The Corner
Trinity's newsletter for the week of May 31, 2020

  • Presiding Bishop Calls for Day of Mourning
  • Wear Red to Pass the Peace
  • Fr. Rob: Church's Mission in a Time of Change
O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.
Here are the latest opportunities to strengthen
your faith and connect with the community.
WORSHIP TIMES
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Day of Pentecost
10:30 a.m.
Morning Prayer

READINGS
 The Liturgy of the Word


MUSIC PROGRAM
  • Pre-service: "Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire" (Wilbur Held)

  • "Amazing Grace" (John Ness Beck/Courtney) Danny Troop, soloist

  • Post-service: Congregational Hymn, "They’ll Know We Are Christians" (Peter Scholtes); "They'll Know We Are Christians" (David Schelat); Toccata in C Major (J.S. Bach)

Livestream link:

Bulletin link:

View the complete lectionary readings at www.lectionarypage.net

Wednesday, June 3, 2020
7 p.m. - Evening Prayer

Livestream Link:

Bulletin link:
Upcoming Event: Coffee Hour
Date: Sunday, May 31
Time: Noon
Location: Zoom
Description: Join your fellow Trinitarians at a virtual gathering after the livestream of the 10:30 AM worship via Zoom. Participants can hang out together, chat, or create a "breakout room" to peaceably converse with friends.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 814 7736 1178
Password: 755650
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,81477361178#,,1#,755650# US (Houston)
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Upcoming Event: Anchor Women
Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Description: Our mission is to have a community of women of various ages and backgrounds to share thoughts, stories, highlights, fun and laughter. For more information reach out to Patti Anderson ( patti6of7@gmail.com  ) or Mary Perkins ( mlperk59@gmail.com ).

Upcoming Event: Children's Story Time with Susan
Date: Tuesday and Thursday
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Livestream
Description:  Susan Hires reads picture books and great children's literature.

Upcoming Event: Friendship Circle
Date: Wednesday, June 3
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Description: If you would like to join us, please contact Susan Ralston at sralston@sunflower.com for an invitation. The Friendship Circle welcomes those who are widowed, divorced or single, or who are seeking friendship from parishioners. All are welcome.

Upcoming Event: Evening Prayer Service
Date: Wednesday, June 3
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Livestream
Description: Join us for Evening Prayer each week.
Reminder, if you do not see the "This Week at Trinity" at the bottom of the newsletter, there should be an expand button to click to view our complete newsletter.
From the Rector's Desk...

I am taking a break from my survey of the history of the Church through the centuries to reflect for a moment about that topic and the celebration of Pentecost this Sunday.

Pentecost is often considered the “birthday of the Church” because it is the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus’ followers 50 days after Easter, an occurrence referenced in Acts 2:1-21. In that moment, Jesus’ followers are given the task of continuing his work in the world: proclaiming the Gospel of love, healing the sick, challenging injustice, and building a faithful community.

What my brief revisiting of Church history has reminded me is how the way in which the Church has fulfilled that ministry has changed dramatically in so many ways throughout its existence. Those changes came from not only internal evolutions in theology and scholarship, but also in response to changes in the outside world. Those outside changes include how the secular governments treated the Church and what technological innovations had occurred that would be folded into Church life (like the use of the printing press or improvements in architecture).

Furthermore, there is no way to realistically conceive of “going back” to a way that the Church had been before. I think of this metaphorically like the show Quantum Leap, where the main character travelled back through the years of his own life to inhabit other bodies in the past for some purpose. Now imagine if your own consciousness were thrust back in time into your own body in the past, with full knowledge of what had already happened. How you could be the person, in that moment, that you were then? You couldn’t. Because you’ve internalized your own experiences and are no longer the same person.

Now let’s move the metaphor to reality. Just as we could not recreate the Church of the 1500s or the 1800s or even the first generation of Christians depicted in the Pentecost event, we must also acknowledge that we cannot go back even such a little distance as December 2019. So much has been revealed, good and ill, about our society in light of the challenge of COVID-19. So much forced growth and adaptation has occurred within our own parish. People across the country watch our services now; why would we want to lose that? We are more aware of the health risks and vulnerabilities to some of our members; how can we ignore that? Finally, on what may be perhaps my most controversial comment in this essay, we have been made aware of our own profound dependence on comfort, familiarity, control, and the legions of people working in the service sector economy whose work gives us those things. How can we, confronted with that, shun self-conviction and the opportunity to grow and instead continue in that path?

In the Book of Common Prayer we confess to God our tendency to pray and worship “for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal” (Eucharistic Prayer C, p. 372) and we ask God for deliverance.

On this Feast Day of Pentecost may we embrace the ever-changing, ever-overcoming, ever-growing mission of Christ for the Church.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Rob+
phone
Have you been receiving Rob’s voice messages by phone? If not and would like to receive calls relating to current happenings at our Church, please email directory@trinitylawrence.org
Reminder that articles for our newsletter should be sent to corner@trinitylawrence.org by noon Wednesday each week.

Our newsletters are available on our website and Facebook page.
Kansas Interfaith Action

We are excited to announce our featured speaker for this year's Kansas Interfaith Action's Virtual Annual Event: the Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Executive Director of Missouri Faith Voices, a Faith in Action Federation.

Faith in Action is the largest and one of the oldest faith-based organizations in the country. She works through the biblical mandate for justice through advocacy that bridges the gap between the church and the streets. If you would like to read the complete announcement, please click on this link .

Please join us for our Annual Event June 2, 6:30 p.m., where we will honor the Rev. Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan. For more information and to purchase tickets  click here .
Prayer Chain

To add a person's name to the prayer list or to become a prayer chain member, please contact the parish office... Prayers... or call 785-843-6166; or Carol Hatton, Prayer Chain coordinator ( caroldonhatton@gmail.com).

The Prayer Chain prays daily for those who are ill, suffering or troubled; who have died; or who wish to offer praise and thanksgivings. Prayer Chain members find that their own private prayer life with God also deepens during this daily practice.

Pray for those who are healing: D.J., David, Bill, Sydney, John, Sharon

Pray for those with special intentions: Beth, Nicole, Lindsey, Dick

Pray for those in the hospital: Anne, Dick, John

Pray for the departed:Virginia Houser, Myra Stock
We would like to know about hospitalizations, illnesses or special needs you are experiencing. Please call Fr. Rob, Deacon Deborah Burns, the Church office or a Vestry member so that we can help.
Bishop Calls for Day of Mourning
for Coronavirus Victims

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is calling for a day of mourning on Monday, June 1, for the 100,000 victims of COVID-19.

And he is asking Episcopalians in their worship services this weekend to commemorate those who've died.

More than 100 national faith leaders are joining in the call, according to a statement by Sojourners, a national worship community that has been leading the effort. The group of leaders includes representatives from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions.

A group of Episcopalians and Lutherans has written a new collect called "A Prayer for the Power of the Spirit Among the People of God." You can see a YouTube video of Presiding Bishop Curry reading it at this link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2609858725901243.

Pentecost 2
Wear Red for the Peace

Fr. Rob would like to do something colorful for the Passing of the Peace in our livestream this Sunday – the Day of Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday.

Please dress in red to record yourself as you give your name and wish the peace of the Lord for your fellow parishioners and the world.

Email your video to Fr. Rob's address by Saturday morning, so it can be edited for playback with Sunday's livestream:


Posting your video on your own social media (Facebook or Twitter, say) would also be a nice touch.
BackSnack Program Wraps Up the Year

Greg Hazen and Tod Sutton continue to look for ways the Trinity BackSnack program can help combat hunger in our school-age population. Because our young students who may need BackSnack services do not always have transportation to a central location, Greg and Tod have been partnering with the local schools and volunteers to contact students in the school’s area. Food is then distributed at the school at a predetermined time, implementing COVID-19 guidelines. Kennedy Elementary and Woodlawn Elementary have been served during the past two weeks.

As the school year comes to a close, the BackSnack coordinators will be looking for another community agency partner to co-develop a viable summer distribution plan. This will likely take advantage of volunteers or agency resources already established and involve only one distribution.

It has been a strange year requiring flexibility from all of us. Tod and Greg wish to thank all the BackSnack volunteers and contributors for their unwavering and enthusiastic support of this valuable program. Thanks, too, for those who offer prayers each day that our efforts to combat hunger within our school population will help our children achieve to their highest potential while they grow in a healthy way.
BackSnack will be working closely with the school district to determine what changes are needed for the 2020-2021 school year.
Do you Tweet? Trinity has a Twitter account: @trinity_kansas. By following us and especially by re-tweeting us, you can help spread the word about our services and events.
TEST Tidbits: Donations Made from the TEST Account

In a land and a time far away –or so it seems – your Trinity Environmental Stewardship Team plucked tiny stems from raisins and mixed up the many, many ingredients for the Christmas treat known as Plum Pudding. The team was led by wonderful cook and member Vashti Winterburg. She conjured the “magic,” supplied the ingredients, steamed the puddings and you purchased the old English treat for your Christmas feast. Our tale does not end with Plum Pudding sales. 

Every year our group chooses to donate most of the profits to environmentally sound organizations. This year we have chosen to donate $50 each ($400 total) to eight organizations – five national and three local.

For details, read the full TEST article at this link:

EARTHSTEWARD ACTION:  Please check out one of the organizations TEST has chosen to receive a donation this year. Pray that by December we will be once again able to gather together in fellowship and in the fun of creating more Plum Puddings. 

SOURCES:  For information about TEST or the donations for this year, please call 785-842-1643.

All past TEST articles are available on our website at http://trinitylawrence.org/trinity-environmental-stewardship-team/
LIRIM continues operation

The Lawrence Immigrant and Refugee Ministry (LIRIM), a ministry of Trinity, is still supporting immigrant families in Lawrence affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our regular events and projects have had to discontinue due to social distancing and stay-at-home orders. However, the need for our most vulnerable residents has not ceased.

More than ever immigrant families need assistance with daily living expenses since many of the hourly jobs they have held have been eliminated. Some of these families are not eligible for unemployment insurance.

You can help by purchasing grocery gift cards the next time you go shopping, or by just donating funds to Centro Hispano, the local social service agency assisting the Hispanic community in Douglas County – and a partner of LIRIM. Contributions of either kind can be sent to:

Centro Hispano
c/o Lydia Diebolt
637 Tennessee St.
Lawrence, KS 66047.
Nepal Lockdown Extended

Well, Nepal's lockdown has been extended for another two weeks, with the next deadline being June 2. They have just recently started identifying cases and deaths (due to poor testing practices), so I am hoping we are able to learn much more about the true status of the situation here over the next couple of weeks of lockdown.

Please continue to pray for all those who are out of money and food. The depression rate and suicide rate are skyrocketing, as a result of both fear and economic hardship. Mental health awareness and care are nearly nonexistent here, so also be praying for those who are suffering to be able to find peace and help, and for all of us to be able to see and recognize those that are struggling.

Also lift up the West Bengal area of India, and Bangladesh, as a huge tropical cyclone is taking place that threatens to further decimate areas that are already suffering so much. Loss of homes, crops and lives will be devastating on an even larger scale, in the midst of the current pandemic situation. Members of my team here are fasting and praying for them today. I hope you are staying safe and well. Blessings to you!

Karin

(photo caption: You can't lock down a sunset)
Vestry Meetings

The scheduled Vestry meetings are:

June 1, July 6

Meetings are open to all and are being held on Zoom at this time. The minutes of each meeting are posted to the church bulletin board and Trinity Vestry Minutes. Your Vestry can be contacted at vestry@trinitylawrence.org

Minutes through April have been added to our website.
Ministry Opportunities
THIS WEEK AT TRINITY

Thursday, May 28
Ascension Day
7 p.m., Youth Group - Zoom
9 p.m., Tea and Compline at Canterbury House – Livestream

Friday, May 29
6 a.m., Pump 'n' Pray

Saturday, May 30
9 a.m., Organ Practice
10 a.m., Food Pantry

Sunday, May 31
Day of Pentecost
9:30 a.m., Trinity Children's Sunday School – Livestream
10:30 a.m., Morning Prayer and Music Concert – Livestream
Noon, Coffee Hour - Zoom
9 p.m., Tea and Compline at Canterbury House – Livestream

Monday, June 1
6 a.m., Pump 'n' Pray

Tuesday, June 2
10 a.m., Story Time for Kids – Livestream
1 p.m., Food Pantry
6:30 p.m., Trinity Anchor Women - Zoom
9 p.m., Tea and Compline at Canterbury House – Livestream

Wednesday, June 3
6 a.m., Pump 'n' Pray
4 p.m., Friendship Circle – Zoom
7 p.m., Evening Prayer – Livestream

Thursday, June 4
10 a.m., Story Time for Kids – Livestream
9 p.m., Tea and Compline at Canterbury House – Livestream

Friday, June 5
6 a.m., Pump 'n' Pray

Saturday, june 6
9 a.m., Organ Practice
10 a.m., Food Pantry

Sunday, June 7
9:30 a.m., Trinity Children's Sunday School – Livestream
10:30 a.m., Morning Prayer and Music Concert – Livestream
Noon, Coffee Hour - Zoom
9 p.m., Tea and Compline at Canterbury House – Livestream
Trinity Vestry 2020
Rob Baldwin, Rector 785-424-4312
Steve King ‘21, Senior Warden 913-645-3135
Richard Lungstrum, Junior Warden ‘20 jrwarden@trinitylawrence.org
Jennifer Attocknie ‘20 785-760-2938
Elizabeth Miller ‘20 785-766-8175
Dave Severance ‘20, 785-691-7261
Betsi Anderson ‘21 785-843-9083
Leslie Foust ‘21 785-979-1829
Camille Olcese ‘21 620-704-4180
John Broholm ‘22 785-766-7002
Donna Griffin, ‘22 785-865-6039
Linda McCoy ‘22 785-550-6743
Bill Perkins ‘22 785-331-4401

785-843-6166  
1011 Vermont St. Lawrence, Kansas 66044
Office closed due to stay at home
Facebook @TrinityLawrenceKS
Twitter @trinity_kansas