Almost exactly thirteen years ago was their last, last Sunday at Trinity. What are the odds that the same Interim Rector would save us twice? Words alone cannot express the depth of our gratitude. Deep Peace to you, Martin and Barbara. Deep Peace to you.
From the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
A Message from Bishop Goff and Bishop Brooke-Davidson on National Day of Mourning
To view their message go to: http://www.thediocese.net/news/a-message-from-bishop-goff-and-bishop-brooke-davidson-on-national-day-of-mourni/
St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, DC has been in the news.
For responses from the Presiding Bishop and news updates please go to: https:www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2020/06/01/episcopal-leaders-step-up-opposition-to-racial-injustice-amid-anger-over-george-floyds-killing/
Praying is not the only thing we can do, it is the BEST thing we can do. Never underestimate the power of prayer to heal our nation!
Honoring our 2020 Graduates
Hello Graduates of 2020.
First, congratulations. Whether you are concluding grade school, high school, college or graduate school, you are at a major turn in the journey that is your life. And that means you cannot be sure of what is around the corner. There will be surprises and challenges in the next stage of the journey; may the accomplishments that this graduation honors give you confidence as you meet new opportunities. You can know one thing at least – that your parents and families are proud of you and what you have accomplished and are full of hope for what is next.
And we, your church family, wish you happiness and a clear focus for whatever lies ahead. Well done for all that is in the past, and blessing and excitement for what lies ahead. We wish you God’s good companionship as you celebrate, as you give thanks, and as you dream your way into your own future.
On behalf of the People of Trinity Church, grace and courage,
Bishop Martin Townsend
Interim Rector
Congratulations Graduates!
Claiborne Van Voorhis,
son of Chandler & Heidi, has graduated from Woodberry Forest School. He will be attending the College of William & Mary in the fall. Below is his recently released Senior Project Video. https://youtu.be/t_gG2XdYMKE
Lilly Gable,
daughter of Brad and Melinda Gable. Attended Loudoun Valley High School, Purcellville, VA and will attend University of Georgia, in Athens Georgia. Participated in Trinity's children's choir, youth program and was an acolyte.
Roman Whipp Gravely,
son of Page & Donna, has graduated this month from Woodberry Forest School. He will be studying bioengineering at the School of Engineering at NC State University in the fall.
Jessica Ewing Barranco,
granddaughter of Ray Ewing, Bachelor of Science, Community Health College of Health & Human Sciences George Mason University
Adam Demaree,
grandson of Di Demaree, graduated from Patriot High School in Bristol, VA. He will be attending the University of Tennessee, majoring in Architectural Engineering.
Kelley Connelly,
daughter of Chip & Judy Connelly, graduated on May 16th with a Masters of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
Brandon Dodson,
son of Tom & Brie, graduated from Rappahannock County High School. He plans to spend the first two years of college studying at Lord Fairfax Community College and then transfer to a state university.
Charles Moore,
son of Ed & Margaret, is a Clemson University 2020 graduate with a degree in marketing and management. Mom, Dad, and Robbie are very proud! GO TIGERS!
Trinity Outreach Continues
As the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting economic hardship is shaping the new normal, Trinity Outreach sought out local programs that could make the maximum positive impact with limited resources and an uncertain budget. It is with great pride that we have targeted Mobile Hope, a program that has received Outreach assistance in the past, as the recipient of our collective support. Specifically, Mobile Hope sought a solution to delivering fresh, perishable food to those in need. Trinity Outreach enabled Mobile Hope to rent a refrigerated van for a period of three months to move toward better living conditions. This is a singular event with no long-term agreements, but a major factor in shaping what could be a long recovery for our local community.
This was a coordinated action voted on by the Outreach Committee and Vestry and it points to our stewardship of donations that are executed in the spirit that they are made. The Outreach Committee is looking at more targets of opportunity near-term that embrace not only the funding aspect, but the physical participation by the congregation.
In an effort to support the community and to help all families receive the essential tools for learning during this unprecedented time, a bus has been parked in our overflow parking lot that is equipped with a hotspot.
This means that parents can pull into the parking lot and access internet service allowing their children to do online classes. This will be exclusive to the families that have the password.
Announcing our New Rector-Elect
On behalf of the Vestry, the Discernment Committee, and the Diocese of Virginia, I am pleased to announce The Rev. Jonathan V. Adams accepted our call as Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville. Jonathan’s official start date is July 1, 2020.
Jonathan comes to us from Houston, Texas where he has served as Associate Rector for Pastoral Care and Outreach at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church for over three years. He has had an exciting and varied career serving God overseas, leading student ministries, planting a church in Georgia, and developing new outreach activities at St. Martin’s. The Discernment Committee found him energetic, warm and keenly pastoral, and the Vestry wholeheartedly concurred. We are eagerly anticipating his arrival and the chance for our fellow parishioners to meet him and his family.
The Rev. Jonathan V. Adams
Jonathan is married to Jana and they have three children, Noah, Lily, and Caleb. I know we will welcome them to our church and community.
You will learn more about Jonathan in the next few days. The Vestry already is organizing mailings and social media announcements in an effort to help you get to know him. Jonathan is eager to reach out to all of you and begin to know you as well.
The success of these many months of searching is due to the commitment of the members of the Discernment Committee, the willingness of the Vestry and Jonathan to explore the call in the middle of the pandemic, and the patience of the entire congregation. Louise Crane, Matt Blunt, and I are deeply thankful to all who worked so hard. We are delighted to begin the next chapter in our life at Trinity with The Rev. Jonathan Adams.
Johanna Jackson
Senior Warden
Notes from Christian
In responding to the query about positive experiences during the pandemic, it occurs to me that I can't possibly do so without being mindful of the many people who are struggling mightily with the very things that I am not. I have no immediate connection to anyone who is sick or on the "front lines". I have an understanding boss, am able to at least partially work from home, and, so far, my income is secure. Thanks to some Trinity Church angels, I have plenty of delicious food and am fortunate to live in a beautiful place with enough space that I can be outside and enjoy the Spring without a mask or fear of infection. I am very blessed in these ways as I imagine most of our Trinity Church community is as well.
However, I also have the possibly less common advantage of rather enjoying the isolation of quarantine. I have taken the Myers-Briggs test several times in my life and always come out the same. I am straight down the middle on three of the four dichotomies but all the way to the introvert side on that one, so not having to interact with so many people all the time suits me just fine. Actually though, it is even more than that. I have never fit in well with the conventions of normal society. Eight hours a night, early mornings, nine to five, three meals a day just does not work well for me. Relieved of the social interaction and schedule of everyone else's normal, I have found that I am thriving. I sleep when I am sleepy, eat when I am hungry, exercise much more, and am not constantly concerned about meeting everyone else's expectations. As a result, I am better rested, less stressed, have managed to lose a few pounds and generally feel more at peace than I have in a long time.
Of course, even my idyllic version of pandemic life is not without frustrations. I struggle greatly with the technology required to work from home and, of course, there is the toilet paper situation. I have tried not to question my spiritual calling but must admit that this period of solitude has made me wonder if God didn't get a little confused and some where there is some poor guy working in a remote fire tower or distant lighthouse with a crazy feeling he should be a church musician.
As we begin to see tiny glimpses of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and I feel the mild anxiety about returning to normal, I am reminded that there are many people for whom the world is just not a good fit and for reasons far more significant than my comparatively trivial ones. If something good is to come of all this perhaps it might be that we carry the experience of being out of our comfort zone forward into our new life and be more sympathetic to those who struggle in regular times. Perhaps we might have new eyes to see those who are in need and new minds open to those who are different than us. Perhaps we might welcome God's love into our hearts more fully and practice it in the world more completely. That would be a normal I could look forward to returning to.
While We Are Apart
One of the salvations for Ritchie and me during this stay-at-home time has been taking walks on the beautiful Cool Spring campus of Shenandoah University. The area was once a golf course, now defunct, but retains the paved pathways formerly used by golf carts. One can walk easily along a mostly level path that runs by the lazy Shenandoah River. Often, especially in the early hours, one can see wildlife galore: deer, rabbits, fox, heron, and turtles. And of course there is flora in abundance: great swaths of Virginia bluebells and canopied Mayapple. It has been a beautiful refuge offering refreshment for the soul.
So imagine my surprise one day as I was driving to the river, confident in the pleasure awaiting me, only to run into a sign, “CLOSED – NO ENTRY.” What?! I immediately returned home and composed a letter to the President of the University, making a case for reopening the campus.
I mentioned all of the points listed above, and emphasized the importance of safe environments for exercise. I wrote on behalf of all the neighbors who benefit from this wonderful space. Within a day or two there came a reply from President Fitzsimmons, Yes, the campus would reopen and safety guidelines would be posted. Hurray!
So while stuck inside we may be, we can summon our instincts for self-preservation to include our mental and spiritual health. For as Gene Lewis, the site manager, states, there are “…benefits to mind and body that nature can provide.”
That is so true. And, I would add, to our spiritual nature as well.
Elizabeth Thomas
How Can I Help?
As many of you may or may not know, the church phone has been directed to ring in my home during this time when all the church buildings are closed and locked. I have received the usual calls for assistance and I either redirect the calls or reassure them that Trinity will take care of their needs; be it, rent, electric bill, prescriptions, etc. since so many are out of work.
What I am also receiving is calls from Trinity parishioners who are home self-quarantined and are reaching out – How can I help? I have known some of you for 30 years now and this has always been your response to issues such as these. I am awed and overwhelmed by your generosity and concern for others. Thanks, one and all for your reaction to this crisis, it’s an honor and privilege to worship and serve with you.
Since our Food Pantry is closed, I have suggested that you call Seven Loaves. The Seven Loaves Food Pantry is located on the lower floor of the Middleburg Methodist Church at 15 W. Washington Street, Middleburg , Virginia 20117. Entry is from the parking lot at Pendleton and Federal Streets, at the rear of the church.
Please give them a call 540 687-3489 and see what help you could assist them with. Tommy Breeden and I take food from Trinity’s Food Pantry (very cautiously) to Seven Loaves every week. Many thanks again to you all, I miss you like crazy and cannot wait till we are together again.
Betsy Crenshaw
Life Goes on… A Tribute to a Friend
Life Goes On—And Then It Doesn’t
It is calving season here on the farm. A smattering of newborns speck the back green like little black beacons of hope and promise. Their mothers, watching hawkishly over their offspring, graze and nurse and bond. This season however, like the world we live in right now, has not quite been like those of the past.
My husband has been in the cattle business for seventy years, give or take. He has seen it all. He has experienced devastating losses, from lightning strikes to toxicity. Many moons ago, Gordie kept a herd next to a church in Maryland. Some of the parishioners, unknowingly, pruned some yew bushes on the property and threw the branches over the fence for the cattle. The wilted leaves are highly poisonous. The outcome was disastrous.
There are more prosperous times. There are the successfully born twins. There are the bottle-fed calves who despite losing their mothers, grow up to glory. There is always much for which to be thankful. However, in a 365 days-a-year operation, we rarely pause to mourn or celebrate. We carry on. It is the farm way.
Presently, there have been several first-time heifers who have struggled. It has not been a good year. Most of the problems can be traced to a bull to whom we bred by artificial insemination. He shall go nameless. He passed every test, every genetic specification to which we adhere to assure easy calving. These are registered Angus cattle. Progress is measured through performance and we consistently draw on breeding histories and science to guide us along.
Our front-line responder is Jerry Crenshaw. Jerry is the man we call when there are problems. He never hesitates. He is family. Jerry is our brightness in this time of discontent. He is wise. Working on instinct coupled with years of hands-on experience, Jerry is measured. Jerry naturally knows what to do, similarly to his wife, Betsy.
It is to Jerry that we give thanks. Today’s heifer is struggling. Her tag number is 40. A lone front foot protrudes from her birth canal. The calf is big. The heifer is working hard but nature is not taking her course.
Social distancing is scrapped when you are in trenches. Elbow deep, Jerry leads the effort to deliver the goods. The heifer’s breathing is labored. Her eyes wonder back into her head. She pushes. She pushes. She pushes. The calf is not coming. Hand pulling and chains are not enough to guide the calf through her smaller pelvic area.
We up our game with a calf jack. We move slowly under Jerry’s direction. Patience.
When the cow pushes, we apply gentle pressure at her hip with the jack and pull down, all together. With the head emerging, we know the calf is stillborn. It has been dead in her womb for some time. Jerry and I are side by side bent on saving this cow, to give her another chance. In birth, we have already lost a mother and her calf and too many other big calves to mention. The calves were never supposed to be so hefty. We take our time. We console the heifer. We urge the girl along. We will see this through the end.
At 8am Sunday, when normally I would be sitting in the fourth pew at Trinity Church, awaiting the start of service, the calf finally emerges. A sense of calm prevails, though Jerry never showed an anxious sign. The calf weighs 100 pounds at least. Still warm from his mother’s belly and hushed. We already knew this would be no success story.
But the mother, in relief, pauses. Her breathing slows to normal. She eventually sits up, benefits from some antibiotic treatment, expels her afterbirth. She later chomps on some hay and starts to regain lost time. We comfort her as best we can while removing the calf from the barn scene.
In the far field she will join the other cows who have lost their calves this season. Before COVID, we may have grafted a dairy calf to the new mother. We save the hide of their calf and the cow will smell and think it is their own. But in these pandemic moments, that is not an option.
She may behave like some of the others, mourning the loss and crying for her calf for a day or two. One is atypically aggressive, chasing the black Labradors when they join me on walks, a pasture aside. Thankfully, sturdy wire separates us and we fall away. The cow stands and bellows, then walks the entire length of the fence row. She is still producing milk. She grieves.
Evening comes, and it is Jerry who returns to check on the cow we saved today. To assess her progress, he encourages her to stand and succeeds, albeit briefly. She needs rest. She will take her time before catching up to the rest of the herd.
Robin Keys
Through The Eyes of a Parishioner
Just over a year ago, Ritchie and I were traveling in India. When the plane landed in Delhi, I looked out the window to what I had to believe was a sand storm. No, that was the air. This provided our first experience of wearing masks. Recently the Washington Post ran an article titled, “In India, Life Under Coronavirus Brings Blue Skies and Clean Air” (4/11/2020). It showed pictures of Delhi before and after a three-week lockdown. The difference is stunning. What once were sepia colored, grainy images of landmarks now showed colorful, crisp portraits. I urge everyone to take a look at the article.
In addition to cows, which are sacred and therefor everywhere, Delhi is overrun with tuk-tuks, motor bikes, and all manner of creatively designed gas-fueled vehicles. What would happen if everyone were required to stay at home as protection from covid-19? Answer: Transportation would be brought to a halt, and the air would clear. And so, a three-week cessation of commerce, intended to curb the spread of a virus, also functioned as an experiment in control of carbon emissions. It is a positive unintended consequence of the pandemic.
As we pray together from the Prayer Book, “For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.” May we take hold of the guidance of our faith, together with lessons of this virus, to preserve and protect our Mother Earth. “Lord, have mercy.”
Elizabeth Thomas
Connected by Prayer
I have a few joys that have come from discovering that I am classified as elderly!!!! I moved from my beloved Upperville Virginia to Bend Oregon a few years ago. I still receive the newsletter which helps me feel a part of Trinity.
Soon after we were all Quarantined, I read that the healing ministry was having their usual 2:30 Monday meeting via zoom. I was a former prayer warrior with them in the past. I jumped right back into that special place of healing.
It is a joy to be part of our community again. I thank the Holy Spirit for giving me this avenue to return.
I have also enjoyed being back in church with Martin and Christian and all of you. I send you much love from Bend Oregon.
Karen Hauswald
The Assembly of Acolytes
The focus of all attention recently has been on the lock-down – the quarantine – the extraordinary stress caused by the COVID19 outbreak. But, please know that our Acolytes have been continuing their connection to Trinity in many ways.
Thank you to all the Acolytes who continue to visit the Outdoor Chapel at various times and various days of the week. There, on the grounds of Trinity, they recite the Lord’s Prayer – and take pictures of their visit. I search my emails all week to find those photos.
The congregation may know the Acolytes as they see them in their white robes every Sunday. But, I am witness to know them away from their duties on Sunday as well. This Assembly of Acolytes represents Trinity’s youth doing the will of God, not from habit, but from learning the way of the Lord in our Children’s Chapel every Sunday.
Praise be to God.
And keep those pictures coming.
Lillian Griber
The Corona Virus and Me
The image of Andrea Bocelli on Easter Sunday singing in the empty, magnificent Duomo in Milan captures my experience of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the Judeo-Christian myth of man’s dominance over nature, when face-to-face with a virus causing thousands of deaths within weeks across countries, I experience how small and fragile we are, like Bocelli in the immense cathedral.
I am one of the fortunate ones. I can carry on my work remotely from home. After initial cancellations and adjustments, the disruption to my life, compared with others, has been minimal. I have had the opportunity to reflect and the privilege of realigning priorities.
The image of Bocelli, one lone voice, singing in the empty cathedral has solidified in me the desire to be about what really matters, a call I believe we all have to answer to that which lies deepest within. I have a renewed resolve to focus my attention and energy on that “for which I was born.” This focus helps me laugh more and fear death less.
Penelope Yungblut
Reflections on Self-Isolation - Love in Action
In my last couple of Weekly E-Genesis, I asked folks to submit brief snippets of how they are coping during this Pandemic and glimpses of their lives during self-isolation. My hope is that by sharing uplifting messages and thanksgivings that we will feel hope and encouragement to forge on until we are back together again.
Shortly after the self-isolation order came out my husband Peter and I took a trip to Walmart. We ran into our daughter-in-law Amanda. After a short visit we headed home. Before we got back to the house, all 4 of our children texted us and told us we were “Grounded,...Indefinitely”. How the times have changed!
Their love for us and their determination to keep us as safe as possible is truly a blessing and not something we will forget. They keep us connected via weekly DUO sessions where we can see and talk with them and our grandchildren through a safe modem. It’s not quite the same as holding them in your arms but for now it will have to do. I hope you enjoy the articles and that they will lift your spirits. I pray that this time has led to special moments in your lives that you will never forget. Change is inevitable, we will never be back to the “normal” we were used to and that isn’t so bad.
To quote an anonymous source, “If you do things the way you always did, the future will look a lot like the past”.
Di Demaree
What I Believe
A few weeks ago I heard someone talk about “God’s plan” for us. For complicated reasons, I always bridle a little when I hear that term. What I hear in the idea of “God’s Plan” is the understanding that there is some kind of predestined path on which I am supposed to walk, if I can figure it out. I believe something rather different from that.
God’s plan is, I think, a matter for ongoing discernment. I do believe that the holy and life-giving I AM (ego eimi, Yahweh, G*d, Being)** that willed and still wills all things into existence continues to be engaged in our every action. I believe that G*d’s interaction with us is dialogical and co-operative, rather than pre-determined. In my understanding, that means that any plan is emergent, worked out as time and circumstances require. (“But,” you might ask, “isn’t God in charge of those circumstances?” And I say that in Jesus G*d gave up control in favor of friendly persuasion.) Because of the divine spark ignited in us, we are co-creators with G*d of that plan rather that predestined to fall in or out of line with a pre-existent and unknowable plan.
I believe that every fiber of our being, and of all being, has the inbuilt will to exist in the image and likeness of Love. And Love guides, giving up control. That is why Being became flesh in Jesus – to walk along side us as a companion rather than above, controlling us. That conviction is grounded in my own experience of being free to make variously good and bad decisions. No matter how hard I try to discern G*d’s will, I am still responsible.
We are unavoidably limited in our ability to talk about G*d. We are stuck with metaphors. For those of us who have children, parenthood is a natural image to use for our understanding of love, obedience, rebellion, freedom, restraint, relationship and alienation – all subheadings under the general title of “God and Theology.” Whether we experienced – or are – controlling or permissive parents, that might shape our understanding of the very nature of G*d.
I loved watching my children grow, each taking their own very different rates and directions. I have loved watching them grow into independence even more. Yet more than once I have had people tell me of having had an abusive father; to speak of God as “Father” is a troubling and negative image. So Jesus uses lots of different metaphors to enable a more profound understanding. Although he addressed G*d as Abba (Father, but better translated as Daddy) he also images G*d as a brood hen, a shepherd, an unjust judge (!), a bridegroom, a woman who has lost a coin, and vineyard owner. These images are an open acknowledgement of our inability to nail down how G*d is. (That refusal to be nailed down is surely one understanding of the ultimate meaning of Good Friday.)
So does G*d intervene directly in human affairs? I have to admit the evidence is inconclusive, but I behave and pray as if yes, G*d is in charge. Do my prayers influence G*d? It seems presumptuous to say they do, but my own children’s requests influence me, so… And besides, I do know that prayer influences me. It opens my horizons, gives voice to dreams, acknowledges my own lack of control, expresses private grief and joy and gratitude. And I do believe that all of those things are part of any plan that G*d, ego eimi, Jahweh, I AM, Being has for me.
** The greatest single difficulty in speaking of God is the limitation of language that seems to require that we speak of G*d as a being. G*d is not a being but is rather, using the terminology of Paul Tillich, the Ground of all Being. Holiness is the core reality of all that exists. As Christians we affirm that that holiness is most concretely expressed in the person of Jesus.
The Rt. Rev. Martin G. Townsend
Interim Rector
Past Updates - Previous Updates Regarding COVID-19
THE CATHEDRAL WILL BE BROADCASTING A “VIRTUAL” SUNDAY LITURGY AT 11:15 AM WHICH MAY BE FOUND ON LINE AT CATHEDRAL.ORG OR ON THE CATHEDRAL FACEBOOK PAGE
To the People of Trinity Church, Upperville,
Bishop Goff, following consultation with neighboring dioceses and with medical advice concerning the COVID-19 virus, has directed that all corporate worship in the Diocese of Virginia be cancelled for the next two Sundays, March 15 & 22, and other midweek activities, until March 25. We recognize that this puts some important meetings and decisions on hold, and that it will be an irritation to some. Sr. Warden Johanna and I have been in conversation and have determined that out of concern for the most vulnerable members of our community - people over 60 and any with medical issues - we will fully comply with Bishop Goff's directive. No classes or choir rehearsals, no LEM visitations, no committee meetings. Until we get advice, we will even close the Food Pantry. We will permit AA/CoDA meetings, with the provision that no food be served; for the moment we will permit those organizations to make their own other decisions, expecting that utmost care will be exercised in using sanitizer and maintaining maximum practical distance between participants.
Parish Staff will be allowed to come to the offices in Peard House for essential work, mostly communications about the current situation.
For those who wish to take advantage of online worship services, there are three parishes in the diocese that stream their services. I do not know how the current situation will affect their offerings. The parishes are St. James, Richmond; St. Matthew's, Sterling; and St. James the less, Ashland. Google their websites.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation with this policy. We will do our best to maintain our own lines of communication and keep all of you informed. I will continue writing the sermon that I have started and will trust that I can get it to you via some medium.
Below is a letter from the Sr. Warden that covers a lot of the same territory that I have addressed in this letter. Also below is the record of a diocesan policy discussion, edited for relevance to our situation.
Blessing and peace,
+Martin
From the Senior Warden
Dear Trinity Parishioners,
This afternoon Bishop Goff suspended all worship activities in the Diocese of Virginia for two weeks. This follows the World Health Organization declaring Coronavirus a global pandemic. The last time the Diocese of Virginia suspended church services was in 1918 during the Great Flu epidemic. This gives an indication of the seriousness of the current outbreak of Coronavirus.
After consulting with Bishop Townsend, our Interim Rector, I have decided to extend this suspension to all Trinity church activities. I know this will be a disappointment to many and an inconvenience to some, but in the interest of the health of our church community I prefer to err on the side of caution.
To the best of our knowledge no Trinity members have contracted the virus, but other parishes in the region have not been so blessed. I think it’s only realistic to assume that some of our members will come down with it. We don’t want to exaggerate the risk nor do we want to be complacent.
We still remain a community that cares for one another. Unlike in 1918 when telephone service was just making its way into rural Virginia and there was no internet, the Trinity community has ways to stay in touch with one another, to lend support to one another. I encourage all parishioners to communicate with each other, especially with those who may not have family nearby. We are our brother’s keeper still.
Johanna Vandoren-Jackson
Sr. Warden
_____________________________________
Diocesan Zoom Meeting on COVID-19
(March 11th, 2020 at 2PM)
Notes:
• Worship is canceled in the diocese for the next 2 Sundays/2 weeks. All worship. Not just Eucharist. The 2 weeks end on March the 25th (2 weeks from today). Diocesan leadership will reassess at the end of this period.
• The mathematical models are showing exponential growth of virus. We cannot stop this pandemic but by practicing social distancing we can slow the spread.
• The Diocese of Washington has made a similar decision with respect to worship over the next 2 weeks.
• Funerals - would recommend trying to delay large celebrations of life. Grave side services in small groups are probably ok.
• You can stream an unattended service.
• As of Wednesday, there is no guidance about food pantries or meetings of AA/CoDA. We’ll have to wait for more information/research on that.
• Rectors can still permit staff to work on church property for critical purposes unless of course a person tests positive for COVID-19.
• We would encourage people to continue their pledges even if they are not at in person worship. Or to double their plate offering from when they were not there. If online worship takes the place of in person worship, clergy staff are still working to make the service happen.
• Sunday School should not take place as well.
• We encourage small mid-week services to be Morning Prayer if you still have them. (At Trinity for at least this week, we will not hold such services.)
• Clergy are instructed not to make at home visits without calling ahead.
+Martin
NOTE: There will not be an E-Genesis this week
COVID-19 Updates
Please join join us virtually each week for video services online.
In addition to virtual services, we are holding Sunday Worship in person, with two separate options.
Masks are advised and preferred indoors.We will continue to review practices each week according to both the Diocese and CDC guidelines.
Join us for in-person worship:
8:00am Holy Eucharist (Rite I)
10:30am Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
5:00pm Evening Prayer, with Eucharist
Virtual Service Weekly
As we continue to adapt to changing guidelines regarding in-person gatherings, please check here for any new updates.
Music Notes March
Notes from Christian We begin this season of Lent with a focus on the Wesleys, of Methodist fame. John and Charles were among the 18 children of an Anglican cleric and became Anglican priests as well. While both brothers were actively involved in the Anglican movement know as Methodism that ultimately led to the United Methodist Church, it is John who is credited as its founder. Charles’ legacy became the over 650 hymn texts he penned, many of which have become among the most beloved and well-known hymns ever written. Charles’ son Samuel Wesley was something of a musical child prodigy studying the violin and organ and was often called the English Mozart. He went on to be an extremely gifted organist and composer. Samuel’s son, Samuel Sebastien Wesley, was given Bach’s middle name by his father and became a cathedral organist and perhaps the most successful composer of the family. It is his anthem “Wash Me Throughly” that the choir will sing on the first Sunday of Lent, March 1.
The Feast Day of John and Charles Wesley is the first Tuesday of Lent, March 3, and we will be discussing their hymn texts at the Lenten Series that same evening. In preparation for that event I give you John Wesley’s directions for singing which have appeared at the beginning of every Methodist hymnal yet published and despite their somewhat dated language, are as relevant now as they were when written in 1761.
I. Learn these Tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.
II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.
III. Sing All. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.
IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.
V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.
VI. Sing in Time: whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.
VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your Heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.
Holy Week and Easter at Trinity
The people of Trinity Episcopal Church invite you to join us for Holy Week & Easter Worship.
April 5 - Palm Sunday
8am Holy Eucharist Rite I
10:30am Holy Eucharist Rite II
April 6, 7, & 8
12pm Holy Eucharist
April 9 - Maundy Thursday
6:30pm Agape Supper and Holy Eucharist
7:30pm Stripping of the Altar and Tenebrae Service
April 10 - Good Friday
12pm & 7pm Good Friday Liturgy
April 12 - Easter Day
6am Community Sunrise Service (Outdoor Chapel)
8am Holy Eucharist Rite I
10:30am Holy Eucharist Rite II
12pm Easter Egg Hunt
