Justice and Outreach Council (JOC) Digest

August 2024

Justice and Outreach Council Newsletter—Take a step toward justice.

“Religion is something best done in community."

The Rev. Anne Howard

Interview with Trinity Member, Michael Neal Arnold



This month’s JOC Digest features one of our most dedicated parishioners, Michael Neal Arnold. He encourages all Trinity attendees, those who are new and those who are regular attendees.

        “No matter how intimidating it might feel, step into it and keep an eye open for what sounds interesting.”

Michael was comfortable with committee meetings, but he was not at ease with the social hour after the service or with church events. The more he became acquainted with individuals, the more his participation grew. But his attempts to join in were not always successful. . . Read Michael's Full Interview HERE

Submitted by Anita Perez Ferguson

On-going JOC Preaching Series - August 4, 11, 18



Trinity welcomes all to the “Compassion in Our Time” preaching series during Sunday services in August. Tim Burnette from the Way Collective will preach on August 18. Past preachers were: Imam Wael Hegazy from the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara on August 11 and Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer from Community Shul on August 4.

The guest preacher will be available after the service at coffee hour for conversation and fellowship. We welcome everyone.

Videos of past sermons and services may be found here: trinitysb.org/past-services

Pray with our Muslim Community - August 16 at 1pm

Support our Muslim neighbors by accepting their generous invitation to join them for Friday Prayers. All are welcome! Parking is limited so visitors are encouraged to carpool.

THIS EVENT HAS REACHED CAPACITY. Please call/email Molly if you are interested in attending Friday Prayers. molly@foodhuntermark.com, 805-886-4655.

The Islamic Society of Santa Barbara is located at 302 North Los Carneros Road in Goleta. Please dress respectfully. For women this includes shoulder covering and a scarf to cover your hair when you enter the actual services. For men this includes long trousers. Services consist of three parts. First, an English-language lecture on various faith-related topics, then a brief discourse in Arabic including short excerpts of Qur’anic recitation, then prayer. Women typically sit in the back of the hall, the men sit in the front, and children wherever they like. Following the service, Trinity members are invited to a lunch at the center. 

JOC members Molly Kellogg and Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval have attended Friday Prayers in the past and are happy to answer questions. Molly Kellogg 805-886-4655 and Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval 805-722-4556.

Trinity at the Pacific Pride Festival

Saturday, August 24, 11am-7pm



Join us at this year’s festival at Chase Palm Park Field, a family-friendly and accessible park along Cabrillo Blvd. The Pacific Pride Festival offers the ideal setting to celebrate the summer Pride season. Trinity will be there with an information table. Volunteers are needed. Sign up to help online or just come support Trinity and celebrate Pride!

Transition House Meal Preparation - August 24



You can experience a traditional Trinity volunteer activity and serve a meal at Transition House (425 E Cota St) for approximately 60 residents on the 4th Saturday of the month. Helpers are needed next month on August 24. Contact Teresa Pietsch teresapietsch4@gmail.com for more details or check the online sign-up for how to get involved.

Gun Violence Prevention Action Circle Urges Trinity to See and Sign

A message to our governmental representatives concerning firearms most frequently identified in violent offenses. Find our display table at Sunday Coffee Hour.

• Remove the three noted makes and all of their listed models from the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale, to make them unavailable for purchase in the state of California; and/or,

• Extend the waiting period for delivery to the purchaser of these same makes and models to 30 days rather than the 10 days now required; 

• Continue to investigate which other listed handguns are known to be most used in general and domestic homicides and suicides and make them also unavailable for sale in our state. 

We urge you to join our efforts.

Faithfully,

Ken Johnson

Lead, Gun Violence Prevention Action Circle

Interfaith Silent Vigil Thursdays, 5-6pm

State Street at Anapamu 

Join us as we stand together in silent, caring presence for all in a time of great pain. A meaningful way to support each other and our hurting world. Bring a candle, if you have one.

Trinity provides sack lunches at the Santa Barbara Day (FARO) Center



On the 4th Thursday of every month—making the lunches in the morning and serving them mid-day. Our next lunch day will be on Thursday, August 22. 

Learn How Environmental Bills Become Law

Thursday, August 15, 6-7:30pm

Our friends at the Community Environmental Council (CEC) invite Trinity parishioners to attend a community event to learn how California bills become law, and how you can exercise your power as a citizen to influence what gets passed or blocked. This educational event is hosted by 350SB (local chapter of the international grassroots climate justice group) in partnership with the Community Environmental Council (CEC) and the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara. The event will be held at the CEC Hub, located at 1219 State Street.

Watch this space for updates from the

Trinity JOC Climate and Environment Action Circle 

• Ideas for Trinity community to reduce its carbon and environmental footprint-practical wisdom.
• Developing opportunities for Trinity community to find connections to God in nature.
• Exploring opportunities for Trinity Youth to engage in environmental leadership development.
• Climate Connections, our diocese disaster resilience planning program.
• Revisit our research to add solar panels and shift Trinity to solar power.

Disaster Resilience Plan for Trinity

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles has initiated a Climate Connections Program, which began with a Climate Summit held last September. Two members of Trinity's Justice and Outreach Parish Council (JOC), Bill Leahy and Jean Davis, attended an engaging and informative summit over Zoom to learn more about the Program. The keynote speaker was Dr. Lucy Jones, formally of Cal Tech and currently with the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. Additionally, Lucy is the Senior Warden at South Pasadena's St. James Episcopal Church.

Understanding that climate change leads to more frequent and destructive weather-related disasters, she and the Diocese want to promote a more proactive, collaborative approach to developing disaster-resilient communities. With churches, they note that people naturally are already coming together. Churches can be a good starting place for disaster planning.

Trinity will participate in the Climate Connections Program as part of a cohort of churches in the Diocese. (This is the second cohort to participate.) The Program will serve as a helpful framework and learning process for Trinity as we develop our disaster resilience plan. An effective Plan will prepare our congregation by increasing our capacity and knowledge to respond to future disasters, advocate for resources to address risks before disasters and work with the wider community in these efforts.

Continue reading here. . .

Celebrate loved ones by using the envelopes in the pews to recognize a special family member or event.



Turn your memories into a donation to the Justice and Outreach Council. We will use these funds to provide comfort and safety to those in need—food, education for children, assistance to immigrants—any of our neighbors needing support. . . so they can celebrate. Together, these gifts make possible our community of welcome, reconciliation, and service.

There are two ways you can continue to celebrate and support our justice work in addition to your pledges both now and in the future. Send in a check made out to Trinity and simply note “Justice” in the memo line and provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate. Or donate via Trinity’s PayPal account, select "Justice Fund" and under “special instructions” provide the names of the persons or occasion you want to celebrate.



Thank you to our celebration donors for July!

Jeannie Christensen, Jean & David Davis, Sarah Fenstermaker, Ann Robinson

Land Acknowledgement

We honor and acknowledge the Chumash people, the traditional custodians of this land, and pay our respects to the Chumash elders, past, present, and future, who call this land on which we sit their home. We appreciate their wisdom, their culture, and their presence among us today as the host people of this land. We lament the injustices done to the original inhabitants and the injustices done to this land in the centuries since. We seek the courage and wisdom to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future together, in deep solidarity.

Find past issues of the JOC Digest here: trinitysb.org/justice-outreach/digest

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