Fall on the Horizon

Dear Trinity Family,

It’s hard to believe that Summer is almost behind us and Fall is on the horizon. As we gear up for the season I wanted to let you know of some wonderful opportunities we are working toward. My hope and desire is for Trinity to be up and rolling as much as possible with Adult forums, support groups, music school, in person services, online services, in person committee meetings and other community events. All this is possible if we keep safety first, which we all have a responsibility in, as we love our neighbor as our self! So without further ado let’s explore some options

As we move into the education year we will kick off the season September 13th with a few educational offerings. Each week when you receive your Sunday’s at Home email you will begin to notice two additional options. The first will be a Children’s Sunday school class called “Trinity Kids”. Each week you will hear from me, a couple of songs from Christian and a Bible story from the “Jesus Storybook Bible” written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago Silver and narrated by David Suchet. You can listen to a sample by clicking the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCLRcA9mlQE

We will also begin a virtual adult forum entitled the “The Rector’s Forum”. Each week you will hear from me and then we will have a teaching by a few different people in the church and by a few guests. Stay tuned for more information regarding “The Rector’s Forum”.

Our live outdoor worship service in the Bishop’s Garden continues to grow with 90 in attendance a few weeks ago and 88 last Sunday. If you have not attended I would like to ask you to consider joining us. It’s a wonderful time to come and see your friends, worship God together, and begin the week in church. You will need to bring a mask, a chair, and a heart for worship. Invite a friend and come on out to the garden at 9am.

We are planning to have our Annual Meeting on October the 4th just after the 9am service. The meeting will begin with the Trinity family coming together over breakfast prepared by The Market at Bluewater Kitchen. The vestry has worked hard this year to pull all the reports together and is eager to share these with you. The slate of four vestry candidates has been vetted by the outgoing class and will need to be affirmed at the annual meeting (See complete bios and pictures on pages 2 & 3). We will also kick off the season of stewardship. This has been an interesting year at Trinity with new challenges and opportunities. Would you begin now prayerfully to consider your pledge in the coming year? Every one of us has a part to play and if we all pledge something we will accomplish everything God has called us to do. Thank you for your service and desire to give! You can now give online by clicking here https://trinityupperville.org/give

Final Crosswise

Thanks to all of you who have written to me over the past couple of weeks, wishing me and Barbara well as I take a new shot at retirement. Barbara insists that this is at least my tenth try. When I was at Trinity 2005-07, that was only my 4th attempt. What can I say? I have been blessed throughout my life with a job that I have loved. There have been times of wrenching emotion and of exuberant enthusiasm. I hope I have learned some things along the way, mostly from wise parishioners.

At the first Annual Meeting over which I presided, as a 27 year old rector, a crusty parishioner who became a close friend over the ensuing six years, stood up and said, “Just keep in mind this is my parish. I and these other people in the pews will still be here long after you are gone. We love this place and hope that you will come to love it too. ” Well, I did. As I have come to love every parish I have served, including Trinity Upperville. And I have kept in mind that this is your parish. The singular disappointment in my brief tenure as Interim is that the coronavirus kept us from the relaxed kind of interaction that we can have at coffee hour and as meetings prepare to begin. I have missed point-to-point races and opportunities to shoot skeet. I have seriously missed decent restaurants such as we do not have around us in West Virginia.

Mostly I have missed worshipping together, face to face. I have missed the connection with white robed acolytes lining up before a service, all under the loving guidance of Miss Lillian and Miss Katrina. The quiet behind-the-scenes dedication of the altar guild. Even as we all are eager to return to worship in the church building, I have profoundly appreciated the response to our online efforts. Thanks to readers for video recording lessons and prayers.

With this as my last CROSSWISE to you all, I must publicly say how indebted I am to Di Demaree as Parish Administrator, Betsy Crenshaw as “Director of First Impressions,” Tommy Breeden, as resident poet and Sexton Superb, and Christian Myers as Director of Music – wow! Thanks to Christian and the choir section leaders for excellent anthems and Children’s Time sermons that have been a pure delight. Thanks to Richard McPherson for such fine work as our organist. Thanks to the commitment of hard working vestry members, especially your excellent wardens, Johanna and Louise. I will miss you all.

But back to my main point – This is your parish. It will only work if you love it, tend to it, offer to jump in where you see a need. Trinity is a healthy and dynamic congregation. As magnificent as our campus is in the beautiful church and the Outdoor Sanctuary, in the cemetery and courtyard, those aspects of our parish life, that probably drew many of us to Trinity in the first place, are not The Church. You are. The buildings are only a museum without the people. With the people the campus is a jewel in the scepter of God and the launchpad for a ministry of worship, learning and service. Imagine your niche – where you want to fit in the Dream of God as it evolves for the parish. There will come a time when the coronavirus pandemic is in our review mirror. We can then rejoin one an-other in whatever will become our new normal. (I do not foresee that we will be able to go back to what we were, but will have to give shape to whatever is ahead.) But dream your way into a vibrant future. May it be filled with love and expectancy.

On July 1st, you will welcome a new Rector, The Rev. Jonathan V. Adams. For him it will be a new position. But it also puts all of you in a new position. So I offer to him and to you a blessing from one of my favorite poets, John O’Donohue.

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May your new work excite your heart,
Kindle in your mind creativity
To journey beyond the old limits
Of all that has become wearisome. 

May this work challenge you toward
New frontiers that will emerge
As you begin to approach them,
Calling forth from you the full force
And depth of your undiscovered gifts. 

May the work fit the rhythms of your soul,
Enabling you to draw from the invisible
New ideas and a vision that will inspire. 

Remember to be kind
To those who work for you,
Endeavor to remain aware
Of the quiet world
That lives behind each face. 

Be fair in your expectations,
Compassionate in your criticism.
May you have the grace of encouragement
To awaken the gift in the other’s heart,
Building in them the confidence
To follow the call of the gift. 

May you come to know that work
Which emerges from the mind of love
Will have beauty and form. 

May this new work be worthy
Of the energy of your heart
And the light of your thought. 

May your work assume
A proper space in your life; 

Instead of owning or using you, 
May it challenge and refine you, 
Bringing you every day further 
Into the wonder of your heart. 

- John O’Donohue, 

To Bless the Space Between Us (2008) 

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Peace and Joy, 
The Rt. Rev. Martin G. Townsend 
Interim Rector 

About Lent...

My personal approach to Lent has gone through wild swings over the years. I was raised in an Anglo-Catholic parish where prayers, fasting, mid-week services & vigils were the norm for many parishioners. My earliest practices and disciplines were shaped in that community even during my college years. It was in those seasons of intended piety that I first thought I might become a monk. I should note that I was dating Barbara at the time and she thought it was not a very credible idea. It turned out that I did not have a monastic vocation.

Going to seminary in low-church Virginia re-shaped my Lenten practices. Fewer mid-week services but still marked by giving things up – smoking, desserts and the like. I don’t know that I gave a lot of attention to why I did those things. It was simply in the rhythm of my year. I might have supposed that in some minuscule way it was an imitation, or at least an echo, of Jesus’ forty day fast in the wilderness.

And then came the 1979 Prayer Book and the Liturgy for Ash Wednesday (BCP p. 264). The first time I read the Litany of Penitence, I felt as if someone had read my mind and exposed my worst personal traits to the world.

“We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to your Lord.”

My heart pounded at those words and they re-charged my understanding of Lent as a time of interior reflection and self-understanding. For a long time my focus was much less on giving something up and more on sitting quietly listening for some holy presence.

Taking on a practice seems to fit well into my current listening for the heartbeat of God. I encourage you to read a book like Walking in Wonder by John O’Donohue, or go to www.episcopalchurch.org and look at The Way of Love as a resource. You will be surprised at how warmed your heart might be.

Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Martin G. Townsend

Crosswise notes From The Interim Rector

Hello Dear People of Trinity Church,

After less than three weeks, I feel very much immersed in the life, issues and challenges of Trinity Church. As one of my favorite mystics, Dame Julian of Norwich, said in the 14th Century, “All will be well. All manner of things will be well.” Dame Julian did not have a detailed strategy to make all things well. Rather, she trusted that God would do that.

Moving in the direction of Julian’s confidence, here at Trinity we worship, we welcome, we study and serve. As part of our study, below is an outline for the Sunday Adult Forum for the next few weeks, starting on January 26.

That Forum hour is compact, so I hope we will begin promptly at 9:20 and conclude no later than 10:20. Celtic spirituality and the wisdom of the Irish and Scottish monks of the 5th through 9th centuries is a perfect fit as a spiritual tradition for Trinity Church. It is grounded in a love of creation and an embrace of community. It has had a major influence on my own life and prayer for the past twenty years and more. I love the stuff. I hope you will find it nourishing to your souls.

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Celtic Epiphany - An Outline
The readings suggested here are completely optional, offered for people who want to go a little deeper in their study. Each session will stand on its own, although there is continuity through the series.

Jan 26 - Dedicated to St. Patrick
The pre-Christian Celts
Church history in Britain, AD 180 - 1066

St. Patrick and the Irish mission

The Synod of Whitby, AD 664 - a point of decision

Suggested reading for next session: Listening for the Heartbeat of God, pp.1-38

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Feb2 - Dedicated to St. Brigid
The Synod of Whitby, AD 664 - Listening for the heartbeat of God

Two authorities: Peter and John Augustine and Pelagius

The Celtic Cross and the unity of Creation

Suggested reading for next session: Listening for the Heartbeat of God, pp.39-73

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Feb 9 – Dedicated to St. Kevin
A Celtic Pilgrimage - a film by John O’Donohue

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February 16 - Dedicated to St. Columba
Creation as revelatory of God

Thin places

Suggested reading for next session: Listening for the Heartbeat of God, pp.74-107

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Feb 23 - Dedicated to St. Hilda and St. Cuthbert
Whitby revisited

A spirituality for today: the unity of Creation, mystery, listening and prayer

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Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you.
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you.
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you.
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you.

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the Son of Peace to you

by Fiona Macleod (1855-1905)

Book Recommendations
J. Philip Newell, Listening for the Heartbeat of God

John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us

Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization

And…a heads-up about Lent. Paul Dietrich has produced a movie for PBS, INTO THE NIGHT: Portraits of Life and Death. Several people are interviewed about their understanding of death and how they are preparing for it. It is a sometimes moving witness and will be the primary content of Adult Forum during Lent. More information later.

-
The Rt. Rev. Martin G. Townsend

Looking Forward

Hello Dear People of Trinity Church,

To say that I am looking forward to our time together over the next few months is an understatement. Thank you very much for inviting me back to Trinity for the remainder of this interim time. I arrive in the parish on January 2nd and will soon be meeting with Wardens, Vestry, Staff, and other groups to see how I can best pick up the opportunities that are now before us all. The period between installed Rectors is a time for reflection on possible new directions or points of emphasis in ministry, a time to consider our strengths and our growing edges. It is not yet clear to me how much of this work has already been done. I will look for wisdom and insight from all of you as we join in the journey ahead.

Of course I am excited to be reconnecting with old friends, and of equal importance is meeting new ones. Barbara joins me in sending you all greetings for this Christmas season and for Epiphany which we will celebrate this coming Sunday, January 5th.

Blessing and Joy for the New Year.
+Martin

Planning for Christmas

Dear Friends,

A friend and her family are planning for Christmas for the first time in a new home in a new town. She described feeling unsettled despite trying to continue Advent and Christmas traditions from the past. She added that their children wished they could return to the place and the home they had left behind. Her experience is probably familiar to all of us at one time or another in our lives.

Advent can offer special meaning for those of us who feel anxious or unsettled. Our Advent lessons from Isaiah speak to those parts of our lives with promises of swords being beaten into plowshares, the wolf dwelling with the lamb, those with feeble knees being made firm, and the people who were walking in darkness seeing a great light.

We couple Isaiah’s words in this season with our own imagining of the story of a family unsettled by a journey. Too late to return to the home they had left behind, they paused out of necessity. And there, at precisely the most unsettled moment, the birth of a child, the child Jesus, brought “tidings of comfort and joy” when most needed.

I hope you will join us throughout this Advent season to be guided to the Savior lying in a manger who is Christ the Lord.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Fast Paced November

Dear Friends,

November is always fast-paced and crammed with rapid transitions: All Saints’ Sunday with rejoicing that we are “all knit together in one communion and fellowship” … Ingathering Sunday on November 10 for the dedication of pledges as a resource for ministries as well as a weekend devoted to a celebration of beauty as sacred and a source of hope … November 17 which we are calling Mission Sunday to call to mind the joy of mission through what our visiting preacher Titus Presler calls “building companionship over boundaries of difference … Christ the King Sunday/Commitment Sunday with the culmination of the church year.

The underlying theme of thanksgiving is embedded in these Sundays as it is each week along with Thanksgiving Day, our national observance of gratitude. One element of thanksgiving distilled in these Sundays is the experience of living beyond ourselves. Praying, pledging, serving – these activities draw us beyond the boundaries we set for ourselves in our desire for personal security and self-determination.

So, we gather together to rejoice and give thanks for being grounded in our common prayer to fill our memories with the record of God’s mighty works, to enlighten our understanding with the light of the Holy Spirit, and to center the desires of our heart and in what God have us do.

I look forward to sharing this month with you and hope you will be at Trinity Church whenever you can.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Attract or Engage?

Dear Friends,

An article on the church of the future included a comment that caught my attention: “Churches need to stop trying to attract people and start trying to engage people.” This shift in focus is worth some thought. Most churches I know want to attract people, and some churches do that well. They have attractive and up to date websites. They have inviting buildings. They have friendly people. Beyond being attractive in order to attract people, however, churches often find engaging people to be a challenge. Impediments can frequently appear. People enjoy each other’s company so much that they inadvertently overlook someone new. Long-time parishioners can unconsciously assume that everyone knows what is happening – and more especially why things happen as they do. In a culture where anonymity is often preferred when entering a new situation, it is easy to let new people go unnoticed or think someone else will take the initiative to be welcoming.

Rather than looking for the latest technique to attract people (some of which are useful), it seems appropriate to look at what Jesus did in his ministry. He did indeed attract people. At the same time his greatest impact during his ministry was in engaging people. He fed five thousand people, for example. He did this by asking skeptical disciples who were bewildered by an apparently impossible task to share morsels of bread and fish with everyone. He engaged them. He told discouraged fishermen to cast out into the deep and keep fishing. He engaged them. He challenged people reliant on the status quo. Even, or maybe especially, when they responded angrily, it was because Jesus had engaged them. The goal in each case was to transform people’s lives.

One of our tasks in this interim period is to prepare for the next era as a congregation. What would it take for us to sharpen our focus and make sure that when we attract people, we will also engage them as disciples who join us in following Jesus?

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Gratitude to God

Dear Friends,

The underlying theme of this September’s Genesis is gratitude - gratitude to God for bringing us all together … gratitude for the volunteers whose dedication to the common good adds so much vitality to this congregation … gratitude to the staff whose efforts support all that we do … gratitude for opportunities to do meaningful tasks by serving … gratitude for the beauty of this sacred space for which we are stewards … gratitude for challenges which arise from a greater vision … gratitude for prayers for our well-being that reflects God’s love for each of us.

September is a month for starting up or restarting activities, ministries, and programs after a summer pause. Starting is not instantaneous. Like an athlete or musician for whom warming up is necessary, we too are warming up as we regroup and make final plans for the fall. Please watch the weekly eGenesis especially in the coming weeks for additional information to welcome one and all to the startup for the year.

Of particular note is Sunday School, led by Melanie Hitchen and a dedicated group of teachers who continue what was begun last spring. The first classes are on September 15. The consensus of the teachers, who met to begin planning this year was that classes be held starting after Communion, at the end of the10:30 service and conclude at 12:15. Details will follow. The primary rationale for this timing was to allow families not to feel rushed to get to church by 9:15, to encourage everyone to participate in the primary activity of Sunday morning – the service of Holy Eucharist, and to take advantage of the coffee hour after the 10:30 service as a time for informal conversation. Coffee hours at Trinity Church work so well that I think this plan is well worth a try this fall. Trying new approaches and reviewing them as we go along is a benefit of an interim year. For now, please plan to bring your children and invite other children to participate.

We are also reviving the Adult Forums at 9:15, on most Sundays beginning on September 15. Vestry member Paul Coyer and I have been working on plans, and I have had numerous conversations with parishioners about possible topics. Watch eGenesis each week for details.

In the few months that remain of my Interim Ministry, I look forward to being with you for prayer, learning, and service.

We give thanks to God for the opportunity to be at Trinity Church in these exciting times.
Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Change of Pace

Dear Friends,

The months of July and August offer a distinct change of pace with the opportunity to be more relaxed.

At the same time, it is a season of considerable behind the scenes planning. So, the Discernment Committee might suggest that my reference to a more relaxed season might apply to others but not to them. In addition to keeping them in our prayers spoken at each Sunday service, I hope you with thank the committee members whenever you see them.

They are:
Matt Blunt, Chair, Jonathan Catherwood, Alix Coolidge, Ellen Hall, Ashley Hambrick, Margaret Moore and Laurie Volk .

One of my most important responsibilities during this interim is to do everything I can to work with the leaders of the parish to prepare for your next era with a new Rector. For my first six months with you, I have spent as much time learning about the parish, engaging in activities that are important to you, offering pastoral care, and leading worship. That will continue as we spend the next six months working to refine what we do and how we do it in ways that maximize the effectiveness of the ministries we share. We’ll be able to be more specific as time goes by.

In the meantime, I want to say again how much I enjoy being at Trinity and how much I appreciate getting to know as many of you as possible.

We give thanks to God for the opportunity to be at Trinity Church in these exciting times.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Welcome to Summer

Dear Friends,

After all the excitement of a wonderful Stable Tour weekend, we move to a new month. Although June often seems to mark the beginning of a slower pace for the summer, this month is also a time of important activity. Our primary goal for the year is to prepare you for the next era of ministry with a new Rector. The Discernment Committee is working deliberately and thoughtfully sustained by the prayer we all say together each Sunday. They will present an update on their process at a Forum on Sunday, June 23, between the 8:00 and 10:30 am services. I hope you will stay after the early service or come early for the later service to hear from the committee and to ask questions.

During the summer, the Vestry and I will be planning for the fall and exploring ways to refine our efforts to be as effective as possible in leading the lively collaboration of volunteers and staff. I notice enthusiasm and dedication every day, and we seek to translate that energy into opportunities for newcomers and long-standing members to be engaged more deeply in the congregation.

The Vestry voted at the May meeting to elect Melissa Neal as our Delegate to Diocesan Convention and our Region and Becky Hoecker as the Alternate Delegate. We are grateful to them for serving in these important roles.

The other day, I received Mission Vouchers for the young people who were Confirmed on May 12. These vouchers are to be used before their 19th birthday to support mission experiences. The vouchers represent the interest in the people of the entire Diocese in the activities of our youth.

I plan to be away on two Sundays in June for weddings. I’m grateful to Jim Hammond for leading worship in my absence, and I am thankful daily for his friendship and wise counsel. The two Sundays I expect to be here are important because they direct us to the foundation of so much that defines us.

June 9, is Pentecost with the celebration of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the custom here for you to wear red to match the red on the altar. It is also the custom of the church to view this day, one of the seven feast days of the church year, as a time to renew our commitment to the mission of the church.

June 16, is Trinity Sunday, the only one of the seven feast days devoted to a doctrine. It is our special privilege to focus on the meaning of the day in the context of the name of our congregation. It is a Sunday to renew our commitment to the mission of the church through this particular church.

I look forward to June with you.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Welcome the Right Reverend Edwin F. Gulick

Dear friends,

Join us on Sunday, May 12, at 10:30 to welcome the Right Reverend Edwin F. Gulick for a service of Baptism and Confirmation as we support those being baptized and confirmed. Bishop Gulick is well known to us through his role as Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia and through his long-time family ties to this area and to Trinity Church. Bishop Gulick’s great-grandfather lived across the street in what is now the church-owned Gulick House. His great-grandfather practiced medicine there, and his grandfather was raised there. Currently a Visiting Bishop, he assists Bishop Goff with visitations twice a month.

It is our good fortune that Trinity Church has been chosen for one of his visitations. While Confirmation has a long and varied history, the central actions of confirmation have always been the laying on of hands and a prayer said by the bishop. Princess Elizabeth, who would become Queen Elizabeth I, was baptized and confirmed when she was three days old. During Elizabeth’s lifetime, however, confirmation was separated from baptism because it was associated with the age of reason. Confirmation became a moment for strengthening for Christian service those Christians who had already been given new birth in Baptism. A number of scholars have developed the following rationale for the connection between baptism and confirmation: “In baptism the Holy Spirit operates from outside to convey pardon and new birth; in confirmation the gift of the indwelling Spirit is bestowed.”

From late 13th century through the 1970s, Communion was limited to those who were confirmed. In the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, that practice changed as the Church returned to its Christian roots by viewing baptism as the primary basis for entrance into the Christian life with all of its privileges and responsibilities. Confirmation, however, continues to be a central part of the regular renewal of faith.

Over the years, I have found the role of the congregation especially important for two reasons. The first is that those being baptized or confirmed value the support of the people who join with them in worship. The second is that the renewal of our own baptismal vows strengthens us for service in the world.

I hope you will come on May 12.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Holy Week Cornerstone

Dear People of Trinity Church,

The Holy Week story is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Each year in its retelling from Palm Sunday through Easter, we stand on the outskirts of Jerusalem as Jesus enters the city, observe his trial, share in the Last Supper, witness his crucifixion, and join the women three days later at the empty tomb. The closing days of the life of Jesus, his crucifixion, and his resurrection describe the sacred story of salvation in the unfolding of human life. Those who were part of the story of Jesus revealed some of the most despicable and some of the most courageous qualities of human relationships. Loyalty and betrayal, determination and indifference, honesty and deception all take root in the drama.

So much of Christian theology can seem abstract and devoid of connection with daily life. The Holy Week story reminds us, however, that there is nothing abstract about the life of Jesus. His story becomes in small and large ways our story as well. The services on Palm Sunday (also known as the Sunday of the Passion), Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are designed to draw us into the story. Thankfully, the story is less about human weakness and more about divine strength. What had been proclaimed generation after generation is revealed in the God who acts as promised by being present in any and every place we find ourselves. Hope arises from real life and from God who makes life real. I hope you will dare to be in the story so that God’s story can truly be ours. Please join us for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Emphasis on Seasons

Dear People of Trinity Church,

One of the great features of the church calendar is the emphasis on seasons which complement key days. The season of Lent builds toward Easter just as the season of Advent leads to Christmas. The seasons were developed less to serve the needs of the church and more to serve the needs of the people. For this reason, Lent is not so much a means of maintaining discipline among church members by insisting on “prayer, fasting, and self-denial,” in the words of the Book of Common Prayer. On the contrary, Lent is a seasonal chance for people, through “prayer, fasting, and self-denial,” to gather ourselves together both in community and individually. The purpose is to collect ourselves that we might find the center of life. We engage in activities that help us reflect on the daily responsibilities that consume our time, energy, and resources. The Gospel passages from Luke help. Each Sunday Jesus engages the people he encounters in refining how they live and what truly matters.

Among what matters at Trinity Church is the role children play in our congregation. Thanks to volunteers, we are able to offer Sunday school for ten Sundays beginning with the First Sunday in Lent, March 10. The program, from 9:30-10:15 will be in three groupings: Nursery, Pre-K through 2nd grade, and 3rd through 5th grades. More specific details will be available weekly in the eGenesis. In the meantime, I hope you will encourage any children in your families or among friends to come.

Finally, the process for seeking a new Rector matters. With the Discernment Committee now formed, we commission them this Sunday with prayers for them and for the parish at both services. The Committee is task oriented, but its success will ultimately base its grounding in prayer. Please join us this Sunday as our prayers for this process begins.

I look forward to Lent with you.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

From The Interim Rector

Dear People of Trinity Church,

Someone asked me recently how the size of Trinity Church compared to the size of other churches I have served. As I thought later about the question, I realized that I have always thought more about possibilities than sizes. Each church has been different in many respects – size, type of location, demographics, age, and history. Two have been named Trinity. In the short time I have been Interim Rector, possibilities have already emerged, and your energy to explore possibilities is striking. I have heard of your interest in expanding visual arts in addition to the artistic beauty of the buildings and music. There is renewed interest in ministries for and among children and youth as well as adults. There is conversation about more outreach engagement. During this interim period, we will explore possibilities as we can while the search for a new Rector helps us discern the possibilities that are most important.

While it is important to develop programs and discern the qualities of a new Rector it is even more crucial to be attentive to God’s many ways of envisioning possibilities. Always ahead of the people by leading in the “pillar of cloud by day and fire by night” and always beside the people with Jesus calming those in the boat in a storm or encouraging them to put down their nets deeper, God’s active engagement never lets the status quo immobilize those who yearned for greater purpose. As the season of Epiphany continues, I hope we will continue to give thanks to God for bringing us this far and for staying ahead of us in a future filled with possibilities for discipleship and ministry.

To help us with the discernment process for possibilities for the future with a new rector, we welcome the Reverend Dr. Mary Thorpe, Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Virginia, on Sunday, February 10. She will be at both services to preach and will lead a discussion about the discernment process at a Forum between the services.

Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.

Christian Calendar New Year

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Welcome to a new year according to the Christian calendar. Welcome to the holy season of Advent. There are four Sundays in this season, each leading us closer to the great celebration of Christmas. It is a time during which we are to pay particular attention to Christ’s promise that he will return at an unexpected moment. One of the great spiritual disciplines encouraged in the life of every Christian is to live in readiness. Thus, Advent is a season of expectation marked by individual and communal acts befitting such preparation.

These preparatory acts include slowing down, waiting patiently, and living each day hopefully. Frankly, none of these practices are much honored in our world today. The lead-up to Christmas tends to be both frenetic and stressful. Waiting patiently for God is replaced by a seemingly unquenchable desire for instant gratification through material possessions wrapped in ribbon and foil. Furthermore, the fears and concerns we have about what is going on in our world today tend to overwhelm whatever hope we hold for Christ’s coming again. There is so much noise, worry, and distraction. It makes standing still and looking up into the night sky for that one bright sign of “God with us” almost impossible. But that is the reason why we need this season of Advent all the more.

This year, as I prepare to depart this wonderful congregation, I am particularly mindful of one of Advent’s great themes, the theme of light. While I remain excited about “the next chapter” and the possibilities that the new chapter holds, I will not deny both the sadness and anxiety of this time. Any departure contains an element of death and we often associate death with darkness. I have served as a parish priest for over thirty-three years now, the last eleven years as Rector of this congregation. I have had the privilege of working beside so many saints in the course of this journey. I have had the blessing of being with you in the moments of great joy, deep grief, and all the other states of heart and mind in between. This has been my life and my vocation and it is not easy to let go.

But this I know. The light of Christ has been with me my entire life. That light will remain with me and will guide me until the moment that Christ comes again, one way or another. I also know that that very same light is always present in each of your lives. As we move through this Advent season, we will light an additional candle on the Advent Wreath each Sunday until we get to that blaze of light revealed in the morning star of that holy night. Yes, this is the darkest time of year. It is into this time that God sends us His son, who is the light of the world. Darkness turns into morning. Death becomes the gateway to resurrection and eternal life. New life begins.

Many years ago, I played the part of Mortimer, “the man who dies”, in “The Fantasticks”. His colleague was Henry, “the old actor”. As Henry departs the stage for the last time, he turns to the audience and says, “Remember me…in light”. Please know that I will remember each of you, and pray for each of you, in the light that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that you will continue to hold Janie, Holland, Lee, Will, and yours truly in that same light as well as we all move into the next chapters of our lives.

Thank you, Trinity. Thank you, Staff. Thank you, the people of God who comprise this great congregation. It has indeed been the greatest of honors and blessings to serve as the Rector of this parish family.

Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Rev. Robert L. Banse, Jr.

Sermon Annual Meeting

I have received several requests to have my sermon before our Annual Meeting printed in the November Genesis. I hereby gladly honor that request:

Sermon Annual Meeting
October 21, 2018
The Rev. Robert L. Banse, Jr.

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

Again, Good Morning! Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And welcome to the Annual Meeting of this congregation.

I am not sure how many of you are fully aware of our men’s group that gathers here on the third Saturday of each month. There are usually anywhere between twelve to twenty of us, including friends from the larger community, who come together, not only for a delicious breakfast, but also for lively conversation relating our faith to what is going on in the world around us. Gray Coyner serves as the convener of the group and he always gets things started by sharing with us some reflections and observations. Yesterday, he reported on a recent visit to his ancestral home in Waynesboro, Virginia. He came away with the distinct sense that, as time goes on, members of his extended family are growing less and less interested about the relationships and the stories that make for the foundations of the family’s history. He asked our group a challenging question: How many of you know where your grandparents, and as a bonus, your great-grandparents are actually buried? A number of hands went up around the table. He then asked, how many of you have ever visited their graves? The hands going up were fewer in number.

Gray’s questions raise one of the very important matters we are called to consider on this day of our Annual Meeting. Lest we ever forget, the life and ministry of this congregation is not just about those of us who presently call this our church home. The mission of this congregation is rooted in a history that goes all the way back to the 1840s. Our mission here and now stands on the shoulders of the many saints who have gone before us. I know that we are often referred to as “the Mellon Church” and there is no question that we would not presently be who we are without their incredibly generous vision and support. But this congregation existed well before the Mellons moved into this community. God has been at work in this place for many years and that is something we are called to celebrate today. The mission of this congregation extends back well before the 1950s, 1979, 1991, 2005, 2007, and this present moment. We don’t own this place. We are merely stewards passing on our way to the resurrected life that is to come.

My point is this: Tradition matters. Knowing about whence we came informs and guides us as to where the Holy Spirit is leading us next. We are Episcopalians, not Congregationalists. We have been formed by the worship laid out in our Book of Common Prayer. We ascribe to a belief in God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as defined in the Nicene and Apostles Creed. Our faith is not so much dogmatic as it is practical and expressed first and foremost in seeking to love God with all that we are and all that we have and embodying that in the ways we choose to love one another as Jesus loves each of us. The sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, Marriage, Confirmation, Ordination, Reconciliation, and Unction are outward and visible signs of God’s love and presence in our lives. This history and these traditions matter. They remind us from whence we have come and whose we really are.

But, my friends, there is also a danger here. A Christian community that chooses to dwell only in the past is at risk of losing both its present and its future. These congregations turn in on themselves. They end up worshipping really only themselves. They become religious museums, spiritual social clubs where the veneration of their ancestors takes precedence.

And so, even as we celebrate and honor the past life of this congregation this morning, we must always, by the grace of God, be looking forward. We learn from those who have gone before us to prepare for what is ahead, recognizing that the world we are called to serve is radically different than it was the 1840s, 1950s, and even the early 2000s. To dwell in the past in this sense is both detrimental and destructive. We must focus with open hearts and minds on where God is leading us next.

This ministry of discernment is never easy. Please remember that, according to St. Mark’s Gospel account, the disciples of Jesus had a really hard time hearing and understanding his message, his Good News.

Consider this. Five weeks ago, we heard Jesus say to them: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their lives will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

Four weeks ago, when he had discerned that they had been arguing amongst themselves as to who was the greatest, Jesus told those disciples, “Whoever wants to be first amongst you must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Last week, when it was made clear to the disciples that those possessing great wealth would find it more difficult to enter the kingdom of God than it would be for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, Jesus concludes this divine insight with “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”. (Mark 10:31)

Obviously, he had not yet broken through. For just moments ago, after hearing the request of James and John to occupy the places of honor when he comes into his kingdom, thereby sharing in his power, Jesus responds, and I am going to guess with some real weariness, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10: 42-45)

Please notice. Jesus in none of these passages disparages the desire for greatness. Indeed, he makes it very clear that greatness is indeed the

chief goal of all who are willing to follow him. It is just that “greatness” in the Kingdom of God is entirely and radically different than what our world calls “greatness”. Greatness, in God’s kingdom, has nothing to do with accumulated wealth, or titles on the door, or places of honor at the boardroom table, that big dinner party, or at the upcoming Gala. In God’s kingdom, greatness is about being servant to all and ultimately about a willingness to lay down our very lives for the sake of the Good News that Jesus came to share with those who are shunned and ignored and left unloved by our world.

And I want to be very clear about this in my final Annual Meeting with you, the people of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia: I believe, as I have always believed, that this congregation is called by God to greatness as understood in God’s kingdom. It always has been. It is now. And it always will be.

When you have had the opportunity to read my contribution to the Annual Report, you will know that, as we look to the upcoming season of transition in the life of this congregation, we concentrate on three priorities first articulated by one of my favorite saints, Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he awaited his trial and ultimate execution by the Nazi government. In the coming months, I would recommend that we focus particularly on these three focal points of Christian life and ministry. They are 1) Prayer, 2) Outreach, and 3) an unwavering hope in God’s love for the whole world made incarnate in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Indeed, at risk of sounding bold to the point of arrogance, I truly believe that if we dedicate ourselves to these three spiritual disciplines, the ongoing life of this congregation will be blessed beyond measure.

My friends, it begins and ends in the practice of prayer. Prayer is not about the recitation of words. Prayer is, as Jim Hammond reminded us several weeks ago, about opening ourselves to an ongoing conversation with God. It is about the alteration between the purifying of our hearts, minds, and souls and the illumination of the same. Prayer is to enter into the presence of the living God just as we are. Without prayer, we will not know how to properly build this congregation in the years ahead.

I love the way we pray here at Trinity: our liturgies on Sunday mornings, the opportunities to celebrate baptisms, marriages, and burials. I love our keeping of the Church calendar and our celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. The Wednesday noontime Eucharist is one of my favorite moments each and every week. Lest we ever forget, our commitment to music worthy of our worship of God is, in fact, prayer. And our intercessors gather here on Monday afternoons and on Sunday mornings to offer prayers of healing and the praise of God. Still, we cannot pray enough. Going forward, I would recommend regular gatherings for prayer in the upcoming time of discernment. I would also strongly suggest making much more use of our trails and our outdoor chapel in encouraging the practice of prayer in the life of our church.

I also love the outreach ministries of our church. I love the fact that we generously support all kinds of ministries in our communities and in our world. I love the hands-on outreach that so many of you are already committed to, whether it be SOME or Seven Loaves, The Food Pantry, the Thrift Shop, Windy Hill, the Upperville Council of Churches, and elsewhere. Outreach is an absolutely necessary and vital expression of our faith. It is the path to truly understanding greatness in the kingdom of God. Again, without it we tend to forget about the world and begin to turn inwards only on ourselves. I would that we are very much at the point we must once again turn our attention to reaching out the children and young people of our communities. We must take to heart, that if we do not provide these sisters and brothers of ours with the opportunities to learn the traditions and great stories of our faith and life here and now, the future of Trinity Church will be very much in doubt. I ask you to continually pray about our outreach here at Trinity as you prepare to welcome my successor.

Finally, we need the enduring HOPE that is our faith in Jesus Christ. God knows our world is in desperate need of hope at this time. What we need to realize and understand is that Jesus has called us to be messengers of that hope. We need to let the world know that, even when our world’s structures are under great duress, the cornerstone that is the Gospel remains. Our hope here at Trinity is in Jesus Christ, our strength and our redeemer. Our hope is not in ourselves. Our own strength and skills are not enough to heal a broken world.

Now, it is certainly true that our work in proclaiming that hope requires the investment of each one of us. It requires our supporting the mission of this congregation in the ways we commit our time, our talent, and our material wealth in carrying this message out into the world. Please know that our faith calls us to this commitment just as much in these seasons of transition, perhaps even more so. I promise you that you will be hearing more about this facet of our baptismal vows in the coming weeks. Hope in the midst of change is one of the greatest messages we are called to witness to in our present age.

You see, even in the midst of all manner of uncertainty present in our world today, our hope is, and will always be, in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He is our rock and he is our salvation. It is this hope that brings us together today. It is this hope that is the foundation of our church and ultimately defines us as the people of God. It is the hope that our predecessors proclaimed in this place. And it is the hope that we are called to proclaim here and now. Let us lift that hope up in the coming year. Let us share that hope with each other and with the world around us. Together, let us celebrate that hope today and everyday of our lives. Amen.

Faithfully in Christ,
The Rev. Robert L. Banse, Jr.

Letter to the Ephesians

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We have been discussing the Letter to the Ephesians during the Sunday morning Forum Hour these past several weeks. Scholars have, over the course of the centuries, spent much time studying the contents of the letters written by Paul and the other leaders of the earliest Christian communities. By comparing and contrasting the narrative found in each, it becomes apparent that there is more at work here than meets the eye. There is more here than just the written word on the page. There must have been a process, now not entirely clear, that unfolded from the time of Jesus’ earthly life to the written accounts about his ministry that we have in canonical form in the New Testament.

The revelation, for me, in these studies, is the realization that the earliest Christian communities were fluid and in a constant state of evolution and change. They were not the monolithic blocks of static faith that we often associate with the present Church. They were trying to figure out who they were and what they believed, all in the presence of the risen Christ and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They were often attacked for their beliefs and there was real risk when they gathered for worship. This is quite a contrast to what many of us experienced growing up. Indeed, sometimes you and I subconsciously translate the opening lyrics of Martin Luther’s famous hymn from “A mighty fortress is our God” to “A mighty fortress is our Church”. I trust that all of us understand that such a translation is problematic on several different levels.

It seems to me, and I’ve said this before, that we need to acknowledge and embrace the fact that the Church today is much more like those earliest Christian communities than was the Church of sixty years ago. The world is in great flux, the importance of religion is being seriously questioned, and at times even disparaged. Frankly, even if we feel called to join a community of faith, we are just too darn busy to do so.

Sounds unsettling, does it not? Nonetheless, I want you to know that, despite all the variables and unknowns, I believe that this is a very exciting time for the Church. With these variables come new and greater opportunities to be the Body of Christ serving and sharing in the world today. With the unknown comes the awareness that God, and God alone, is our mighty fortress, and that by faith, all obstacles are overcome and all challenges are met by God’s grace and the love of Jesus Christ.

I hope that you are planning to attend the Annual Meeting on October 21st. This is our time to gather as a congregation to discuss these new possibilities and opportunities before us. The coming season in the life of our congregation will be both challenging and exciting. By God’s grace, you have an important part to play both in the present and the future life of this community. Your prayers leading up to that gathering, and your presence at the meeting, are very much requested.

Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Rev. Rob Banse

Retirement

My Dear Friends,  

I am going to assume that most of you have heard that I have decided to retire as Rector of Trinity Church at the end of this year. This decision is the result of a great deal of prayer and reflection over the last six months about the life and direction of our community and my own pilgrimage and vocation. What I have come to hear from the Holy Spirit in the midst of this conversation with God is, quite simply put, that it is time for a change in ordained leadership here at Trinity and a call personally to explore new opportunities for ministry both within and outside of the Church. Please be assured that there are no hidden agendas! It has been a tremendous blessing serving as Rector for the last eleven years. I have thoroughly enjoyed the ministry and love you, the people of this congregation. The author of Ecclesiastes once wrote, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Well, God is calling to a close one season in the life of Trinity. Now, it is time for all of us to prayerfully prepare for the time that lies ahead.  

While I cannot presently report the precise details of the upcoming transition, I can share with you some of the likely phases. In the coming four months, I will work with the Vestry, Staff, and other leaders of the congregation as we carefully review all of our current policies, procedures, and guidelines, as well as making sure that the information in our database about our membership is accurate. At the same time, the Vestry will begin the search for an Interim Rector, a priest who will provide spiritual, liturgical, and administrative leadership between the time of my departure and the arrival of my successor. My hope for you is that person will be in place by the end of January.  

With the Interim in place, the search for the next Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, Virginia will begin in earnest. The time frame varies from congregation to congregation, but on average this process takes about eighteen months to two years. The Vestry will have oversight but they cannot do all the work themselves. Each of you will need to step up and take an active part in this search. You may be asked to participate in the life and work of a particular committee. You certainly will be asked to share your thoughts and hopes as to the mission and ministry of Trinity and what spiritual gifts, skills, and talents you believe would most benefit the congregation as embodied in the new Rector. Above all, you will be asked to pray daily for one another, for this incredibly important season in our community’s life, and for those who God is calling to consider joining you in ministry. Let me be very clear. We cannot expect the best possible outcome to this search unless we bring the very best of ourselves faithfully to God and to this work that God now calls us.  

There will be much more to discuss in the coming months. Again, I do not like saying goodbye and will not do so until we get into December and the holy season of Advent. In the meantime, please know that Janie and I plan on staying in the community after I step down. While I will not be able to participate in the life and worship of Trinity Church in any fashion after retiring, certainly not during the search process and perhaps beyond, we will look forward to visiting with you as friends and neighbors around the region. You will also be in my thoughts and prayers daily throughout the remainder of my life. May God’s peace be always with you.      

Faithfully yours in Christ,      
The Rev. Rob Banse  

Episcopal General Convention

I want to make you aware of a very important gathering in the life of our Episcopal Church. General Convention meets every three years to consider resolutions and make important decisions on behalf of our denomination. The convention is comprised of two houses. The House of Bishops is, as the name suggests, comprised of all the bishops of our church. The House of Deputies includes four clergy and four laypeople from every diocese of the Episcopal Church.  

This year’s gathering begins July 5th in Austin, Texas. I commend to you a website entitled “Center Aisle”. The Diocese of Virginia created this site several conventions ago. It is an excellent source of information as to what is going on at the meeting. It offers these reports in the spirit of the “Via Media”, that is, “the middle way”, the vantage point from which the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion have historically sought to understand both theology and the life/practice of our tradition. Please keep our bishops and delegates in your prayers as they gather for this very important moment of discernment.  

May God watch over all of us during this summer season.    

Faithfully in Christ,
The Rev. Rob Banse