Trinity Church News November 17, 2021

In this issue: Click "view entire message" at bottom of email if you notice that part of newsletter seems to be missing.

Thanksgiving Day Dinner Here at 1 p.m. for Trinity Parish Trinity's Giving Tree in Memorial Room This Sunday Thank You for Your Donations for Gift Cards! Our Thanks to Ben Griffin for His Musical Gifts Mother Suzanne on Christ the King Sunday Stewardship: The Gift of Relationship Join the Choir! Christ the King History and Music by Ben Griffin Link for Dana Berry's Funeral on 11/16 Seeking Someone to Produce Trinity's Online Newsletter Trinity Book Group Reading "Holy Envy" Next Check-in and Chat is December 1 at 10 a.m. ECW Next Brunch Men's Group Next Brunch Recap of the 147th Diocese Convention Worship Times, Lessons, Links Trinity Calendar Credit Card and Check Draft Secure Link Mail Returned if Addressed to 6th St Reminder: ALL TRINITY MAIL MUST BE SENT TO P.O. Box 851, Hamilton, Ohio 45012

Thanksgiving Day Dinner at 1 p.m. for our Trinity Family Pam Bates is Our Primary Chef! Spending Thanksgiving alone?  Prefer to enjoy fellowship with others? Don’t want to cook?  Come to Thanksgiving Dinner at Trinity on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, at 1:00 p.m. Everything is provided – just come and enjoy! The more the merrier!  Thank you to Pam Bates for this great idea! Please let us know your coming so we can know how much to cook. Contact the parish office at 513-896-6755 or trinitychurchhamilton@gts.edu.

Thank you for your donations for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Gift Cards The $100 gift cards to Kroger or Walmart will support people and their families in the Hamilton area whom we have gotten to know and built relationships with over several years. These folks are deeply appreciative of the assistance we give them to help them celebrate the holidays. Thank you for sharing your gifts from God with the people of God in need.

Thank You Ben Griffin! This will be Ben Griffin's last week for sharing a "musical" newsletter article with us.  Ben's wonderful musical talents have carried us through the pandemic with the leading of on-line hymn sings, the writing of beautiful and informative newsletter articles, and playing the organ for special on-line services from the sanctuary. He kept music alive for us during the long period when we could not meet together. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Thoughts from Mother Suzanne "Christ the King Sunday" 11/21 Well! Ben stole my idea of talking with you about Christ the King Sunday! Please check out his article below in the newsletter about the significance and theology of this Christian holiday.   What I can say about Christ the King Sunday is that it marks the end of our long period of Ordinary Time when we have months on end with no Christian holiday seasons, such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. These are Christian seasons which last from twelve days (the Christmas season) to seven weeks (the Easter season).    Christ the King Sunday is the marker that says, “Hey, get ready! We are starting a new Christian year. We are about to enter Advent, the four-week season when we prepare for the celebration of the birth of the Christ.”   And I am excited! This will be the start of our first major celebration since the pandemic and we will be gathering in-person for it! And many of our major Trinity traditions are returning!    Holiday Gift Cards are being purchased today for those in need, The Giving Tree is being set up in the Memorial Room, ECW is preparing for their cookie baking and Cookie Sale, talk is beginning about Greening the Church and the Chili and Soup Gathering that follows, and plans are being made for ordering poinsettias!   It’s beginning to feel a lot like Advent and Christmas!    All of this is part of an increasing rise of energy and activity at Trinity over the last month.    More and more people are returning to in-person worship, more and more are picking up ministries and leadership roles. Additional parishioners are helping in the office and our new Music Director begins just in time for Advent. Small groups are meeting. People are bringing items for the Master’s Closet. And we are planning for Advent and Christmas!   It’s beginning to feel a lot like the ministry, worship, and fellowship that’s Trinity!   What a great way to be entering the new Christian year!    – Mother Suzanne

The Gift of Relationship --The Rev. Sarah Fisher Jesus stands before Pilate. We know this story. We hear it on Good Friday, we remember it every week in the Nicene Creed. And our ears hear it anew today, on the cusp of Advent, as we are emerging and rebuilding from an unimaginable time of pandemic. Once again, we proclaim Christ the King of all Creation. As Jesus and Pilate talk, we learn something powerful about who Jesus is and how he serves God and humanity. We are reminded of who he is called to be and what he has come here to do. And it invites us to wonder who we are and who we are called to be, in this moment, in this season of our lives, and in this moment of our Church. What strikes me how Jesus acts in the time of trial. He acts with integrity. He makes a choice to remain wholly who he is, firmly rooted in love of God and clear about the work he has come to do. In that moment Jesus stays true to who he is. His trust in God remains steadfast too. We’re invited to do the same. We know this in a distinct way in stewardship season. Our money is one of the most powerful and honest symbols of what we offer to God and to the church. It is one of the truest ways we can understand what we value and what we believe. Faithful, selfless and generous giving invites into a deeper relationship with God and our money. And it requires us to do the hard, but essential work of looking deep within to discover what we truly value, what we consider most precious. |   The Rev. Sarah Fisher is rector of St. Catherine’s Church in Marietta, Georgia and is a former member of the Board of Directors for TENS.

Questions for Reflection --As we emerge from the pandemic, many of us are rebuilding—lives, jobs, churches. How in this post-pandemic time do you understand Christ the King? Has your understanding of God’s faithfulness shifted or changed? -- What do you notice in your own life about your relationship to God and your wallet? What story does it tell you?

Choir! Choir! Choir! Do you like to make a joyful noise to the Lord through singing? – Join the Trinity Choir! We are happy to announce that with the hiring of John Webb as Trinity’s Music Director, Trinity’s Choir will once again become active.  So, those of you with singing voices who want to join the choir to make a Joyful noise unto the Lord, start warming up those vocal cords!  Join us for the organizational meeting of the new choir on Sunday, November 28, at 10:45 AM, following the 9:30 AM Eucharist. John has a great enthusiasm for working with smaller choirs and experience in choosing music appropriate for a mixture of voice ranges and musical aptitude. We are looking forward to the choir performing during the Advent and Christmas Seasons!

Believe it or not, the end of the liturgical year is upon us! Christ the King Sunday --Ben Griffin Next Sunday we’re into Advent yet again, that meaningful time of expectation leading up to Christmas. In the lead-up to Advent the scripture readings have gotten increasingly apocalyptic, both in the weekly and daily lectionary tracks, culminating in Christ the King Sunday which we celebrate this week. To emphasize the universal sense of this kingship—not an earthly political concept but something much more—some pastors and theologians instead refer to the Cosmic Kingship of Christ.   Hymns for this week have a lot of imagery related to this side of kingship, which is all about status and power—“Crown him with many crowns, as thrones before him fall, crown him, ye kings, with many crowns, for he is King of all.” “His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.” “His kingdom cannot fail; he rules o’er earth and heaven; the keys of death and hell to Christ the Lord are given.” “And crown him Lord of all.” These are some of my favorite hymns.   But for me, more compelling are the hymns that allude to the passage in Paul’s letter to the Philippians about Christ choosing to empty and humble himself, rather than assert that kingly power. The Gospel reading from John for this coming Sunday is relevant here. In it, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Jesus always subverts what we think is normal, doesn’t he? He doesn’t choose earthly or cosmic power, but rather to live as one of us and for us.   Bland Tucker’s hymn “All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine” puts it this way: “Thou cam’st to us in lowliness of thought; by thee the outcast and the poor were sought; and by thy death was God’s salvation wrought. Alleluia.” James Montgomery also highlights this counterintuitive mission in verse 2 of “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed:” “He comes with succor speedy to those who suffer wrong, to help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong; to give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light, whose souls, condemned and dying, were precious in his sight.”   I think it’s important to keep these two complementary images of Christ in mind as we head into the season of Advent, anticipating the coming of the one who is “King of kings, yet born of Mary. . . Lord of Lords in human vesture.” Here are some stirring hymns to help you ponder that mystery this week. Just click on the lines below.   Crown him with many crowns Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Rejoice, the Lord is King All hail the power of Jesus’ Name (the best tune!) All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine Hail to the Lord’s Anointed Let all mortal flesh keep silence   On a personal note, this will be my last weekly newsletter entry. I want to thank Mother Suzanne and all of you at Trinity for giving me the opportunity to contribute in this small way to the congregational life of your parish for the last 10 months. It’s been an absolute pleasure, and I wish you all the best as you welcome your new music director next week!--Ben

Link for Dana Berry's Funeral on 11/16 https://www.facebook.com/sreclex/videos/194602329511892 We sent a special email about Dana's death Monday including the funeral information and Lee Davis' newer address. Please keep Lee, and Dana’s daughter, Amanda, as well as Dana’s extended family in your prayers. Condolences may be sent to Lee at: Lee Davis, 285 Gleneagles Way, Versailles, KY 40383.

Suzie Schmidt's Generosity Suzie Schmidt Using her fabric scraps, Elizabeth "Suzie" Schmidt of Lebanon has made pillows and quilts for the Master's Closet free Clothing pantry over the past few years. Most of the quilts are smaller throws. We just received 26 pillows and 16 quilts (pictured) The smaller ones will be given to the NEST program mothers this Christmas with the larger quilts going into the Master's Closet along with the pillows of various sizes that are stuffed with fabric scraps. Trinity is truly grateful for our friendship with Suzie and her generous gift of time, treasure and talent.

Above: The variety of "Suzie-made" quilts folded on tables in Fellowship Hall. Above: A sampling of the pillows Suzie made for us to give away, especially to those who are homeless or living in shelters.

Ministry Opportunity!--Trinity Newsletter Production We are looking for a person to help with the weekly Trinity on-line Constant Contact newsletter published every Wednesday afternoon, in collaboration with Mother Suzanne. Must be computer savvy with graphics experience, willing to write and edit copy, be detail oriented, flexible and have the ability to work on a deadline. Involves about five hours of work a week if you are familiar with the Constant Contact software. Information for the newsletter normally comes through Mother Suzanne and a few others, with newsletter production starting on Tuesday afternoon and ending by 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Trinity's Beloved Book Club We are reading Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor Next Zoom meeting is on 11/24 The club met, November 10th at 10 a.m. to discuss the first six chapters of the book - about 120 pages in total. The next meeting via Zoom is November 24th at 10 a.m. The book is a relatively easy read but with some challenging thoughts and ideas as we follow an Episcopal Priest - the writer - through her own journey away from and ultimately pilgrimage back to the faith that called her to Ordination. By turns funny, sad, and provocative, we look forward to some interesting discussion! Please feel free to join in with us, meeting via Zoom initially, as we set off on our literary adventure together. Please contact Sarah Ruston at sarahctglendale@gmx.com

Next Check-in and Chat December 1 at 10 a.m. on Zoom Every other Wednesday  Anyone who would like to connect via Zoom for an hour long "Check-in and Chat" session is invited to join Sarah Ruston who is hosting this new small group activity with your fellow Trinitarians. Email Sarah if you wish or if you have difficulty connecting: sarahctglendale@gmx.com.    Please click on the link here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82472049826?pwd=eVFNaXd2SlN5ZXVCNzM1N1JVRVRYdz09   Meeting Number: 82472049826 Passcode: 993584

Next ECW Gathering - Sunday, December 12 - 10:45 a.m. following the 9:30 a.m. worship service. Please bring three to four dozen cookies. We will prepare the Cookie Plates for Sale on December 19th and for delivery to Trinity shut-ins.  The ECW gathering on November 14th brought together 18 women of the parish for food and fellowship and to hear a presentation from Linda Griffin on her newly published book, Hope and Learning, Our Journey with Schizophrenia, about her and her son's journey with his diagnosis of schizophrenia. Next Men's Brunch - Sunday, December 12 - 10:45 a.m. . Gather in the Memorial Room at 10:45. Place for sharing brunch is to be determined. The last brunch was held at The Texas Road house on Sunday, November 14th, with five Trinity men sharing food and fellowship.

147th Convention Recap Over 400 laity and clergy from across the Diocese of Southern Ohio met on Saturday, November 13th, via Zoom for the annual Diocesan Convention.   Six resolutions were considered by the Convention, including a resolution to change the canonical status of St. Paul’s, Logan, from mission to parish status. That measure was unanimously approved in both the lay and clergy orders. Other resolutions adopted included approval of an updated Mission Share Funding Plan, and continuing the work of the Reparations Task Force. Two resolutions called for convention to approve the sponsorship of resolutions at The Episcopal Church General Convention in July 2022. A resolution proposed by the Trustees of the Church Foundation to create a building fund was not approved. You can see the text of the resolutions adopted and the ballot results here. Several leadership positions in the diocese were up for election; new members were elected to Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, Trustees of the Diocese, Trustees of the Church Foundation, Regional Disciplinary Review Board and Procter Center Board. You can see the election results here. Resolutions to approve and implement the 2022 Operating Budget were also approved. You can see the budget here. Provisional Bishop Wayne Smith addressed the convention. The video of the address can be viewed below. Reports from the Trustees of the Diocese and the Diocesan Treasurer were also presented; the summaries of these reports will be included in the convention journal. Written annual reports from the committees, commissions and task forces can be found here. Dates and location for the 148th Annual Convention were announced by Diocesan Council 1st Vice President David Thomson. The two-day, in-person gathering is scheduled for December 9-10, 2022, at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington. Provisional Bishop Wayne Smith addressed the convention giving his thoughts on this time of transition.

Click Here to Hear the Bishop's Address

Until further notice, there will be..... One In-Person Sunday Worship Service -- 9:30 a.m. On the 1st and 3rd Sundays we will worship using a Rite I liturgy without music. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays we will worship using a Rite II liturgy with organ music. On the 5th Sundays we will worship using a Morning Prayer liturgy. As the pandemic lifts, we will return to two services. Masks are required for all parish activities including in-person worship. Singing is discontinued for all in-person worship. Communion, Bread only, will be distributed at the Chancel steps. We ask that parishioners then return to their seats prior to consuming the Bread.

Worship Schedule Sunday, November 21st  Eucharist, Rite I 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary 9:30 a.m. On-line, Morning Prayer Click here for Facebook Live Throughout the Week 9:30 a.m. Monday--Saturday, A Word and A Prayer, Click here for Facebook Live 8:30 p.m. Every Evening, Compline Noon on Saturdays--Stations of Ordinary Time

Last Sunday After Pentecost Christ the King Scripture Year B RCL Proper 29 Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Psalm 93 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37 Click on the scripture above to read along.

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

November 21st Altar Flowers are given by Teresa and Mark Durbin to the glory of God and in honor of Emily and Kevin.

To provide flowers for a service, please contact Sue Samoviski at 513-478-8918. sjsamoviski@fuse.net Beginning with 11/28 through Advent, the altar is decorated with greens.

CALENDAR OF BUILDING ACTIVITIES Wednesday--November 17--9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Office open. 10 a.m. to noon, Master's Closet Clothing Pantry open. 7:00 p.m. NA Meeting Fellowship Hall. Thursday--November 18--7:00 p.m.--NA Women's Group--Fellowship Hall Friday--November 19--8:30 p.m.---AA 12 Steps--Fellowship Hall Sunday--November 21--9:30 a.m., Eucharist, Rite I. Monday--November 22--9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Office open. 10 a.m. to noon, Master's Closet Clothing Pantry open. 2:00 p.m.--Budget Meeting Tuesday--November 23--6:00 p.m. The Round Table. Wednesday--November 24--9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Office open. 10 a.m. to noon, Master's Closet Clothing Pantry open. Thursday--November 25--Trinity Thanksgiving----1:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall. 7:00 p.m.--NA Women's Group--Fellowship Hall Friday--November 26--8:30 p.m.---AA 12 Steps--Fellowship Hall Sunday--November 28--9:30 a.m., Eucharist, Rite II. 10:45 a.m.--Choir Organizational Meeting in Choir Room Monday--November 29--9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Office open. 10 a.m. to noon, Master's Closet Clothing Pantry open.

Make a contribution with Trinity's secure credit card/check draft link You may use the button below or access the giving link via the trinityhamilton.org website. Click Online Giving in the menu and fill out the form. You will see that you may donate one time or set up recurring credit card or checking account gifts. The site will generate a receipt after every gift. We pay fees for this type of giving. You have the option to cover the credit card processing (usually 2.5% of the transaction amount) oe leave that check box blank. We also can take automatic withdrawals from your checking account.

Trinity's Own Giving Link

Post Office returns mail sent to 115 N. Sixth St. We use the post office box because it is a reliable and safe way to receive our mail since the parish office is not open every day. The forwarding time has ended so please use the P.O. box address. MAILING ADDRESS INCLUDING ZIP CODE Trinity Episcopal Church P.O. Box 851 Hamilton, OH 45012

Parish Office Hours Mondays and Wednesdays - 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Messages checked weekdays. Email checked daily. On weekends, please call Mother Suzanne.

Mother Suzanne: slevesconte@gts.edu 513-869-8694 Church email: (received by Lisa Gooding): trinitychurchhamilton@ gmail.com  Website: trinityhamilton.org  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trinity-Episcopal-Church-Hamilton-Ohio-151615496591/