Our Activities

Listed below are the news articles for the month of January.

January 09, 2007

A New Rector is Called!

The new year has bought exiting news for Trinity Parish! After a year long search process, undertaken with much thought and prayer, we have called the Rev. Michael Spillane to be our new Rector. Fr. Mike is a remarkable person and a remarkably good fit for Trinity Parish. Like many of us, he has taken a winding road in his spiritual pilgrimage. The official announcement letter, with Fr. Mike's own telling of his spiritual journey attached, is avalable for download here.

Plans are underway to welcome Fr. Mike to Trinity in March. Before then, however, we want to celebrate the success of Anne Jensen's Interim Rectorship. The success of this search is a testament to the skill of her guidance and ministry to us, particularly with the vestry and search committee. Stay tuned for announcements related to both the Jensen Celebration and the Spillane Welcome, and even better come to the Parish Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 21 and hear the plans first hand!

January 19, 2007

Open Hands-Open Hearts Mission Trip

We have scheduled our next mission trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the week of February 25th through March 3rd, 2007. We are expecting to accomplish a lot of work on this trip. Most of the cleanup has been
done so we will be working mostly on rebuilding the damaged homes.

Our mission group,Open Hearts-Open Hands is open to anyone age 18 and above. There is no requirement as to skill level. We will do on the job training according to ability. We are always in need of kitchen help and need those with computer and administrative background as well as construction skills. Please share this information with everyone you know and refer them to me for any questions or concerns they may have.

To learn more contact JB Brahy at brahy@rcn.com or download the announcement letter.

The Volunteer Form is also available for download.

January 27, 2007

Vestry Message for February

Exciting times at Trinity! By now you know that Fr. Mike Spillane will be coming to us in March as our 16th rector. You'll hear lots about Fr. Mike and from Fr. Mike in the coming months, but February is our time to reflect on what’s happened in the last year.

Interim periods are never easy; just when the parish is adrift and without moorings, the workload and the risks go up dramatically. That's why there are people like Anne Jensen, who have made Interim Leadership their special ministry. In addition to filling the role of pastor and worship leader, Anne has provided good counsel to the staff, Vestry, and New Rector Search Committee, and has helped us to pass through these tough times and emerge a stronger community. We will celebrate her service and give thanks for her gifts on the last Sunday of this month, February 25.

In this demanding time the staff and the lay commission leaders of Trinity have stepped up to carry a greater load. By juggling assignments, filling-in on short notice, improvising when necessary, and just taking on whatever came up, they've kept our worship services and our many ministries going, and going well. Their performance gives credit to themselves and to the parish.

Also a conspicuous credit to our parish, the New Rector Search Committee took on a difficult task and handled it with style and skill. They created a Parish Profile, clearly expressing the joy in our community, that has set a standard for all parishes. They conducted their work with a commitment and spiritual grounding that impressed many, and played a crucial role in attracting so many strong candidates. Throughout the Episcopal Church, knowledgeable observers have labeled Trinity, "a parish poised to take off." Seek out the members of this hard-working team and express your appreciation.

Lastly, let's reflect on the commitment and courage the whole parish has demonstrated throughout the interim, when together we faced an unknown future, and some difficult decisions. The support of the parishioners, from the town hall meetings to small words of encouragement at coffee hour, has sustained your Vestry and New Rector Search Committee, and has been the vital foundation for our successful result. The Stewardship Committee called us to express the Joy! of Trinity Parish, and the people of the parish demonstrated their optimism in their strong response, an important affirmation.

We ended 2006 miles ahead of where we began it. For your Vestry, the December meeting was a distinct high-point, when we unanimously elected to call Fr. Mike, a reflection of our positive momentum heading into 2007. There is a great year before us, but let us devote some time first to give bountiful thanks for the great year behind us. Thanks be to God!

Peter Bostock and Jay Dean, Co-Senior Wardens

LIGHTBULB MOMENTS

“Having an epiphany,” is another way of describing that “lightbulb” sensation in your head when something new begins to make sense, or you see something old in a new way. “Oh yeah! Now I get it!” As you may know, our current church season, Epiphany is also known as the “Season of Light.”

During Epiphany the Church tells stories about the signs and teachings of Jesus’ early ministry: His first miracle at the wedding at Cana, His revolutionary teaching in the synagogue, the amazing catch of fish the disciples find when they “put down their nets” where Jesus points. The Beatitudes. We finish the season with the mystical story of the Transfiguration, when Jesus takes three of his disciples up to the mountaintop and reveals his true identity, suffused with a brilliant light. Come hear these stories told by the storytellers at the 9:10 service and hear them read at the other services as part of our Revised Common Lectionary. This theme of light points us in an outward direction. How can we shine our light of ministry? How can we reflect the beauty we have seen in the Nativity? Sometimes we first have to pay attention to God reaching out to us through the ordinary.

I had an experience like that today in an unexpected place. Our diocese requires that employees who work with children must be fingerprinted. So off I went with one of our new Sunday morning childcare providers to the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood City to be fingerprinted. She brought her 9 month old daughter with her, who was a charmer. It wasn’t long before I realized that it’s been a long time since I traveled with a baby; I had forgotten what showstoppers babies are. As we walked through security, and through the immense Hall of Justice in search of the fingerprinting unit, the very presence of a mother and baby together made a distinct impression. Security guards, people waiting in lines, people pacing outside the courtrooms, turned, smiled and waved. Seeing a loving mother and baby together provided a ray of “God-light,” of innocence and beauty, in that highly official and sterile setting.

It was an epiphany for me. Sometimes our very presence can be a blessing, and we do not know it. Often, we’re focused on what we’re doing, but at the same time we’re accomplishing something larger.

As parents, we have a unique close relationship with our own children. Being a parent also brings us deeper into the human family. God gives our children to us to rear, but God expects us to share them with the world. And, as I now see as a parent of teenagers, to let them go, and send them out and share their light with others. As I was reminded of that yet again, I experienced that “lightbulb” sensation….aha, now I get it!” Beth