Sunday: 9am, stay at home but tune in for the liturgy 

Monday: wash your hands

Tuesday: wash your hands

Wednesday: wash your hands

Thursday: wash your hands

Friday: wash your hands

Saturday: wash your hands

Prayer List - to submit a prayer request click here.

Altar Flowers - if you would like to dedicate Altar Flowers click here.

Things are changing rapidly, and so there are some major changes to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic since you heard from me on Wednesday. I decided early on Thursday afternoon that we would cancel everything except for the 9am service on Sunday morning, and we would encourage you to not attend in person and instead through the wonders of this digital age to tune in to our planned broadcast of it. Then late Thursday afternoon, our bishop made the very prudent and responsible decision to completely suspend public worship in the diocese. The staff will still gather at 9am on Sunday morning and broadcast it on our Facebook page, but the doors to the church will be locked. Have questions about how to access it? E-mail me and I will help you out. We will celebrate the Eucharist as part of the 9am service, and if you would like Communion, please e-mail me or call the church office (916.985.2495) and we will schedule it with you.

For at least the next three weeks, we are canceling every public gathering: weekday programs, prayer groups, Bible studies, choir rehearsals, Sunday School, and Sunday morning worship, and the Thrift Shop is also closed until at least March 31st. 

So why this major change and major step? Well, it’s not because we’re afraid or in a panic. We’re doing it because it is a way that we can fulfill Jesus’ command to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I’ve been learning and listening and reflecting, and this is a step we can take to slow the spread of this virus and to protect vulnerable people. You may not feel unwell, you might not even have any reason to suspect that you are positive for COVID-19, but you can still transmit it to folks who will not fare as well as you will. We have many elderly parishioners (who will come to church even if I tell them to stay home), many parishioners with cancer or other serious health conditions, and many parishioners who have contact with non-parishioners in vulnerable populations. Some of you might roll your eyes and think that this isn’t very serious, so I’m going to give you an example, with his permission. Fr. Charlie has diabetes; his compromised immune system, slow healing, and the way that some viruses, including, apparently, this one, thrive in the presence of elevated blood glucose, make him particularly susceptible. And the data coming out of China suggests that the mortality rate among diabetics who get COVID-19 is significantly higher than in the general population – USA Today this week reported 7% of COVID-19 patients with diabetes die, and I’ve seen higher percentages, up to almost 20%, reported, too. That’s serious. I was already considering making Fr. Charlie stay home these next few Sundays until he leaves for Montana, but that would only help to protect him, and not the other vulnerable people in our congregation and connected to our congregation. 

The best way we can protect people we love, like Fr. Charlie, is by reducing the risk of transmission, and by slowing the spread of this disease. We have a responsibility to our neighbors to not transmit this virus through negligence, lack of concern, or thinking we’re a hero by coming to church and taking unnecessary risks. Even if you think you will be fine, imagine how badly you will feel if you later discover that you transmitted the virus to someone who became seriously ill or even died. We also have a responsibility to do everything we can to “flatten the curve,” to slow down the increase in cases that will eventually overwhelm our medical system. If you’re paying attention to the news out of Italy, it isn’t good. More people need ventilators than Italy has ventilators, leading to some very difficult choices. By not gathering in person for worship, we can slow the spread and make it lower and more spaced out, so that not as many people need limited resources all at once.

We can best love our neighbor by slowing down the exponential increase in cases, and we can do that best by not gathering in person for a very short amount of time. We’ll be working on other ways we can support one another, care for one another, and interact with one another without risking our health and the health of our neighbors. I encourage you to call one another, text one another, send Facebook messages and e-mails, whatever works to check in on one another and to make sure our most isolated and most vulnerable parishioners have some social interaction. Invite a fellow parishioner to join you for a meal (wash your hands!); not having large in person gatherings doesn’t mean that we can’t still get together in person, it just means we aren’t going to expose everyone to everybody without knowing everyone’s health status. We may resume some programming by web meetings once we have time to adjust. The staff will still be working and we can meet individually with y’all throughout the week (washing our hands before and after, maybe even during!). So tune in Sunday morning at 9am, keep praying, and keep washing those hands! Faithfully, and with much love, Fr. Todd+

Our word of the week is intinction. While the majority of Episcopalians drink from the common cup, many have practiced intinction by dipping their bread into the wine. We allowed intinction in the past, but due to concerns about contagious diseases, we will no longer be allowing intinction. If you do not wish to drink from the common cup, know that you do not have to receive the wine to receive the full grace of the Eucharist.

Sunday School for Children and Adults is on a brief hiatus. We were going to be on break anyway to say goodbye to Fr. Charlie and because of Palm Sunday/Easter, so we’re going to take a longer break out of an abundance of precaution. Enjoy your Sunday School spring break (and wash your hands!).

Help us give Easter baskets for children in need who are served by Twin Lakes Food Bank. You can sponsor one child’s basket, filled with treats, toys, and some things they really need, for only $15. You can mail us a donation or put it through the mail slot in the front door of the office – just make sure to include a note that says Easter Baskets if you’re giving cash, or write it on the memo line of the check.

Our annual First Miracle event was scheduled for Saturday, March 28th, but we are postponing it. No new date yet, but we will let you know as soon as we know. This year, the First Miracle will feature wines and food from “Down Under,” and the proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will be used for Australian fire relief efforts. We’re also looking for donations for the silent and live auctions – e-mail Janice if you would like to donate something. Thanks! 

Trinity Wednesdays will be on break until April 22nd, when we’ll discuss chapter eight. Join us on Wednesday evenings for a potluck supper (5:30pm-6pm) and a discussion group (6pm-7pm)! The nursery will be open for childcare, including activities for older children. For the potluck, bring whatever you want to share, and if you can’t make it to the potluck, just come for the group discussion. Right now, we’re reading Benyamin Cohen’s book My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith, his memoir of rediscovering his Judaism, and the good faith of other people, while attending Christian churches for a year. You can find it on Amazon here, or order it from your local independent bookseller! For Wednesday, April 29th, read chapters nine and ten.

If you would like to make a donation towards the altar flowers for Easter Sunday, use the online form here and select Sunday, April 12th. You can dedicate the flowers for any reason, but Easter is a particularly appropriate day to donate altar flowers in memory of loved ones who have died, and in thanksgiving for loved ones who were recently born or baptized. The suggested donation is $50, but please don’t let that stop you from making a dedication; if you don’t have it, give whatever you can.

While summer seems far off, it’s the time of year to begin registering for summer camp! Many of the children and youth from Trinity spend a week or two at one of the local Episcopal summer camps, in Tahoe, wine country, or the redwoods. 

Most Trinitarians attend Camp Galilee, the camp set right on the eastern shores of Lake Tahoe. Mikayla Knuth, Fr. Charlie’s wife, serves as the camp’s priest and program director. You can read more about Camp Galilee and its programs here.

The two other camps are operated by the Episcopal Diocese of California, but take children and youth from our diocese as well. St. Dorothy’s Rest is nestled in the redwoods near Occidental, while Bishop’s Ranch is just outside Healdsburg and offers the BREAD camp for children and youth.

Our older youth (finishing grades 7-12 in 2020) may be interested in attending the diocesan pilgrimage program, Pathways. This year’s pilgrimage will be to Butte County, where pilgrims will explore matters of social and ecological justice while visiting the local congregations and communities supporting those who have suffered in the wake of the Camp Fire. Young adults are also welcome to apply as adult chaperones. Read more about this opportunity here.

Camp is expensive, but well worth it! Children can get more spiritual formation in one week than they can in an entire year of Sunday School. Fr. Todd is able to offer financial assistance and does not want the cost of camp to prevent any children from attending. If you have any questions or concerns (or just want to let us know where your kids are registered), please contact Fr. Todd or F r. Charlie.

Attention teenagers and young adults: Camp Galilee, the Episcopal camp set on eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, is currently looking for camp counselors and residential staff to help facilitate a meaningful and adventurous summer program for youth between the ages of 8 and 16. This is a great way to spend a couple of weeks (or a whole summer!) playing in nature’s beauty.  

Counselors bunk with campers and lead adventure groups with two others. They must be 16 and will receive a stipend for a week of counselor training and 1 to 2 weeks at camp. As the name implies, residential staff live at the camp all summer long, providing support to counselors and leading activities like worship, improvisational theater, rock climbing/kayaking, and arts and crafts. All resident staff need to be 18 or older with a high school diploma.  

For more information about Camp Galilee, talk to Father Charlie or click here.

Trinity Episcopal Church

 801 Figueroa Street

Folsom, CA 95630

(916) 985-2495 ~ www.trinityfolsom.org