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Jessica Medina
Ladies Christmas Luncheon
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Jessica Medina
Community Thanksgiving Service
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Jessica Medina
Bountiful Earth with Caritas NoVA
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Jessica Medina
Tranquil & Turbulence, Violin and Piano ...
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Jessica Medina
Blue Ridge Singers Christmas Programs

The Joy of Mission - Mission Sunday

The Joy of Mission – Mission Sunday, Nov. 17

On Sunday, November 17, we welcome the Reverend Dr. Titus Presler to help us celebrate Mission Sunday, a day to consider the Joy of Mission: Building Companionship over Boundaries of Difference. Picking up on that Sunday’s apocalyptic gospel, he will preach at both services on the theme, ‘Dreadful Portents: Mission amid the World’s Turmoil.’ He will also lead the morning’s Adult Forum at 9:15.

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Titus Presler is an Episcopal missiologist with experience in India and Zimbabwe. Most recently he was principal of Edwardes College in Peshawar, Pakistan. He is president of the Global Episcopal Mission Network (www.gemn.org) an association of mission activist dioceses, congregations, agencies, seminaries and individuals.

Educated at Harvard College(A.B), General Seminary (M.Div.), and Boston University (Th.D.), he was the academic dean of General Seminary and president of the Seminary of the Southwest. He has also taught at Episcopal Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, Gaul Theological College in Harare, and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He specializes in mission theology and gospel-culture interactions. Former rector of St. Peter’s Church in Cambridge, Mass., he was a researcher for the Global Anglicanism Project and a consultant for the Anglican Indaba Project. Earlier he worked with our Interim Rector Ed Miller at All Saints’ Church in Belmont, Mass.

An honorary canon in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Presler is a visiting researcher at Boston University School of Theology. He is vicar of St. Matthew’s Church in Enosburg, Vermont, and coordinates Green Mountain Witness, the evangelism initiative of the Diocese of Vermont. Among many publications, he is author of Horizons of Mission in the New Church’s Teaching Series, and Going Global with God: Reconciling Mission in a World of Difference. He blogs at TitusOnMission.wordpress.com and can be reached at: tituspresler@post.harvard.edu.

Discernment Committee Updates

Thank you to many of you who attended our recent forum to discuss the status of our search process for a new rector as well as other church business. For those who did not attend, here is a brief summary of where we stand on the search.

As many of you know, we created a Community Ministry Profile based on our survey, forum hour discussions, one-on-one discussions and the prayerful discernment of your committee. Potential applicants were able to review this and then decide if they felt called to apply.

The window to apply closed on September 9th. The committee believes we have a number of qualified applicants to consider. We have already started an intensive process of review involving reference checks and interviews with the applicants. This will be followed by site visits, and, for a candidate or candidates that we believe would be a good fit for the position, visits to our own community.

Ultimately, we will recommend a candidate to Vestry for their consideration and final approval.

Please continue to keep the committee in your prayers as we enter into the next steps in our search and discernment process.

Matt Blunt
Discernment Committee Chair.

Support Trinity on Amazon Smile

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Do you shop at Amazon? Trinity Church is now recognized as a charitable organization under the AmazonSmile program.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Trinity Church every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases, made each quarter of the year, to the church.

To participate in the program,

1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
2. From your desktop, go to Your Account on the navigation bar at the top of any page, and then select the option: Your Amazon Smile.
3. Under Your Current Charity click the button to Change Charity
4. Select Trinity Episcopal Church Upperville

Please remember you need to sign on to smile.amazon.com when you make your purchases for the church to get credit.

The Treasurer will report quarterly the amount received from AmazonSmile. We appreciate your support of this program.

Christmas is right around the corner so make your list and Enjoy Shopping!!!

Christmas is Coming - Save the Dates

Trinity’s Annual Christmas Pop-Up Shop
Friday, Dec 6th

Auction
Sunday Dec 8th After the 10:30 Service

It’s not too early to go through your attics, closets and all those little nooks and craneys to find treasures for the Christmas Auction. We are now accepting items at the church office. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Louise Crane (610-310-7007 or louisebcrane@gmail.com

S.O.M.E. Updates for October

For our final 2019 SOME on November 14 and 15, it is our goal to continue to serve our regular meal of baked crusted haddock with tartar sauce, rice casserole, `fresh coleslaw, cornbread, green beans, chocolate cake with whipped cream and milk. We may add applesauce, depending on the cost.

Our food provider, Schenck in Winchester, VA continues to offer us the best wholesale prices on our goods as costs have risen considerably over the last several months.

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We found our parishioners were no longer contributing enough brownies and cookies to sufficiently feed our guests and made the switch to sheet cakes earlier this year. Though a messy proposition, it is well received by SOME diners, as well as the staff. We were known as the only food provider serving fish and now we hold the distinction of being the only one that serves chocolate cake with whipped cream.

For a long time, Gina Hammond was singlehandedly supplying us with our sweets and Gar Royer was baking fresh bread. But we gave them a well-deserved break and are trying to stay consistent by plating identical portions so there is no haggling in the serving line. Gina came up with the idea of purchasing dessert cups to hold the cake and whipped cream so it can be assembled in advance and dropped onto the plate for easier consumption.

Currently, Ellen Hall has stepped up graciously and sends in load of take-out snacks that are distributed for parting guests. We have tried fresh fruit in the past and found the quality in-consistent and the cost very expensive. SOME does not serve dinner and discourages guests from wrapping up their lunch and taking it out so we like to have something portable for them to grab on their way out the door should hunger arise later.

That said, if you have an orchard and want to send in a bushel of apples, we will take them to SOME. Just let us know in advance so we can prepare room in the van. If you would like to buy an item in bulk, or put together some sandwiches or make a special, non-perishable dish, we more than welcome and encourage your contribution. However we ask that you pre-package in snack size plastic bags for take out purposes or leave in the Cox Hall kitchen in advance so we may do the same.

We thank you for your generous support of this ministry and hope to carry forward for our 33rd year in 2020.

Season of Giving

By the Stewardship Committee

There is a rhythm to nature, as there is to the life of the church.

In nature, at this time of year, the earth yields up the harvest. For thousands of years, good people have set aside a portion of God’s bounty, as they were taught: “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:30)

In the life of the church, at this time of year, we, too, are called to set aside a portion of what God has given us.

Stewardship is a neverending year-round journey, but autumn is traditionally regarded as stewardship season – that time in the life of Trinity Church when we plan for next year.

Stewardship is what we do, with all that we have, after we say, “I believe.”

Stewardship – and, at this time of year, pledging our financial support – is the foundation on which our entire Church life is built: our worship, our outreach, our music ministry, our children’s programs, the care and maintenance of our grounds and buildings.

Stewardship and pledging is not so much about giving away part of our possessions as it has to do with accept-ing the responsibility for possessions that have been entrusted to us by God.

We are not the owners. All the resources we are given – our time, our abilities, our possessions – are entrusted to us by God. We have been given these resources by a giving God who, in turn, calls us to manage them wisely and with love for others. We are stewards of God’s grace, not masters of God’s riches.

So it’s easy to describe stewardship but not so easy to practice stewardship.

We’re not going to ask you to pledge … yet.

We do ask that you think and reflect and pray about it in the weeks to come. We do ask that you consider carefully the materials we will send you.

And when the time comes, we will ask that you open your heart and your mind and, yes, your purse.

Because there’s more to be done – lots more.

In every aspect of our church life together – our youth programs, outreach, fundraising, buildings and grounds, and our other ministries – there’s lots more to be done.

With God’s help, we can, and will, meet this challenge.

Key Stewardship Dates

October 20
Stewardship Report at Annual Meeting

November 10
Commitment Sunday when pledges are collected

Vestry Nominees Class of 2020

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.

Chandler Van Voorhis

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My parents instilled in me a simple truth --- the two greatest joys in life are the tilling of the land and the cultivation of character. One anchors us, and the other elevates us. For centuries, we have understood the tilling the land, but we have only faintly grasped how the cultivating of character deepens the soil of the mind and spirit to promote public virtue. Trinity creates the space, structure, and sense of place that enables this cultivation to happen. Our community is enlarged, and its betterment realized through the compounding nature of God’s love made manifest.

For over twenty years, Trinity has been an integral part of my family. My wife Heidi and I were married at Trinity in 1998. Both our children, Claiborne and Haley, were baptized and confirmed at Trinity. As they grew, they participated as acolytes under the wonderful guidance of Lillian. We still have many those beautiful handwritten notes she sends to all the acolytes after their service.

While the cultivation of character takes place at home and in the pubic square, my professional work has been about the tilling of the soil. Along with Carey Crane, we co-founded a company that has become the leading carbon reforestation project in the world. In partnership with 500+ landowners, comprising roughly 120,000 acres, some 42+ million trees have been planted. The growth of those trees helps to purify the air, filter the water, and provide habitat. These actions of commerce are about building equity in each other and our land.

As citizens, congregation members, and children of God, our cross is comprised of two structural elements. The first is the vertical alignment between ourselves and God. The second is the horizontal alignment by loving our neighbors as ourselves. As we individually and collectively as a congregation find that equilibrium, divine love compounds and enlarges the heart of us all.

The love that compounds and enlarges will only deepen and anchor Trinity Church also. Trinity is getting ready to write the next chapter with a new rector. If elected, my hope is, we as a congregation can find a new equilibrium that becomes a steppingstone to that future.

Melinda Gable

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Melinda has been entrenched in advancing natural resource issues on the political playing field for 25 years. Her passion is a blend of taking ideas from conception to execution and the facilitation of bringing federal, private and NGO partners together to advance natural resource policy and achieve common goals as well as helping organizations excel in launching new programs and major marketing initiatives. Her current work is on promoting the sustainability and economic viability of family forest landowners and the stewardship of the natural resources under their care.

Married to Brad, a lifelong resident of Loudoun, Melinda has been entrenched in the community and Episcopal church for twenty years. She has two daughters who were active in Trinity's former youth program and current robust and lively acolyte program. I feel most at home in Trinity when the congregation is full of generations of families old and young.

Dan Murphy

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Beth and I have been part of the Trinity Congregation for over 25 years. Our daughters, Grace and Molly, were baptized here, sang in the choir, and joined in youth activities. Beth serves on the Outreach Committee. I sang in the choir for years and have previously served on the Vestry, leading the Stewardship effort for two years.

My work as a museum exhibit consultant has given me insight in non-profit governance and experience in building mission-driven programs to inform dialogue and strengthen communities. I am excited to renew my commitment to Trinity through service on the Vestry during this period of transition. I am so grateful to those that have worked hard over the years to build such a wonderful church and community, but I truly believe that Trinity’s best years are ahead. If elected to the Vestry, I look forward to listening to the heart of the congregation and working to make our church strong and our future bright.

Bob Appenzeller

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Thank you for considering me for the Vestry Class of 2022. Kathy and I have made Northern Virginia our home since 2001 and we have been members of Trinity Upperville for over 8 years.

I am a small business owner producing Defense electronics and was honored to have served on the 2016 Vestry while leading the Outreach Committee. Our class weathered significant issues within the church that still resonate today. We met the challenges head-on and with prayerful discernment. I am committed to the idea that Trinity is and will continue to be a congregation that can change the world for the better; we have the capability along with the drive.

My commitment to Trinity Upperville is stronger now than ever because I understand the delicate balance between church leadership and the congregation. Vestry is key to maintaining that vibrant Trinity community with all of its inherent complexities. If our wonderful building and campus ceased to exist tomorrow, Trinity would still be a Church in Upperville, VA. We have strong bonds that keep us doing God’s work out in the world.

I am ready to serve again.

Elizabeth H. Thomas

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Because we are a congregation under the banner of “Trinity,” I will try to introduce myself through three identities:

Episcopalian - This is our foundation and my religious orientation, one that I treasure while still having questions about my Christian faith. Trinity has been my church home since moving to the country in 2010. Like a beacon, Trinity draws me to worship, to fellowship, and to the gift of grace in all endeavors.

Psychotherapist - My professional life concerns human beings in distress, but just as often wanting to learn more about their interior world. Some might understand this to be attention to one’s soul. It’s what I try to attend to in my practice as well as what is most assuredly attended to in participation in the life of Trinity.

Wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, etc. - Family is the fabric of life, be it generationally determined or experientially cultivated. Family and friends are everything. Trinity is both and more. It is the hope, the conflict, and the promise – three in one – that propels us forward. It is vital, and I would like to serve in a more active way the mission of the Church.

Vestry Candidate Forum

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SUNDAY’S VESTRY CANDIDATE FORUM

All Trinity parishioners are urged to attend the Forum between services this Sunday morning, OCTOBER 6, in Cox Hall.  Please come to hear the individuals who have volunteered to serve the Church and the Lord by standing for election to the Vestry.  You will be free to ask questions or chat informally with the candidates who are offering to represent the Members of the Church in financial and other matters.   Four of these candidates will constitute the “Class of 2022” and will be instrumental in keeping Trinity strong and engaged as it moves through the transition to a new Rector.   

Vestry elections will be held outside Cox Hall (or inside if the weather is poor) starting at 9:00 a.m. on October 20, before our one service, and continue until 11 a.m.  The Annual Meeting will commence immediately after the service.   Members must vote in person at that time.

Trinity Tables

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Trinity Table Kick-Off Dinner Saturday September 21 at 6pm. The main course, chicken tetrazzini, will be provided. Please bring a side-dish to add to this wonderful dinner and opportunity in fellowship.

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. Keep on the lookout for a sign up sheet in Cox Hall, and if you are interested, sign up. You will be assigned to a group.

Kick-Off Potluck Dinner on Sept, 21st at 6:00pm 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 better acquainted with your fellow parishioners.

If you have any questions, please call Betsy in the church office, 540 592-3343.

It’s lots of fun! Please join us!

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Baptismal Font Restoration Begins

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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.

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Fall 2019 Startup Dates

Music Startup Dates

Adult Choir
Thursday, September 5, 7:00pm
Choir Room

Jr. Choir
Wednesday, September 18, 4:00pm
Children’s Choir Room

Choristers
Wednesday, September 18, 4:45pm
Children’s Choir Room

Handbell Choir
Tuesday September 24, 5:00pm
Cox Hall

Activities Fair
Sunday, September 8
Full choir resumes for 10:30 service

Commissioning of choirs and other ministries
Sunday, September 29, 10:30 service

Education Startup Dates

Bible Study
Wednesday, September 11, 10:30am
Peard House

Adult Forum
Sunday, September 15, 9:15am
Cox Hall

Children’s Chapel
Sunday, September 15
During the 10:30am service

Youth Sunday School - K- 5th Grade
Sunday, September 15, 11:30am

Other Events

Saturday, September 21
Men’s Breakfast 8:00am
Trinity Tables Kick-Off Dinner 6:00pm
Cox Hall

Saturday, September 28
Church Clean-up 9am-3pm

A Note of Thanks

Dear Trinity Family,

The Outdoor Sanctuary Committee would like to thank the folks who generously volunteered their time to fill the water bags surrounding the newer trees at the Outdoor Sanctuary.

This year, special thanks goes out to: Joe Fluet, Jim Gemmer, Ellen & Sydney Hall, Becky & Jim Hoecker, Sandy Diday, Bob Appenzeller, the Moore family, Brett & Sabine Bibb, and Holly & Chuck Bimba. Thanks, also, to Tommy Breeden for keeping the grounds mowed and “weed-whacked,” and to the Vestry and Parish Life Committee for hosting summer picnics. No thank you list would be complete without acknowledging Betsy Crenshaw who reminds us of our promises and our good intentions in such a wonderful way.

Sincerely,
The Knapps and The Gibbens

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