Trinity Newsletter for January 13, 2021

January 13, 2021

The mission of Trinity Church is to share Christ's love and grace in a vibrant community whose joyful spirit empowers people to do God's work.

SENIOR WARDEN'S MESSAGE

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…

Bambi, we can’t say it often enough to you for these past many months. You have been our inspiration on Sunday and Wednesday mornings and our go-to pastor on all days. When you weren’t able to do something yourself, you coordinated with David so everything was covered. You brought us messages of cheer at coffee hour on Sunday mornings. You advised us on matters related to the Diocese because of your important responsibilities there, giving us insights that kept us on the right path with the canons and the bishops. You, David, Barry, and other lay leaders figured out how to bring us morning prayer and spiritual communion within a huge learning curve for everyone. Most of all, you were simply always there for us.

Thanks also go to the Executive Committee – Barry, Harry, and Val – for their absolute diligence and concern for the parish during the time of discernment, for meeting with me either in person, on Zoom or by email several times every week. Harry and Val keep us straight financially, and Barry fixes or arranges to have fixed, mowed, trimmed, replaced… whatever needs it. The Vestry has learned to function through difficult times even though we have been unable to meet in person for almost a year now. And about a third of the vestry are serving extended terms – almost an extra year now – since we have been unable to have an Annual Meeting to include all parishioners.

We have so many parishioners doing things for each other, especially for those who need extra help in this difficult time. The Brotherhood, the Sisterhood, the Tuesday morning Book Group, the new Wednesday morning book group, the Knotty Knitters, the shepherds, the Altar Guild, the grief group, GEMS – and I’m sure many others I haven’t named.

Some things are done not by organized groups but by individuals – Robin and Patti keeping the Micah breakfast program going; the Farrs and Tom Williams for their service to Micah; and the Allisons for providing music for a Micah community endeavor; Paige for working with Mac on the labyrinth; Kathleen, Brenda, Selby, and Margaret agreeing to head up Outreach with me; Rosemary for changing the altar hangings to represent the right season; Nancy Griswold taking on Blessings in a Backpack; those who’ve trimmed the bushes or weeded the Memorial Garden; individuals who see to frail members of our parish, bringing them meals, taking them to doctors’ appointments, helping them figure out their own finances and supplementing a little in desperate situations – you all know who you are. And there are many more Trinitarians who are working in quiet, personal ways where they see needs.

Some have forged ahead with new ideas. The Task Force to Dismantle Racism has led to ties with other churches in the area grappling with the same issues. A group undertook the task of feeding school children when the school system sent out an SOS. The new library is looking good these days. Our children and youth have had gatherings by Zoom. The banner proclaiming “Let’s Dismantle Racism” unfortunately disappears and then magically reappears (this time secured by steel cables!).

Our parish staff – Denise, Michele, Sam, and Priscilla – have kept us moving, active, and on the right pathway, most of the time working from their homes. And they have not complained about the difficulties of doing that, just figured out a way to accomplish the needed tasks.

As I was making a list of parish organizations and their leaders for Mother Cynthia, I felt such thankfulness once again for all of my fellow Trinitarians who live out their convictions through worship and helping others. A huge thank-you goes to the Discernment Committee, now the transition team. If we hadn’t had the diligence and perseverance of the Discernment Committee, led by Karla and Alda, we wouldn’t be making a list for Mother Cynthia as she assumes her duties as our Rector next week.

Thanks be to God!

Claire Curcio, Senior Warden

TRINITY NEWS

The 9:00AM Wednesday Morning Prayer service is taking a break.

Please join us for Morning Prayer at 6:30AM on weekdays,

beginning Tuesday, January 19th, live on Trinity's Facebook page.

LOVE GUIDES US -

Six Days of Prayer as We Approach the Presidential Inauguration

January 15-20, 2021

Recent days have been difficult, and many are anxious in these days leading up to the transition between Presidential administrations. Please join us as we pray for our nation, for each other and for ourselves. May we follow the wisdom found in I Corinthians 13 and be guided by the transforming power of love in the coming days. You will find the prayers here.

Join the community live on Facebook as experts discuss COVID-19 in the Fredericksburg region. Hear the impact COVID is having on the healthcare system, learn the latest news about the vaccine, and ask questions of the Mary Washington Healthcare panel.

Click here for the Facebook page to join the conversation!

REGISTERING FOR THE COVID-19 VACCINE

The Rappahannock Area Health Department is currently planning for vaccination of Tier 1B eligible essential workers and people age 75 and older within our jurisdiction (City of Fredericksburg or Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties.)

If you fall into this category, please follow these guidelines or if you have friends or family, please spread the word.

For people age 75 and older: Please fill out this form to receive updates and notifications on vaccination scheduling. https://redcap.link/rahd-75andover

For people age 75 and older and homebound: Please contact the RAHD Call Center at 540-899-4797 for more guidance.

For people not in Tier 1B: It will take some time before all in our district who wish to be fully vaccinated can be. RAHD is committed to moving as efficiently as possible through this arduous process. In the meantime, we implore all of you to be patient and continue and in some cases, increase, safety mitigations. For more updates, please visit https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/rappahannock/covid-19-vaccination-information/.

Thank you for volunteering to protect Virginia's health!

The Health Ministry Committee encourages parishioners to register as soon as they become eligible. Right now you must be at least 75 years old or meet one of the other requirements. If you are a little technically challenged and need some help signing up online, please call Brenda Chase (540-226-2628) and she or another member of the committee will assist you with the process.

RESUMING TRINITY’S GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

Last March the pandemic curtailed our meetings of Trinity’s Grief Support Group. The leaders believe it is time to resume meeting – this time around over Zoom. (It is also possible to join the meeting by phone using this number 1-301-715-8592.)

Gatherings will occur on the third Monday of each month, until further notice, from 10:30 a.m. – 12 Noon. This month’s meeting will be held on Monday, January 18th. To access the Zoom meeting, the ID number is 994 8002 5394 and the Passcode is 6YiW22.

For additional information, contact Randall Clingenpeel (540-207-0600) or Ruth Brancolini (540-760-6636). Consider joining us if you are finding it difficult to make sense of a significant loss, which might be exacerbated by these troubling times.

ANTI-RACISM TRAINING VIA ZOOM

On Super Bowl Sunday, Trinity will be offering some “super” training. Our first training on anti-racism is scheduled for February 7th at 2PM. We are blessed to have Aisha Huertas, the Diocese of Virginia (DoV) Minister for Missional Engagement, to facilitate “Learning to be Anti-Racist – Practical and Behavioral Approaches.” Her duties include assisting with racial reconciliation and dialogue training, as well as Beloved Community. The training will last approximately 60 minutes; it will be followed by a time for questions and answers. All Trinitarians are encouraged to participate in this significant step in our efforts to dismantle racism. To register, send your name and email address no later than Sunday, January 31st, to Jean Hunt at the following email: dehunt14@msn.com . You will be provided the Zoom link via email.

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BOOK REVIEWS BY THE TASK FORCE

TO PLAN TO DISMANTLE RACISM

“Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson. Caste is a thoroughly researched book by a Pulitzer Prize winning author with great narrative and literary power. It’s a real page-turner, exploring three systems of presumed supremacy of one group against the presumed inferiority of other groups on the basis of ancestry and often immutable traits. The author uses factual stories and an explanation of caste to cast a light onto our history, consequences, and presence in our everyday lives and to express hopes for its resolution. It’s a “must-read” for anyone to understand what lies under the surface of American life today.

“Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America” by Michael Dyson. This book is a compelling account of the history of significant events in American history using thoughtful letters to black martyrs. It grapples with the cultural and social forces that have shaped our nation in the brutal crucible of race. Dr. Dyson is one of America’s premier intellectuals and author of seven New York Time bestsellers. This book points the way to social redemption and is a guide to help America finally reckon with race. To access an excerpt from Long Time Coming, click here.

There will be a VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR this Sunday, January 17th at 9:30 a.m. Zoom meeting ID # 441 267 3172 and the password is 6YiW22. This will be a recurring Zoom meeting with the same ID and password each Sunday. We ask that everyone mute their microphones when we start the Zoom meeting to minimize background noise. You can unmute when and if you want to speak. We look forward to seeing you!

OFFERING ENVELOPES - There are still 26 boxes in the church entryway (Narthex). PLEASE stop by the church on Wednesdays from 9AM to 2PM and pick up your offering envelopes (contactless pick-up!) This is your last notice! Questions about your envelopes?, Contact Val Folden.

The new FORWARD DAY BY DAY for February/March/April is here! You may pick up your copy from the box outside the Ida Beck doors anytime! Please let Denise know if you take the last copy. There are plenty to go around!

Families with children are invited to join us for Online Sunday School this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for a 40 to 50-minute Sunday school lesson on Zoom. Our time together will include a few minutes of social (gathering) time, some songs we all know, some prayer time, a story, and an easy craft response to the story. This will be geared for children ages 5 through fifth grade, but older and younger people are welcome too. Each child/person will need a pencil, a few sheets of paper, and some crayons or colored pencils. I will email additional materials to everyone on Friday. If you have not received emails in the past with the information to join the class meeting and would like for your child to participate please contact Sam Burton at sburton@trinity-fredericksburg.org.

CLUB 45 will have their first meeting of the new year on Sunday, January 17th from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. via Zoom. We will have a game day! An email will be sent on Friday, January 15th with the information needed to join the meeting and some attachments for playing games. I hope all Club 45ers can join us for some fun! Trusted friends may be invited to participate in the Zoom meeting as well, just forward Friday’s email to them. To sign up for the meeting, or for more information, please contact Sam Burton at sburton@trinity-fredericksburg.org.

NEED AN ONLINE BIBLE STUDY? The GOOD BOOK CLUB picks up again on January 1 through Shrove Tuesday, February 16, with the Gospel of Mark. Since Mark is the gospel appointed for this lectionary year, you’ll have a chance to dive deep into the scripture through the Good Book Club and then spend time with Mark throughout 2021! We know you have a lot going on, so we wanted to make this year’s Good Book Club accessible and easy to participate. Along with partners from across the Episcopal Church, the Good Book Club offers daily podcasts of the readings and reflections, online book studies (live classes and pre-recorded), weekly preview emails, and different ways to participate via social media. Visit our resources page to learn more and sign up for classes.

"TIME TO BEGIN RECONCILIATION", a Meditation for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, by Bishop Porter Taylor, can be found here.

PLEASE GIVE TO THE BISHOP'S APPEAL TO HELP COVID-RELIEF MINISTRIES - Your gift to the Bishop’s Appeal will help feed those who are hungry, without shelter, and provide access to other basic needs in communities of the Diocese of Virginia affected by the crisis. Through the generosity of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund all online donations up to $25,000 will be matched so your gift to help is doubled. Encourage friends, family and fellow parishioners to join you. Share on social media what our mission means to you. Use the special hashtag #OneTogether so we can harness the power of social media and connection to help share your story!

All the Ways to Give

Online: Make double the impact and help us meet our $25,000 match through your gift @ https://bit.ly/DOVGIVES
Mail: Send your check to Bishop’s Appeal, PO Box 27426, Richmond, VA 23261
Text: Text DIOVA APPEAL to 73256 to give to the DOV Appeal fund [Bishop’s Appeal] using your text messaging. Standard text messaging rates may apply.

"From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference”

Starting January 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), The Episcopal Church launches "From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference,” a campaign urging Episcopalians and our neighbors to engage in the spiritual practice of listening and honest conversation across the many differences that separate us, starting with four simple questions:

1. What do you love?

2. What have you lost?

3. Where does it hurt?

4. What do you dream?