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 sheri.lambrich@bellsouth.net. **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

trinityepiscopalinfo@gmail.com

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!