Trinity Newsletter for June 9, 2021

June 9, 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.

Hey Trinity! Check out our schedule:

Sunday, June 13 – 8:30 online only

Join us for Zoom Church with the Rev. Bambi Willis presiding.

There will not be an in-person 8:30 service this week.

Sunday, 10:30

Join us for in-person worship with the Rev. Jere Hinson presiding.

Please remember that we are still required to keep physical distance. Please refrain from shaking hands. Some folks are ready to sit together, others aren’t ready for that much togetherness. Please ask before sitting close to another family.

Masks are encouraged but not required.

Beginning Sunday, June 20th

The 10:30 service will be livestreamed.

Sunday, July 4th

The Rev. Will Dickinson will be our guest preacher.

Sunday, July 11th

Café Trinity returns!

Fredericksburg PRIDE March

June 26th 1:00

Let’s show our support of diversity, inclusion, and justice for all our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors.

We’ll gather at City Dock at 12:30, the March starts at 1:00.

We’ll walk from City Dock to Maury Park via Sophia and Caroline Streets.

Join Mother Cynthia and others as we support our LGBTQ+ community – All are welcome!

Labyrinth Orientation

Our beautiful labyrinth is now complete! All are invited to come and visit the labyrinth, if you haven’t already. There are many ways to use a labyrinth. It can be used as a tool to let go of stress and worries. It can be used as a source for inspiration or problem solving. It can be used for prayer and spiritual growth . It’s use may be determined by where you are in your life when you visit.

There will be a brief orientation at our labyrinth after the 10:30 service on Sunday, June 13, weather permitting. Please join us then for more labyrinth information.

Join our book club-support group.

Our world perpetuates a myth that our happiness, health, and ability to be loved are dependent on how we look. It’s no surprise that as women we are under tremendous pressure to be thin and beautiful. This objectification, we know, is harmful, but how do we escape it? Join us for a women’s support group where we’ll discuss the book, More Than a Body: Your Body is an Instrument, Not an Ornament. In an encouraging, inclusive, small Zoom group, we’ll work toward healing self-objectifying body image distortions by using practical tools, including journaling, to help you reconnect with your whole self.

Online Mondays at 3-5 pm CDT / 4-6 pm EDT from June 21 - August 2.

Led by Sarah Lenz and Cynthia McKenna

It’s free to join but you must register:

https://mailchi.mp/045969fde5c8/more-than-a-body-sign-up

The Caregivers’ Support Group will meet Thursday, June 10th, from 10:00-11:30 am at the church. Weather permitting we will meet outside. If not we will meet inside. Men and women who are caregivers for a disabled or ill adult or child are invited to attend the meeting.

If you have any questions, please call Randall Clingenpeel (540-207-0600), Claire Curcio (540-479-6988), or Brenda Chase (540-226-2628) for more information.

JUNE’S GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP MEETING

Trinity’s Monthly Grief Support Group will meet again, IN PERSON, on June 21 from 10:30 A.M. – Noon. We’ll meet in the Lounge – please use the William St. parking lot and enter the building using the door at the left end of the building as you face the building. The support group is open to anyone going through the various stages of grief associated with a major loss. Contact Randall Clingenpeel at 540-207-0600 with questions or concerns. We will honor safe distancing and the wearing of masks.

FEEDING SCHOOL CHILDREN

Trinity will once again help feed school children at an apartment complex this summer in the City of Fredericksburg, as we and other Micah churches assist the city school system. We need a few more volunteers since, happily, many of us will be traveling this summer and will be gone significant lengths of time. The volunteering will occur weekdays from approximately 11AM - 1 PM, usually a little less time that. We do not yet know the site where we will be working but it will be somewhere within the city.

If we can get several more volunteers, we can set up schedules where no one works more than once a week and probably the time would be more like once every two weeks or so. Everyone who worked last summer volunteered to do so again, so you can tell that it was a rewarding experience.

Last year at first we picked up the food at Lafayette Upper Elementary (on Rt. 1) early in the program; after they became more organized, the food was delivered to our site by school employees. A canopy and tables were provided for us to use for outdoor distribution; we brought our own lawn chairs. So far we have not received details from Micah/Fredericksburg City Schools, other than that the program begins Monday, June 14.

Two or three volunteers each day make the work quite easy. It's a good opportunity to involve a grandchild as a helper, too.

Those of us who worked last year found great satisfaction in providing food for children in need, and the work was very pleasant as we sat outside and chatted with families and with our fellow Trinity workers. And we sometimes slipped treats into the bag for "our" children. This is a wonderful example of "walking ministry" where we can interact with the community.

TASK FORCE TO PLAN TO DISMANTLE RACISM BOOK REVIEW

“Episcopalians and Race” by Gardiner H. Shattuck. This book analyzes how religious interpretations of social and racial unity influenced race relations among members of the Episcopal Church in the United States between the Civil War and the civil rights movement. The author’s interest is principally in the ideas of church leaders (predominantly White) about their relationship with African Americans.

The book is divided into three main sections: (1) segregation – from the late 1860’s through the early 1950’s; (2) integration – from the release of the Brown decision in 1954 through the Selma-Montgomery march in 1965; and (3) what the author calls “fragmentation” -- the breakup of the civil rights coalition in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. The book concludes with an Epilogue that carries the story of Episcopalians and race forward to the controversy surrounding the location of the Episcopal Church of North America’s 1991 General Convention – a troubling instance of history repeating itself.

The new Trinity library adjacent to the Ida Beck Chapel is now open.

Approximately 350 books and audio material with religious and spiritual content are available for lending to Trinity parishioners and visitors. The books and audio items may be kept as long as needed. Borrowers are asked to list the titles and date on a sign-out form.

Included are a variety of Bibles and prayer books; historical and interpretive works; world religions; popular fiction with a spiritual connection; material for children and young adults, and material relating to church missions such as the anti-racism task force, the health committee, and grief counseling program.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. The plan calls for adding new print and audio material on a regular basis. Contributions are still needed.

Vacation Bible School – Trinity VBS will be “Changing the World with Lovingkindness” July 19 – 23. We will try a hybrid model this year, most of the sessions will be both live on Zoom and recorded and there will be at least one in-person family event for arts, crafts, and games in a stations type format so we can all be socially distanced. To make VBS accessible for the greatest number of children and their families, please let Sam Burton know your preferences from the list below and email your response to sburton@trinity-fredericksburg.org. as soon as possible so plans may be finalized.

-Option 1 - Mon. 7/19 – Thurs. 7/22, 10 – 11:30 a.m. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Fri. 7/23, 10 – 11:30.

-Option 2 - Mon. 7/19 – Thurs. 7/22, 10 – 11:30 a.m. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Sat. 7/24 10 - 11:30.

-Option 3 - Mon. 7/19 – Thurs. 7/22, 1 – 2:30 p.m. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Fri. 7/23, 1 – 2:30.

-Option 4 - Mon. 7/19 – Thurs. 7/22, 1 – 2:30 p.m. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Sat. 7/24, 1 – 2:30.

-Option 5 - Mon. 7/19 – Thurs. 7/22, 6 – 7:30 p.m. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Fri. 7/23, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

-Option 6 - Sun. 7/18 – Wed. 7/21, 6 – 7:30 pm. online and in-person family craft, game session, and celebration on Thurs. 7/22 6 – 7:30 p.m.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

Trinity Youth – The Trinity Youth Group will join St. George’s youth for tubing on the Rappahannock River this Sunday, June 13. We will meet at the Virginia Outdoor Center on Fall Hill Ave at 11:30 and float down to Old Mill Park. Once at the park we will have snacks, drinks, and fellowship. There is no cost for this activity. Please bring a mask and a towel. For more information, a permission slip, and to reserve your spot, contact Sam Burton at sburton@trinity-fredericksburg.org. Parents, adults are needed to help chaperone. Please contact Sam Burton.

Youth Mission/Service Opportunity - The Youth Groups of Trinity and St. George’s are combining for a local mission day camp June 28 through July 2, from 9:00 to 2:00 each day. Lunch will be provided. We will be working on local service projects such as helping with the food pantry, “The Table”, at St. George’s; working with Micah; a project with Friends of the Rappahannock; and canal trail and riverbank cleanups. Appropriate precautions against covid-19 will be taken. Interested youth in middle school and high school should contact Sam Burton before June 23rd at sburton@trinity-fredericksburg.org for more information and a registration form.