Trinity Newsletter for April 29, 2020

April 29, 2020

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 .

Message from Vestry Member Rosemary Arneson

When we are able to hold our 2020 Annual Meeting, we will be electing six people to the Vestry. Four of these will be replacing the four Vestry members who are ending their three- year terms: me, Barry Holliday , Mike Frye , and David Henderson . The other two positions fill vacancies left vacant when Gene Carter and Tom Rotella resigned.

Serving on the Vestry is great way to engage in the life of the church. Because the Vestry sets the annual budget, Vestry members learn in detail about Trinity's ministries and programs. We see up close the work and love behind all the things that Trinitarians do -- from teaching Sunday School to cleaning up the grounds. We explore new opportunities to serve our community, close to home through Outreach and MIcah Ministries, and around the world with El Hogar and Rise Against Hunger.

I am grateful for the time I have spent on Trinity's Vestry. Yes, there is work involved, and the decisions can be hard. But it is rewarding to work with a group of people who are dedicated to serving God through God's church.

The Vestry we elect at the Annual Meeting will be the ones who make the most important decision at this time: calling a new Rector for our community. Their work will shape what Trinity becomes in this next chapter.

If you feel called to stand for election to the Vestry, please contact any of the current Vestry members or the church office.

Rosemary Arneson , Vestry Member

TRINITY NEWS

Trinity Discernment Prayer

O Everlasting, Omniscient, and Loving God

We confess that our daily worries and concerns often blind us to your voice and guidance in our lives. We thank You for this time of change, may it be an opportunity to grow together more closely as followers of your son Jesus Christ as we work to discern your path forward for our congregation. We pray that You will watch over the Bishop, diocesan transitional ministry team, the parish clergy, members of our vestry, and the other leaders of our church as they lead us on a new path for our parish. We pray for the members of the discernment committee as they endeavor to do Your holy work in calling a new rector for Trinity. We pray for all the members of our parish family during this time of transition that we come closer to You and feel your presence in our hearts. AMEN.

MASKS FOR TRINITARIANS

Trinitarians, we are so grateful for your response to the initial phase of getting washable cloth masks into the hands our most at-risk members! We have been able to provide over 60 masks to our older community members and those with pre-existing health concerns.

As Fredericksburg, our nation, and our world continue to fight against the spread of COVID-19, we hope we can continue to provide cloth masks to whomever is in need. By contacting your Area Care Coordinators, Jennifer Gates Gray , or Rosemary Arneson , all Trinity members are encouraged to make requests so that we can collectively help in reducing the transmission of the novel coronavirus and in keeping our community safe!

You can find the list of Area Care Coordinators here !

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

THERE WILL BE NO CHURCH SERVICES,

Sunday School or Youth meetings

until further notice. Please stay home and stay safe.

Updates from the Diocese can be found here .

Meetings at Trinity have been cancelled.

BISHOP GOFF'S MEDITATION FOR THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER : Seeing God's Treasure Right Before Our Eyes can be found here .

During this time when we cannot be together physically, let’s keep in touch virtually. Please check out the TRINITY FACEBOOK PAGE for information, inspiration, and some things to make you smile. Messages from Bishop Curry and from our Bishop Susan Goff are posted as they are received. Don't forget our follow Instagram page and subscribe to our newly formed YouTube channel .

FROM THE TREASURER OF TRINITY - On behalf of the Vestry, I want to thank all of you who are continuing to send in your checks. In this time when we are called to refrain from physically gathering at our churches for worship, it is important to remember that God continues to call us to be in relationship and to give. Giving reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are part of a community that needs our gifts and offerings. You have the opportunity to provide consistent financial stewardship for our congregation in several ways, even though we cannot be physically present with one another. First, people can continue to offer their gifts by check through the mail (825 College Ave, 22401). Or, at this important time in our life together, some members may want to explore new ways to give to our church by going to our website ( www.trinity-fredericksburg.org ) to click on Online Giving by transfer or debit card. We are so grateful for your generosity.

SELF-CARE FOR FAMILIES - We have been staying home to be safe from the corona virus for weeks now. It is a stressful time for many. Some of us are dealing with the stress better than others but we could all use some self-care. The SALT Project and Jonas Ellison have produced a Guide to Self-care for Families Together at Home which is based on the Scandanavian tradition of hygge (pronounced HOO-gah). Hygge is a feeling of coziness, contentment, and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. The SALT guide, found here , contains some suggestions for cozy activities and building relationships to generate a feeling of hygge in our homes.

REACH OUT - During this time when we cannot physically worship together, God still calls us to care for one another. Please think about those members of our Trinity family who might normally sit near you during worship, visit with you at Café Trinity, participate with you in a Trinity group, serve on a committee with you, etc. and reach out to check on them. Also, some Trinitarians who are not able to work during the COVID-19 pandemic may have some extra time. This would be a good time to think about members of our parish who you have not seen for a while and reach out to them. The directory is available on our website to registered users to look for phone numbers or emails. If you would like some contact from fellow Trinitarians or you know someone who might benefit from contact, please call the church office (540-373-2996) or email Harry Dickinson, Pastoral Care Committee Chair ( click here ). If you would like to volunteer to reach out to others, please email Harry Dickinson. Include your ZIP Code. We can work through our Pastoral Care Area Coordinators to distribute lists of those wishing contact and those volunteering.

SPECIAL OFFERING – In anticipation of possible needs by members of Trinity affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Vestry approved a special offering to add to our Parishioner Aid designated fund. Please consider making a donation by mailing a check to Trinity (825 College Ave., 22401) with Parishioner Aid in the memo or by going to www.trinity-fredericksburg.org and clicking on the link to Online Giving where you can select the Parishioner Aid fund from the drop-down menu. If members of Trinity need assistance, they can contact Claire Curcio, Senior Warden, at [email protected] or 540-479-6988 or Barry Holliday, Junior Warden, at [email protected] or 202 415-1332.

TRINITY’S PRAYER LIST - It is once again time to purge Trinity’s prayer list. Please look over the list on the Good News Daily or on Trinity's website . If you know of anyone that can be deleted, or needs to be added, please call the office and leave a message or email Denise .

ANNUAL REPORTS are due to the office by May 15th! Please email your report to Denise .