S.O.M.E. News

A wee bit of Ireland by way of Upperville, VA traveled to So Other’s Might Eat (SOME) in Washington DC on St. Patrick’s Day where over 320 guests were fed a festivities appropriate meal, minus the green beer.

Thanks to Gina Hammond, who personally made and decorated a ton of shamrock cookies and to Mary MacDonnell who baked up a generous batch of Irish soda bread, our Friday fish repast complemented green SOME aprons in a gaily decorated Irish themed dining room.

Here's our SOME serving crew getting ready to board the van for DC from last week. Thank you all for your servanthood!

All told, with the breakfast production included, over 700 homeless and hungry men and women were fed at 71 O Street, NW, a typical day in the operation of one of the District’s most active daily feeding programs. Trinity Church has been involved in preparing and serving a meal there now for 30 years.

With all the ovens working and a thoughtful group of Georgetown students on hand to assist, we set about diligently. Kitchen duties were led by: Jim Gemmer, a champion at dishwashing; Len Shapiro, the green bean king; and John MacDonnell and Carol Miller who cooked the abundance of fish.

The aforementioned Gina and Mary laid out all the breads and cookies, along with Ann MacLeod and Maggie New. Robin Keys tried to be useful out in the dining room.

The previous day, our own Rev. Rob Banse assisted with the assembly of the rice casserole, handily chopping carrots, celery and green peppers. Joining Rob were: Holly Bimba, Ellen Hall, Bob Eliot, Jennifer Young, Carolyn Parks, Robin Keys and Ann MacLeod.

Please consider joining us on Thursday, May 18 when we will cook again in Cox Hall and the following morning Friday, May 19 when we will travel to Washington, DC.

Holy Week at Trinity

PALM SUNDAY

April 9
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Matthew
8:00am Holy Eucharist Rite I
10:30am Holy Eucharist Rite II

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MAUNDY THURSDAY

April 13
6:30pm Agape Dinner (Shrimp Boil with a Vegan/Gluten Free Chili)
7:30pm Worship | Holy Eucharist (includes stripping of the altar and a service of foot washing)

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GOOD FRIDAY

April 14
12pm Noon Worship
7pm Concert: "The Last 7 Words of Christ" by Haydn

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Other Holy Week Events

HOLY EUCHARIST offered during Holy Week
12pm Noon on April 10, 11, and 12

PRAYER VIGIL - sign up in Cox Hall for a 1-hour Time Slot
April 13 at 10pm
April 14 at 10am

Easter Egg Hunt

April 2 & 16

On April 2nd, we will meet from 12-2pm, to share lunch and to fill Easter eggs forTrinity’s Easter egg hunt. Then we will head down at 1pm to Upperville Baptist to unload canned goods to help with the local food basket ministry.

Then, on Easter Day, April 16th, please arrive at 9:30am in the Bishop’s Garden to help hide the Easter eggs for our kids at Trinity, who will hunt for them after the 10:30 service. We need your help! 

St. Patrick's Day Youth Party

March 12
3-5pm

Calling all EYC, 6th-12th graders! We will meet on Sunday, March 12th, from 3-5pm, for a St. Patrick’s Day Party. We will gather in Cox Hall for some good snacks and games to celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick. We will also be baking and decorating shamrock cookies to be shared later in the week with our homeless brothers and sisters in DC.

Come join us, wear your green, and bring a friend! 

Becoming Like Jesus Study Series

Becoming Like Jesus | Sundays, 9:30am, Cox Hall
March 5 - April 2

Have you ever tried taking on a discipline, during Lent or at another time of year, and found it difficult to continue? The wonderful news is that Jesus is our perfect example of practicing the spiritual disciplines, and we can look to his example to help guide our own. In a world where spirituality is often so lacking, how can we help deepen our own connection to God, to our neighbor, and to all creation?

Jesus says in the Gospel of John that He is the living water and that those who drink of the living water will never again be thirsty. As Christians, we need to dig that well and keep that water replenished again and again. This Lenten season is the perfect time to be refreshed!

Come explore, learn, and practice the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, study, and worship, as we seek to deepen our own spiritual wells. We will be meeting on Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15, from March 5th-April 2nd. Join at any time; drop-ins are always welcome!

Did You Know?

Little known facts about Trinity Episcopal Church – Upperville, VA

Guilds have been an integral part of the Episcopal Church for centuries.  The same is true at Trinity as several guilds have done much of the work for the church especially in the early years.  In the years prior to 1979, pledging was not widely accepted at Trinity.  Budgeting for the coming year was nearly impossible.  People gave what they could at the end of each year and if there were short falls, the Wardens would call on certain members to give an additional donation to try to “balance the books”.  Many years, the staff went without raises to keep from going into debt.

A primary fund-raising body of Trinity was the Mary D. Neville Guild.  Since this is one of the guilds at Trinity that has disbanded, it is important to recognize this important part of the church history.  The Mary D. Neville guild was composed of the women of the church whose fund-raising efforts made the needed repairs to the church and provided outreach both far and wide on behalf of the congregation. 

Two wonderful histories of the Mary D. Neville Guild by Mary Lee deButts and Lucy Keith may be found on the bottom of the history page on church website at www.trinityupperville.org/history.

Sunday Morning Lenten Studies

Becoming Like Jesus: Practicing the Christian Disciplines

Sunday Mornings
9:30-10:15am
March 5th - April 2nd

Have you ever tried taking on a discipline, during Lent or at another time of year, and found it difficult to continue? The wonderful news is that Jesus is our perfect example of practicing the spiritual disciplines, and we can look to his example to help guide our own. In a world where spirituality is often so lacking, how can we help deepen our own connection to God, to our neighbor, and to all creation?

Jesus says in the Gospel of John that He is the living water and that those who drink of the living water will never again be thirsty. As Christians, we need to dig that well and keep that water replenished again and again. This Lenten season is the perfect time to be refreshed!

Come explore, learn, and practice the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, study, and worship, as we seek to deepen our own spiritual wells. We will be meeting on Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:15, from March 5th-April 2nd. Join at any time; drop-ins are always welcome!

Music Updates

The Book of Psalms or Psalter is essentially the hymnal of ancient Israel.  It was compiled from older collections of lyrics and used to accompany acts of worship in the Second Temple.  Although actual authorship is uncertain, many of the Psalms are attributed to King David and thus date back to at least 1000 BC.  Containing 150 psalms, the Book of Psalms is one of the longest in the bible and contains some of the most beautiful and beloved verses in all of Christianity. 

While the original music is long lost, it is certain that the Psalms were intended to be sung.  There are many references to this in the Psalms themselves as well as elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments.  In the early Christian church the Psalms were probably sung in similar fashion to the lost ancient Jewish tradition.  However, by the fourth century, plainchant was developing and used to sing the Psalms.  With the Reformation came renewed interest in the Psalter as theologians/composers wrote metrical versions of the psalms set to hymn tunes, making them easier to sing, many of which are still part of our hymnody today.  Similarly, English reformers devised Anglican Chant which allowed the psalms to still be sung with speech-like rhythm but over a simple harmonic structure.  This form of psalm singing is part of our current Hymnal 1982.

During this season of Lent, our music will focus on the Psalms.  Each Sunday, the Offertory Anthem will be a choral setting of the appointed Psalm for the day.  In addition, we, as a congregation, will attempt to sing the appointed Psalm using Anglican Chant in place of our usual antiphonal reading.  Hopefully, with a little bit of practice, we will all be able to experience the full meaning of these beautiful words as they were meant to be expressed as well as continuing an ancient tradition.

Vestry Notes March 2017

Our Vestry met on Wednesday, February 15 for its monthly meeting. The minutes for the meeting will be filed and available for your review.

We received the Treasurer’s reports, as usual, and I suppose it’s a good thing that there is nothing unusual to report. The 2017 budget has been recorded in our accounting system and we are tracking with this plan. Since the beginning of 2017 we have received 7 new pledges, thanks be to God, which brings our count to 158 for a total of $567,549. That puts us at about an 83% participation rate. As I often say- it’s never too late to submit your pledge for the year and Vestry remains committed to full participation. We will continue to encourage each other in this endeavor and we ask that you do the same. Your presence, participation and pledge are the foundations on which we will continue to build Trinity Upperville through the year and helps us to ensure we can support the missions, programs and goals that we have set for 2017. 

Speaking of goals- as we have reported to the congregation, Vestry continues to discuss ways that we can use the four priorities we have set for 2017 (encourage our Stewardship, enhance our Christian Education, grow and strengthen our Congregation and expand our Outreach) to make Trinity a force for the betterment of our church, our community and our world. We seek to build up new leadership that can help us sustain our efforts to increase our inward and outward presence and to become a place where current and new members can come to listen to and learn about the opportunity and responsibility to participate in God’s will for our lives. You will be hearing more from Vestry as we develop our plans for this year that will further our intent to support the Faith, Place and Mission of Trinity Church. We hope and pray that you join us. As it has been in the past, our key to success will be our engagement. We encourage all of you to engage with us. Let us know what is going well and tell us what can be improved. It is only together and with God’s blessing that we will succeed.

A bit more business of the Vestry is worth noting this month:

The Buildings and Grounds committee has been working diligently to get the nursery back up and operating. Updates to flooring, electrical, plumbing, windows, furniture and a new coat of paint inside are ongoing and will ensure that we can continue to offer this important service in a safe and secure environment. The nursery building is also used to support various other ministries of Trinity. If you have time, please walk over and check out the improvements.

We were pleased to hear that the Art Show reported income from sales of about $1500. It was a delightful event that showcased the amazing talents of our members and friends. Thanks to all of you who attended and especially to those who made a purchase.

We received reports from all committees. I want to give a special thank you to Parish Life, Worship and Ambassadors. The often behind the scenes work that these committees do to support Trinity is remarkable. Please let them know you appreciate their efforts when you get a chance to do so.

I want to use a bit of space to encourage you all to support and engage with our 2017 Stable Tour. There will likely be another whole section in the Genesis, but this is a big and important event that will take all of us to be successful and supports our significant Outreach ministry. Please let Kat Gemmer, our 2017 Chair, know if you can help.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers, input and support!
 

Wednesday Evening Lenten Study

On Wednesday evenings throughout Lent, beginning March 8, we will offer a Wednesday Evening Lenten Study program. The program will begin with a free catered meal at 6:30 PM, followed by the program at 7:00 PM called "The 5 Marks of Mission".  Topics will include:

• To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• To teach, baptize and nurture new believers 
• To respond to human need by loving service 
• To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

February 28 from 5:30-7:30 PM

Join us for our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner.   The men of the church will be preparing the meal, and the Parish Life Committee is providing the decorations.  This is a free meal, and all are invited to participate!  Shrove Tuesday (also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), is celebrated in anticipation of the start of Lent the next day (Ash Wednesday).  It is the symbolic act of using up the unhealthy items in the kitchen pantry in advance of the more penitential observance of Lent.

S.O.M.E. News Feb 2017

Thanks largely to the navigational skills of Gina Hammond and Ken Knapp, the So Others Might Eat (SOME) January group virtually glided into Wash- ington, DC despite the known perils of inaugural traffic. 

January SOME Cooks

Kit Hemion, Holly Bimba, Pat Reilly, Ellen Hall, Stephanie Knapp, Robin Keys,Ann MacLeod

January SOME Serves

Len Shapiro, Pat Reilly, Gina Hammond, Bob Appenzeller, Jim Gemmer, Ken Knapp, Margaret New, Robin Keys, Ann MacLeod

This is the third time in 30 years that we can recall our service coinciding with the transfer of power in our nation’s Capitol, but there were some concerns as this was the first since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001 and security was tight. 

We deviated from our normal route of the 14th Street Bridge and rounded the beltway all the way to Silver Spring with nary a car in sight, proceeding down Georgia Avenue, making every single green light practically until our arrival at O Street, NW. 

With much time to spare we learned upon arrival that the area shelters had been advised to keep their doors open all day and feed the guests on site rather than send them out for lunch to kitchens like SOME. This action was an effort to promote safety and crowd control, or so we were told. 

Despite the edict, we managed to feed close to 300 people our standard fish meal, beloved by all. 

Many views were heard about the incoming Administration as well as the outgoing and we managed to rise above the noise and get our meal on the table earlier than ever. 

Our group fed a blind father of two with children in tow, the handicapped, the elderly, the infirmed, the down- trodden as well a private dining room full of women. Our faith and mission to continue this program lies with these individuals and will respectfully continue, with the support of our ministry, the Outreach Committee and congregation, no matter who controls the White House. 

Rallying for the cause were: Bob Appenzeller, a true jack-of-all trades and our resident humorist; Ken Knapp, our fish cooker extraordinaire; Jim Gemmer, who cheerfully washed pots and pans and dishes the entire morning; Len Shapiro, the green bean master and driver; Margaret New, who braved Massachusetts Avenue traffic and joined us on the serving line, Gina Hammond, who bakes like a professional and knows her way around the city; Pat Reilly, who joined us both to prepare the rice and serve it; and the venerable and noble Ann MacLeod, who handed out plates and offered kind words to all our guests. Robin Keys roamed the dining room as usual. 

Previously in the Cox Hall kitchen, our cooks readily dis- patched with the chopping of some gargantuan carrots and other vegetables to assemble the rice casseroles. 

Please consider joining us on March 16 for cooking and on March 17 for a return trip to Washington to serve. We are also encouraged by your generosity in donating brownies, cookies and other treats and bread and muffins to accompany our meals. In March, consider providing goodies with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. 

Vestry Notes February 2017

Our Vestry met on Wednesday, January 18th for its monthly meeting. The minutes for the meeting will be filed and available for your review. We received the Treasurer’s reports which included the status of finances for 2016. Pending final closing numbers, I’m happy to report that we ended the year with a positive net income. Our pledge collection rate for 2016 was 102%. Thanks be to God and to all of you for your dedication to Trinity last year! 

Now- on to 2017. Those of you who were at the congregational meeting on January 22 heard that we have not yet reached our goal of full participation of all members in 2017 pledges. While we certainly understand that not everybody can make the regional average annual pledge of approximately $3,000, it is the belief and prayer of Vestry that every Trinity member will make a pledge of whatever amount you can. If it is your practice to put your contribution in the plate each Sunday, please consider estimating what that will be over the year and make that your pledge. As I have said before, Vestry can only make plans for the year based on the pledges of support that you all give. And of course, for the many of you who have already pledged, thank you! 

Vestry approved the 2017 budget. It, too, was presented at our Congregational update on the 22nd. Carol’s presentation was outstanding- she is clearly a Power Point guru. If you were there, you saw (after the 2016 budget flew away- you had to be there!) that the 2017 budget is balanced. However, I’ll point out that it’s a bit of creative math that allows us to present a balanced budget. The finance committee does an excellent job working the numbers, but I want you all to know that the usual expense line that takes a hit when we increase spending is the group that makes up the Buildings and Grounds expenses. The result is that some needed repairs may get delayed or cancelled pending unexpected adjustments to income such as special gifts. So here I go again... Vestry needs your support- your Presence, your Participation and your Pledge. Please speak to any of us if there is something we should be doing that we are not now or if you just have some ideas that you want to discuss. 

Vestry spent a good deal of time at the meeting discussing our goals and priorities for Trinity in 2017. Rob led us in a review of the Vestry Resource Guide particularly focusing on discernment of our mission and ministries and how we can develop them this year. As I described briefly at the congregational meeting on January 22, we are focusing on four primary areas- Stewardship, Christian Education, Outreach and Congregational Growth. And as Rob summarized, our overarching goal for the year is to identify and develop new leadership that will help support our current and future life and ministries at Trinity Upperville. You will be hearing and seeing more about this in the coming months. 

Our Buildings and Grounds committee reported on recent accomplishments and future recommendations. Of note, in case you have not noticed, the outdoor lights on Cox Hall, Peard House and the Sanctuary are now on timers. The lights are set to come on at 5:30 PM and turn off at 10PM. Minor repairs to the Sanctuary thermostat were completed that will hopefully allow us to keep the building a bit warmer. The Cottage and the Gulick house have both been leased for the year. The Gutters have been cleaned and various improvements have been made to our IT infrastructure that will help all of our church programs. 

We heard from the Stable Tour committee which continues to move forward with their planning. They have approved the design for this year’s poster and they have a growing list of farms that we will offer to our participants. We hope that you will join us for this year’s Tour as a Steward, a volunteer, an observer or all of the above! This is an important undertaking in the life of Trinity that will require as many of us who are able to pitch in to help make is a success. 

Finally, when I wrote this note last year, we had just experienced Snowmageddon 2016... 34” at our house! Yes, winter is not over and maybe I just jinxed us, but my how things have gone differently this year. Isn’t it wonderful how God’s creation and beauty can been seen every day no matter what type of weather He brings our way? I hope and pray you all have a great February- we look forward to seeing you on Sunday. 

Music Notes

As an Episcopal musician I live and breath the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The lectionary determines the readings for every Sunday of the year and thus guides the music selected for each service. Because music must be rehearsed weeks in advance with the choirs, it is very helpful to be able to know what the themes will be for any given Sunday at any time.

The notion of appointing particular readings for specific days can be found throughout the Jewish tradition back to the time of Moses. The early Christian church continued this practice and through the various church Councils a thorough system of readings for each day and week of the year was gradually developed by the Catholic Church. Following Vatican 2 in the 1960's the Catholic Church adopted a new revised lectionary which is still in use today and is the basis for a series of several lectionaries that eventually led to the Revised Common Lectionary which is now widely used by most denominational Christian churches other than the Catholics who, of course, still use their own.

The Revised Common Lectionary provides lessons from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles and Gospels for each Sunday. It works on a three year cycle with each year focusing on one of the three synoptic
Gospels. We are currently in Year A which is Matthew, Year B is Mark, and Year C is Luke, with the Gospel of John being used more seasonally. The remaining lessons then support the theme of the Gospel. This is then intricately balanced with the themes of the various liturgical seasons and Holy Days to create a system which allows for an orderly progression through the church year which roughly follows the life of Jesus. The church year begins with Advent when we focus on the prophecies of, and preparation for, the birth of Jesus which we then celebrate at Christmas. Twelve days later, at the Epiphany, Jesus is shown forth to the world as represented by the visit of the Wise Men. In the Sundays following, the lessons focus on the teachings and ministry of Jesus beginning with his baptism, healings and miracles. During Lent we prepare for Jesus' crucifixion and death and then celebrate his Resurrection at Easter. The lectionary then uses lessons of Jesus' post Easter appearances, his ascension into heaven, and ends with the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is revealed to the disciples. After Pentecost the lectionary enters Common Time until the next Advent.

For those who come from non-liturgical backgrounds, the lectionary can seem rigid and not allowing for spontaneity. However, I think it offers many tremendous advantages. In addition to being a very useful planning tool, the lectionary, and the liturgy it supports, creates a systematic framework for our Christian journey. One could think of it as a study guide for our spiritual growth which insures we will cover all the pertinent topics in an order that makes sense and is not subject to the whims of others.

Finally, the lectionary is a wonderful instrument of unity. Both the Revised Common Lectionary and the Catholic lectionary, which is nearly identical, are used in churches across the globe. On any given Sunday we can know that our fellow Christians all around the world are reading the same lessons and experiencing the same stories as us. We are all on the same journey together. Let us rejoice and be glad! 

Ash Wednesday

March 1, 2017
12pm and 7pm

Wednesday, March 1, 2017 marks the beginning of Lent, a season of reflection and introspection in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. 

Lent begins with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday we will have 2 services, one at 12pm and one at 7:00 PM. We encourage everyone to participate. 

The services will include both the Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes. During the imposition of ashes, the rectors will take ashes (from the burning of the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms) and will make the mark of the cross on each congregant’s forehead. The imposition of ashes is a reminder of our mortality, and our total reliance on God. 

“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” - Genesis 3:19 

Trinity Church Art Show

You are invited to the opening reception of the Trinity Church Art Show

Friday, February 10, 2017

6:00 - 8:00 pm  

Art by Trinity Parishioners and Friends Proceeds benefit the Trinity Church Outreach Fund! The Art Show will also be open after the 8:00 am and 10:30 am church services on Sunday, February 12. 

Youth Ski Trip

The EYC (6th-12th grade) is headed to Whitetail Ski Resort in Mercersburg, PA, on February 11th. RSVPs and payment must be turned in to Rachel Rickenbaker no later than Sunday, January 29th, in order to guarantee a spot.

We will have both lunch and dinner at Whitetail. As soon as you let me know you are interested, I will send or give you (in church) the form to fill out. There is financial help available if need be. Please contact Rachel for more details and to RSVP! It's gonna be a fun time!

S.O.M.E (So Others May Eat) 2017 Outreach

Please note that we will be departing the church parking lot promptly at 8 am on Friday, January 20, 2017, one half hour earlier than normal, to head into DC in an effort to overcome any possible inaugural traffic. Please advise Ann MacLeod at 592-3313 if you are riding with us. Please text Robin Keys at 571-271-7721 if your plans change at the last minute. Following the van is discouraged as we may have to deviate from our regular route. Anyone traveling independently is encouraged to consult city transportation advisories in advance.
 

The 2017 SOME dates are:

• Thursday and Friday, January 19 and 20

• Thursday and Friday, March 16 and 17

• Thursday and Friday, May 18 and 19

• Thursday and Friday, July 20 and 21

• Thursday and Friday, September 14 and 15

• Thursday and Friday, November 16 and 17

As always, we will cook on Thursdays and travel to Washington, DC on Fridays to cook and serve.  Special thanks to the Outreach Committee for supporting our efforts in our 30th year of service at SOME.

Raising Kids in Christ Study Series

As one of Trinity's focuses this upcoming year is on Christian education, we want to lift up Sunday morning opportunities for you to grow in faith and community.

Raising Kids in the Christian Faith | Sundays, 9:45am, Peard House

This group meets in the living room at Peard House on Sundays from 9:45-10:15, while children are in Sunday School. They have just started reading and discussing the book Boundaries with Kids, which looks at a Biblical approach to modeling healthy boundaries for children. Come and join!

Congregational Meeting

Congregational Meeting

January 22 at 12:00 PM

Join us for a congregational meeting where the Vestry will present the finalized 2017 budget, as well as our goals for the coming year.   Join us!