Envelopes will be provided at the back of the church beginning on November 5 for  monetary donations.  Please place the envelope in the collection plate or drop by the office no later than Sunday,  Dec. 17.
Christmas Eve Outreach Dinner
Margaret Pearson

Once again Trinity will host a wonderful Christmas Eve party and turkey dinner for many of our friends and neighbors. Planning is already underway and we are looking for volunteers to chair or co-chair various aspects of the event. Perhaps you have worked on one task in the past and would like to do that again. Or, you may want to try a different volunteer task or perhaps you are new to Trinity and would like to find out more about how you might want to be involved. 
 
Some jobs need to be completed ahead of the actual dinner and other during and after the event.  Look over the list below to see if you would be willing to be in charge of a specific function. There are dozens of willing volunteers who help out, but we do need to co-ordinate and oversee the various tasks:

  • Setting up McCracken Hall with tables and chairs
  • Table Decorations
  • Setting the tables
  • Transportation for guests
  • Coordinating the volunteer servers during the dinner
  • Coordinate sign in of guests, name tags, handing out of gift cards
  • Clean up
 
We can always use new volunteers, so please let us know if you are interested. And if you have a favorite job that you wish to do again, please let us know.
 
Contacts: Margaret Pearson,  mephome@gmail.com , 849-9974
Kay Buchanan,  kaybuchanon3@verizon.net , 885-6067
Birthdays
The next time you see her please thank Eleanor Bird for sending out our lovely birthday cards!

If you don't see your name on our list, please contact the office with your FULL birthday (our database system will not accept any birthday without the year included). Deidre - 886-9132 or communications@trinitystaunton.org

Calendar
You may find our church calendar on our website: www.trinitystaunton.org, hover over "Happenings" and choose "Calendar."