SEEDS

November 5, 2026

Stewardship Season

Stewardship Potluck!

This Sunday right after the service! Join us for fellowship and information.

On November 22, 2026, Christ Trinity Church will hold our Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is event where you, the parishioners, choose where you would like our yearly, budgeted Mission resources to go! The Vestry Council typically budgets $8,000 a year for Outreach. 

The Vestry Council decided this year to focus on local organizations only as the need is great in our own area. Sunday’s event designee list includes Elizabeth Freeman Center, Berkshire Immigrant Center, Community Access to the Arts (CATA), Stanton Home Day Programs, Railroad Street Youth Project, Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), and Seeing Rainbows. 

The two local Food Pantries and Berkshire Bounty will be funded by proceeds from the Annual Christmas Bake Sale.

We will have seven baskets, each with a designee and description of its outreach. We will give each of you “fake” money in the amount of $120, which you will use to support the missions in which you are most interested.

This will be accompanied by a catered Super Coffee Hour, during which the results are tabulated and then revealed and celebrated.

This event is part of our Vestry Council’s endeavors to bring more sharply into focus the gift of intentional giving. It is our hope that by seeing to whom our outreach goes and participating in the decision-making, parishioners will feel more attuned in their giving.

Please join us!

- Lillie M

Prepared Food Sale - Sunday 11/15

Selling Padre Pollo's famous sauce and pulled pork and Rene's marmalades, jams and spreads. Also featuring her homemade organic applesauce in two flavors: 100% natural and Chai. 



An early part of the Christmas bake sale to benefit local food pantries. Please bring a check for these purchases.

2nd Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving

Join members of the Southern Berkshire Interfaith Clergy Council, and members of South County churches for a reflective service, followed by pie and the opportunity for connection and community.

Join us at 5:30pm to be a part of a special Interfaith Pop-Up Choir and participate in the service!

If you would like to contribute a pie (homemade or store bought is fine!) to the gathering, please email info@hevreh.org with subject line “Interfaith Thanksgiving”.

Sponsored by the Southern Berkshire Interfaith Clergy Council || Hosted at Hevreh

November Owles

OWLEs plan to attend a movie at the Triplex on Friday, November 13th.

The movie is TBD the Sunday before.

Dinner will be planned for before or after depending on the showing time chosen.

Pencil in the date and let Nancy or Liz know if you'd like to join!

Silent Movie Night

Join us for Buster Keaton's SHERLOCK, JR. (1924) 

November 28th at 7pm

Triplex Movie Theater

Christ Trinity

Christmas Bake Sale:

Saturday Dec. 12,

from 9am till 2pm

Last year Christ Trinity Church members and friends raised $6,000 from our annual Christmas Bake Sale. Added to a matching grant given to Berkshire Bounty raised our total to $10,000! Who could imagine we could raise that much money? Last Sunday planning began for this year’s bake sale, benefiting the Great Barrington People’s Pantry, Sheffield’s Food Pantry, SBRSD’s Food Box program, and Berkshire Bounty. Federal support for SNAP and other food programs has been cut, while prices of food, gas, heating oil, medical and child care have increased. Record numbers of people in need are depending on local food pantries to help them through these difficult times.

What can we do? How can we help?

• Bake or make cookies, cakes, pies, candies and other goodies.
• Prepared foods: soups, chilis, casseroles, or dishes that we can sell in quart or other containers.
• Help with pre-and post-event work – wrapping, set up and tear down?
• Invite friends to bake.
• Send out emails or social media posts inviting friends.

Sign-up sheets will be posted in the parish hall.

New Additions to the Christmas Bake Sale

Pre-made foods by Rene will be available after church services on Sun. 11/15 and

11/22 for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday shoppers.

Homemade marmalades, jams, Spicy Cranberry Spread and two homemade organic apple sauces. Frozen apple sauce, in quart containers, comes in two flavors: Chai and 100% Natural. If you’d like to join her with some of your items, let her know.

Holiday vendors. We’re looking for a few holiday vendors to sell home crafted items that will complement the Christmas Bake sale. There is a $15 vendor fee. If interested, contact Rene.

The Future is Peace

On Sunday, December 13 at 7pm, we will welcome Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah, authors of "The Future is Peace". Maoz Inon’s parents were killed on October 7. Aziz Abu Sarah’s brother died after being detained by the Israeli army. Most would expect them to be enemies. Instead, they wrote a book together. Join us for an evening of conversation with Maoz and Aziz, moderated by Rabbi Jodie Gordon with an opportunity for Q&A. Books will be available for purchase.

Registration is required.

We ask that each individual fill out a registration form. 

Invited donation of $25. 

Tickets are available with no donation by calling the office at 413-528-6378.

This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires.

Yoga with Senta returns

And mark December 19th in your calendar for the next Sound Bath in the sanctuary.

Seeing Clues to Help Avoid Scams

Our congregation has some of the most kind and generous people I've ever met. It is a sad reality of our broken world that scammers use those beautiful qualities to try and steal from us. I want you all to continue to be kind and generous. I do not want you to sour on being kind or generous because of the actions of a few deeply broken people. That's why I want you to be careful in being both kind and generous.    

As we head into the holiday season be extra vigilant! 

Here are a few things to look for to detect a scam:

• Triple check the sender's email address. These scams create a fake email account that resembles the pastor's email address but is not the same. My email address is pastorkaras@gmail.com. The only email I will ever use is pastorkaras@gmail.com.
• Beware of any requests for gift cards. Do not buy any gift cards! These scams almost always ask you to go and buy gift cards of some variety, then they ask you to send them the numbers on the back. I will NEVER do this. Even if I'm stuck in a Colombian jail and gift cards are my only way out, I will NEVER do this. A guiding principle for us all should be: Gift Card Request = Scam.
• Pay attention to the language used. Scammers all seem to imagine that I must write in a pious way, talking about prayer and quoting Bible verses in every email I write. You know that is NOT the way I talk or write. As they seek to impersonate me they also imagine I would begin an email with a more formal greeting. You know my typical greeting in an email is "Hey." If it doesn't sound like me, assume it isn't!  
• Always, Always, Always Call. Before you put out any money in any way other than the plate on Sunday, through the secure link on our website, or by sending a check to the office by mail, ALWAYS check with me by phone. Not email. Not text. Make sure you hear my voice. Scammers will tell you "there's no time to check" but that's just another tell. There is always time to call and my cell phone plan allows me to use my same number anywhere I might be in the world. So ALWAYS call! Even if I'm on vacation or sabbatical. Always call. Make sure you hear my voice before giving a dime.
• Watch out for scammers moving to texting. While I have not yet seen clergy impersonation scams going out via text, I can easily imagine that will be next. I can imagine them texting you and saying "This is pastor Erik and this is my new number" but don't you believe it! Apply all the safeguards I'm suggesting for email to any text you might receive as well. Is it my number? My number is (970) 590-3540. Are they asking for gift cards? No gift cards! Does it sound holy and pious? That's not me! Make sure to call and hear my voice before you put out even one single dime!  

An Episcopal/Lutheran congregation

WORSHIP SUNDAYS at 10:00

Christ Trinity Church 413-229-8811

180 Main Street

PO Box 127

Sheffield, MA 01257

Services are also livestreamed on: Facebook and YouTube

Our weekly worship bulletin is available at: ChristTrinityChurch.org

The best way to get a message to the office is via email: christtrinitychurch@gmail.com

Find Pastor Erik's sermons at Rectory Ramblings erikkaras.blogspot.com



If you have a loved one who you would like us to remember in our Sunday prayers, please email us by Wednesday morning.

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Seeds editor: Teak Welch