Tuesday 5:30pm: Qi Gong in Parish Hall

Wednesday 11am: Bible Study in Parish Hall

Wednesday 4:30pm: Children’s Choir Rehearsal

Wednesday 5:30pm: Trinity Wednesday Potluck & Discussion

Wednesday 7pm: 11:15am Choir Rehearsal

Thursday 5:30pm: Contemplative Prayer 

Thursday 7:30pm: 9am Choir Rehearsal

Thrift Shop: Monday 10am-Noon, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-1pm

Prayer List - to submit a prayer request click here.

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

Our word of the week is IHS. IHS is the “monogram” of Jesus, the Latinized version of the first three letters of his name in Greek. It is also often confused with the Latin phrase “in hoc signo,” which means “in this sign,” from the phrase “i n hoc signo vinces” “in this sign you will conquer,” the phrase the emperor Constantine saw in the sky next to a cross at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, marking the official beginning of his conversion (and thus the Roman Empire’s conversion) to Christianity. 

Sunday School for Children and Adults meets on Sundays at 10:30am! The Sunday School for Adults meets in the main room in the Parish Hall, and this Sunday we’ll be looking at the final stories from Jesus’ childhood. 

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. We’re reading Rachel Held Evans’ Inspired, and for this Wednesday read the “The Sea” and Chapter Seven: Fish Stories.

Our annual parish meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26th, at 10:30am (during the Sunday School time). We’ll elect three new members of the vestry (see their profiles and photos below at the end of this e-mail) and seven delegates to diocesan convention, and we’ll review 2019 and hear about what is planned for 2020. There’s no Sunday School for children that day so that teachers can attend the meeting, but Karen has activities planned for children of all ages in the Annex during the meeting, and the nursery will be open as usual. We have great annual meetings – we hope you’ll join us this year!

Trinity Folsom’s ECW (Episcopal Church Women) is planning on painting the town red and every other color of the rainbow on Sunday, February 9th, from 1-3:30 at the Painted Cork (726 Sutter Street). Childcare will be provided at the church. We don’t know the exact cost yet of the event, but will have it in next week’s Tidings. We’re reserving 30 seats for painting, and we’ll open RSVPs soon. But if you’re interested, mark your calendar and look for more info in next week’s Tidings! 

The parish’s Thanksgiving meal drive for Twin Lakes Food Bank was a great success, bringing in a total of $3504, enough to purchase 100 Turkeys, 100 Pumpkin Pies, 200 boxes of stuffing, and 60 cans of cream of mushroom soup. We had so much money left over that we were able to purchase most of the Food Bank’s Christmas dinners as well!

On December 14th, 30+ Trinitarians stocked and staffed the women’s store at Christmas Around Towne, one of six themed stores where over 750 low wealth individuals use vouchers to “shop” for Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Many thanks are due for all of you who donated, sorted, priced, and inventoried gifts for the women’s store over the past few months.  

Finally, though the outreach committee usually earmarks some money to support fire relief efforts, a relatively “tame” fire season meant that we were able to make a $3000 end-of-the-year donation to Centro Infantil de Los Angeles, the day school in San Miguel de Allende that a delegation of Trinitarians will be volunteering with next week. This donation was matched by Global Giving for a total gift of $6000. In consultation with the outreach committee, the vestry also approved $2660 donations to both the Orangevale Food Bank and the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership. 

A final donation of $2000 to Heifer International, when combined with the $1800 raised from our Christmas Greens sale, was triple-matched through the efforts of Outreach Committee member Ron Hankins, for a total of $11,423 for the organization. In case you were wondering, that’s enough money to buy 380 chickens, 95 goats, 23 Heifers, or 15 clean water stations for our neighbors in the developing world! 

And these are only the “black and white” numbers on the page that speak to a bigger spirit of generosity that is alive in this place. Thank you for your pledges and gifts. Please stay tuned as the outreach committee will have some more good news in the report that’ll be passed out at the annual meeting on the 26th!

Next Wednesday, a delegation comprised of Shelley Campbell, Nancy Kendall-McHenry, Lynn Wilkerson, Deb Goldsmith, Karen Keilson, Robin Caudle, Carol Perek, and Fr. Charlie will embark on what the outreach committee has dubbed a “partnership pilgrimage” to central Mexico and the town of San Miguel de Allende. We share several parishioners with a St. Paul’s Anglican Church in San Miguel, and the leadership and clergy of both parishes feel that we have a lot to learn from each other. St. Paul’s has a long and ambitious tradition of outreach. Feed the Hungry, one of the largest hunger relief agencies in Mexico, started in their parish kitchen and now feeds 4,000 schoolchildren a day. Saint Paul’s also discerned a need to help the poorest children in San Miguel to get a head-start and formed Centro Infantil de los Angeles (CILA), which provides a daycare and a preschool education for 2-5 year-olds. 

Our delegation will stay in CILA’s dormitory and help tend to the students’ needs in the mornings and early afternoons. After our shifts, we’ll explore the cultural gem that is San Miguel, with a special attention to its religious heritage. Unlike most mission trips, we are not building anything (other than relationships!), and all the money we spend on our room and board at CILA will go towards operating costs of the organization. Please pray that our pilgrims have safe travels and open hearts!  

Are you one of the best bakers you know? Fr. Charlie serves on the board of the Belfry, the Lutheran-Episcopal chaplaincy at UC Davis, which also functions as an Episcopal Service Corps Program. And on February 22nd, the Belfry is hosting a head-to-head baking contest to raise money for young adult and campus ministry.

The event is being hosted from 2:30-5pm at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Davis, but if you’re not interested in attending and simply want the bragging rights involved in beating all the Lutheran and Episcopal churches in the area, then Father Charlie will take your creations to the contest for you and pay the admission fee. 

There are four categories—Cake, Pie, Cookies, Bread—and entrants are asked to two bake (2) of each tasty item (or two dozen items for cupcakes and cookies). One item is for the judges and the other is for attendees to try. First and second place prizes will be awarded in each category, and an overall Fan Favorite will be awarded based on attendee votes. If you are interested in entering the competition, please email Fr. Charlie.

Our St. Martha’s Guild, coordinated by Karen Keilson, is always welcoming folks to join them for fellowship and food while quilting and crafting. The quilters in the St. Martha’s Guild are responsible for the beautiful quilts we give to those being baptized at Trinity Folsom, and since we have a relatively large number of baptisms, they’re always looking for quilters to help them out. If you don’t quilt, but love to work on some sort of craft or another, you’re welcome to join the St. Martha’s Guild. The St. Martha’s Guild gets together weekly, give or take a few weeks, on Friday mornings at 10:30am at Karen Keilson’s house in Granite Bay; bring whatever you are sewing or knitting or crafting at the moment, and enjoy some time with Trinitarians with similar interests. And even if you can’t attend the Friday morning get-togethers, but you like to quilt and are interested in helping with the baptismal quilts, Karen would love to hear from you! For more information, contact Karen directly or Fr. Charlie, who often attends the St. Martha’s meetings, for more information.

Our Flower Guild is responsible for the beautiful altar arrangements throughout the year, and they are looking for another member or two to help share the joy. Most Flower Guild members do the flowers about one Sunday a month. You don’t need to have any particular training or skills – Michelle Kwek, a wonderful florist, will train you, and you’ll have the opportunity to “shadow” and work with other members of the Flower Guild before you strike out on your own. And you can sign up to try it, and if it isn’t a fit, no worries – we appreciate you giving it a try. If you’re interested in learning more, e-mail Fr. Todd or our parish administrator Barbara. 

The family of Buzz Merz (11:15am), whose funeral was held here at the church in December, is also holding a celebration of his life on January 25th, from noon to 4pm, in the Sierra Room at Lake Natoma Inn. They would be honored if you would like to attend. Since they’re planning a buffet lunch for the event, if you intend to go, please RSVP to Buzz’s daughter Denise Merz-Stavis by January 20th. 

Interested in attending diocesan convention as one of our delegates? The 2020 diocesan convention will be held November 6th-7th. If you’re interested, e-mail Fr. Todd. 

We’ve had quite a few people ask, so we thought we should put this in the Tidings. You’re welcome to write separate checks for your annual pledge and your capital campaign pledge, or you can include it all on one check – if you do, please write the amount to go to each fund on the memo line. Thanks so much!

Several people recently have asked us if we accept stock transfers as fulfillment of annual operating budget pledges and capital campaign pledges, so we have set up an account to receive stock transfers. For more information, contact Barbara in the church office 916.985.2495 or trinity@trinityfolsom.org. 

 

We’ve also learned that a lot of people weren’t aware that you can fulfill your charitable pledges through required minimum distributions from your IRA? If you’re 70 ½ and older, you can make a contribution to Trinity Folsom directly from your Traditional IRA by instructing the plan administrator to make the transfer directly to Trinity Folsom as a Qualified Charitable Distribution. Your gift will go directly to Trinity Folsom, will not be reported as taxable income, and will count toward your RMD requirements for 2019. For more information, contact Barbara in the church office 916.985.2495 or trinity@trinityfolsom.org.  

Graham, who grew up in The Episcopal Church in West Virginia, first attended Trinity Folsom in the late 1970s, when he and his wife Karin moved to the Sacramento area. They moved away, but have been members of Trinity Folsom since they returned to California in 1994. Graham and Karin, a native of Germany, met when Graham was in the Air Force and stationed in Pakistan, and were married in the Church of England parish in Lahore. They’ve been involved in Episcopal churches throughout their lives wherever they’ve moved. Graham is retired from the Air Force and the State of California. Graham and Karin attend the 7:30am service, at which Graham serves as a lector and Karin on the Altar Guild; they are also coffee hour hosts and regular participants in Trinity Wednesdays. Graham has previously served the parish as a member of the vestry, the rector search committee, and last year’s capital campaign committee. Fr. Todd asked Graham to serve on the vestry because of his profound sense of duty and strong and deep commitment to this parish and serving our neighbors in need.  

Judy grew up at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Petaluma, and has been worshipping Trinity Folsom since 1986. She has been involved with The Episcopal Church throughout her life; her career in ag/chem and pharmaceutical sales took her to Delaware and the San Joaquin Valley here in California, and she was active in Episcopal parishes in both locations. Judy and her husband Scott attend the 9am service, at which they serve as ushers and Judy serves as a lector. You’ll recognize Scott as one of the folks who is always setting up chairs for overflow crowds in church and in the Sunday School for Adults. Scott and Judy taught our Financial Peace University class in the fall of 2018 and hope to offer it again in the future. Judy volunteers in the Thrift Shop and as part of the work group that looks after our buildings and grounds, and often leads the Trinity Trekkers in Fr. Charlie’s absence. She has previously served the parish as a member of the vestry, the rector search committee, and last year’s capital campaign committee. Fr. Todd asked Judy to serve on the vestry because of her dedication to this parish, her proven leadership in so many aspects of our parish life, and her tireless enthusiasm for this parish to follow God’s call for us into the future.   

Asia was born in Portland, Oregon, but grew up in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan where their parents served as missionaries. After almost ten years in Kyrgyzstan, their family moved to New Zealand, and then finally landed here in Folsom, where they graduated from Vista del Lago in 2012. Asia got their degree in graphic design from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2016, and is a freelance graphic designer. When they moved back to Folsom, they knew they wanted to start going to church again, but wanted to try something different than the evangelical tradition in which they were raised. Asia values Trinity Folsom’s commitment to traditional liturgy and greater inclusivity. Asia attends the 11:15am service, is a regular at Trinity Wednesdays, and is involved in the newly forming young adults group. Fr. Todd asked Asia to serve on the vestry because he values their thoughtfulness, their appreciation of the Episcopal expression of liturgical worship, and their perspective as a young and relatively new Episcopalian.  

Trinity Episcopal Church

 801 Figueroa Street

Folsom, CA 95630

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