House of Joy in Romania - Ukrainian Support
We're so pleased to hear from our friends at The House of Joy in Romania which in recent weeks has turned over a recently built dormitory to house 140 refugees from war-torn neighboring Ukraine. Your generous donations have helped feed, clothe, and provide the basic necessities to establish themselves temporarily in a new country and to set up a new life.
They write "Thank you so much for such amazing generosity that you and your friends and ministry partners have shown us." They've recorded this great little thank-you video as a message to all the good people of Trinity - you can watch below:
Thank you to everyone who has given so generously so far; our appeal remains open for you to give here:
Join Our EfM (Education for Ministry) Class
Want to dig deeper into the Christian faith, study the Bible with greater intellectual integrity, learn more about church history, theological ideas and, most importantly, connect your faith (and doubts) more strongly to your own life experiences? Then consider enrolling in Education for the Ministry – or “EfM. EfM is a unique four-year distance learning certificate pro-gram in theological education based upon small-group study and practice. EfM helps the faithful encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and brings it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological re-flection together.
The class convenes once a week on Tuesdays from mid-September through May for 3 hours (11AM—2PM) at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg. Studies include
Year 1 - the Hebrew Testament,
Year 2 - the Christian Testament
Year 3 - Church History
Year 4 -Theology and Christian Spirituality
The class includes students in all four years and does require weekly personal study. Created by Sewanee Seminary and administered locally via the Diocese of Virginia, the tuition is $375 per year and scholarships are available. You only need to commit to one year at a time.
Feel free to contact EfM Mentor Gina Hammond (540-655-5744) or graduates Sandra Markus (540-878-5577). Laurie Volk (540-539-1734), Jolly de Give (540-592-3889), Melissa Neal (540-255-8596), or Joe Fluet (540-496-8999 for more information and their personal experiences with the program.
Food Closet Requests
For the month of January, we invite all parishioners to make donations to our Food Closet. The picture below shows the common items most needed. These include canned meats (chicken, tuna, spam), canned fruits and vegetables, rice and pasta dishes, instant potatoes, soups, small condiment containers, small cereal boxes, peanut butter, jellies, evaporated milk, fruit drinks, spaghetti sauces, hashes and stews, and macaroni and cheese.
Currently we DO NOT NEED any boxes of dried pasta (spaghetti, noodles) or canned pinto or black beans. All other items are in high demand.
Persons visiting our Food Closet, are only able to take two plastic bags of food, and only one of each item. Please donate items in regular sized cans.
Plan on making a visit to your local supermarket or dollar store. With your help we can give the less fortunate a good start in the new year.
Please do not donate expired food.
Baptismal Font Restoration Begins
Thanks to the generosity of a number of parishioners with a special interest in the restoration of the historic baptismal font, the full amount of the cost of restoration ($25,000) has been raised. The font will be taken to Rugo Stone after a baptism on September 8 and hopefully returned in time for the next baptism on November 3.
The restoration will include the addition of wheels under an improved base so that the font can be safely moved from the side of the church to the center aisle for baptisms.
The font, likely made in the early 20th century, was given in memory of three members of the Dulany family all named John Peyton. They lived between 1788 and 1904. Some of their descendants are still parishioners.
We are grateful that it will be possible to continue the long tradition of generations of parishioners being baptized in this font.
Education for Ministry Class
Join Our EfM (Education for Ministry) Class: Want to dig deeper into the Christian faith, study the Bible with greater intellectual integrity, learn more about church history, theological ideas and, most importantly, connect your faith (and doubts) more strongly to your own life experiences? Then consider enrolling in Education for the Ministry – or “EfM”. EfM is a unique four-year distance learning certificate program in theological education based upon small-group study and practice. EfM helps the faithful encounter the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition and bring it into conversation with their experiences of the world as they study, worship, and engage in theological reflection together.
The class convenes once a week on Tuesdays from September through May for 3 hours (11:00AM—2:00PM) at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg and does require weekly personal study. Created by Sewanee Seminary and administered locally via the Diocese of Virginia, the tuition is $375 per year and scholarships are available. You only need to commit to one year at a time. Feel free to contact Trinity EfM graduates Melissa Neal (540-255-8596), Joe Fluet (540-869-0858), Jolly de Give )54-592-3889) or Gina Hammond (540-665-5744) or current student Laurie Volk (540-539-1734) for more information and their personal experiences with the program.
S.O.M.E. News May 2018
Our March SOME servers, pictured from left to right: Josephina Hooker, Gina Hammond, Len Shapiro, Ann MacLeod, Mary MacDonnel, Jim Gemmer, John Macdonnel and Ken Knapp.
It was a full dining room two times over as Trinity Church fed a bevy of hungry diners at SOME in Washington, DC, in March. Short on staff and the usual bounty of local college-age volunteers, we hustled to keep the paper plates flowing. Without a volunteer to man the automatic dishwasher, the standard hard plastic serving ware was removed. Only one side of the serving station was manned. Jim Gemmer however stepped up to handle the heavy duty washing of pots and pans in the kitchen.
Most of the remaining kitchen duties including but not limited to fish, green bean and rice casserole preparation, were handled ably by Ken Knapp and John MacDonnell joined by Len Shapiro, with a small assist from Robin Keys. Portioning the vast array of desserts and bread were newcomer Josefina Hooker, whom we welcomed with open arms, Mary MacDonnell, Gina Hammond and Ann MacLeod. Gina baked a generous portion of green cookies honoring Saint Patrick, the “Apostle of Ireland.” Josefina donated a large number of Girl Scout cookies and Mary made some mouth watering Irish soda bread for the occasion. Service was halted briefly when one of the guests had a medical emergency outside the entrance. An ambulance was quickly dispatched and soon we were back in business. It was believed that the guest possibly overdosed on “Spice” or K2 synthetic marijuana. A member of the SOME security team reported that the use of this drug in the metropolitan area has skyrocketed and that unfortunately medical intervention is often required.
We were mindful during our service of the significant impact former Outreach leader the late Debbie Gale had on our program. She was right there in the kitchen with us for many, many years as well as on the van to DC. We will forever miss her warm spirit and welcoming nature. Debbie embodied what the SOME program is all about serving everyone with dignity and respect. We will return to DC to serve on May 18, with cooking scheduled the previous day May 17 in Cox Hall. Please consider joining us. A sign-up sheet is available in Cox Hall or you are encouraged to contact Ann MacLeod to confirm your participation.
Upcoming Youth Activities
We will have youth evenings at the church the second Wednesday of every month (grades 3-12), starting April 11 with a Pizza night from 5:30-7 PM, followed by activities. Please invite your friends; you don't have to belong to Trinity to participate! We will also discuss the schedule of coming events, including:
Youth Sunday Canoe Trip
Stable Tour Volunteer Project Pool Party
Movie Night
Annual Youth Project Outreach activity
Please RSVP for April 11
Kevin Fox
kfox@myviablevision.com.
We have a remarkable group of energetic, talented and creative youth at Trinity, and we are excited to provide opportunities for them to shine, to build new friendships and to contribute to the life of the church. We need your ideas and energy at Trinity, so please come and bring your friends, for fun and fellowship.
See Jesus Workshop
Vestry Updates
As always, Easter was a great day of celebration and worship at Trinity. In fact, the entire Holy Week was a moving period of reflection and meditation on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Now we turn to the task of living as re- deemed people who serve God, one another and men and women in this community and beyond.
With that in mind, I would urge you to consider supporting one of Trinity’s most important events of the year. The Hunt Country Stable Tour is the pri- mary source of our outreach funding. It is what allows us to serve the people of Upperville, the surrounding area and men and women in crisis all around the world. The Tour can also attract those who are looking for a place to worship and have fellowship with other believers to Trinity. Stable Tour Chair Kat Gemmer and her committee have put together a wonderful itiner- ary. I would urge you to support the Stable Tour and the outreach work of Trinity.
Regards,
Matt Blunt
Fall Coffee Hours
It is once again time for families to sign up to do coffee hours. These do not have to be elaborate af-fairs. All summer long parishioners enjoyed doughnut holes, coffee cakes, fruit danishes, cookies, fresh fruit and juices along with their coffee. You do not have to set up the coffee urns; they will be already to plug in on Sunday Morning. Join with some friends and be our coffee hour hosts. Thank You.
Annual Meeting and Vestry Election
There will be one service at 9:30 a.m. on October 1st. The election of new vestry members and our annual meeting will immediately follow the service in Cox Hall. We do hope that you plan to attend.
Vestry News
Our Vestry last met on Wednesday, July 19th for its monthly meeting. The minutes for the meeting will be filed and available for your review. We did not have a regular meeting in August. However, we did have an unofficial meeting/discussion on August 9th to discuss plans for the fall and the upcoming annual meeting to be held on October 1st.
At the July meeting, we received the financial summary from our Treasurer. While our cash position was down slightly because of the normal summer deficit, it is still healthy. The revised 2017 budget was presented by our Treasurer, Carol, in her exceptionally skilled manner, at the July 23rd congregational meeting. If you were in attendance, you would have seen that we are performing well for this year, but we have identified some trends that are worth further review and that Vestry, in collaboration with the Finance committee, will be considering as we start to review the plans for our 2018 budget. It is certainly worth noting that we had another clean financial audit for 2016. Vestry accepted and approved the 2016 audit.
So by now you are probably aware of this, but for the record, Vestry did approve the use of monies from the music fund to allow the reparations of our beautiful organ to get started this summer. It is our intent to get the repairs completed before we kick off the fall season with our full choir and music programs. We also wanted to be sure we did not lose the availability of the highly skilled craftsman that are conducting the work. We hope that the donations to the Organ Fund will continue as we progress which will allow us to replenish the music funds. So please consider making a donation to this important effort.
You have probably noticed that there remains a fairly large hole in the ground behind Cox Hall. Vestry has approved the use of funds to replace the water supply lines the run from the sanctuary to most of the rest of the campus. There are several steps required in the process, but the end result will be a much safer, cleaner supply of water and lines that can be controlled at each building instead of at only one spot in the system. Unfortunately the repairs will cause a few deep digs in the Bishop’s Garden. We will make the cosmetic repairs after the new pipes are in as quickly and efficiently as possible, in order that the lawn can be returned to normal.
I want to be sure to thank all of our wonderful volunteers who have been keeping things going this summer. We had a great turnout for the Vestry sponsored picnic on the July 26th with many people helping out and bringing dishes to share. We had another successful year supporting the motorcycle rally on Aug 19th that supports Boulder Crest in Bluemont. Many of you contributed dozens of delicious cookies and pastries which the riders all enjoyed while taking a break from their ride. Many thanks to Gina Hammond for keeping the coffee hours supplied with goodies during the summer months. And thanks to all of you for pitching in wherever you have as I’m sure I missed something or someone that should have been recognized specifically.
I think that’s all the space I’m allotted for this month. Please continue to keep Vestry’s efforts in your prayers. We eagerly await Rob’s return so we can discuss this summer’s happenings and our plans for the fall. I’m sure we all look forward hearing of his travels and studies.
In faith,
Jim Gemmer
Senior Warden
Music News
With the departure of both our Parish Administrator and Assistant Rector just before the program year begins and while Rev. Banse is still away, it would seem, there is a bit of uncertainty in the air at Trinity this Fall. Perhaps it is just my longevity, but I’m really not too worried about it. When I start-ed counting, I was surprised to see an interesting coincidence. Since I have been here I have seen five Assistant Rectors, five Christian Education Directors, five Parish Administrators, and five Rectors (counting interims) all come and go. Ok, actually not quite five Rectors since Rob is the fifth and he is thankfully still here. At any rate, with each and every departure we wonder what we are going to do now, but my observation is that we always end up just fine. In fact, there are three things that you can certainly count on regardless of the transition.
The first is that no matter what happens we will still have lovely and meaningful music. I am very pleased to say that almost all of our musicians are returning this year including our renowned organist Richard McPherson, our wonderful Intern Sarah Saul, and four of our five outstanding choir section leaders, Hannah Glass, Justin Price, Michael Forest, and Jason Labrador. New this year will be sopra-no. You probably are still stuck with me as well, the Lord willing and the creek don’t rise. (Seriously, I live right next to a big creek). The second thing I am certain you can count on is that God loves you no matter what and the third thing is that anything not covered by music or God, Betsy can take care of until we get it figured out. And like unto these, a new thing I am just learning is that Jane McGee is very cool and is going to be a great Parish Administrator.
So, there you have it. Not much to worry about. Instead, please help us spread the word about our wonderful choirs here at Trinity which will be resuming over the next few weeks. Please consider joining a choir or recommending it to people you know. In this age of technology, there is still no better way to get people involved than word of mouth. So, if you know someone who likes to sing, no matter how great or small, tell them that Trinity Church is the place to be. We will welcome them with open arms, minds and hearts.
Christian
Choirs begin
Adult Choir – Any and all adults
Thursday, September 7 at 7:00 (Choir Room, basement of Cox Hall)
Jr. Choir – Age 4 -2nd grade
Wednesday, September 13 at 4:00 (Children’s Choir Room, Basement of office building)
Choristers – Grades 3 and older
Wednesday, September 13 at 4:45 (Children’s Choir Room, Basement of office building)
Handbell Choir – Adults
Tuesday, September 19 at 7:15 (Cox Hall)
S.O.M.E. News
Please join us in Cox Hall Thursday, 14 September 2017 to prepare the rice casse-role for our visit to SOME. We will gather about 7:30am to chop vegetables.
The next morning, Friday, 15 September 2017 we will depart the church parking lot at 8:30am sharp and travel to Washington, DC to serve our meal.
You may also participate by donating baked goods such as brownies, cupcakes, cook-ies or rolls and cornbread. Store-bought items are just as welcome as homemade. Please deliver to the kitchen by 8am Friday.
Ann MacLeod is our loyal organizer and you may reach her at 540-592-3313 if you would like a spot in the kitchen or a seat on the Trinity van.
Thank you for your continuing support of this 30-year program.
School of the Piedmont News
Community Music School of the Piedmont is pleased to announce the creation of the annual Kathe-rine Jameson Piano Scholarship. The scholarship honors the late Katherine Jameson, a well-known and much-loved musical educator in our community.
“Katherine was our first piano instructor at CMSP”, said Martha Cotter CMSP Executive Director. “She was devoted to music and to educating children about the power and joy of music. Katherine taught all ages, from early childhood through adult students. She covered the widest spectrum, from shy beginners to promising, motivated musicians. She met her students where they were and helped to launch their progress. Many of her former students have continued their musical studies and they credit Katherine with inspiring them to do so”.
CMSP now invites students with a dedicated interest in piano instruction to apply to receive the Kath-erine Jameson Piano Scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year. The scholarship, which is organized in partnership with Katherine’s family, will provide one student with piano instruction from the CMSP for one academic year.
Students between the ages of 10 and 18, regardless of previous piano instruction, are eligible. They must have demonstrated a passion and ability for music. The application consists of two things. First, submit a letter of recommendation from someone outside their family (ideally a music instructor) fa-miliar with their musical interests. Second, write a 500-word essay on the role that music plays in their life and why they consider musical study to be an important and valuable undertaking. A success-ful essay will also demonstrate the student’s interest in studying the piano in particular.
The Scholarship Committee will accept applications from September 1 to September 30, 2017. A committee comprised of piano faculty and CMSP board members will review the applications and announce the winner by October 15, 2017. Lessons through the Katherine Jameson Piano Scholarship will be available beginning the month of November.
Serving our community since 1994, CMSP is dedicated to providing high quality music instruction and performance opportunities to all members of our Piedmont community, offering private lessons and group classes on a wide variety of instruments.
To apply for the Katherine Jameson Piano Scholarship please go to our web-site: piedmontmusic.org.
Meet the Vestry Candidates
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.
Sabine Bibb
I am so honored to have the Vestry nominate me as a Vestry candidate this year. I would consider it a privilege to serve our congregation. Some quick basic facts about me! I am an Air Force brat and grew up mostly in Germany. I have been a resident of Loudoun County for 29 years. My husband Brett and I have been married for 29 years and we have twin boys. We have attended Trinity for 12 years. I attended George Mason University before starting my dual careers at Dulles Airport and a local newspaper. The past 25 years or so I have kept busy working, raising my two boys and breeding horses. I love going to college football games, attending many concerts and musical events and traveling. Initially we were drawn to Trinity by friends and the children’s programs. Quite simply, our whole family enjoyed going to church! I have served as a Sunday school teacher when my children were younger and as a Lay Eucharist Minister for many years. I have also served on various committees including Stable Tour and the kitchen renovation. I enjoy working with Tommy! We love hosting coffee hour a few times a year with friends. The fellowship of coffee hour is instrumental in fostering the sense of community of our church. Given the opportunity to serve on the vestry I would look forward to supporting and serving our church family.
Kathryn Gemmer
My role throughout my life has been to serve the Lord in whatever capacity he calls me to serve. I feel that my service through a role on Vestry would allow me to offer my vision of promoting God's word through a modernization of the way we approach education and messaging in a modern society. My professional work as Science Department Chair and teacher of science at Woodgrove High School in Purcellville allows me to combine my knowledge of youth and the way we approach communication with today's technology driven platforms in a very real context. I am a Navy wife of thirty plus years. I have taught high school science (biology, chemistry and physics) for twenty five years, as well as worked with the East Tennessee State University College Of Education and the Tennessee Board of Regents, consulting and researching the way we recruit and train young teachers for service in our public schools. At Trinity I am a dedicated member of our choir and I have taught several forum sessions for the Adult Christian Education Committee. I chaired the search for an administrative hire last year. I presently chair the Hunt Country Stable Tour.
Johanna Jackson
I am Johanna Jackson and I would be honored to serve on the Trinity Vestry. My family and I began attending Trinity Episcopal in 2010, after moving back to the greater DC area following a seven-year stint in Southern California. We chose Trinity because of Rob’s thoughtful sermons, the beautiful music, and warm congregation. My journey to the Episcopal Church began when I was a teenager growing up in Latin America in a US Foreign Service family. Bob and I were married in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Napa, California. We christened all three of our children in the Washington, DC Diocese, and were active members of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Monrovia, California. At Trinity I participate in Parish Life, am a Lay Eucharistic Minister, and really enjoyed our Trinity Tables group. The recent marriage of my son at Trinity, with some of our Trinity friends joining friends from long ago, was a very great joy. My professional career has focused on supporting children with disabilities in their development. I currently manage Loudoun County’s Early Intervention Program. My private obsession is gardening.
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 two children. Joe has a varied business background which he has used previously, serving for 2+ years as chair of Trinity's Finance Committee.
Melissa Nea
As a cradle Episcopalian, raised in Texas, I came to this area originally as a teenager for secondary school and then continued for college at Georgetown University. After graduating I was continually drawn back to this very special part of Virginia. It became clear that my heart is here and this is home. I have my own business as an interior decorator based in Middleburg. I officially joined Trinity in 2012 and have felt so much love and encouragement as I have become a part of this parish family. I have just completed 4 years of EFM through Sewanee and Emmanuel in Middleburg. It was not education for the ministry with a big M as they say, but education for ministry in your own personal way. Between EFM and my involvement at Trinity I feel I have truly come to understand what it means to be an active member of a church community. Trinity has given me so much as I have served as a member of the Healing Ministry, the Flower Guild, and as a volunteer for Vacation Bible School, Blessing of the Animals, the Christmas Auction party and Stable Tour. The love, encouragement and dedication of our members has made an immense impact on my life. Vestry is one way I can serve, give back and utilize the strengths I have developed in my own business, through EFM and as a volunteer member at Trinity. I have had the opportunity to know parishioners from many other Episcopal parishes and it has helped remind me of the many different perspectives and approaches of different congregations. It has also solidified in me that I have found my home in Trinity, and I am so eager to contribute to this parish and congregation.
Vestry News July 2017
Our Vestry met on Wednesday, June 21 for its monthly meeting. The minutes for the meeting will be filed and will be available for your review. Being the first of our meetings with Rob on sabbatical, we were happy to have Rachel with us as our spiritual leader in his stead.
As usual, financial reports were first on the agenda. We are still looking good with year to date pledge income remaining ahead of budget for the year. Thanks to all of you for your faithful dedication to keeping your pledge of support current. We are still finalizing the Stable Tour finances, but we are confident that with a current net income of $59,232, the ending income will be well over our budgeted goal of $50,000. The tremendous effort put forth by our Chair, Kat Gemmer, our faithful congregation, the generous farm owners and all of our volunteer friends and families is heartwarming. Trinity is able to support many great causes with all of the money raised from Stable Tour going to Outreach. We will soon start the planning for next year- the 59th in a row of successful Hunt Country Stable Tours.
Finance Committee presented a revised 2017 budget with several modifications. Vestry approved a budget with an operating deficit at the beginning of the year with the understanding that this would be resolved in the mid-year adjustment. The Finance Committee reviewed the 2017 Mid-Year Budget prepared by the Treasurer and recommended Vestry approve it. With the revised budget, we will end the year with a very small $810 surplus, so the Treasurer and Finance Committee will continue to monitor income and expenses closely. The complete adjusted budget will be available as part of the minutes from the June Vestry meeting which are posted in Cox Hall for all to see. The budget will be presented for all interested at our July congregational meeting.
Outreach committee reports that they continue to keep us on track to support the local, regional and international causes that have been through their vetting process. Vestry approved the committee’s recommendation for distributions to Piedmont Child Care Center, SOME, ESL, Churches of Upperville, Mobile Hope Loudon, and Kairos Ministry to name a few. The Committee will use remaining funds to provide support to organizations that make a meaningful and direct impact on our local community. Rather than just “sending a check”, Outreach support will include an opportunity for volunteer support and participation by Trinity members. The Committee will also consider national and/or international organizations when we can directly see and measure the results of the donation. As we prepare for 2018, we will be looking at other significant outreach opportunities.
Our Building and Grounds (B&G) committee reported Repairs and Maintenance expenditures through June 16, 2017 were $9,227.12 - mostly for badly needed Cox Hall kitchen electrical repairs. Recent Capital Expenditures included a new AC unit and installation for the Cottage next to Keith House. B&G expenditures through June 16, 2017 include the new lawn service contract that we paid in advance (for the year) to capture cost savings. Also of note, we changed garbage services to Valley Waste which significantly lowered our recurring costs while providing a measurable increase in customer service and reliability.
We are very pleased to report that we have an outstanding slate of candidates for the upcoming Vestry elections. Voting will take place at our annual meeting on October 1 - same as it did last year, so please plan on attending that meeting to cast your votes. The nominees are members in good standing who have all been active participants in the life and development of Trinity. I expect it won’t be easy to choose only four.
Ok- I think that’s it for now… Oops, wait- don’t forget to come out to the Vestry sponsored cookout on the July 26… it will be another good time to be had by all! Thank you for your prayers, participation and encouragement.
Jim Gemmer
Congregational Meeting
Sunday July 23
After 10:30 Worship
Join us for a brief meeting to hear the midyear status of our budget and finances, and to have an opportunity to ask questions.
Fall Startup Activities Fair & BBQ
September 10
Mark your calendar for our 2017 Fall Start-up Activities Fair and BBQ!
Join us for worship as we celebrate the start of the new program year. Our choirs and children’s programs will be starting up again, and all of our ministries will be on display.
And don’t miss Tommy Breeden’s pulled pork BBQ!!!