The Flowering of the Cross

The flowering of the cross has been traced back to the 6th century. It is an especially striking and beautiful way to symbolize the new life that emerges from Jesus’s death on Good Friday. Traditionally before the Easter Sunday service, the cross is covered with real flowers and the top draped in white. The entire cross is covered with flowers and is placed prominently at the front of the church to symbolize the new life in our risen Lord to all the worshippers present on Easter Sunday morning. The contrast between the starkly bare cross that worshippers have seen for 40 days and the living flower cross of Easter Sunday dramatically and visually represents the new life that we are celebrating after witnessing the very instrument of death and endings transformed by Christ's rising.

This year, as you come to Easter Sunday Service, pause by the cross and add some flowers to it. You can bring flowers from your garden, or you can place flowers from the bucket provided by the Flower Guild. The Sunday School children and Youth Group are encouraged to participate.

The Healing Ministry of Jesus Returns!

Trinity’s healing ministry is a group of people who feel called to participate in the healing ministry of Jesus. As part of this ministry, we meet weekly to pray for those on our parish prayer lists, the prayer request cards, and anyone we know of in need of prayer. We also offer prayer with laying on of hands after communion at the Sunday services and by request for those in need.

The Healing Ministry of Trinity Church will be offering a one-day course on the healing ministry of Jesus in an interactive Bible study. We will read and discuss Biblical accounts of Jesus’ healing ministry to understand how healing happened in Biblical times as well as it does today. We welcome anyone who would like to learn more about Jesus’ healing ministry and the healing ministry at Trinity. This course will be held on March 24th from 9am to 5 pm in the Peard House Living Room.

At the end of this study, any participants who are interested may continue in a one-day course on current Christian Healing Ministry Practices and Techniques. During this course we will study healing ministry training from prominent Christian Healers, including Agnes Sanford, Francis and Judith MacNutt and Leo Thomas to learn the “nuts and bolts” of healing prayer. This course will be held on April 28th from 9 am to 5 pm in the Peard House Living Room.

Anyone who is interested is invited to share in one or both of these healing studies. At the end of the training, you can decide whether you feel called to this ministry. If you are interested, please contact Ginny Fluet at vfluet@icloud.com or call at 540-869-0858 by March 15th.

Music News

For high school and college singers, Spring break often means going on a choir tour. I remember many years in my youth being jealous of my friends at the beach while I endured endless hours in a smelly bus, multitudes of meals of frozen lasagna in often smelly church basements, and restless nights on host family fold out sofas with, you guessed it, a smelly roommate. Mixed in there somewhere however, were many wonderful experiences. For a budding church musician, visiting a different church every evening for weeks on end was incredibly valuable, and getting to know host families was often extremely rewarding. Being on the other end of the choir tour spectrum gives me the privilege of providing this same opportunity for today’s students and hopefully making it smell a little better for them. 

On Monday, March 12 at 7:00 pm, the Schola Cantorum from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ will give a concert here as part of their Spring tour. In addition to being my alma mater, Westminster is home to some of the finest choirs in the country so this should be a superb program. 

Hosting these student choirs is a wonderfully collaborative ministry for us to be involved in. We help provide an invaluable experience for the students and support them in their studies and in return they give us a beautiful musical experience which I hope you will all plan to attend. By getting further involved, we have the chance to get to know these students and share in their stories and they in ours. We are responsible for keeping the 70 Westminster students over Monday night so I hope many of you will consider signing up to give a group of students a comfortable bed for the night in your sweet smelling homes. I will be airing out the church basement and hope to provide this wonderful choir with a truly fragrant experience at Trinity Church. Sorry, I can’t do anything about the buses or roommates. 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels, unaware.”

— Hebrews 13:2

Yes! I want to help host students from Westminster Choir College! 

How can I help? What are my next steps? We are so glad you asked those questions! 

Please contact Marguerite Sweeny 703-431-9962 / margueritesw@gmail.com, or Betsy Crenshaw 592-3343 / Betsy@TrinityUpperville.org 

Let us know a few things: 

• How many students would you be willing to host? 
• Would you prefer to house men or women? (Students are college sophomores). 
• Do you have dogs or cats? (A few students have allergies). 

The date: Monday, March 12, pick up after concert and return to church the next morning having been fed breakfast. 

Details will be provided closer to concert time. Thank you in advance! 

Pledge Campaign Update

February generally signals the conclusion, or a serious winding down, of Trinity’s annual “campaign” for pledge commitments that will see our Church through the year. Two observations. First, I am pleased to inform our parishioners that we have received 146 pledges, totaling $577,667. This includes 21 new pledges (families who did not pledge last year) and 33 others that increased their pledge from last year! We clearly have a solid core of Trinity members and disciples. For that I thank you most sincerely. Second, I regret that we have a number of families that pledged in 2017 but from whom we have not received a 2018 pledge. I am confident that, circumstances permitting, we will be hearing from you soon. To those parishioners and to the much larger number of members with connections to Trinity who have not contributed to our mission and activities in recent times, remember that a pledge in any amount, large or small, will signal to the Church that you are still part of our community and a disciple of the Lord. Because we want to know more about the perspectives and circumstances of those we lost touch with during the last pledge year, and to be of service to you any way we can, we will be in touch through the mails with a brief questionnaire. Father Banse and the Vestry are here for you if you wish to talk further about your relationship to Trinity Church. 

In sum, even as traditional pledge season is concluding, it is readily apparent that Trinity Church has financial needs that we must seek to meet in other ways. Last Sunday, the congregation heard an impressive presentation about our finances from our Treasurer Carol Miller. The news is very positive. However, like many churches and other institutions, Trinity Church must work and innovate to meet its obligations and the needs of its parishioners and missions. In that light, we cannot confine our offerings of support or discipleship to one part of the year or our planning efforts to any single year. Trinity depends on your faithful participation and support in all seasons. 

Worship or Concert?

What is it…worship or concert? 

What are its origins? 

The Anglican Office of Evensong, as established in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, resulted from the fusing together of elements from the Roman Offices of Vespers and Compline. Evensong, a liturgical pattern of psalms followed by lessons and canticles, always includes choral settings of the Magnificat, a hymn of praise expressing the joy and thanksgiving of The Virgin Mary following her Annunciation; and the Song of Simeon, a salutation of God’s promise of salvation as found in The New Testament. In addition to the singing of the established psalms and canticles, hymns and anthems are normally included in Evensong services today. 

“Evensong comes from a time when the arts were understood as a gift from God, meant to lead people into a deeper understanding and love of God. We moderns perceive a distinction between worship and performance that would not be audible to Evensong’s first hearers; for them, to listen to sacred music was itself an act of meditative devotion. Can you adjust your ears accordingly? 

Evensong was peace and solace. These people worked hard. From Water-Pic to John Deere, the machines that make our life easier were missing. Evensong at the end of the workday must have been a blessed rest to them. They didn’t have our expectation that the whole congregation should participate in the liturgy, sitting quietly for half an hour or so felt good. Can you put aside your labors and be at rest with Evensong? 

Evensong was delight. Sixteenth century Anglicans did not own CD players— understandably, since electricity had not yet been domesticated. They did not have the option of staying home and listening to sacred music in their own cottage, or even watching 60 Minutes. Evensong was an experience of special, extraordinary richness, a musical message about a beautiful, orderly transcendent reality that underlies the human experience of risk, pain, and need. Can you, through sacred rest, encounter this beauty and order? 

Finally, Evensong was an experience of unity. Modern Christians live out their faith in differing traditions of interpretation and practice, but in earlier times all the Christian people of a nation generally belonged to one church. The concept of “denomination” was unknown. Anybody and everybody in a community might show up at Evensong. They still do!” -- (copyright Pamela Grenfell Smith, 1998) 

S.O.M.E. News Jan 2018

January SOME Cooks
Kit Hemion, Ann MacLeod, Ellen Hall, Bob Eliot, Richard Taylor, Jolly deGive, Stephanie Knapp, Edie Smart, Nicky Perry 

January SOME Serves
Robin Keys, Lenny Schapiro, Jolly deGive, Gina Hammond, Ken Knapp, Margaret New 

An experienced crew of SOME cooks made the trip to Washington DC in January under mild weather conditions, successfully preparing lunch for about 350 guests at 71 O Street, NW. 

We entered a darkened facility fearing that the electricity was not operating only to learn that a new television system had just been installed in the din-ing room for viewing special programming. A movie was being previewed for some of the remaining breakfast patrons. The system will be put to the test on cold and hot days when venturing out on the street and into the elements poses a challenge, allowing diners to linger. 

Ken Knapp again manned the ovens and cooked eight cases of breaded Pol-lock to a delectable finish. Len Shapiro was at the bean stand. Ann MacLeod not only helped hand out plates but she assisted in preparing the rice casse-role for the ovens too. Jolly de Give, Gina Hammond and Margaret New worked along the serving line to place each sweet and savory item in a serv-ing cup. Robin Keys also assisted with the efforts. 

This was our first outreach effort of our 31st year of this ministry at SOME and as Ann commented, most of the long time staff and diners are well fa-miliar with our bountiful, well executed meal. They also recognize our faces if not our names and have gener-ally learned where Upperville, VA is located. Ann’s hat emblazoned with the words, “Upperville Mall” gener-ates much interest. 

Harriet Condon prepared a large tray of outstanding cornbread and many other parishioners contributed brownies, cookies, pastries and cakes. We are grateful for the generous support of our congrega-tion. 

Cooking in Cox Hall the previous day were: Ann MacLeod, Kit Hemi-on, Bob Eliot,, Ellen Hall, Richard Taylor, Jolly deGive, Stephanie Knapp, Edie Smart and Nicky Per-ry. We finished early thanks to Bob’s crack of dawn appearance. 

In March, we will be cooking in Cox Hall on Thursday, the 15th at 7:30am and serving on Friday, March 16, departing at 8:30am. Please consider joining us. Contact Ann MacLeod for more information at 592-3313 or use the sign-up sheet on the Cox Hall bulletin board to assure your spot. 

Lenten Study Series

Have you ever wished to deepen your relationship with God? To experience a warm friendship with God? Maybe even fall in love with God – again – or for the very first time? 

Starting on Wednesday, February 21, our rector, Rob Banse, will lead us in a five-week Lenten journey through prayer and reflection on The Gospel According to John. A light dinner of soup and salad will be served starting at 6:30 pm with the teaching session going from 7-8 pm. People may stay for the Service of Compline following the teaching session. 

Classes will be held February 21 and 28, and March 14, 21 and 28. Please note, there will be no session on March 7. 

This Lenten study is from the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) and is spon-sored by Virginia Theological Seminary. 

Shrove Tuesday

Join us on: 
Tuesday, February 13
for our annual Shrove Tuesday celebration. 

The men of the church will be cooking us a pancake dinner. 

The dinner will run from: 
5:30-7:30 PM

This is a free dinner. All are welcome! 
(Decorations and set-up by the Parish Life Committee) 

Ash Wednesday 2018

February 13
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feast
5:30pm

February 14
Ash Wednesday Worship
12 Noon & 7:00pm

“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return”

— Genesis 3:19 

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 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 noon 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 rector 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. 

Choral Evensong

Epiphany at Trinity

Epiphany Saturday, January 6, 2018 6:00 PM Dinner (This is a free catered dinner. All are welcome!) 7:00 PM Celebration of the Holy Eucharist

Candlelight Concert Feb 18

Sunday, February 18, 2018 5:30 pm

Celebrate Chopin with Brian Ganz
The Ballroom at Barton Oaks
2750 Landmark School Road
The Plains, Va.

The Community Music School of the Piedmont cordially invites you to join us for our 11th annual Candlelight Concert Fundraiser: an all-Chopin program by renowned pianist and Chopin specialist, Brian Ganz. DMV Classical raves, "His Chopin always blends the wisdom of age with the enthusiasm of youth, and he tells you from the stage what parts of the music strike sparks in him, so you can appreciate them too." Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy Chopin gems in the intimacy of the ballroom at Barton Oaks!

CMSP's Candlelight Concert is the sole annual fundraiser for the school and benefits our scholarship fund and other programs.

Tickets are $125 and may be purchased by calling 540-592-3040 or visiting https://piedmontmusic.ticketleap.com/. Doors open at 5:00. Seating is limited; purchase tickets early!

Music News

Each year we see it at the Christmas Pageant hanging from a glorified fishing pole with a crew of 4-foot-tall kings following it down the aisle. Twelve days later it takes its place in the pulpit as the central symbol of Epiphany. Ours is a little bit raggedy but the star is much more than just the guiding light of the monarchs of Lilliput, it is a symbol of the Son of God.

Jesus is the Light of the World, bringing light to the darkness, showing us the way to our God who we have not understood without him. The Old Testament records centuries of the tribes of Israel fumbling with God. The many books often describe a God in the only terms their primitive culture could understand; one of many rules and judgment, and belonging only to them. They were people who walked in darkness. The birth of Jesus changed all of that. God came to us in human form and dwelt among us to bring us enlightenment; to show us that he is a loving God of all creation and that his is the way of peace.

It is easy and safe to cling to the darkness and tempting to believe that its ways are righteous. The loving path of Jesus can seem counterintuitive at times. Part of why the church exists is to remind us of the way of Light. In this Epiphany season the music of the church will be filled with symbols of the Light of Christ. I hope that they may be a reminder and source of inspiration. As Jesus is shown to the Gentiles our God is recognized as universal. In this light our divisions seem petty. Let us choose love over hate, peace over war, unity over division, and light over darkness. God has sent his Son to all of us. Both great and small, no matter how tall, he will show us the way.

- Christian

January is a great time to join a choir. We start all new music after Christmas and will welcome any new members.

Sunday Service Flowers

Currently the following dates are available in 2018:
January 21
February 11, 18 and 25
March 4, 11 and 18
April 8 and 22
May 6 and 27
June 10 and 17
July 8 and 29
August 12
September 16 and 30
October 7 and 28
November 4 and 25
December 16, 23 and 30

On Sunday mornings we decorate the church with beautiful flowers, given to the glory of God. Often families and individuals choose to donate the flowers in honor or memory of a loved one, or in celebration of an anniversary or a special day.

The cost is $135. Please contact Betsy in the church office (540-592-3343 or betsy@trinityupperville.org) if you would like to donate flowers.

Coffee Hours

It's time to sign up for the next round of coffee fellowships! You may sign up on the board in Cox Hall. There are still many openings in the new year. You can sign up as an individual or as part of a team! We hope you will participate in this important community activity.

Office Spring Cleaning

The church offices are undertaking a bit of “spring cleaning” when it comes to our money-handling procedures.

As of January 1st, all reimbursement requests will need to come directly from the chairs of each individual guild. This means that before you run to the store to buy supplies that you believe are needed for a particular guild, you will need to first get the chairperson’s approval. This is done in order to create an extra layer of transparency in the way we manage our finances, as well as help each chairperson keep track of his/her guild’s budget. Therefore, when you fill out our check request form for reimbursement for buying supplies, you will need to confirm in writing on the form that this transaction has been approved by the appropriate chair.

Lastly, just a friendly reminder that all check request forms need to be submitted to the Parish Administrator for final approval. We hope you will understand the need to practice our due diligence in this aspect of our operations.

Thanks all!
Warmly, Jane

Vestry Notes Jan 2018

As always, the Christmas season was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship at Trinity. The Christmas Eve and Christmas services were wonderful reminders of the true meaning of the celebration. The Incarnation is a wonderful moment of hope as God redeems his people!

One of the highlights of the season was the Christmas auction. It was a tremendous success. It was an essential aspect of Trinity’s successful completion of its 2017 on budget. So special thanks to Nicky Perry, Ellen Hall and others who work so hard to make it such a great event.

Vestry has approved the provisional budget for the coming year and will be sharing it with the congregation at the congregational meeting on January 28, at 9:30am. While Trinity is grateful for its many blessings, the budget continues to be a challenge. The costs of maintaining our beautiful campus and the need for more robust youth and Christian education programs will require more pledges than we have received to date.

Our budget is balanced but there is more we can do if we are going to successfully meet the needs of our congregation and our community. I urge you to prayerfully consider your pledge for 2018 and if you have not yet pledged, I urge you to do so soon so Vestry can make the most of your faithful giving through a well executed budget.

Vestry continues to focus on how we can enhance the visitor experience at Trinity. In the near future Visitor Parking signs will be erected near the church. While this may sometimes be an inconvenience for regular attendees, Vestry has decided this is an important part of our efforts to welcome those who visit our church in search of fellowship, meaning and God.

Regards,
Matt Blunt

Vestry Planning Retreat

Vestry members: Save the date! Our next planning retreat is scheduled for Saturday, January 27 in Cox Hall, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Order Christmas Poinsettias

Order your Christmas Poinsettias before December 18! Print the form below, fill out, and drop it by the church office!

Music Notes December 2017

How many times did my mother tell me “no dessert until you eat your vegetables,” or “no television until you finish your homework”? This is how it often seems in the church during December. “No Christmas Carols until after Advent.” It’s understandable that it sometimes feels unreasonable. After all, the other kids get to do it. Christmas carols are everywhere starting right after Thanksgiving; on the radio and TV, at the mall and grocery store, in the elevator, and even in many non-liturgical churches. We are swamped with Christmas the very minute we stop buying turkeys. But, just because the other kids are doing it doesn’t mean we have to also.

The Anglican Communion is a liturgical church. This means, in part, that we follow a prescribed liturgy in our daily worship and a yearly lectionary which determines the readings for each service in conjunction with the liturgical seasons. The first of these seasons is Advent. In following the lectionary, we observe Advent for the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and wait until the eve of the blessed day to recognize Christmas in all aspects of our worship. This is the case in all liturgical traditions including the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran churches.

Like most kids, I didn’t like being told to eat my vegetables, but it was mostly because I didn’t understand. As I got older, I began to appreciate delayed gratification. I saw the truth in the axiom that good things come to those who wait, and that dessert is even sweeter when we have anticipated it for a while. One of the things about Advent is that it makes Christmas all the more special. However, there is much more to it than that. After many years of having them both prescribed, I find that in addition to being good for me, I actually like Advent and vegetables. Advent is not just a time to wait for Christmas. It is a time to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”.

Advent is the season of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel visiting Mary, of Gregorian chant and Handel’s “Messiah”. It is a season filled with inspiring imagery and symbols of darkness and light. It is like those magical moments just before dawn. Take time to appreciate the unique beauty of Advent. Jesus will be here soon. Until then, look both ways before you cross the street, brush your teeth before bed, and never run with scissors in your hand.

Christian

---

Advent Music Highlights:

Sunday, Dec. 10 at 10:30
Excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah” with strings and tenor soloist Michael Forest.
Sunday, Dec. 17 at 4:00
Service of Lessons and Carols with the Mastersingers of Virginia. Featuring “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten.
Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 7:30
Concerti for Strings by Arcangelo Corelli including Christmas Concerto to benefit hurricane victims through The Episcopal Relief and Development Fund.

A Kairos Christmas Greeting

From Kairos Team #32 and the woman at Fluvanna Women’s Correctional Center, we send warm Christmas greetings and a sincere thank you to all at Trinity Church who baked your wonderful cookies for our fall weekend.

These cookies are extremely important. They provide the mainstay of our program for the women; they set the stage and comfort zone for our round table discussion groups; they serve in our forgiveness ceremony; and, one dozen is given to everyone of the 1,200 prisoners late Saturday night. We are able (with a guard) to enter the wings of the prison and personally distribute the cookies. It warms one’s heart to see grateful faces and to hear their expression of gratitude—most asking God to bless those who have remembered them with these cookies. People who don’t even know them.

There is one thing of which I was unaware. Since Fluvanna is a maximum security prison, no homemade food items, from family or friends, are allowed to enter the facility. The Kairos cookies (which are screened) are the only homemade foods allowed in the prison. Now we really understand why they are so special to prisoners and staff alike.

As one woman once said to me, “I really came for those cookies but I’m leaving with so much more.”

I never cease to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit can move and change hardened hearts in a dark place into those hearts filled with forgiveness, love, peace and joy.

In closing, I would like to share a few comments from the women at their closing exercises on Sunday afternoon. They are given an open mic opportunity to describe their weekend experience:

“I found God’s face this weekend, and I’m overwhelmed with joy for what he has done for me and for others.”

“It took me seven years to get to Kairos. God knew that this was the right time for me. God is really real. God worked through you [the team] to say exactly what I needed to hear. I’ve had a problem trusting people; I build walls. I cried my make-up off thirty minutes after arriving here. I thank God for His love—for loving me—when I don’t deserve it.”

“God has shown He loves me; He’s here for me; He’s going to help me.”

“I’ve always had a problem with forgiveness and have held on tight to past hurts. I’m a wall-builder. These talks have been an eye-opener, and I’m slowly removing my blinders.”

“I was angry with God! Why did he allow me to come here? Now I know that He has a plan for my life and I need to let go and let God take control. It all starts with forgiveness of myself and others…”

“I spent my life running from God. He knew that the way to get me to Kairos was to provide cookies. I love cookies! Better than that, I’m so happy! I gave my life to Christ. Today I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m no longer ashamed.”

Thank you, friends of Kairos and supporters of our program. As we enter this holy season of Advent, let us thank God for the greatest gift of all—His Son, Jesus Christ.

Faithfully Yours,
Cheri Martin