Trinity Newsletter for April 3, 2019

April 3, 2019

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.

THE WAY OF LOVE

BLESS: Share faith and unselfishly give and serve

“Freely you have received; freely give.” – Matthew 10:8

Celebrant: Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

People: We will, with God’s help.

– Book of Common Prayer, 305

Jesus called his disciples to give, forgive, teach, and heal in his name. We are empowered by the Spirit to bless everyone we meet, practicing generosity and compassion and proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ with hopeful words and selfless actions. We can share our stories of blessing and invite others to the Way of Love.

For Reflection and Discernment

• What are the ways the Spirit is calling you to bless others?

• How will (or does) blessing others – through sharing your resources, faith, and story – become

part of your daily life?

• Who will join you in committing to the practice of blessing others?

Resources

· For a good article on “Nurturing Children to Live Generously,” click here

· There are many ways to be a blessing to others in Fredericksburg and throughout the world as a part of Trinity’s ministries. Click here to learn more about them.

· Here’s ( https://laundrylove.org/ ) one idea for being a blessing to those in need called Laundry Love

Trinity News

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE 2019

Palm Sunday, April 14

8:00 a.m. Rite I Eucharist with Liturgy of the Palms

9:15 a.m. Family Eucharist with the Liturgy of the Palms,

beginning in the Memorial Garden

11:00 a.m. Rite II Eucharist with the Liturgy of the Palms,

beginning in the Memorial Garden

Monday in Holy Week, April 15

Stations of the Cross will be available through Friday.

7:30 p.m. Holy Week Eucharist

Tuesday in Holy Week, April 16

7:30 a.m. Holy Week Eucharist

Wednesday in Holy Week, April 17

Noon Eucharist with the Laying on of Hands

Maundy Thursday, April 18

7:00 p.m. Eucharist with Foot Washing

All will be welcome to have their feet washed

8:00 p.m. Collation in the Ida Beck Chapel

8:30 p.m. The Stripping of the Altar

9:00 p.m. The beginning of The Watch

Good Friday, April 19

12 Noon The ending of The Watch

12 Noon Good Friday Liturgy

7:30 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy

Saturday, April 20

8:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter with Baptisms

Bring a bell to ring in the good news of the resurrection!

Reception following -

Please bring an Easter basket of goodies to share.

Easter Day, April 21

8:00 a.m. Rite I Eucharist

9:15 a.m. Family Eucharist with the Flowering of the Cross

Bring some flowers so that children may transform our

wooden cross into a proclamation of the life given to us by

God! Extra flowers will be available.

10:15 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt and Reception on the Lawn

11:00 a.m. The Holy Eucharist of the Resurrection

RECTOR'S THOUGHTS

Dear Lord, Jesus Christ –

It’s another rainy day, another cold, cloudy, day in a long series of cold, cloudy, rainy days. There are times when it feels as if the sun will never shine again, times when all I feel is a harsh, unwelcoming darkness. I realize that we can know you and experience your love through creation; couldn’t you create just a little more sunshine for us?

And, Lord, it goes past the weather – far past the weather. Sometimes the busyness of life can feel overwhelming. There’s always too much to do and I can’t quite get a handle on it all. And I wonder what’s happening in the world. So many of the things that I care about deeply are being uprooted, changed, or ignored. It’s as if the ground is moving under my feet and I can’t quite catch my balance.

And it’s Lent. I’m doing what I can to be faithful, but it’s hard. I’m not as dedicated as I ought to be; I’m not as consistent in my faith as I want to be. In a time when I’m looking for comfort from you, my attention shifts to the road ahead, the road into Jerusalem, the road to your trial, the road to Calvary. While I know that the good news of Easter Day is coming, there’s still so much of Good Friday that I need to address in my faith, in my life, and in my soul.

Lord, please give me strength. Please help me to endure whatever it is that is set before me. Please help me to trust in your love, your guidance, your support, and your life. I’m not asking that you make my life a smooth, open road, just give me the strength to make it through all the twists and turns and hills and valleys that are set before me. Help me to keep in mind that my hope, my future, and my life are always rooted in you. Amen

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

YOUTH NEWS & EVENTS

FUN STARS, we’re going on a picnic this Sunday, April 7th! For more information and a permission slip, click here . If you have any questions, contact Sam Burton .

The SENIOR YOUTH GROUP meets this Sunday at 12:15 p.m. in Jamison Hall. We will eat lunch together and stuff Easter Eggs for the Big Easter Egg Hunt.

The YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S LENTEN PROGRAM, Creation Care and Creativity. The mural is taking shape! Join us on Wednesday evenings as we learn and discuss how we can help care for creation and work together to create a work of art using plastic bottle caps. For more information, contact Sam Burton.

Registration for the Diocese of Virginia’s SHRINE MONT SUMMER CAMPS has begun! Click here for more information...

Parents of middle school youth- if your child is interested in attending the 6-8 GRADE PYM RETREAT AT SHRINE MONT, May 10-12, please get your registration form and check for $60.00 (made out to Trinity Church) to Sam Burton by April 14 . For more information, click here .

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – Are you creative? Do you like sharing the word of God with children? Are you ready to have a week of fun, art and storytelling? If so, I could use your help with VBS! If you are interested in helping with VBS this year, please contact Sam Burton . We need to start planning soon if we’re going to have VBS this summer.

TRINITY NEWS

Trinity’s 1ST SATURDAY EUCHARIST will take place this coming Saturday, April 6 at 5 p.m.

Many thanks to Trinitarians for the generous donation of $1,784.00 for the SPRING UTO INGATHERING.

The meal for this week’s LENTEN DINNER will be Olive Garden pasta.

The GEMS (self-identified seniors of Trinity) will meet at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in Barber Hall for a pot luck luncheon. Please bring a dish to share; dessert will be provided by those who have already signed up. Click here for more information.

The CAREGIVERS' SUPPORT GROUP will meet Thursday, April 11, from 10 - 11:30 a.m. for our monthly meeting. Men and women who are caregivers for a disabled or ill adult or child are invited to attend the meeting. Call Randall (540-207-0600), Brenda (540-226-2628) or Claire (540-479-6988) for information.

VESTRY NOMINATIONS – Four members will be elected to the Vestry at Trinity’s Annual Meeting on April 28 at about 10:00 a.m. after the 9:00 a.m. service. Serving as a leader for Trinity is an important ministry. If you think of someone with the gifts for Vestry service, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee – Prudence Jarvis, Sally Marcus, George Cox, or Harry Dickinson – or pick up a nomination form from the table in the narthex. Copies of the Vestryperson Responsibilities are also on the table with the nomination forms.

PARKING LOTS – To ensure space in our parking lots for worship or other Trinity activities, there is no overnight parking in our lots. Shank’s Towing removes cars left in our lots late at night. If you need to park overnight, there are passes available from the church office.

E-MAIL ADDRESSES – If you and/or someone you know are not receiving Trinity’s weekly newsletter, it’s because Trinity does not have your current e-mail address. Please send your e-mail address to our Office Manager, Denise Symonds, at [email protected] .

The CASUAL ADULT ED Class meets from 10:20 - 10:50 a.m. on Sunday mornings. For the duration of Lent, we are examining The Way of Love in our meetings. Please come to any or all of these sessions to learn more! 4/7 = "Bless"; 4/14 = "Go"; and 5/5 = "Rest".

Throughout Lent, please consider a SPECIAL OFFERING in support of the mission of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). Read more about the work and mission of ERD here . Trinity Episcopal is offering “Hope Chests” (mite boxes) for donations. They can be found in the church entryway.

Micah Ecumenical LENTEN NOONDAY SERVICES can be found here .

PRAYER PARTNERS - Here is a suggested prayer you might use during Lent as you pray for your Prayer Partner - "Lord, you do the work; you build the bridge. Let (Name) know that all he/she needs to do is walk across it. If he/she gets lost Lord, show him/her the way. In Christ's Name, Amen."

PRAYER PARTNERS REVEAL PARTY - Save the Date, Saturday, May 4th, after the 1st Saturday Eucharist! Want to know who has been praying for you? Read more here ...

EASTER LILIES will decorate the church this Easter! If you wish to donate a lily, envelopes are available in the church entryway. The cost is $12.50 per plant. Please place your donation in the offering plate, or give it to Denise in the office by Monday, April 8th.

ALTAR FLOWERS - The price to donate altar flowers for a Sunday has changed to $32.50! There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board across from the office for those that wish to donate for a particular Sunday. Make your check out to Trinity and put in the offering plate or send to the office.

Thanks to all who gave blood to the American Red Cross at our annual BLOOD DRIVE last Saturday. We collected 31 units which surpassed our goal. Fourteen of the donors were Trinitarians and the rest were from our local community. We appreciate your commitment to helping to save lives.