august 2009 trinity topics newsletter, trinity toledo episcopal church

8/8/2019 August 2009 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church

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Trinity Topics The Newsletter of Trinity Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio

A U G U S T

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Time for Reflection


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SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 PROPER 13 2 Samuel 11:26 12:13a; 2 Eph 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

10a Parish Eucharist

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 PROPER 14 Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Peter 1:13-21; Luke 9:28-36


SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 PROPER 15 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58


SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 PROPER 16 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43; Ephesians 6:10-20;

John 6:56-6910a Parish Eucharist

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 PROPER 17 Song of Solomon 28:13; James 1:17-27;Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 PROPER 18 Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17;Mark 7:24-37


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 PROPER 19

RALLY DAY Proverbs 1:20-33; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-3810a Parish Eucharist

Our combinedsummer service

begins at

10:00

Working Hard& Playing Hard

July was a busy month forthe Trinity community.

Lots of people pitched into care for Trinitys build -ings and grounds onParish Work Day. Manyothers got involved in thelife of our city, paddlingtheir hearts out at theDragonboat Festival.Some amazing folks didboth!


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Our results from Natural Church Develop-ment survey are in, and the baby is not quitewhat we expected!

Remember, the NCD survey was designed

to show us how we rated according to eightfactors:1. Empowering leadership2. Gift-oriented ministry3. Passionate spirituality4. Functional structures5. Inspiring worship6. Holistic small groups7. Need-oriented evangelism8. Loving relationships

I expected our lowest factor to be some-thing more administrative, such as functionalstructures or holistic small group. But no, thename of our baby is Passionate Spirituality!

What? I thought weprayed togetherheck, Ithought we put ourHANDS on each otherand prayed together atthe end of the service!Yeswe doand ourhighest score is in lovingrelationships. The NCDsurvey has proven statis-tical validity, and I wasespecially impressedthat it showed the difference between lovingrelationships, i.e., holding a helping hand outto one anotherand deep spiritualitybeingable to hold our hands, be they full of worry orgratitude or nearly empty, up and out to God.

After surprise, my first response to oursurvey results was excitement. I believe wewill have a wonderful time watching this baby

grow. We will use our strengths to strengthenour weaknessor, better yet, we will use ourgifts as church community to help this babygrow. Our growing trust of and affection foreach other will help us learn to rest morepeacefully in Gods presence.

Some of you may not think of spiritualityas something to SHOW passion about. Othersmay shy away from outward demonstration.Some may want to run from the wordpassion. Use the words that to you speak ofa deep yearning, a compelling emotion, to-ward the Holy. Deeper knowledge of God?Prayer? A simple sense of not being alone?We may have very different ways of thinkingabout and showing our spirituality. Somemay pray quietly for an hour first thing in themorning, before anyone else gets up. Othersmay sing, dance, or hold their hands up asthey pray. Some of us may have very littleorganized, consistent spiritual practice. Thatsthe beauty of living together in this very di-verse communitywe have different ways offeeling at home with God, and different levels

of feeling at home. We will take time to sharethose ways with each other, and we will learnnew ways as well.

We will gather onSunday, August 9 tocelebrate the Feast ofthe Transfigurationand officially beginasking God to trans-figureshow us thefull reality ofadeeper spiritual life.Dont be frightened.In keeping with thepassion theme, wewill go heavy on the

chocolate for coffee hour that day.

We will get to know each other and Godmore deeply in the coming year. We will ad-dress and strengthen other areas of our lifetogether as well, but let us attend to this babyfirst. Its the one who is most underweight,but it is calm and gentle and not too colicky. Ifwe sit and rock this baby long enough, we willbegin to see that it has your nose, your eyes.And slowly, we will begin to see that this babylooks just like Jesus.

Liddy

Naming the Baby


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c o n

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l dBirthday Blessings

August 1 .................... Rachel BarnesAugust 2 .................... Peggy HeiderAugust 5 .................... Ian ElliotAugust 8 .................... Lester Armitage

Kathy Newman

August 10 .................. Helen WrightAugust 11 .................. Lou WoellnerAugust 14 .................. Matthew Schuster

Cindy ShumakerAugust 15 .................. Florence PletzAugust 16 ................. David C. NelsonAugust 17 .................. Lawrence Klaus

Jim ZechmanAugust 19 .................. Robert McIlvain

Derick OylerAugust 21 .... ............. Darl Crawford

Greg ShumakerAugust 24 .................. Wilma SperberAugust 26................... Lucia Cooper

Mary GartzAugust 27 .................. Su ElliotAugust 29 .................. Mary TwiningAugust 30................... Susan Lowrey

CJ MeeksAugust 31 .................. Barbara Clark

Warming Toledo, OneBlanket at a Time

Most Sunday mornings youll find pre -cut fleece ready to be tied in the LivingRoom by 9:15. This is an opportunity be-fore the 10:00 liturgy to make sleep sacks*for the Blanket Blitz project. Consider joining the group around the Living Roomtable to Talk & Tie.

On the second Sunday of each month,there is also a mini-Blitz for an hour or soafter church. The first one yielded 6 com-

pleted sleep sacks. Join us on August 9,September 13, andOctober 11.

The final blow-out

Blanket Blitzweekend is October22-25.

*Sleep sacks are a new style of blanketwere making. One end is not cut or tied,which makes them faster to complete.

Bishops Annual Appeal The past year has seen major changes in both the global economy and our local one. Resourc

fund ministry have fallen dramatically. But what has increased, along with the critical need, is ouopportunity to live into our vocation to be the body of Christ, to reconcile and heal. As BishopHollingsworth has written, This is a moment for the Church to teach Jesus message of simplicityand generosity, to reach out in support of those most at risk, and to be a catalyst for hope andrestructured values in a culture that has largely lost sight of both.

The Bishops Annual Appeal provides funding for: mission efforts both locally and internationally by people of all ages from across the Dioceinternships to prepare our graduated seminarians for ordained ministry;summer internships to grow the ministries of Ohio high school and college students; andcampus ministry programs.

Locally, money collected by the Bishops Annual Appeal helps support both FOCUS and the FeedYour Neighbor program through Episcopal Community Services.

Youre invited to join with the Bishop and ECS in expanding our dioceses participation in freshand creative opportunities to minister and serve. By using the enclosed envelope to support theBishops Annual Appeal, we can build communities that grow in love, that give in spiritual fidelityto God, and that serve the world as the very body of Jesus.


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A Deeper Level of RadicalHospitality

When Jesus asks us to treat everyone with love, itsounds like a good idea. Then theres the real world,in which we meet people who are different, diseased,and/or disagreeable. At Trinity we say that all arewelcome. While thats true,theres more all are welcome,but not anything goes. Someof Gods beloved who come infor coffee, fellowship, warmth,or worship may not have thesocial boundaries or mentalprocesses were used to, andthey may make us feeluncomfortable. Here are a fewsuggestions to keep in mindwhen that happens:

Most people just want to be listened to. Youdont need to fix, control, or even understandwhat theyre saying. Just listen. Invite othersyou know into the conversation so it is not one-on-one. Two people listening to and praying forone in need is beneficial on several levels.Do not give out money. We are a house ofprayer, not a bank. You can say No, but this iswhat we can give you, - a cup of coffee, aprayer, something to eat if were having coffeehour.Find an usher or a staff person if you havequestions or are too uncomfortable.

Food For Thought Recycling Takes a Pause

Ask and you shall receive! Food ForThought is overwhelmed with ourresponse to their request for clean,empty grocery bags and bottles. Theygenuinely appreciate all of Trinitysgenerous help with these resources, but they have allthat they can manage at the moment.

Pleasehold off on bringing any more of theseitems to Trinity for a while, and continue to watchthis space for future FFT updates!

Back to School with Backpacksfor Stewart Academy

August means its time to start preparing for thenew school year, and once again well be fillingbackpacks for students at the Ella P. Stewart Acad-emy for Girls.

Pick up a backpack containing a list of supplies aTrinity. Then bring the filled backpack to church onSunday, August 23 so that they can all be blessedand delivered to the school the next day. The itemsto go into the backpacks are:

1 x 1-subject wide-ruled notebook3 x two-pocket cardboard folders1 x pack of 10 pencils (#2)1 x pencil box1 x ruler1 x scotch tape and dispenser1 x pack medium point ballpoint pens,

black or blue1 x 24-pack Crayola crayons1 x pack 3 glue sticks1 x box of paper clips1 x eraser1 x pencil sharpener1 x pack 3 pairs of white ankle socks

(girls age 5 to 8)1 x box of Kleenex tissues1 x pack of colored markers1 x round-tipped scissors

A Note From David S. NelsonDear Trinity Church,I want to express my deepest thanks to everyone.

I was delighted (and humbled) to see so many famil-iar faces at my ordination on June 13th.. Liddy andBecky were my presenters and Jeff Albright was Trinitys banner bearer.. I would also like to thank youfor the wonderful communion kit. It is a truly specialgift that I will always cherish.

I think about the vibrant community at Trinityoften and I thank God for the many blessings you allhave given me.

Yours in Christ,David


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Blessed Are the ConfusedWhen Jesus gave his big sermon, the first words

out of his mouth were: "Blessed are the poor inspirit." There are a number of ways to translate"poor in spirit," but on an intellectual level, the besttranslation is "confused."

Blessed are the confused. If you ask why Jesusmight have said that, then I must point out to youthat confusion leads to a search for clarification andwith that search comes a great deal of learning. Foran old idea to die and a new and better idea to takeplace, we have to go through periods of confusion.It is uncomfortable, sometimes painful to be in suchperiods. Nonetheless it is blessed because when weare in them, we are open to the new, we are looking,we are growing.

And so it is that Jesus said, "Blessed are the con-fused." Virtually all of the evil in this world is com-mitted by people who are absolutely certain theyknow what they're doing. It is not committed bypeople who think of themselves as confused. It isnot committed by the poor in spirit.

Source: M. Scott Peck, Further Along the Road LessTraveled

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A postcard from the journeyBy the time you read this, I will be finished with

28 treatments of radiation. Surly those cancer cellscould not survive the bombardment of seven dosesof radiation every day and they must be gone. Idont know what is coming next, but I know the

love of God is all around me through family andfriends and even strangers who have prayed forme, and that makes all the difference.

Thank you, Trinity for your support.Susan Lowrey

PRAYER

WITHOUT ACTION

IS SIMPLY POETRY.

Kids Klothing ExchangeDo you have gently used clothes that your child

has outgrown? The Kids Klothing Exchange is look-ing for donations to help families with school cloth-ing. They are accepting donations of gently usedclothing, school uniforms, shoes and coats for boysand girls, size N 16. Items may be dropped off atEpiphany Lutheran Church, 915 N. Reynolds Road inToledo on Saturday, August 15 between noon and 4p.m. Come back to shop on Saturday August 22 be-tween noon and 4 p.m.

Don't Skip the PsalmWant some satisfying soul food? Ever wonder

where the psalm came from andwhere its going? Check out IsaacEverett's new bookThe EmergentPsalter . It contains commentary,gender-neutral translations, and anoriginal musical antiphon for all150 psalms. Explore his creativityfurther at www.isaaceverett.com,where you can listen to his weeklypodcast discussing the psalm forthe following Sunday with some-one interesting and his music forthat psalm from the Psalter.
http://astore.amazon.com/isaaever-20/images/0898696178


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Whats Happening in Honduras? Last months General Convention spoke out

clearly on what most of us find a confusing situationin Honduras, where the recent military removal ofPresident Manuel Zelaya has resulted in civil unrest.

In Resolution B031, Convention called for dia -logue between those of differing views, with respectand tolerance for all, and the hope of bringing recon-ciliation to the people of Honduras." The resolutionalso calls upon "the international lending organiza-tions to continue investments, aid and loans toHonduras, in order to adequately care for the Hondu-ran people" and asks that the U.S. Government "nottake actions that will penalize the people ofHonduras."

Costa Rica's Nobel Prize-winning president, scarArias, has been mediating talks and seeking tonegotiate a solution to the crisis. The Conventionaction calls on Arias to listen to all sides and work fora resolution "based on democratic inclusiveness thatis beneficial to all Hondurans."

The Diocese of Honduras is part of Province IX ofthe Episcopal Church and shares many companionrelationships with U.S. dioceses and parishes. Reso-lution B031 called on all Episcopalians to pray for thepeople of Honduras, and for companion relationshipsto continue.

Dear Friends of Hogar de Ninos Emanuel:Many of you are asking what is going on in

Honduras? What is the political upheaval all about?Will it affect Hogar de Ninos Emanuel?

I am not a political science major; in fact, I rarelyfollow politics at all, but this is a situation that weshould all be concerned about even as US citizens...Keep in mind that the Hogar de Ninos Emanuel is notreceiving any government money from Honduras. Itnever did and I doubt that it ever will. It is a privately-run institution that depends solely on donations fromall of you to keep its doors open. Regardless of what ishappening politically in Honduras, it is the children of that country who are going to suffer the most. Pleasedo not turn your backs on their need of your love,prayers, and support now. They need you more thanever.

Blessings,Rona HemmingerEl Hogar de Ninos Emanuel Board secretaryMission Program Coordinator

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Reviving A CommunityTradition Storytelling

Ever since our ancestors could first communicate,we have gathered to share our stories. We havepassed along creation tales and tragic stories of lovelost. We have repeated accounts of real heroism andsimple stories of family history. When our forebearslived closer to the land and to each other, the prac-tice of storytelling was imbued with ritual andoccasion. Members of the tribe would often gatheraround the fire to hear their genealogy recited aloudby an elder or master storyteller. Listeners couldtrack how their own lives, and the lives of theirparents, interwove with the lives of the other tribemembers, as everyones ancient relatives onceplayed out similar life dramas together.

As a custom, some cultures storytellers repeatthe same tale over and over because they believethat each time you hear it, you come to the story as adifferent person and view the plot and characters ina new light. Hearing the story over and over is away to gauge where you have been and where youare now on your path of personal evolution. It alsohelps the younger generation learn the stories sothat they can pass them to forthcoming generations.

When we hear others tell stories, we can laugh attheir humorous adventures, feel the thrill of excitingencounters, see parts of ourselves in them, and learnfrom the challenges they face. Though most of ourformal traditions of storytelling are lost, it does notmean we have to be without. We can begin new

practices in our own families of listening to one an-other, of honoring our own journey, and witnessingthe journeys of those around us. We can revive thefireside communal by gathering around the camp-fire or hearth with family and friends, sharing instories. By building new practices of storytelling, wegive ourselves and the ones we love an opportunityto draw ever closer in our shared human experience.

~fromdailyom.com


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Why Spiritual Practices MatterYou cant take an epidural shot to ease the pain of

giving birth to character. In a sense, every day of yourlife is labor; the rhythmic agony of producing the personwho will wake up in your body tomorrow, creating yourreputation, continuing your legacy, and influencingyour family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and count-less strangers, for better or worse... In a wild world likeours, your character, left untended, will become a staleroom, an obnoxious child, a vacant lot filled with thorns,weeds, broken bottles, raggedy grocery bags and dogdroppings... Well tended, your character will be a fra-grant garden, an artists home, with walls and halls fullof memories and beauty, a party with live music andgood jokes and pleasant conversations in every corner.Youll be good, deep company for others and yourself.

Thats why, through the ages, people have tried tofind ways to tend themselves, to do for their souls what

exercise does for their bodies or study for their minds...Spiritual practices... help us become someone weighty,someone worthy of a name and reputation, someonewho makes survival worthwhile by turning lifes ma-nure into fertilizer As such, spiritual practices arepretty earthy, and theyre not strictly about spirituality asit is often defined; theyre about humanity, which bringsus to the second reason theyre important aliveness.

Spiritual practices could be calledlife practicesor hu-mane practices, because they help us practice being alive,and humanely so. They develop not just character but

also aliveness, alertness, wakefulness, and humanity.The sheer value of being alive seems to be what keeps us

getting up after our last stupid mistake or heartbreakingdisappointment or shattering trauma or surprising suc-cess, thinking,Okay, now thats behind me. Lets get onwith life. Whats next? The wordliferepresents a mys-tery to us every moment we say it, feel it, and want moreof it

Spiritual practices are about life, about training our-selves to become the kinds of people who have eyes andactually see, and who have ears and actually hear, andso experience with increasing consistency and resil-iency, even in economy class not just survival butLife,

capitalized and modified by insufficient adjectives suchas real, abundant, examined, worth living, and good

I havent told the whole story though. Yes, spiritualpractices are ways of exercising intention regarding thekind of people we are becoming at every turn. Yes, theare ways of habitually waking up and discovering Life.But the capitalization of Life points beyond life itself:spiritual practices are also and truly about the Spirit.They are about somehow driving with our windowswide open to God, keeping our elbows in the wind andour hands surfing beside the side mirror. Theyre abouttuning our radios to the frequency of the Holy, turningup the volume, and then daring to sing along. Theyreabout staying alert so our eyes see the glory of the coming of the Lord, and our ears hear the Word, and ourskin feels the warm touch and the gentle pressure of thePresence. (Spiritual practices are also about being sus-

tained through the perceived absence of the Presence.)Spiritual practices are a way of putting the universe

on fast-rewind until it collapses into a singularity ofdark light, so as to recall that all creation originally un-folded from the divine source singing, Let there beThey are, likewise, a way of putting the universe on fasforward, imagining it hurtling forward and outwarduntil it is caught up in the wide arms of grace like abeginning toddler falling with awkward, joyous deter-mination across space toward his mothers arms. Andperhaps most important, they are a way of locating our-selves in a present moment no less lighted by the pres-ence of the unseen God from whom we come, to whomwe go, and with whom we travel. Spiritual practicesare ways of becoming awake and staying awake to God

FromFinding Our Way Again , by Brian McLare

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Having a spiritual practice doesnt have to becomplicated. Start where you are: the fragmentedprayers, the worries, the bits of dreams. Take justone, and physically hand it over to God. A classicpractice from AA and other 12-step traditions is tohave a God jar.

A God jar can be any container that is private foryou. If you have a concern, a prayer, something thatis either out of your control or for which you needcourage to change, write it down on a slip of paper,and put it in the God jar. After a few months, findsome quiet time to look back and read the slips ofpaper. What has God done, with it and with you?The results will surprise you.

Spiritual practices are about tuningour radios to the frequency of theHoly, turning up the volume, andthen daring to sing along.


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My brothers and sisters in Christ:

The 76th General Convention is now history, though it will

likely take some time before we are all reasonably clear about whatthe results are.

We gathered in Anaheim, as guests of the Diocese of Los Ange-les, for eleven full days of worship, learning, and policy-making.The worship was stunning visually, musically, and liturgically, withprovocative preaching and lively singing. Our learning includedtraining in Public Narrative, as well as news about the emergentchurch, in the LA Night presentation. We welcomed a number ofvisitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion, including 15of the primates (archbishops or presiding bishops), other bishops,clergy, and laity. You can see and hear all this and more at the Media Hub:http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/

The budget adopted represents a significant curtailment of church-wide ministry efforts, in recognition of economic realities of many dioceses and church endowments, which will result in the loss of a number of ChuCenter staff who have given long, laudable service. Yet we will continue to serve God's mission throughout TEpiscopal Church and beyond. This budget expects that more mission work will continue or begin to take pladiocesan or congregational levels. Religious pilgrims, from the Israelites in the desert to Episcopalians in Alaor Haiti, have always learned that times of leanness are opportunities for strengthened faith and creativity.

As a Church, we have deepened our commitments to mission and ministry with "the least of these" (Matth25). We included a budgetary commitment of 0.7% to the Millennium Development Goals, through the Netsfoprogram partnership of Episcopal Relief & Development. That is in addition to approximately 15% of the budalready committed to international development work.

We have committed to a domestic poverty initiative, meant to explore coherent and constructive responsessome of the worst poverty statistics in the Americas: Native American reservations and indigenous communit

Justice is the goal, as we revised our canons (church rules) having to do with clergy discipline, both as an of solidarity with those who may suffer at the hands of clergy and an act of pastoral concern for clergy chargewith misconduct.

The General Convention adopted a health plan to serve all clergy and lay employees, which is expected toa cost-savings across the whole United States portion of the Church. Work continues to ensure adequate healthcoverage in the non-U.S. parts of the Church. The Convention also mandated pension coverage for lay emplo

Liturgical additions were also included in the Convention's work, from more saints on the calendar to prayaround reproductive loss.

What captured the headlines across the secular media, however, had to do with two resolutions, the conse-quences of which were often misinterpreted or exaggerated. One, identified as D025, is titled "Anglican Commion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion." It

reaffirms our commitment to and desire to pursue mission with the Anglican Communion; reiterates our commitment to Listening Process urged by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 199

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The Presiding Bishop's Letter to the Church on General Convention July 22, 2009
http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/


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notes that our own participation in the listening process led General Convention in 2000 to recognize thatthe baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong commirelationships characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest commu-nication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image ofGod; recognizes that ministry, both lay and ordained is being exercised by such persons in response to God'scall;

notes that the call to ordained ministry is God's call, is a mystery, and that the Church participates in thmystery through the process of discernment; acknowledges that the members of The Episcopal Church, and of the Anglican Communion, are not ofmind, and that faithful Christians disagree about some of these matters.

The other resolution that received a lot of press is C056, titled Liturgies for Blessings. The text adopted wasa substitute for the original, yet the title remains unchanged. It

acknowledges changing circumstances in the U.S. and elsewhere, in that civil jurisdictions in some plapermit marriage, civil unions, and/or domestic partnerships involving same-sex couples, that call for apastoral response from this Church; asks the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and the House of Bishops, to collect and developtheological and liturgical resources for such pastoral response, and report to the next General Conventi asks those bodies to invite comment and participation from other parts of this Church and the AnglicanCommunion; notes that bishops may provide generous pastoral responses to the needs of members of this Church; asks the Convention to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexality.

The full text of both resolutions is available here:http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation. I urge you to read themfor yourself. Some have insisted that these resolutions repudiate our relationships with other members of the Aglican Communion. My sense is that we have been very clear that we value our relationships within and arounthe Communion, and seek to deepen them. My sense as well is that we cannot do that without being honest abwho and where we are. We are obviously not of one mind, and likely will not be until Jesus returns in all hisglory. We are called by God to continue to wrestle with the circumstances in which we live and move and havour being, and to do it as carefully and faithfully as we are able, in companionship with those who disagree vemently and agree wholeheartedly. It is only in that wrestling that we, like Jacob, will begin to discern the leadof the Spirit and the blessing of relationship with God.

Above all else, this Convention claimed God's mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church. I encourevery member of this Church to enter into conversation in your own congregation or diocese about God's mission, and where you and your faith community are being invited to enter more deeply into caring for yourneighbors, the "least of these" whom Jesus befriends.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts SchoriPresiding Bishop and Primate

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While the media is describing our Church's deliberations as focused on two things, money and sex, Ibelieve the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church was principally about honesty: honestyabout who we are as a community of Christians, complex in our makeup and unified in God's mission;honesty about bringing who we truly are into our continuing relationship with one another and the restof the Anglican Communion; and honesty about our resources and how they are directing us to reformthis Church.

Bishop Mark Hollingsworth,Diocese of Ohio
http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislationhttp://gc2009.org/ViewLegislationhttp://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation


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"Finances are tight, and ournumbers are dwindling. The congre-gation is looking to me to turn thingsaround. So is my denominationthat'sexactly what I was told when I wasappointed here. And, frankly, that's myexpectation too. Isn't that my job?" saysa pastor of a congregation that has beenexperiencing decline for many years,voicing the belief of manycongregations, denominations, andpastors that when a congregation isdeclining, it is the pastor's job to fix it.

Here's the hard truth: if you're alayperson in a congregation that's ex-periencing decline, whether thecongregation thrives is ultimately up toyou and the other members. Yourpastor can teach, guide, lead, support,inspire, even cajole. But in the end,congregational health is a function ofhow people in the congregation relate toone another, to God, and to theircommunity. A congregation is a mi-crocosm of the greater church, a localembodiment of the body of Christ. In John's Gospel, Jesus says, "I came thatthey may have life, and have itabundantly" (John 10:10). We believethis is one of the primary messages thata healthy congregation embodies for itsmembers and its surroundingcommunity.

A congregation that is truly beingchurch brings people into a loving, life-giving relationship with God and othersthat is transformational. This is thenature of thekin-dom of God, wherecovenant relationships model the bestaspects of family. People find hope.They experience belonging; they extendand receive forgiveness. They discovera sense of purpose and direction. Theylearn to live with appreciation and joyno matter what the circumstances.Although a pastor can preach and teachthis message, the message has power

only to the extent that the people in thecongregation live it and practice it withone another. Practicing loving, life-giving relationships transformscongregation members.Witnessing such benefits drawsothers who want somethingsimilar for themselves and theirfamilies.

Businesses are based onthe premise of offeringsomething of valuegoods orservicesto a customer in

exchange for money. Suc-cessful businesses "give valuefor money." Gimmicks andfancy features may bringpeople through the door, butpeople won't buy unless theybelieve they'll receivesomething of worth. And they'll returnand recommend the business to othersonly if they receive something of value.Congregations are not businesses, yetthey can fall into a similar trap ofthinking that it's the features and the

gimmicks that people want. A congre-gation's greatest asset, the unique gift itoffers, is the people who make up thecongregation and the possibilities fortransformation they embody.

When we talk about congregationalrenewal, we mean a renewal of thepeople's ability to notice and experienceGod in their midst, a renewal of thecongregation's desire to partner withGod in achieving God's aims for theworld. The term renewal implies thatthe congregation knew how to do thisat one time and that the work is a

reclaiming of a lost skill. We find thatnot always the case. Somecongregations we've worked with haveno memory of ever having been a

church that talked openly about Godand matters of faith. The people havno memory of the congregation's evehaving had an evangelistic bentHowever, we have yet to encounter acongregation that, when asked to recal

moments when its church was really"being church," couldn't name sacremoments when God seemed presentand people found healing and hope.

The church-growth movement isoften blamed for leading congre-gations down the path of thinkingthat bigger is better and that in-creased numbers equal health andgrowth. That movement did, how-ever, help raise the question of howto measure congregational health.

If the measure is not dollars in

A Place that Offers Lifeby Daniel P.Smith & Mary K. Sellon

And they said to one another, Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road,while He was explaining the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32

A congregation is in trouble when newcomersare seen as the congregation's salvation, rather than the other way around.

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what is it? We hear congregationsand pastors wrestling withquestions that weren't on the tabletwenty years ago. "What's the fun-damental purpose of church? Whatdifference is a congregationsupposed to make in the lives of itsmembers and in its surroundingcommunity? What does it mean tobe a follower of Jesus? What does itmean to be spiritual? What dif-ference do spiritual practicesmake?"

These challenging questions arethe foundation of renewal, thebuilding blocks of a new future.They are not, however, the point atwhich most congregations start.

Fear of having to close the churchor to reduce the services offered tomembers typically prompts acongregation's desire for renewal:"We need to do something now, ifwe're going to still be open adecade from now." This desire toavoid death drives many renewalefforts, and it certainly providesenergy. But if the congregationitself doesn't ultimately trade itsfear of death for a longing for life,the efforts will end as soon as thedanger has passed.

The aim of renewal is not abigger building or high-techworship or a slew of professionalprograms but a new way of lookingat church, the work of acongregation, and what it has tooffer the world. Congregationalrenewal is a renewal of the people'sunderstanding of their relationshipwith God, their relationship withtheir community, and their calling.In the most fundamental sense,congregational renewal happens

through "people renewal." What'srenewed in congregational renewalis the people's understanding oftheir relationship with God, theirrelationship with their community,and their sense of calling.

No pastor, no program, noresource can make renewal happen.On the other hand, almost anypastor, program, or resource canhelp renewal unfold when thepeople of a congregation deeplydesire a new and better life and arewilling to do what it takes to getthere. The hard part can bedeveloping that desire. As long aslife together is satisfactory, there islittle impetus for change.

Over and over we hearcongregations wishing that thepeople in the community wouldbecome active in their church.What drives that desire is revealedin their response to the question"Why?" Any time a significantnumber of people answer, "To keepour programs running and ourdoors open," we know that thecongregation is in trouble. It hasmoved to the point at which thepeople beyond its doors are valuedprimarily for what they can bring tothe church. People in thecommunity are seen as thecongregation's salvation, ratherthan the other way around.

Attempting to lure the newp o p u l a t i o n g r o u p , t h econgregational leaders addprograms and make changes theyimagine will appeal to the people.Surprised and frustrated when theirchanges show little result, theyredouble their efforts to find theright program. This work ismisdirected. The congregation isnot declining because thecommunity around it has changed,or even primarily because thechurch's form of ministry andworship feels foreign to those in theneighborhood. The real and deeperissue is that the congregation haslost connection with a Christianchurch's basic mission: helpingpeople experience God and connect

with the gospel message of life andhope.

Without this sense of mission tokeep the congregation focusedbeyond the doors of the church, thecongregation turns inward andloses connection with its com-munity. Before others will turn to acongregation as a life-givingresource in their lives, thecongregation has to be a place thatoffers life. When traveling byplane, passengers are reminded thatin the event of an emergency theyshould put on their own oxygenmasks before helping others. Incongrega t iona l renewal , acongregation reminds itself of andintentionally engages in the basicpractices of Christianity. It realignsitself with the basic outward-focused mission of church.

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Adapted fromPathway to Renewal:Practical Steps for Congregations byDaniel P. Smith and Mary K. Sellon.

Reprinted by permission fromAlban Weekly, 2009-07-13 Number259. 2009 The Alban Institute.To subscribe to the free Alban Weekly email, go to http://www.alban.org/AlbanWeeklySignup.asp

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Congregational renewal means a renewal of the people's ability to notice and experienceGod in their midst, to talk openly about Godand matters of faith.


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Trinity Episcopal Church One Trinity Plaza Toledo, Ohio 43604-1585

Phone: 419.243.1231

Fax: 419.243.0920Email: [email protected]

Serving Downtown Toledo since 1842.

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Parish Staff Elizabeth M. Hoster, Rector Wayne F. Anthony , Associate for Music and the Arts

Susan Lowrey, Associate for Community LifeVirginia Shafer, Executive Secretary

Jane Bueche, Parish Accountant Bridget Blanchard , Organist

Parish Vestry Jeff Albright, senior warden; Jason Rahe, juniorwarden; Karen Wabeke, clerk; Solveig Barnes, LuciaCooper, Jane Gomersall-Zohn, Jennifer Siebold,Sherre Owens Smith, Jim Zechman.

Parish Offices Mon thru Fri, 8:30 am 4:30 pmPhone 419.243.1231 Fax 419.243.0920

Email: [email protected]

Episcopal Diocese of Ohio 2230 Euclid AvenueCleveland, Ohio 44115-2499800.551.4815 216.771.4815The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Bishop Ordinary

Next-to-New Thrift Shop Mon & Thurs, 9:30 am 3 pm;

Jeanne Mitchell, Manager

services SUNDAYS 10:00 am, Holy Eucharist

HOLY DAYS as announced

prayers FOR THE PARISH COMMUNITY

Remember those for whom our prayers have been requested: Mary Figgins,Roxan Burke, Robert Romick, Charlie Sturm, Ronald Heider, Susan Lowrey, Hank Coyle,David C. Nelson, Jessica Snyder, Nancy Paulas, Herb Landis; the children and staff of Emanuel Childrens Home; those on death row, including Jason Getsy, who is scheduledto be executed by the state of Ohio on August 18; all victims of war and violence; Seanand Nina Elliot, awaiting the birth of their first child; and Marie Harkey and David S.Nelson in their continuing vocational discernment.

Prayers for those who have died : Jack Kaufman (Liddy Hoster).

vision & mission Trinity is called to be a progressive, inclusive, creative urban faith community.

We will practice radical hospitality.We will be engaged in the life of our city.We will stand with those in need: the poor, the sick, the friendless, the marginalized.We will actively invite all to experience and celebrate Gods living presence. We will journey together toward a Christ-centered life, pursuing personal ministriesthat connect us to God, to one another, and to the world around us.

august 2009 trinity topics newsletter, trinity toledo episcopal church

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