This Week at Trinity, June 15, 2021
In the "Interim": Returning to a New Normal
Dear fellow travelers at Trinity,

By this time tomorrow I expect we will have news from the diocese regarding the next steps churches will take in reopening. I know many of us are eager for a “return to normal.” And some of what we do will feel familiar! But I think we should be a little cautious about the word “normal,” as if we can go back to the way things used to be. On the contrary, I think COVID will leave a long-term mark on churches in general: We will be different, perhaps in surprising ways. In this interim time, Trinity in particular will be exploring what has been “normal” as it gets ready for its next chapter. And that means asking how some of the “ways we have always done it” need to change, to adapt to new circumstances.

The good news is that COVID has required churches in general to discover the gifts of flexibility, of willingness to try new things, and letting go of some others. Those are qualities not only of interim times but of successful churches in general. Openness to change, and comfort with the anxiety change can bring, can help us move forward.

One my favorite Anglicans and Roman Catholics (he was both!), the English theologian John Henry Newman (1801-1890), put it this way: “In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” I’m not sure we ever get to “perfection,” but I am convinced that openness to change, and the flexibility it presumes, is key to helping not just Trinity but almost every church find their next steps into the future.

I look forward to seeing where that openness will lead us.

Bryan
Looking back, Looking Ahead

Last week we talked about how the parables of Jesus can show us patterns we might recognize in our own lives—even that Jesus is telling a new parable about the kingdom of God through us. (You can read last Sunday’s homily at the link below.)

Next Sunday we see Jesus in a new light: The teacher of parables can also calm storms, with authority over wind and waves. What “storms” might we like Jesus or God to “calm” in our own lives? In the world we live in? How might we participate in bringing about that peace? You can find Sunday's readings at the link below.
Book Club to Discuss The Turquoise Table

The Turquoise Table by Kristin Schell is a lovely book that invites us to make a difference right where we live by welcoming friends and neighbors to stop by, share some food, and connect. 

The book, replete with stories and recipes, provides a guide to help us slow down and take time to get to know one another. What better time to partake in this journey as we emerge from the grips of a global pandemic and return to seeing friends and family once again. 

Please plan to join us on Zoom on July 14 at 6:30 p.m.
To attend by telephone, call (312) 626-6799

Meeting ID: 995 4798 6453
Password: 739973

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,99547986453#,,,,*739973#
Trinity Family Reunion Slated for June 27

The Trinity Family Reunion will be Sunday, June 27, noon to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Please come and visit with friends old and new. The church will provide nibbles, drinks, plates, napkins, silverware and T-shirts. If transportation is needed please call Jodie McCann at 847 624 3618.

Please RSVP by Evite (when registering, remember to uncheck the notifications box if you do not want to receive marketing e-mail from Evite).

Please note, on June 27, the in-person service will be at 11 a.m., and the Zoom service will be at 9 a.m. (opposite of the usual schedule).
Opportunities for Worship
Invitation to Morning Prayer Rite Two
Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. (3 p.m. UTC)
(by Zoom only, no in-person service)

Topic: Morning Prayer
Time: Thursdays at 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

We have the Thurssday service set up as a recurring meeting, which means you can use the same login link and information below every week (it stays the same each week).
To attend by telephone, call: (312) 626-6799

Meeting ID: 930 0814 5876

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,93008145876# 
Sunday Services, June 20

Invitation to the Fourth Sunday After Pentecost:

  • 9 a.m. CDT -- in-person service with communion. Guidelines
  • 11 a.m. CDT (4 p.m. UTC) -- online service set up as a recurring Zoom meeting (login link and information below remains the same every week).
"Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee," by Rembrandt Van Rijn (1633).
Stolen in 1990 from the collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.
To attend by telephone, call
(312) 626-6799 at 11 a.m. CDT

Meeting ID: 948 1489 8440

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,94814898440#
"Sunday Paper Junior" is a handout in the .pdf format that Trinity makes available to our parish children during the Sunday service. The Sunday Paper Junior, to which Trinity Episcopal Church has a paid subscription, is forwarded / posted with permission of the author / illustrator, Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. © Gretchen Wolff Pritchard, The Sunday Paper, 19 Colony Road, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, www.the-sunday-paper.com. All rights reserved. This is copyrighted material and should not be further forwarded or distributed.

Did you know...

Links to Trinity's online Thursday and Sunday services are also available on our website, TrinityChurchHP.org
REV. BRYAN CONES
Interim Rector, Trinity Church
(773) 786-6803 (mobile)
PARISH ADMINISTRATOR
Church Office
847-432-6653