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Newsletter
Christianity is the Most Authentic...
...When it is the Most Experiential
Dear Friends,
Of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam –
Christianity is by far the most experiential. What I mean by this is
Christianity, from generation to generation, is an encounter with the
Divine. Specifically, Christianity is an encounter with the resurrected
Christ. It is this experience of divine power mediated through Jesus Christ
that has sustained Christians for 2000 years, and it is this same experience
of power that continues to make Christianity compelling in 2015.
In January, many of us viewed the film, When God left the Building. A
supplement to the film was the book, Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church
Anymore. For Lent, many of us in the congregation are reading, Why
Nobody Wants to be Around Christians Anymore. The film and these two
books challenge the church to rediscover those dynamics that have made
Christianity compelling throughout its history.
Together, these three resources encourage congregations to cultivate
the 4 Acts of Love: 1. Radical Hospitality, 2. Fearless Conversation, 3.
Genuine Hospitality, and 4. Divine Anticipation. The premise of these
resources is Christianity is not taught, but caught. In other words,
Christianity is a “religion” that is most dynamic when it is experienced.
It has been said that the most authentic history of Christianity is the
history of the saints. Ordinary people, just like you and me, who lived
extraordinary lives because they experienced divine power in their daily
lives.
If we are going to rekindle the fervor of Christianity in our lives and in
our community then, once again, we are going to have to give a priority to
religious experience. What will that look like for you? What will that look
like for Trinity Church?
That brings me full circle to the 4 Acts of Love and specifically to
Divine Anticipation. Lent is the season in which we prepare ourselves for
the celebration of Easter. I propose to you that Christians are the most
authentic, radical, and even subversive in their acts of love when they have
experienced divine power.
What preparations for Lent have you made to pattern your life after
Christ so that your heart will be open to experiencing the power of
Resurrection? Be careful what you practice; you may end up living a
transformed life!
Faithfully,
Fr. Pat
Trinity Episcopal Church 720 Ford Avenue
Owensboro, KY 42301 270-684-5326
www.trinityec.org
Trinity Celebrates 2
Christian Formation & Education 3
Outreach Ministries 4
The Great Commission Ministry
5
Unsung Heroes 5
The Business of the Parish 6
Special Days in March & April 7
General Information 8
Inside this issue:
4 Acts of Love Radical
Hospitality
Genuine
Humility
Fearless
Conversation
Divine
Anticipation
From the book, “Why Nobody Wants to Go to
Church
Anymore”
Together, we are the face of CHRIST
March / April 2015
2
Christmas at Trinity
Valentine’s Luncheon
Trinity Celebrates
What a “sweet”
time we had at
the Valentine’s
Day luncheon
on Saturday,
February 14th!
Thank you,
Daughters of
the King, for
hosting such a
wonderful
celebration.
We were
blessed with a
beautiful and
meaningful
Christmas
season and
Epiphany at
Trinity.
Thank you, Ted
Bowne and the
Hospitality
Guild for
making our Holy
-days so lovely.
As of the writing of this newsletter, the snow is thick on the ground and winter is still up-
on us. Christmas does not seem that far in the past. Trinity celebrates Christmas and Epipha-
ny with such beauty and joy, we want to make sure to capture some of those moments.
This year, the Valentine’s Luncheon was enhanced by inviting our parish seniors as well as
our singles to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. Almost 40 parishioners gathered to share in Chris-
tian love and fellowship. Along with the Daughters of the King, a special thank you to Carolyn
Anderson for providing our musical ambiance and Roger Young for begin our photographer.
For more pictures,
go to
www.trinityec.org
3
Coming to Trinity Café - Blessing of Life Long Unions Forums
Perhaps the most beautiful time of each
Café is the Compline led by our youth at the
end of each class session. Meeting in differ-
ent places throughout the church, there is
always great meaning in closing our time to-
gether in group prayer.
Moving into the next few weeks, the
Adults will have classes on Lenten Tools for
Spirituality.
March 4 - Lectio Divina—Praying with Scrip-
ture (Vicki Meacham)
March 11—Praying with the Rosary (Larry
Courtney)
March 18th—Praying with Creative Visualization
(Vicki Meacham)
March 25—Praying with Lenten Hymns (Janet
Estes)
Thank you, always, to our faithful food
crew who assure we have a wonderful meal
each Wednesday.
Please, join us each Wednesday for Trin-
ity Café!
Our Spring Semester of Trinity Café
began with the Adults studying David, a
revered, yet flawed, biblical and historical
figure. Led by Vicki Meacham, this topic
made for some lively debates as we related
David’s flaws and God’s forgiveness to our
own spiritual experience.
Our Youth have begun the Alpha Course.
Many parishioners have been through this
multi-week, video-directed course in the past.
This series is especially designed for newcom-
ers to Christianity, needing to explore the
validity and relevance of the Christian faith
for today. These classes will continue
through Lent, led by Juanita Sprague.
Our Elementary Class has been busy
with Bible stories and their beloved crafts. A
special thank-you to Sheila Webster for lead-
ing our children’s class this winter.
Our Daughters of the King have begun
orientation for new members. It is not too
late to join in if you are interested in becom-
ing a Daughter of the King.
Café Spring Semester - Highlights and Plans
Spring Fling with a Derby theme!
There will be those in our congregation
who believe that the blessing of partnered
relationships is wrong and violates the teach-
ings of Scripture. On the other hand, there
are others in the congregation who read the
same Scripture, but come to an opposite con-
clusion.
One of the great strengths of the Epis-
copal Church is when we kneel to receive
Communion we leave our personal opinions
in the pew and open our hands and hearts to
receive the life-giving Body and Blood of
Christ.
As we move towards full inclusion of all
people in the life of Trinity Church, I want to
assure everyone that I have no intention of
changing anyone’s mind. What I want to do is
to ensure that all of God’s children are in-
cluded in the sacramental life of the church.
Faithfully,
Fr. Pat Connell
In 2012, the General Convention of the
Episcopal Church passed a resolution author-
izing the Blessing of Life Long Unions for
partnered couples of the same sex in commit-
ted, monogamous, lifelong relationships. The
Rt. Rev. Terry Allen White has given permis-
sion to all clergy in the Diocese of Kentucky
to use this blessing.
At the Vestry Retreat in 2014, a mandate
was given to begin the steps for full inclusion
of our gay brothers and sisters into the sacra-
mental life of the parish. I appointed a com-
mittee (Charles Boteler (chair), Ralph Barany,
Shirley Jones, Tina West, Brooke Obermann
& Jeff Payne) to begin a conversation around
the topic, “What does it mean when we say
that everyone is welcome at Trinity Church?”
The committee invites the congregation
to join them for conversation around the top-
ic on Wednesdays, April 15th and April
22nd at 6:00pm during Trinity Café.
Fearless
Conversation…
Non-attenders say…
“I don’t want to be
lectured. You don’t care what I think.”
Imagine JESUS saying…
“Your thoughts are welcome; your doubts are
welcome.”
Christian Formation & Education
On April 29th we will celebrate our final
night of Trinity Café’s Semester with our an-
nual Spring Fling. As true citizens of the
Commonwealth, this year we will incorporate
the Kentucky Derby into our festivities.
There will be food, dancing and games
and prizes for the best Derby hats. There
might even be a race or two. This will also
give us an opportunity to publicly thank all
those who work so hard to make Trinity Café
possible.
Please mark your calendar to have fun at
Spring Fling with your Trinity family .
4
Matthew 25 Support Group For those in Owensboro who are deal-
ing with the challenges of living with HIV/
AIDS, Trinity has initiated a support group,
modeled after the established group in
Henderson. Julie Jones (a trained counse-
lor) and Mark Wheeler are working with
Larry to coordinate this group, which meets
monthly.
Matthew 25 continues to be a ministry
passion for Nancy Bradshaw, who oversees
bi-monthly food distribution to local HIV/
AIDS patients. Look for Christmas in July to
help support this important ministry.
Thank you, Nancy, Larry, and others for
sharing the passion for this Outreach Minis-
try.
It is because of the generosity of Trinity
members that our Outreach Committee can
work towards its mission and they are diligent
to assure funds are spent wisely.
However, Outreach efforts at Trinity are
much more than allocating funds. Commit-
tee members work to fill the gaps between
community needs and provided services.
This is why we support current, established
agencies such as the HELP Office and Oasis
Women’s Shelter.
Providing volunteer man hours is also
an important part to Outreach. Sometimes
the greatest need is for caring hands to serve,
such as building a home for Habitat for Hu-
manity.
LeDonna Rae leads our Outreach Com-
mittee, whose members each take an agency
or issue to champion throughout the year.
They ask you to consider “joining their pas-
sion” with a sustaining monthly gift for out-
reach.
The cost of one cup of coffee at Star-
bucks per week is about $250 per year. If
many families give at this level, Outreach will
be able to do even more to meet its mission
of service to those in need outside the walls
of Trinity.
Outreach Committee - sharing the passion The Outreach Committee invites you to
the 2nd Annual Spring Forward for Out-
reach during coffee hour on Sunday,
March 8th. Members of the committee will
share why they have such passion for this
ministry.
Spring Forward gives Trinity members
the opportunity to give specifically to Out-
reach Ministries outside of our yearly stew-
ardship campaign. Donations can be paid
monthly or at anytime throughout the year.
Pledge cards will be available.
Last year, the Spring Forward Campaign
added more than $10,000 to the funds availa-
ble for Outreach to work in the community.
Here is a breakdown of how our Outreach
Committee spent funds in 2014.
Volunteers are busy collecting recipes
and preparing to publish our first ever Trinity
cookbook. We have some excellent cooks in
our parish, and it is time to collect those reci-
pes for all to enjoy.
Our parish is known for our wonderful
breakfasts and other celebrations. Perhaps
you have brought a dish that was a true “hit,”
with many asking for the recipe. This is the
time to share!
The committee has determined that
MAY 1st in the deadline for recipe submis-
sion. Blank recipe submission forms are avail-
able at the church. Along with the ingredi-
ents and instructions, please share something
“Taste of Trinity” Cookbook
interesting about the recipe, such as the story
of when or where you got the dish Perhaps it
was your mother’s or grandmother’s. Or,
maybe you first served it on a special occa-
sion. If you got the recipe from another
cookbook, please tell us so we can
acknowledge the source. If you changed it
for your own taste, let us know.
If you do not cook, consider being an
underwriter or sponsor to help cover publish-
ing costs.
The committee is aiming for November
1st to launch “Taste of Trinity” sales. All
proceeds will go to Outreach Ministries.
Trinity Outreach Ministries
Mark your
Calendar for our second
annual
Spring
Forward
for
Outreach
Campaign
Sunday, March 8th!
Utility Relief $ 1,600
HELP Office 2,520
Habitat for Humanity 5,350
World Vision 840
Salvation Army 500
Matthew 25 200
Oasis Women’s Shelter 1,150
All Saints Camp assistance 340
St. Benedicts 100
Zion United Church of Christ 200
RECIPE DEADLINE:
MAY 1ST
5
Welcome to Trinity!
The Journey Continues The Great Commission Ministry is in
response to Jesus’ command to go and make
disciples. We began with gaining knowledge
and insight into how to best BE church, not
DO church. Many of our parishioners
(including the Vestry) viewed the movie
WHEN GOD LEFT THE BUILDING
when it was presented in January. Surprising-
ly, several people from other Owensboro
churches attended our Sunday viewing—a
clear sign that we are all in this together.
On our journey, several members will
attend a seminar in Louisville on February
27th and 28th called The Agile Church:
Spirit-led Innovation in a Changing
World. Sponsored by our diocese, it will
explore how we might carry forward the best
of our traditions while adapting the church's
life to connect with new populations and gen-
erations.
During Lent, our jour-
ney continues with some
reading Why Nobody Wants
to be Around Christians An-
ymore, a follow-up to the
book Why Nobody Wants to
Go to Church Anymore.
Where is all this leading? After Easter,
we will pause our journey to determine next
steps. Perhaps a parish meeting will be con-
vened to determine where what we can do to
better BE church, instead of DO church.
We hope you will JOIN THE CON-
VERSATION!
Though the vast ma-
jority (77%) of Ameri-
cans identify them-
selves as Christians,
they have largely
stopped attending
church. Less than
20% of the population
now attend church in
a typical week. Some
4000 churches are
closing every year.
It’s a major and un-
precedented social
upheaval.
The Great Commission Ministry
Genuine
Humility...
Non-attenders say…
“Church people are
hypocrites”
Imagine JESUS saying…
“We’re all in this together.”
Unsung Heroes Trinity is blessed with many volunteers
who give of their time and talents. Without
them, many ministries would be greatly re-
duced or not exist at all.
In 2014, Wendy Wells began the minis-
try of visiting the sick in the hospital and/or
nursing homes. She and her team of seven
assure hospitalized parishioners are aware of
their church family concern. This was espe-
cially important during Father Pat’s recent
absence as he could not visit as usual.
One of the reasons this visitation team is
so effective is that Doug Webster, Sr. serves
as our church’s contact with Owensboro Re-
gional Health. He is able to check the patient
roster several times a day and lets us know
who is there from Trinity—even the emer-
gency room and outpatient surgery. (If you go
to the hospital, please identify yourself as being affili-
ated with Trinity—this will allow the hospital to
provide your name to Doug).
Another unsung hero is Jeff Hawks, our
Senior Verger, who takes on many responsi-
bilities. For example, during the prayer vigil
when Father Pat was undergoing surgery, Jeff
went the extra mile to assure there was a
lounging area. Most recently, during our
heavy snow, Jeff (as well as others) worked in
the middle of the night to shovel and salt
walkways to provide a place to get warm for
those attending the Ash Wednesday Service.
Yet, another unsung hero is Debra
Barany. Debra is so faithful and willing to
help with many different ministry areas. She
works with Trinity Café meals, arranges food
and hospitality for all our celebrations, along
with leadership on other committees.
There are many unsung heroes at Trini-
ty. Please take an opportunity to thank them
for their service.
We will soon be sending you a ministry
survey so you might prayerfully consider join-
ing in one or more of our various ministry
teams. Each of us has gifts to help build the
Kingdom of God. We are all in this to-
gether.
For more pictures, go to
www.trinityec.org
There were 16 new Trinity members
present to participate in our January 25th
Welcoming Rite. New members are Neal and
Gina Wedding and their children, Matt, Lucy,
Jane, Jack and Henry. Jason and Pamela Red-
dy and their children, Luke and Caroline,
were also welcomed along with Mary Kay
Horton, Joe Brashear, Kristen Gedney, Ash-
ley Millay and Michelle Chalfant.
On Sunday, January 18th, we officially
welcomed Martin Fendley as our new Organ-
ist/Choir Director with a house warming.
We are delighted to have these new fac-
es in our community of faith.
6
Vestry Meeting Highlights used in 2015.
Maintenance Funds were created for the
church ($6,000) and the rental properties
($7,000).
We paid our full diocesan apportionment
for the second year in a row.
The 2015 Budget was presented and ap-
proved. Highlights:
Contributions are predicted to increase
by $5,000 from 2014 actual.
Personnel costs are increasing by 6% .
Diocesan Apportionment increased 8%.
Other areas remain fairly flat to 2014.
(2015 budget is posted on the hall bulletin board.)
Your Vestry met on January 17th for its
Annual Retreat. Business consisted of elec-
tion of officers:
Senior Warden—Ted Bowne
Junior Warden—Mike Stuerzenberger
Secretary—Sarah Hulsey
Treasurer—Ralph Barany
Ryan Lloyd was appointed Vice Junior
Warden
Ralph presented our parish’s 2014 financial
picture (all very positive):
The Parish ended 2014 with an operating
gain of $8,000.
Unspent Outreach budget was allocated
to the restricted Outreach funds to be
2015 Goals / Areas to be Addressed
Policies & Guidelines
The Business of the Parish
Music Policy
With the change in our music ministry, there will now be a charge for organ music at fu-nerals, weddings, etc. Carolyn was very generous with her time and talents; our new organist will not be expected to follow this precedent.
Policy for inclem-
ent weather and
church activities...
Evening Prayer,
Noonday Eucharist
and Trinity Café - If
Daviess County
Schools are closed
due to weather, the
event/service is can-
celed.
EFM and committee
meetings - the deci-
sion will be made by
the leader, who will
contact members.
Sunday morning ser-
vices Unless state offi-
cials have ordered
people to stay off the
roads, Trinity will have
Sunday morning ser-
vices. However, the
parking lot might be
icy, so use your good
judgment.
Along with business of the Parish at the
retreat, the Vestry viewed and discussed the
film WHEN GOD LEFT THE BUILDING.
The film’s “take-aways” are that we must
continue to evaluate how to BE church, not
just DO church.. We do some things very
well, but we must never get complacent.
With the film in mind and considering
the congregational surveys, the Vestry re-
viewed each ministry area to recognize
strengths and determine opportunities for
improvement. The result is a list of goals /
ideas to be addressed. Some items are easily
done. Others will take longer, beginning with
feasibility studies in 2015.
Here is the list of ideas/goals we will
begin to address in 2015:
1) Establish home Pastoral Care visitation minis-
try for our “at-risk” and ill members.
2) Integrate newly “welcomed” members better
(Welcoming Rite packet with ministry list.
Look for other ways to integrate – small groups,
sponsors, one-on-one meetings.)
3) Strategically review Education programs (Café,
Sunday School, Alpha. etc.) - what is working,
why or why not; look at sustainability, goals,
time, location, etc.
4) Develop a full Stewardship committee to focus on
all areas of stewardship year-round.
5) Vary sermon styles – Use sections of Rite One
on occasion.
6) Look into transportation needs for members.
7) Develop plans to address our senior social needs.
8) Develop a Communications Committee.
9) Develop “alcohol serving policy” for parish func-
tions; include litigation prevention, safety of pa-
rishioners and training for servers.
10) Try to save maintenance accrual funds for Parish
Hall roof in near future.
11) Recruit a landscaping chair/committee.
12) Conduct a feasibility study on Parish Hall up-
grade (plumbing, electricity upgrades) to deter-
mine needs, costs and timeline.
13) Conduct a feasibility study on Sanctuary up-
grades (broken pews, handicapped friendly, light-
ing, sound, choir loft renovation, stained glass) to
determine needs, costs and timeline.
Your 2015
Vestry:
2013-2015 term:
Ted Bowne
Mike Stuerzenberger
Janet Estes
Irene Alexander
2014-2016 term:
Ryan Lloyd
Lori Schneider
Wendy Wells
Wayne Naylor
2015-2017 term:
Sarah Hulsey
LeDonna Rae
Vicki Meacham
David Hinton
Vestry meets the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Trinity Parish Hall Usage Guidelines
Private Functions for members of Trinity’s congregation:
Scheduling: It is requested that events be scheduled 30 days in advance. Scheduling re-quests and confirmation are done through Trinity’s office; please contact Sheri Lambrich, Administrative Assistant at 270-684-5326 or [email protected]. **Parishioners need to attend the event and be responsible for opening/closing the church.**
Time Frame: The Parish Hall may be reserved for up to 4 hours. **Church activities supersede private functions**
Cost: 1-30 people no cost (Please consider donation to church) 31-50 $30 51-or more $65
(complete policy is posted on www.trinityec.org)
7
March Birthdays
April Birthdays
Anniversaries
March
3/05 -
Joe & Krystal
Milazzo
3/11 -
Mary & Elmon
Coe
3/12 -
Blanche & Bill
Dahlquist
3/18 -
A.P. & Allison
Truett
April
4/5 -
Jeff & LaDonna
Hawks
4/6 -
Sherry &
Whitford Couk
Special Days in March & April
Mark your Calendar...
For a complete and updated calendar of services, events and meetings, check the hallway bulletin board or visit our website at www.trinityec.org
Radical
Hospitality...
Non-attenders say…
“I feel judged”
Imagine JESUS saying…
“You’re welcome just as you are.”
Holy Week
Sunday, March 1st—Potluck Parish Breakfast
Fridays until Easter—Stations of the Cross
Wednesdays—Trinity Café
Sunday, March 8th—“Spring Forward” for Outreach Coffee Hour
Fridays, March 13th & April 10th—Bread and “Jam”
Sunday, March 29th– Palm Sunday
Thursday, April 2nd—Maundy Thursday Service
Friday, April 3rd—Good Friday Service
Sunday, April 5th—Easter
Sunday, April 12th—Infant Baptism
Wednesdays, April 15th & 22nd– Trinity Café—Forums on Blessing of Life-long Unions
Sunday, April 26th—Welcoming Rite
Wednesday, April 29th—Trinity Café Spring Fling
Divine
Anticipation...
Non-attenders say…
“Your God is
irrelevant in my life”
Imagine JESUS saying…
“God is here, ready to connect with you in a fresh way.”
3/1
3/2
3/2
3/2
3/3
3/6
3/6
3/7
3/8
3/10
Luke Skeens
Sarah Higdon
Ella Royal
Joyce Stevenson
Bob Roberts
Elmon Coe
Charles McKelvey
Madison Warnock
Liz Faught
Pat Connell
3/13
3/14
3/14
3/15
3/16
3/16
3/17
3/17
3/18
3/18
Geneva Henry
Don Davenport
River Selby
Tina West
Madeline Lauzon
A.P. Truett
Mark Bothwell
Patrick Morton
Glen Coppick
Shirley Jones
3/20
3/20
3/21
3/22
3/25
3/26
3/29
3/29
3/30
3/31
Kathryn Roberts
Allison Truett
Darren Reynolds
Helen Sheriff
Sam Meacham
Jeff Payne
Sarah Faught
Deborah Piper
Brennan Faught
Parker Crews
4/2
4/3
4/4
4/5
4/7
4/14
4/15
Samantha Floyd
Robert Gilbert
Vicki Neagle
Kristy Warnock
Asher Lucas
Pam Terrett
Caitlin Anderson
4/18
4/18
4/19
4/19
4/20
4/21
4/22
Sharon Hawks
Lori Schneider
Sara Hulse
Alex Westerman
Ava Maria Warnock
Trey Brown
Sarah Heuser
4/23
4/24
4/25
4/25
4/27
4/29
4/30
4/30
Douglas Moore
Zoe Carroll
Hannah Harmon
Sherry Westerman
Philip Bosley
Jason Reddy
Noah Obermann
Andrew Watson
Sunday, March 29th– Palm Sunday
Processional with children and a donkey
Thursday, April 2nd—Maundy Thursday Service
Followed by prayer vigil until midnight
Friday, April 3rd—Good Friday Service
Sunday, April 5th—Easter
8
Vision Statement for the Parish
Trinity Episcopal Church is a Eucharistic and liturgical community in the Anglican tradition that values and encourages ongoing Christian educa-tion and spiritual formation, diversity of people and ideas, fellowship and radical hospitality, and works of justice and mercy as gospel imperatives.
TRINITY Episcopal CHURCH
720 Ford Avenue
Owensboro, KY 42301
Address Service Requested
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT # 626
OWENSBORO, KY 42301-4632
Coming VERY Soon!
The Reverend G. Patterson Connell,
Rector
(270) 684-5326
Church office hours are 8:00 a.m.—Noon
Monday through Friday
Weekly Services:
Sunday Eucharist Services at
10:00 AM until Easter
8:00 AM and 10:00
beginning April 12th
For complete information on Trinity Services, Events
and Meetings as well as parish news, visit our website:
www.trinityec.org
For corrections, comments or questions regarding this
newsletter, please e-mail Janet Estes at
Parish Information
If you are on Facebook, consider joining Trinity Episco-
pal Church Parishioners. This is a great way to share
news and concerns with your church family.
Spring Forward for
Trinity Outreach Ministries
Please be our guest for a special
Outreach Coffee Hour
Spring Forward Sunday
March 8th
We will share the story of Trinity
Outreach and explain how you can be a
sustaining supporter!