Music Notes

One of the catch phrases I often use both verbally and in print is that “Trinity Church has a long history of excellent music”. As I enter my 20th year as Trinity’s music director and my 28th year on the staff, I am reminded that my seemingly lengthy tenure here is really not that unusual. My dear friend and colleague, Betsy Crenshaw has been here a year and a half longer than I have. And before the two of us were Mary Holsinger and Jim Laster, each of whom began work here in the early 1970’s and served Trinity Church for similarly long periods of time. Mary was the Parish Administrator and Jim the Organist/Choirmaster when Betsy and I started, and we overlapped with both of them for several years.

Dr. James Laster came to Winchester and began work on the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory and Trinity Church in 1973. He retired from Trinity in 1999 and from the college in 2000. Dr. Laster is an accomplished organist, choral conductor, author, and composer. Throughout his 25 years at Trinity he built and maintained a reputation for excellent music which we still benefit from today.

After almost 20 years of active retirement in the Winchester area, Jim and his wife, Madlon, are moving to Delaware to be near their son and grandchildren. As a parting gesture and in recognition of his significant contributions to the artistic life of this community, the Winchester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is sponsoring a concert of Dr. Laster’s compositions, many of which were written for or at Trinity Church, on Sunday, October 21 at 4:00, at First Baptist Church in Winchester. Our own Richard McPherson will be providing much of the organ accompaniment and the combined choir will include members of the Arts Chorale of Winchester, and the Cantus Singers from Shenandoah Conservatory.

During this time of transition, as Trinity Church continues to grow and move forward, it is important to remember those who came before us and on who’s work our successes are built. We are grateful for the many years of service Jim Laster dedicated to our church and hope that many of you might pay tribute to him by attending this wonderful concert.

- Christian

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Trinity Heroines Special Tribute

The Outreach Committee invites you to celebrate the tremendous volunteer efforts of four great Trinity Heroines. Please join us for a dinner honoring these great women in Cox Hall on Wednesday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m., so we can personally thank them for their many hours of dedication to Trinity outreach programs.

This year's Trinity Heroines are:

Robin Keys
Janie Banse
Ann MacLeod
LeighO Wood

Please mark your calendars for this special tribute and look for additional information over the next few weeks.

Calling All Volunteers

The Golden Rooster Thrift Shop needs shop volunteers for 3.5 hours on Saturday mornings from 8:45am-12:15pm. Volunteers welcome and assist customers, help sort donations, and organize the shop. It’s fun! Volunteers are assigned to a team with four members each calendar year, so no one works alone. Teams are scheduled every six weeks. We also need weekly volunteers who have a truck or a trailer to take excess inventory to The Potter’s House in The Plains or Goodwill and refuse to the dump on Saturday mornings.

Call Betsy if you are interested: 540-592-3343.

Meet the Vestry Candidates

Make Sure to Join Us for our Annual Meeting and Vestry Election October 21st
Immediately following the one worship service that will take place that morning at 9:30am


Who is Eligible to Serve on the Vestry?  

According to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Canon 11, Section 4:  

Only lay persons who are confirmed adult communicants in good standing of the church, as defined in General Convention Canon 1.17., shall be eligible for election as Vestry Members of such church.  However, regardless of eligibility of a person for election, no person shall be elected at a duly convened congregational meeting to consecutive full terms on a congregation’s Vestry or Vestry Committee.    

So what does this mean in plain English?  
“Confirmed Adult Communicant in good standing” means the following:  
- You are age 16 or older.  
- You have been baptized and confirmed in the church, and we have your baptism and confirmation duly recorded.  
- You are active in worship, and have received communion at least 3 times this year.  
- You have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God (meaning you are active and intentional about your participation in the life of the church and are known to the treasurer of the church).

Furthermore, this Canon states that you can only serve one consecutive full term (3 years) on the Vestry.


Barbara Augenblick

I moved to the area in 1978 with husband Mark and two children Amy and David (now thankfully adults). We started coming to Trinity at the invitation of Aileen DuPont, a neighbor. In the intervening years I have served on Vestries. I became a member of the Mary Neville Guild, joined the Flower Guild, Altar Guild, learned to be a lay reader and chalice bearer. I was a small cog in the wheels of many stable tours, Christmas auctions, finance and stewardship committees, mission statements and building and grounds plans. I even did a stint as Senior Warden. I can offer some institutional memory - until I forget.

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Paul Coyer

I am honored to be considered for election to the vestry. I am a historian of international relations and specialist in the role played by religion and culture in international affairs. I was baptized at the age of eight, have a degree from an Episcopal divinity school (Yale), previously served on the vestry at St. John's Episcopal Church, New Haven, Connecticut, and have been active in leadership in other Anglican and Episcopal churches, including All Souls, Langham Place, London. I have been active at Trinity since January 2008, have sung in the choir from that point until recently, and been active in numerous other ways including the annual Stable Tour, Adult Forum, a two year gig as the singer for our own in-house classic rock band, “Via Media”, etc. My wife, Marjory, is a classical violinist from Venezuela, who has played violin in Trinity for services and special events for the past 15 years or so (and has hosted many Venezuelan-themed coffee hours!). Marjory and I were married at Trinity in August 2013, with the participation of many Trinity members, and we have long considered our Trinity family an important part of our lives. I hope to be able to contribute in substantive ways as our congregation moves into this next phase of our lives together and our ministry to the broader community.

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Joe Fluet

With the upcoming loss of both Rob, our Rector, and Jane, our Parish Administrator, we are entering an important transition time in the life of our congregation. It is a time when our Vestry will benefit from members with experience in church work, Vestry operations, and Diocesan interaction. With this in mind, I have decided to once again stand for Vestry. I have been active in church work for more than 40 years; I served on Trinity’s vestry a few years ago; and, I served as Senior and Junior Warden in my previous parish during similar transition periods. I have also chaired several Rector Search Committees. I understand that serving on a Vestry is an honor, but not an honorary position. I hope I can help.

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Louise Crane

I was so honored when asked to be a candidate for the Vestry of Trinity Church and thank those who proposed me for this position. I was confirmed into the Episcopal faith at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hattiesburg, MS in 1989.  At Trinity, I served on many committees including, Parish Activity, Altar Guild, later the Flower Guild, worked with Christian Services Center preparing and cooking meals for the less fortunate, helped in the business office, the church school, and others.  I first attended Trinity, Upperville, in 2012 when I visited the area.  Since becoming a resident and marrying Carey, we have been faithful members worshiping here, as well as working on the Stable Tour, being ushers, and supporting all the fund raisers being held here at Trinity.  I am also a member of Parish Life.  While Carey grew up in Trinity, even being an acolyte many years ago, I have only begun my journey into the depths of the Christian fellowship and spiritual healing found here.  I pledge, if chosen to be on the Vestry, to continue my journey and to help others achieve this same feeling of spiritual peace.

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Hurst Groves

A native Hoosier, father (2 daughters), and grandfather (3 girls and a boy), I spent most of my career as a lawyer for Mobil Oil and its affiliates.  I’ve lived in New York, Paris, Tokyo and Fairfax, and spent significant time in Latin America, the Middle East (almost a year in Qatar), Asia and Africa.  In 2000, when Mobil merged with Exxon, I retired from the company and became the director of a new energy policy center at Columbia University.  I commuted weekly to New York from Washington and Middleburg for the next six years. After my wife’s death in 2007, I began to spend more time with my daughters’ families in Takoma Park and New York, occasionally flying to New York in my single-engine Cessna.  I continued to practice law, but on a part-time basis.  For example, I acted as special counsel for Overseas Private Investment Corporation on a project supported by the Skoll Foundation to provide laptop computers to school children in the West Bank of Palestine. I’ve been an Episcopalian since 1968, when I joined Trinity Church in Wall Street.  I was invited to sing in Trinity’s “family choir”, then directed by Larry King.  This was a wonderful experience, since Larry was not only a fine organist and choir director, but also a highly regarded composer.  We often tried out music he had composed to see if it appealed to the congregation.  I’ve also sung in the choirs at St. Alban’s Tokyo and Emmanuel Middleburg.  I have been a member of Emmanuel’s Vestry and was its Senior Warden for two years, before moving (with my fiancée, Barbara Sharp) to Trinity about 5 years ago. At Trinity, I’ve worked with the Finance and Outreach Committees, at the Stable Tour, and with Christian Myers to raise funds to pay for tuning our historic Aeolian Skinner organ.  If elected to the Vestry, I hope to strengthen the funding for Trinity’s music program.  Our organ will require a major refurbishing within the next 10-15 years that will substantially exceed the existing budget.  Developing an endowment or other strategy to provide for these costs before they are upon us is important as we plan for the future of our beautiful church.

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Jake Hambrick

I am honored to be nominated as a Vestry candidate. My family has been coming to Trinity since 2008. Many of my family members have played a role in facilitating church activities since. I have been away from the church for several years as I pursued an education in Texas, visiting several churches in my travels.  Upon my return to northern Virginia, I met my wife Ashley and we began to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Ashley and I recently got married at Trinity and have enjoyed growing deeper in our faith as a couple while being supported by the church community and congregation. As we went through couple’s counseling we enjoyed cultivating a relationship with Reverend Banse and appreciate his guidance. I am fond of Trinity for several reasons; the congregation, the ministry, and the architecture of the church.  As a professional engineer, I would love to serve the Lord by helping to maintain our beautiful house of worship.  I look forward to furthering my spiritual journey and will follow where the Lord leads me.  

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Peter Hitchen

I am delighted to be considered for the Vestry class of 2021.  In 1997 I founded , and continue to own and operate, Tilton Enterprises which is an excavation company that specializes in equestrian projects, as well as BAC, a roll off and front load dumpster service that donates a portion of revenues to the Childhood Cancer Charities. I graduated from the Hill School and Loudoun Valley High and received my Bachelor of Arts from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. In addition to my work, I enjoy serving as a licensed professional Mate and Captain on sport fishing boats in Bald Head, NC. I am devoted to the community and participate in local nonprofit organizations, including our beloved Trinity Church, as well as serving on the Board of Buchanan Hall. I live with my wife Melanie and daughters Madilyn and Elaina in Marshall, VA. 

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Joe Markus

Joe Markus has been a member of Trinity Church for over 30 years.  He is married to Sandra Markus with whom he resides on Trappe Road in Upperville VA.  He has three daughters and four grandchildren.  His daughter, Stacy, and her husband, Jason, have recently been attending Trinity with   their three children.  Joe has a varied business background which he has used previously, serving for 2+ years as chair of Trinity's Finance Committee.

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Trinity Episcopal Arts Weekend

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Friday October 26th through Sunday October 28th, 2018

A weekend of Visual Arts, Film, & Music to celebrate the release of the new book The Gardens of Bunny Mellon

The Gardens of Bunny Mellon is a lavishly illustrated book that features the public and private gardens that Mrs. Mellon designed, including Trinity Episcopal Church, by author Linda Holden, published by Vendome Press. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase throughout the weekend with a generous portion of the proceeds to benefit the ongoing maintenance and preservation of the Church.

Opening Reception Friday, October 26th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Holy Stories: Image and Word
An exhibition of Collage and Sculpture, October 26-28 by artists Sandra Bowden and Karen Swenholt. Art is available for purchase in addition to a book signing of “The Gardens of Bunny Mellon.” Donations welcomed.

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Compline Service Friday, October 26th, 8:00 PM
A meditation on the Psalms featuring choral and organ music with a display of an ancient Book of Hours. Donations welcomed.

Artists Luncheon & Church Tour Saturday, October 27th 12:00 – 3:00 PM
Artists gathering and luncheon followed by tour of Trinity Church’s Sanctuary hosted by artists and friends of Trinity and the Bridge at Glymfeather Hallows Artist Group. This will be a time to welcome new area artists and to share with others the rich tapestry of visual artists in the area. A special welcome and thank you to the new artists in residence and ongoing outreach at Oak Spring Foundation here in the area. Book signing of The Gardens of Bunny Mellon will be available.

Space is limited. Contact Jessica Van Heim Diday for reservations: jvanheimdiday@gmail.com

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Screening of “Many Beautiful Things” Saturday, October 27th 7:00 PM
A documentary film by award winning Laura Waters Hinson and Executive Producer Hisao Kurosawa (Dreams, Ran). A film about Lilias Trotter, 19thcentury botanical and landscape artist who was John Ruskin’s protégé and one of the world’s greatest female artists that was almost lost in history. A story of the struggle over creativity and calling featuring the voices of Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) and John Rhys- Davies (Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones). Donations encouraged.

Sunday, October 28th
8:00 AM Worship Service
9:00 AM Book signing of The Gardens of Bunny Mellon available at Cox Hall during coffee hour.
10:30 AM Worship Service
12:00 PM Book signing of The Gardens of Bunny Mellon available at Cox Hall during coffee hour.

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Music Notes

It’s been eleven years since Rev. Rob Banse made his way to Trinity Church and in that time, he has been my supportive supervisor, cheerful colleague, trusted pastor, and dear friend.  I will miss him greatly.  Rob’s steady temperament and calm demeanor were just what this congregation and staff needed after a very divisive period and difficult transition in the life of this church.  His sincerity and integrity helped restore faith in the clergy for me, as I’m sure it did for many others.  Since that time, I have had the privilege of working with Rob as he has pastored this community with great love and sensitivity.  For eleven years he has baptized us, married and buried us, celebrated countless worship services, led bible studies and other spiritual programs, and counseled us all, including me personally, in times of sadness and joy.  He has always been supportive and appreciative of music and served as frequent soloist for the 8:00 service.  

While we will all miss Rob’s loving presence in our lives, I know that he has made the decision to leave with the same deep thoughtfulness that he has given to all his work here and completely trust that he has made a wise choice.  We will all look forward to celebrating his ministry over the coming months and wish him the very best in his next endeavors.  

In that spirit, we will do our best to continue God’s work here in Upperville as we begin yet another season of ministry at Trinity Church.  We will kick things off with the annual Activities Fair on Sunday, Sept. 9, and various choir rehearsals will begin in the following weeks.  I hope you might all take the opportunity to encourage people to join one of our choirs as we prepare to have our upcoming transition accompanied by music that is both beautiful and spiritually uplifting.    

Christian

Fall Music Dates  

Adult Choir  
Thursday, Sept. 6, 7:00pm
Choir Room  

Jr. Choir  
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 4:00pm  
Children’s Choir Room  

Choristers
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 4:45pm  
Children’s Choir Room  

Handbell Choir Tuesday, Sept. 18, 5:00pm  
Cox Hall  

Activities Fair
Sunday, Sept. 9  
Full choir resumes for 10:30 service  

Commissioning of choirs and other ministries
Sunday, Sept. 30, 10:30 service  

Vestry Notes

I hope that you and your family have had a refreshing summer.  As it neared its end we received important news for our church from our Rector.   

While we are saddened by Rob’s announced departure we know that he has sought God’s guidance as to what is best for Trinity and  his own ministry.  

Rob Banse has been a source of strength for Trinity for more than eleven years and the congregation has benefited immeasurably from his steady leadership.  He has challenged us to live out the Gospel in word and deed.  Trinity like all communities of faith has its challenges but remains a vibrant church committed to displaying the love of Christ to one another and to our broader community. Times of transition always require us to rely on our faith and this will be no exception.  Vestry will be meeting very soon to discuss our path forward.  We have been been in touch with the Diocese to acquire their guidance and assistance and will meet with a representative of the Diocese at our next meeting.    

We continue to be thankful for Rob and his compassionate and strong ministry to Trinity over the past eleven years and wish God’s continued blessing on Rob and his Family as he continues to serve Christ.  

Regards,  
Matt Blunt  

Calling All Volunteers

The Golden Rooster Thrift Shop needs shop volunteers for 3.5 hours on Saturday mornings from 8:45am-12:15pm. Volunteers welcome and assist customers, help sort donations, and organize the shop. It’s fun! Volunteers are assigned to a team with four members each calendar year, so no one works alone. Teams are scheduled every six weeks. We also need weekly volunteers who have a truck or a trailer to take excess inventory to The Potter’s House in The Plains or Goodwill and refuse to the dump on Saturday mornings.  

Call Betsy if you are interested: 540-592-3343. 

2018 Activities Fair

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September 9  

Mark your calendar for our 2018 Fall Start-up Activities Fair!    

Join us for worship as we celebrate the start of the new program year.  All of our ministries will be on display.  Our choirs and children’s programs will be starting up again in the days to follow.    

Come one – come all! 

Stay for a delicious BBQ lunch, prepared by our own Tommy Breeden, with sides lovingly prepared by our own amazing Parish Life Committee. Join in the conversation and see what volunteer opportunities Trinity has to offer throughout the year. See you there!! 

Hope to see you there! 

Trinity Shrinemont Retreat

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October 12-14, 2018

Enjoy the beauty of Shrine Mont while engaging in fellowship with Trinity members and their families! Feel refreshed after participating in various activities, including games and hiking or by doing absolutely nothing! 

Hiking  
Choose easy or more strenuous paths Walk the labyrinth or hike the Stations of the Cross.
AND AT THE END OF THE DAY… Camp Fire with s’mores! Ice Cream Social!  

Games
Croquet, tennis, horseshoes.  

Bryce Mountain    
Zip line, 9/18 holes of golf, frisbee golf, miniature golf

Cost:   $76/night - $152/weekend double occupancy (meals included) $100/night - $200/weekend single occupancy (meals included) $30/night - $60/weekend kids 4-12 (meals included)

Interested? Call Marguerite Sweeny for details:   703-431-9962  margueritesw@gmail.com

 

 

Trinity Tables

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Parish Life is once again starting up Trinity Tables.  Trinity Tables are small groups of 8-10 adults sharing simple meals and fellowship.  The intention is to have fun and provide an opportunity for us to meet parishioners we may not know and /or to become better acquainted. Each group meets about once a month  for a simple meal and relaxed conversation in the homes of the members.  Soon there will be a sign up sheet in Cox Hall.   So, if you are interested, sign up.  Then you will be assigned to a group.  

We will have a Kick-Off Potluck Dinner on Saturday, September 22 in the Parish Hall.  You will have dinner with your group and then you can decide how often and where you will be meeting.  This is a wonderful way to meet and get to know better your fellow parishioners.  Any questions or comments? Call Betsy in the church office, 540 592-3343. It’s lots of fun!

Stewardship News

June 23 was Church Vitality & Stewardship  Day  in the Diocese of Virginia.   On that day, the Diocese conducted a set of stewardship workshops designed  to help Virginia congregations use “the gifts God gives us to do the work God calls us to do.”   Held at historic  Aquia Church near Fredricksburg, the meeting was  presided over by Bishop Shannon Johnston, and Bishops Susan Goff and Bob Ihloff and largely orchestrated by Julie Simonton, Director of Congregational Development and Stewardship for the Diocese.  It was both an inspiring and useful exploration of the modern Church’s role in society and the ways in which it can be more effective in serving the needs of parishioners while it is also securing its own financial and operational future.  The information shared at Aquia about annual and proportional giving, bequests and related financial instruments, endowments, and the communications and other opportunities that technology affords us will benefit Trinity Church  and  help us leverage the skills of  our own talented parishioners and  the experiences of other churches to enable Trinity to attain new and higher goals and commitments.    

Meanwhile, Trinity’s Stewardship Committee has been active in reassessing what can be done to strengthen connections among the congregation and investigating how to strengthen Trinity’s  budget and provide the support that enables Trinity to  care for and serve its members and the larger community.    In that spirit, the Committee and the Vestry met in Cox Hall with Julie Simonton on June 11. It was clearly an eye-opening conversation that ranged over a number of important aspects of stewardship and how Trinity’s message can be made more apparent and relevant to parishioners of all ages and to people in the region.  The Cox Hall meeting generated  new spirit and enthusiasm and a number of proposals for action that we will evaluate over the summer.  Julie has assured us it will not be her last trip to Trinity.  But, the job is now ours to undertake.  We would absolutely WELCOME additional ideas from our Genesis readers – consider this YOUR invitation.    

These two meetings have set the stage for future  decisions about how to freshen up our annual giving requests, make planned giving easier, and  improve the Church’s long-term financial outlook in order to enhance outreach, music,  congregational care, and to do God’s work as He gives us to see it.  The Diocese’s annual motto – NOW into the World! – captures that spirit.  As Bishop Goff told us in the context of “changing the verb” in pursuit  of our mission in this time of change and uncertainty:  focus on what there is to  “gain” by change and innovation, not on what is  “lost”; instead of asking people to “come” to church,  be willing to “go” where the need is;  instead of saying I “have” a church, “be” the church;  instead of trying to “survive” be willing to let old ways “die” when the need to modernize our Church requires it -- while maintaining our commitment to Christ and each other, of course.  That’s both a challenging and an optimistic message.  It’s about everyone at Trinity being its steward.            

Jim Hoecker
Stewardship Chair 2018

Outreach News

The Trinity Outreach Committee would like to thank Kat Gemmer and her amazing team of volunteers for creating an outstanding and highly successful 2018 Stable Tour!  Because of their hard work and the generosity of those attending, the Outreach Committee will be dispersing $50,000 this year!  The committee will meet in September to review funding requests submitted in 2018 and will decide how best to utilize the funds.  (The list of non-profits and suggested funding amounts will be submitted to the Vestry for final approval.)  

The Outreach Committee carefully reviews every submitted proposal; interviews (when possible) the executive directors and leaders of the non-profits; and, in many cases, volunteers directly with the organizations.  These organizations not only benefit from needed funding – they also benefit from the love, compassion, skills and expertise of many Trinity volunteers.    

Should you know of an organization in need of funding that you feel would benefit from Trinity’s Outreach program and would like to serve as the organization’s sponsor, please contact Debra Principi at 703-919-0182 or email debraprincipi@aol.com.  Or, you may suggest the organization complete the PDF application here:  https://trinityupperville.org/outreach/

Music Notes - Credo

Credo.  In Latin it means, believe, and is commonly used to mean a statement of belief.  The Credo is also the central (third of five) movement of the Latin Mass and in that form is what we know as the Nicene Creed.  We say the creed, in English, every Sunday and while it is a very powerful part of the Eucharist Service, it can’t compare to singing it in Latin.    

First there is the language.  Here is an excerpt in both English and Latin so you can decide for yourself.  

God from God  
Light from Light  
True God from true God  

Deum de Deo
Lumen de Lumine
Deum verum de Deo vero

Now really, which is the more inspiring, or even just fun to say.  Add to this the emotion that music can bring to words and you have the perfect anthem for the day of the Bishop’s visit and Confirmation.  

For this occasion, on Sunday, June 17, we sang the version of the Credo from the Mass in G by Franz Schubert which he composed in less than a week during 1815 when he was just 18 years old.  The musical scholar can find examples of inexperience in this work but they are far outweighed by Schubert’s youthful romanticism which is both beautiful and expressive but also innocent and light.  It is earnest in a way that later, dark and heavy romanticism could only reminisce about.  The defining characteristic of Schubert’s Credo is the juxtaposition of smooth drawn out vocal lines over a staccato walking bass line which never stops through the entire piece.  Together it creates the sense of a relentless pilgrimage, a journey towards an unwavering faith. It is a journey that our confirmands are just beginning and which we hope will be relentless and unwavering.  And for the times when it is not?  That is why we all recite the creed together, each and every Sunday, at the sacred hour, on the sacred day, in this sacred space.      

Christian

Outdoor Sanctuary Picnic

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The next potluck picnic at the Outdoor Sanctuary is scheduled for Thursday, June 14 at 6 PM.  Hotdogs, burgers, and veggie burgers will be provided.  Also provided will be wine, beer, soft drinks and bottled water.  (If you are particular about pairing your wine with our burgers, you are welcome to bring your own wine).  

Members of the congregation are encouraged to bring a side dish to compliment the picnic.  Suggestions include salad, baked beans, cole slaw, hors d’oeuvres, vegetables  and desserts.  June 14 also happens to be “Flag Day” so feel free to be creative.  

The picnic will be followed by a service of Evening Prayer celebrated at the Outdoor Chapel. Please invite your friends!  These picnics can serve as a welcoming outreach to our neighbors in the community.  

If you are able to walk to the Outdoor Sanctuary, please park in the Trinity parking lot.If it is more convenient for you to drive, you may enter via Lafayette Street located between the Thrift Shop and the Post Office.  Someone will be available to direct you.  

Watch for announcements about subsequent picnics at the Outdoor Sanctuary as the summer progresses !

New Pews for the Outdoor Chapel

If a tree fell in the forest, could it become a new pew for the Outdoor Sanctuary?  

The answer is YES!  An Osage Orange tree fell in the back yard of Gulick House (the old Rectory) during one of Upperville’s countless wind storms.  

Thanks to Fred Briggs, owner of Belle Grey Farm and recent Stable Tour host, this fallen tree is on its way to providing new pews for the Outdoor Chapel.   Fred brought his enormous portable sawmill to the back yard of the Rectory, and shaped the fallen tree into rough boards suitable for benches.  Over the winter, Eric Westergard fashioned the boards into smooth pews.  Then, following even more storms, new pew bench supports were uniformly cut by Fred Briggs to hold the new pews in place. This process continues throughout the summer.  

Thank you, Fred Briggs!  You are a true friend of the Trinity Outdoor Chapel! 

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S.O.M.E. in May

A steady rainfall did not deter our guests from gathering for their fish at our SOME outreach service in May. About 400 were served and for one of the first times in recent memory, we actually ran out of rice casserole. It was a popular item, along with all of our homemade goodies. Fortunately, we had an abundance of fish.  

The van was full and included among the dining room volunteers: Ken Knapp, our oven master; Jim Gemmer, the jack of all trades, John MacDonnell, the casserole prep man; Bob Appenzeller; the green bean chief and primary seasoner; newcomer Paul Edmundson who assisted on the serving line as well as in the kitchen. Also on the line and directing the baked goods department were: Gina Hammond, Mary MacDonnell, Ann MacLeod, Maggie New and another first-timer, Wendy Glorioso. Robin Keys served as the driver to and from D.C.  

We had an early crowd of prep workers in the Cox Hall kitchen the previous day to include our Rector Rob Banse, Harriet Condon, Joan Eliot, Ellen Hall, Richard Taylor, Ann MacLeod and Robin Keys.  

Our July SOME mission will be held Thursday, July 19, when we cook, and Friday, July 20, when we serve. Our summer efforts present a great opportunity for youth involvement. Participants must be at least 16-years old and are reminded to wear closed toe shoes and a hat. Please contact Ann MacLeod for further information.