Our Activities
Listed below are the news articles for the month of December.
December 20, 2006
SOME CHEER FOR THE NEW YEAR?
The final results aren’t in yet, but as of press time our pledge returns are looking excellent. You heard the news of our financial challenges and you responded generously to the call. Thank you! Over half of Trinity households increased their pledge in 2007, many very substantially, resulting in an overall increase of 21% in the average pledge amount.
If you are among the 80 households who have not yet renewed your pledge, we need to hear from you! As you can see, not everyone is able to increase or even maintain the level of their prior pledge. What’s important is that you make the spiritual and financial commitment by pledging now, at whatever level is appropriate for you. Anything you can do to help close the 30% gap between our spending level and our pledge income level will be an important, meaningful contribution to sustaining the mission and programs of Trinity.
If you can’t find your pledge card, don’t worry—we have extras! You can pick one up at the back of the church or the chapel, or in the office. Or just call Alecia in the office (326-2083) and she’ll send you one. You can even pledge by e-mailing the Parish Treasurer, Jennifer Fitzmorris (treasurer@trinitymenlopark.org ).
Finally, a gentle reminder that any household not renewing by Epiphany Sunday can expect a friendly reminder call from a Vestry or Stewardship member on Monday, January 8th.
December 29, 2006
Who were those guys?
Who were those guys? The three Wise Men, the Magi, appear only in the Gospel of Matthew. Tradition says they were learned astrologers from Persia—the Iraq and Iran of today. In the 800’s, they acquired the legendary names Melchoir, Caspar, and Balthazar. Wikipedia says that Marco Polo saw the tombs of the three Wise Men in Tehran in 1270, and their remains were also revered in Cologne Cathedral up until the Reformation. We tend to laugh at the gullibility of the Medieval Age, but the symbolic power of the Wise Men must have had deep resonance.
Before the Enlightenment people had a different a way of knowing. The term Reason itself, which we refer to as one of the legs of the three-legged stool of the Episcopal Church (with Scripture and Tradition) had a broader meaning beyond the scientific method. Story, symbol and image formed the bedrock of human knowledge. The Christmas Story, and the Christian story in general, is not logical, it does not make sense. God became a helpless baby! How logical is that?! If we try and make sense of it, make it logical, then the story dies. The world has tried, and made use of it for its own commercial purposes and, after December 25, turns away and keeps moving. Yet in the church, we celebrate 12 Days of Christmas until January 6, the Epiphany, that commemorates the arrival of the Magi. So we linger at the Manger with the Magi through the Season of Epiphany, until the first day of Lent, February 21, Ash Wednesday.
While Advent is quiet and inwardly focused, these days after Christmas and the Season of Epiphany are celebratory, and extroverted. The word Epiphany means “shining forth” and the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Christ’s light to the gentiles, our mysterious friends the Wise Men.
So how does this relate to Family Ministries? As parents, it’s important that we soak ourselves in the images and stories of Christmas so that we can shine forth our own Christ light and nurture the Christ light in our children.
It is good to question and probe what we believe. And yet we also need to be open to the wonder of God’s reaching out to us. To simply believe, to have faith. It is ok not have all the answers, and not have it all figured out. I often think our children are looking to us to model trust, faith and belief. There are plenty of models of questioning in our culture, but very few models of trust, faith, and belief in God, who is beyond ourselves, beyond our understanding. We are much like the worldly, wealthy and learned three Wise Men. Let’s lay down the worldly gifts we bring to the baby Jesus, the Christ, and be awed by this unpredictable, unexplainable event. Then our Christ light can truly shine forth brightly to others in the coming season.
Yours in Christ, Beth Foote
Sunday School Update
We’ve had a good start to our Godly Play Sunday School this fall, averaging about 25 children each Sunday. The 3-6th grade “Faithquest” class, with its augmented curriculum, has been very popular.
Our Godly Play curriculum for age 4 through 2nd grade will begin on January 14 with the Epiphany Story of the arrival of the Wise Men. We’ll also experience the story of Holy Baptism, before moving into the Parables of Jesus.
January (or any Sunday) is a good time to start Sunday School…registration forms are always available in Trinity Hall on the bulletin board and on-line at the website www.trinitymenlopark.org.
Family Ministries Calendar for January
No Sunday School on January 7th
Sunday School resumes on January 14
January 28th at 10:00 am will be Service Project Day at Sunday School
All Trinity Children, youth and parents are invited to assemble art kits for pediatric patients at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, which was founded by the Episcopal Diocese of California in 1872. Beth served as a hospital chaplain there last summer.
Vestry News
In December, Vestry was tasked to interview, review and evaluate the finalists for our new Rector. Please keep us in your prayers. We hope to make a call by early January. The candidates so far are outstanding and we ask you to seek out and thank those members of the New Rector Search Committee who have worked so hard. Unless you are a spouse, relative or friend of one of the NRSC members, you probably do not know how many hours they have put in as well as the emotional and intellectual investment they have put forth to make this process work so well.
There a couple of very important volunteer opportunities which need to be filled in short order:
Parish Treasurer: Jennifer Fitzmorris is stepping down after several years on the job. She has done an outstanding job and leaves our accounting system in very good order, with a bookkeeper who is also very skilled. We need a new treasurer to take the reins. Please call Jennifer (813-1602) to get details of the job and consider taking on this important task as your ministry.
Finance Commission: This commission manages the parish’s finances and has an opening for a new member. Please call Nancy Wallsworth at 328-4677 if you feel called to help in this important ministry. The Finance Commission meets monthly for about 2 hours.
Carl Ditmore, Vestry
Social Ministries 2006 Report
The Social Ministries Commission is please to report on the success of our fundraising efforts during the year and show how the funds have been spent to help those in need in our community, nation and the world.
Social Ministries' Mission for 2007; Continue with the mission commissioned by Trinity Parish, which is to support local, national and international partners. In January the committee will review the needs, develop a plan and identify our 2007 Outreach Partners. The first fundraiser will be All That Jazz! on February 10th.
Thank you for your continued support for outreach.
Lucy Strandberg and Dori Ives, Co-chairs
Fund Raiser Volunteering
February 14, 2007
Join Social Ministries for a fundraising evening of N’Orleans style food and Jazz music and dancing. Chef JB is planning three entrées: Cajun Jambalaya (somewhat spicy with pork sausage and chicken), Creole Chicken, and a Vegetarian entrée. We’ll start the evening at 6 pm with hors d’oeuvres in the Library. Our Jazz band will provide background music and will thrill us with music for dancing and listening after dinner.
Since this is a fundraiser, we need lots of volunteer help. The Youth group is providing the servers. There are lots of volunteer opportunities available, even if you aren’t coming to the event. If there is sufficient interest, childcare during the event may be provided; indicate your interest on the ticket order form.
Kitchen Krew: Call JB at 369-8497 if you can help with the meal preparation. We’ll need some kitchen helpers to work on meal prep, slicing and dicing, etc. That night we need folks to prepare and plate salads and cut and plate the dessert, as well as help plate and garnish the entrees.
Clean Up Crew: John Strandberg has volunteered to head up the clean up effort. If you are coming to the event, your work will commence at the end of the program; if you aren’t attending, you will be asked to show up about 9:30 in the kitchen. Call John at 322-9820 if you can help out. Remember, we won’t have a janitor anymore.
Table Setting Crew: Call Patrick Heaton at 328-0393 if you’d like to help setting the tables and making them festive and setting up the Library for our cocktail hour. Your work will happen probably mid-day Saturday.
Hall Decoration: Call Patrick Heaton at 328-0393 if you’re handy with a drill, stapler, etc. Once we get our design planned, we’ll probably need some help with construction offline (so to speak) but our main setup will be Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
SPECIAL CALL FOR LIGHTS: When you’re taking down your Christmas lights, if you have strings of plain white regular bulbs, we’d like to borrow them for Feb. 10th. We need 210 feet of them for the hall. Put a name/address sticker on both ends and let Patrick know you’ll lend them to us. We also need strings of white mini lights as well; we need light, but don’t want to turn on the ceiling lights. We’ll return them afterwards.
Other Volunteer Opportunities: Can’t come, but want to help…Social Ministries will gladly accept donations to help defray the costs of the event (yes, it’s tax deductible). If someone is willing to donate some wine or beer for the event, call JB.