Apalachicola, Florida
October 27, 2023
| |
I became a parent eight days before my 21st birthday. I was a still a kid in a lot of ways. And here I was, a newly minted adult and husband, with a newly minted baby in my arms. Yes, it is one of the best moments of my life and, yet one of the most terrifying: I had no idea what to do, other than to do. There was no guidebook, and my peers were just as clueless. Whether I was prepared or not had zero impact on the subsequent arrival and needs of this child. How I responded, however, would have impacts far beyond my own life.
Whether we are ready or not, life happens. And when it does, some people excel at responding. Others shine in preparing. You can be the best responder but the worst planner, and vice versa.
Whether we can control it or not, life happens. But recognize there is a difference in being able to direct an outcome versus having a choice in how you respond. And if it’s a true unknown, we may not know how to respond, and that can be scary too!
The ethicist Rebecca Dresser once said, “It can be hard to know what we would want in a state we have never experienced.” True. I didn’t know what I would want as a new parent. But I did know that how I lived into being a parent would impact everyone around me.
So, what can we do about things ultimately outside of our control? As Christians, we have faith that God remains with us, no matter the situation. This includes our Earthly and eternal lives but also our death. Hopefully that knowledge empowers us to respond in healthy and productive ways which honor both ourselves and those around us. But that’s not always the case. Our frailties and humanness get in the way, especially when we consider big life events in which we have zero control in the end. And so, we put it off for later. We file it away and change the subject.
But if we want to have control and agency over our lives, and if we want to honor God and those around us, then let’s live into the Prayer of St. Francis where we ask, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”
Let’s sow love, pardon, faith, hope, light, and joy in what we can control: our response. If we do that, we might find that our actions do console, pardon,
and bring understanding to those who desperately need it; who will
remember that they are, too, loved and will be born into eternal life.
God’s Peace,
Stephen +
| |
Fifth Sunday Fellowship
Supper -- October 29
We will gather in the church for Evening Prayer at 5:15 pm, followed by a fifth Sunday parish potluck supper in Benedict Hall. Bring your favorite salad, casserole, or dessert to share. Sign up during hospitality hour on Sunday morning.
| |
|
Formation Groups and Classes at Trinity | |
Trinity is offering several one-hour Christian Formation classes throughout the week. To learn more about any of these groups and classes, contact the parish office at 850-653-9550. Here are the offerings for the next couple of months:
Sundays: Bible Study Discussion Group (led by Jason Carter) Sundays at 9:15 am in the Parish Conference Room. Jason will continue where the group ended in the Spring, with the chronological study of the Gospels.
Mondays: Monday School (led by Nancy and Landy Luther) in the Parish Conference Room. This class has not begun yet, so please contact the Luthers or the parish office to sign up. This group will be discussing Rachel Held Evans’s excellent book Inspired.
Thursdays: Thursday School (led by Stephen Pecot) starts November 2 at 3:30 pm in Benedict Hall with an important subject: preparing for death and dying. This will be a 3-part series (Nov. 2, 9, 16) that covers what people so often file for later: final preparations; living wills; how burial services work; what happens when no plans have been made; who to call when loved ones die. It’s not a subject that people relish discussing, but it is a subject that everyone will face eventually. So why not learn how to make things smoother? We can’t know what your final wishes are if we don’t have them on record, so this is an opportunity to update critical contact information with the parish. Contact Stephen Pecot (stephen@trinityapalachicola.org) or call the Parish Office for more information.
| |
Read a summary of the October Vestry meeting here. | |
Coming up at Trinity:
All Saints' Sunday - November 5: It is tradition that prayers be offered for friends and loved ones who have joined the Communion of Saints since the last All Saints' celebration. Please enter names you wish to include on the sign-up sheet at the back of the church, or call Jean at the parish office.
Hospitality Hour: We are grateful to everyone who has sponsored a hospitality hour this fall. Thanks to your generous donations. we have adequate funds to provide refreshments until January. In January the various committees and groups at Trinity will again sponsor our Sunday hospitality hour on a rotating basis as we did prior to Covid. The Parish Life Committee appreciates your support!
Thanksgiving: Trinity's annual Thanksgiving dinner will be held on November 17 in Benedict Hall following the Sunday service. Watch for details in the next Bay View.
Second Sunday Usher: You can serve as an usher on the second Sunday of each month. Contact Ralph Wagoner at 605-366-8294 for details.
| |
Trinity Market Needs Your Tasty Treats | |
Seafood Festival weekend is fast approaching and Trinity Church will again offer free coffee and tasty treats in and outside Benedict Hall.
The Tour of Homes Auction Committee will also provide some unique crafts for sale. Sale proceeds help with the projects of Parish Life.
Your Tasty Treats Needed!
Popular items include:
- Wrapped whole cakes and pies, bread pudding, loaves of bread, rolls.
- Jars of jams, spices and pickles.
- Grab-and-go bags of cookies, bars, spiced nuts and snack mix, and seasoned pretzels.
| |
Saturday Nov. 4
9 am - 2 pm Benedict Hall
| |
Sign-up sheets for bakers and helpers are in Benedict hall.
Bring your less fragile items to Benedict Hall on Friday, November 3, 10 am - 2 pm. Bring the more fresh and fragile items early Saturday morning before 10 am. Label to identify the item and maker; we will have labels and some small baggies available. Please note anything that contains nuts.
Call Patti McCartney at 850 653-6504 if you have any questions.
| |
Christmas Angel Tree Comes to Trinity | |
Trinity Episcopal Church has agreed to have a satellite Angel Tree for the Franklin County School Christmas gift project. The project provides gifts (clothes, shoes, games, and books) to children from low-income families in Franklin County. Trinity has requested 20 student numbers (names will not be included) that include Christmas gift requests from the school children.
Here's how you can participate:
- Angel Tree cards with children’s numbers, gift requests, and sizes will be hung on a small Christmas card tree in Benedict Hall on October 27.
- Church members can take a card, complete the accompanying sign-up sheet, and purchase some of the requested items for a minimum expenditure of $150.
-
All gifts should be placed in a large garbage bag, unwrapped, and returned to Benedict Hall no later than Sunday, December 3.
Help Franklin County children and their families experience the abundance of Christmas this year with your generous Angel Tree gift.
-- Bob and Susan Pruitt, Outreach Project Leaders
| |
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer. For churches and ministries: on October 29, please pray for St. Jude’s (Niceville) and St. Simon’s on the Sound (Fort Walton Beach); and on November 5 pray for All Saints (Mobile, AL). For prisons: on October 29, please pray for the prisoners, families, and staff of the Butler County Correctional Facility (Greenville, AL), and on November 5 please pray for the prisoners, families, and staff of the Monroe County Jail (Monroeville, AL).
Cursillo Weekends Are Back! Cursillo is a three-day retreat offered to persons who wish to deepen their faith and walk with Christ. Many in our Trinity family (including Stephen and Travis Pecot, Ina Margaret Meyer, Brooks Jones, Patti McCartney, among many others) have attended this fulfilling and life-changing program. It is offered through our diocese at Beckwith Conference Center in Fairhope, AL. Cursillo is currently offered two weekends each year, and it is free to attendees. Cursillo #170 will be held March 7-10, 2024, and our own Stephen Pecot will be on staff as clergy. We will talk about this a lot more in the future. To learn about Cursillo, the diocese has a great website or talk to someone who has been. Check it out. Who wouldn’t want to be loved on and pampered for three days? You deserve it! De Colores!
Diocesan Discipleship Day Returns. The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast has announced the highly anticipated return of Discipleship Day! Mark your calendars for an enriching and inspiring day on Saturday, October 28 (10 am - 3 pm), as we gather once again to strengthen our faith and community bonds. Our keynote speaker, Steven Tomlinson, Ph.D., is a renowned expert in the field of leadership and administration. Participants will have the opportunity to attend a selection of workshops focused on equipping church leaders with new skills that will revitalize existing ministries and pave the way for exciting new ventures.
| |
Watch our Sunday sermons online:
| | |
COMMUNITY EVENTS OF INTEREST | |
Your Bay View: Trinity's bi-weekly e-newsletter, the Bay View, reaches members and friends every other Friday, sharing news and inspiration for and about our parish. Please send information and announcements, as well as photographs, to info@trinityapalachicola.org or call the church office at 850-653-9550. The deadline for submission is noon on Wednesday of each publication week. (next deadline is November 8, 2023)
-- Kay Carson, Editor
| |
Worship Service at 10:30 am Sunday
Morning Prayer at 8 am Wednesday
Church address: 79 6th Street, Apalachicola, Florida 32320
Office address: 76 5th Street, Apalachicola, Florida 32320
Mailing address: PO Box 667, Apalachicola, Florida 32329
Phone number: (850) 653-9550
Email: info@trinityapalachicola.org
| | | | |