trinity topics february 2019 draft · 2019. 1. 30. · trinity united church - ottawa 2...

1Trinity United Church - Ottawa

Trinity TopicsFebruary 2019

WHOWEARE

We are acompassionate,progressive and

affirmingcommunity

that nurtures andcelebrateseach others’spiritual growth

By Reverend Erin Burns

We are deep in the season ofEpiphany—the time betweenChristmas and Lent. It kicks

off with the story of the wise ones fromthe east guided by a star to Bethlehem.This Epiphany, we are beginning ourown journeys of discovery, guided byour Star Words.

Over the past few Sundays, we haveeach acquired a random word, and areinvited to use that word as a guide forthe year. (If you haven’t got one yet,there are still lots left. Let me know andwe can get one to you). Our Star Wordcan be a lens through which we look atthe world, it can refocus our thinking orour approach to situations. We canmeditate or pray on it, exploring howthis word can point us to the experienceof the divine in our lives.I hope you have put your star wordssomewhere you will see it regularly, andI hope that over this year you will returnto it, and see how your response to theword changes over the year.This is my first time trying this practice,and I am very excited. Like many of youI’m keeping my word close while Iponder it. (Some of you will rememberthat I used balance as an example—however it is not the word that choseme.) Some of you have been happy toshare yours openly with us and even

share how it is already guiding yourexperience.Our stars are an opportunity fordiscovery—to engage intentionally, andsee where it takes us. Too often we havedecided the path and the end before westart our journey. Too often we have adestination and then like we areplanning a trip, we plot a route.In this practice we are invited on ajourney that we don’t know the end of,and that is both exciting and a littleunnerving. The good news is none of usis alone on this journey of discovery.We have one another to connect with,we support one another with ourcompassion, our creativity and ourenthusiasm. And as always We Are NotAlone!Over the next few months we have otheropportunities to dig deeper into our faithjourneys: What in the World Do WeBelieve runs January and February, wehave an intergenerational book study inFebruary and March, a creative artsLenten Study and a book study afterEaster. We are also hosting an event forUnited Church clergy and members onFebruary 1 on the theme of RightRelations and Black Lives Matter,echoing our Church In Society theme ofPrivilege, with special guest UnitedChurch Moderator, the Right ReverendRichard Bott.I’m very grateful for all the ways Trinitylives out its Momentum for Mission,acts to be God’s hands and feet in theworld, and how we are open to life-longlearning! Thank you!

Erin

We are nurturing; supporting eachother on journeys of discovery . . .


Sunday, February 3 Treasure in HeavenBlack History Month withSylvia Barrow• Annual General Meeting tofollow

• Joyful Noise! sings

Sunday, February 10 The Golden RuleChurch in Society

Sunday, February 17 Parables of the Kingdom• Music: Stellae Boreales

Sunday, February 24 Feeding 5000• Cantiamo sings

Sunday, March 3 Transfiguration

Wednesday, March 6 Ash Wednesday

Sunday March 10 LENT I: Forgiveness• Communion

Sunday, March 17 LENT II: Labourers in theVineyard

Sunday, March 24 LENT III: The WeddingBanquet

Sunday, March 31 LENT IV: Talents

Sunday, April 7 LENT V: Last Judgment

Sunday, April 14 Palm Sunday: TriumphalEntry

Thursday, April 18 Maundy ThursdayWords of Institution

Friday, April 19 Good FridaySunday, April 21 EASTER

• CommunionSunday, April 28 Great Commission

• Cantiamo sings

Saturday, February 9Tait Hall

10:00 a.m.Our annual

Family Game Day

This has proven to be popular,and features board games andac�ve games for all ages. Bring agame you'd like to play, or come

and play one that will beprovided.

GamesDay

Sunday Celebration of Spirit at 10:00 a.m.Sunday School & Nursery Care at 10:00 a.m.

Coffee and Conversation in theFriendship Room after the service

Joyful Noise! children’s choir practicesdownstairs at 11:00 a.m.

AnnualGeneralMeetingSunday,February 3

Tait Hall

After the serviceDigital copies of the Annual Report havebeen emailed and a Limited number of

hard copies are available. Please read thereport and email any questions orconcerns to Chris Humphrey well in

advance of the meeting.

Intergenerational Book StudyGeorge by Alex Gino

www.scholastic.ca/books/view/georgeFebruary 10 at 11:30 a.m. Youth discussionFebruary 20 at 7:30 p.m. Adult discussion

March 3 At 11:30 a.m. Intergenerational discussion in Tait Hall.Bring lunch!


It has been another busy quarter for the Trinity UnitedChurch Worship Committee. But that's the norm forthe Advent/Christmas season, isn't it? The poinsettia

sale went very well and the Christmas Eve service werebeautified by the appearance of some 27 potted plants, thebrilliant red setting off the green leaves. And the fact thatall are dedicated to the memories of our lost loved ones,as well as the funds raised being for the continuingfloral decoration of the sanctuary throughout the year,seems to accentuate the worth of these gorgeous plants.The first Sunday following Christmas Day was, asusual, run by the Worship Committee, giving the ministera well-deserved Sunday off. All of the committee—SallyCuddy, Kathryn Fournier, Lynne Vail, Sheila Meggs andAnthea Brandon—were able to participate. And we really

had a good time, centering on the Scripture, Colossians 3:12-17 and on Sally's Reflection, “Practicing Goodness,”which was insightful and spiritually uplifting.The committee expects more opportunities for leadingworship services during the course of this year. As ourcontribution towards easing the strain on Trinity's budget,we have decided to request funding for just two pulpit-supply services for this financial year, looking forservice leadership within the congregation. Although,naturally, we in the committee are happy to lead, we arehoping that there are those from the wider congregationwho will, after consideration and prayer, be willing toparticipate and lend their own particular contributions andgifts to the weekly service upon occasion. Any offer ofhelp will be gladly received.

WORSHIP CORNERBy Anthea Brandon

Council has reviewed in detail both the financials for2018, and the proposed budget for 2019, in

preparation for the Annual Meeting on February 3. ThankYou to Mark Cuddy for his continuing dedication andprofessionalism as treasurer.On January 8, Rev. Erin and co-chairs of councilattended a meeting at City View United Church withrepresentatives of several other congregations. Welearned of each other's successes and challenges, and welook forward to more exchanges of this nature as we moveforward.Council continues to explore a strategy for ensuring thatappropriate considerations are given to sharing ourbuilding with community members who rent space oneither a one time or continuing basis.

We will also be implementing an event planning tool andpolicy, so we can properly consider space, financial andpersonnel resources for all intiatives under consideration.Your council also has a role in ensuring that Trinity iscompliant with rules and regulations of UCC and otherauthorities in order to mitigate risk. Over the past year thishas resulted in us reviewing and possibly modifying ourpractices around employment/CRA issues, foodhandling and food safety, dishwashing in theFriendship room, and other concerns. As regulatoryauthorities become more interested and vigilant, councilwill work towards ensuring we are compliant.We look forward to our Annual Meeting on February 3and as usual are grateful for the commitment and interestthat is shown by your enthusiastic attendance. Thank You!

By Derek KitchenCOUNCIL NEWS


CHILDREN, YOUTHAND FAMILIESBy Jessica Knoyle

Why do we come tochurch?We come to church for

many reasons. We come for commu‐nity, to connect, to question, towonder and sometimes just to get outof the house. Perhaps it's because wefeel we can contribute to somethingwhile in meaningful contact withothers who have similar thoughtprocesses or goals. Maybe we enjoybeing challenged and asked to thinkin different ways. Perhaps we justneed a moment in the busyness oflife. Perhaps coming to church feedsour spirits and souls in ways we can'texplain but we just know we feelbetter when we've been there. Forwhatever reasons we have, it's impor‐tant and it means something.We bring our children for the samereasons. For me, as a parent, I wantmy children to know God and to learnabout their relationship with theSpirit, themselves, their communityand their world. Going to churchhelps them to learn where their placein the world is and how to relate totheir church family. And, let's behonest, it's an outing! Church is aplace to come and be with friends, tolearn and do interesting things and,there are cookies and juice. Howmuch better does it get?Being a church family or communitymeans many of the same things as

being in other family structures. Weall have gifts, challenges, differentpersonalities, certain levels of toler‐ance for others and their behaviours,and we all have to contribute to helpthings go smoothly. And through allof this, we have to find a way to “Be”.To help each other along the way withkindness, humor, love, honesty andpatience.In 1989, a document called “A PlaceFor You; Toward the Integration ofChildren into the Life of the Church”was presented to the 31st GeneralCouncil. It is a collection of thoughts,research, questions and wonderingsby a group of diversely aged membersthat led to a series of recommenda‐tions in how we move to make thechurch a more intergenerational orga‐nization. Yes, this document is old butit still rings true today. It is a passionof mine not only because I was on thecommittee but because I truly believethat we need to strive to be a commu‐nity like this. If you would like to seethe document or want to have conver‐sation about it, please ask. To move usmore in this direction, we lookforward to celebrating some intergen‐erational services this spring.Worshipservices that include all ages andstages. And, other movements havebegun as well, such as the childrenbringing an offering to Sunday Schooland then presenting the offeringupstairs with the adults; our child and

youth-led service that we held lastMay and will again this May; theWiggly Worshipers corner to helpquietly entertain little ones who wantto remain in the sanctuary with theirgrown-up; and our intergenerationalbook study. Moving in this way, helpsus remember that we are one. We arenot “upstairs” and “downstairs” butfluid depending on our needs.Speaking of being a family and help‐ing each other out in our learning andgrowing, there is always a need and awelcoming space for folks who wouldlike to volunteer in our SundaySchool. We have a wonderful groupof folks who do this on a regularbasis; Chris Tessier, Sheila Meggs,Karen Afghan and Arlene Smith. But,the more people we have, the morewe can rotate, which gives our volun‐teers more opportunity to be upstairsfor a full worship service. Pleaseconsider sharing your gifts with ourchildren's program. Sharing isCaring!And, speaking of caring, if you havea child or youth that would benefitfrom some pastoral support, or you,yourself are having some challenges,I would encourage you to get in touchwith me, Rev Erin or our wonderfulPastoral Care Team.Many blessings to you,

Jessica

Worshiplude 2019February 2, Rideau Park UC.Dinner at 5:30 p.m., worship at 7:00 p.m.Intergenerational book studyGeorge by Alex GinoFebruary 10 at 11:30 a.m. - Youth discussionFeb 20 at 7:30 p.m - Adult discussionMarch 3 at 11:30 a.m. Intergenerationaldiscussion. Please bring a lunch.

Trinity UniDragons (TUD) Youth GroupFebruary 10, March 3 (book study), March 24,April 14, May 5, May 26, June 16.11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Please bring a lunchFriday, June 7 - PD DayPlans are underway for TUD to deliver fooddonations to the Caldwell Family Center. Meetingmid-morning for activities and pizza-making funand then heading over to Caldwell to get a tourand deliver food.

UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS


For the last couple of years, we focused on climate change as a critical justice issue, including exploring ways toreduce our individual carbon footprints. Pursuing green certification was the next logical step to see if there arefeasible ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our church building and operations and to make what we do as a

congregation as green as possible.On Earth Day last April, we launched a Green Team with chairs fromvarious committees, the ministers, co-chair of council and other interestedpeople. When we looked at the things we had done or were doing acrossthe various areas of Green Certification, we were pleased to find that wehad already been doing a lot, without really realizing it- being green wasalready part of our ethos!Last June, we have received our Light Green Certificate, having completed20 of the 31 suggested actions, twice the 10 required. It was presented tocouncil in September and on January 27 we highlighted our 20accomplishments by adding a light green paper leaf for each one to asmall “tree.” Check out our tree in the lobby.Thanks to everyone for their work. We continue to make substantialprogress on the Medium Green level. See the requirements for each levelat https://www.faithcommongood.org/greening_sacred_spaces.If you would like to help, please contact Virginia MacLatchy.

Read about how we achieved Light Green Status on page 6.

TRINITY’S TREE: GETTING GREENERBy Virginia MacLatchy


HOWWE EARNED OUR LIGHT GREEN CERTIFICATE

SPIRITUALITY

ANDWORSHIP

Service Make regular use of environmental-focused prayers, liturgies, hymns, and/orsongs in worship

Service Podcasting of services on the website for outreach members

Spirituality Place symbols of nature in the sacred space and/or in the garden

Young People Explore nature-care issues in children’s activities

Awareness andEducation

Resources with a nature and environmental stewardship focus are in available inthe community’s library

ENERGY

Green Facilitator orChampion

A Green Facilitator has been appointed and has begun to develop 'best practices'documentation for all areas of their faith community

Cleaning All vacuuming is carried out with a HEPA filter vacuum

Energy Audit A walk-through audit has been completed and an implementation plan to resolveidentified issues is in place

Heating Programmable thermostats are in use and winter setback temperatures are in place

Equipment Equipment is shut down or in stand-by mode when not in use. All equipment is onpower bars that can be easily turned off when required

Renewable Energy The faith community has investigated the possibility of installing a renewableenergy system of any kind in their facility

WATER

Hot water Basic efficiency steps have been taken such as insulating hot water tanks and pipesand installing low-flow aerators on all faucets

InteriorBasic efficiency steps have been taken such as low flow aerators on all faucets,posting signs advising people to limit water usage, and regular checks to ensure noleaky faucets or toilets

Exterior Exterior watering of the grounds only occurs in the morning and is shut off whenit is raining or rain is expected

WASTERecycling Blue bins can be found in every area with the possibility of waste. Signs are posted

near the bins advising people as to what can and can't be recycled

Composting The faith community composts through their municipal composting program

Dishes/Cutlery Fully recyclable or compostable dishes and cutlery are in regular use and notdisposed of in the garbage

JUSTICEDivestment The faith community has studied its faith tradition’s recent statements on fossil

fuel divestmentEnvironmentalJustice (General)

The faith community has formed an environmental justice discussion group andclimate justice themes have been incorporated into services and prayer

Since September 2017 Trinity United has invested funds in Fiera Capital's Income and Growth Fund.The selection of this fund was made after consideration of the fund's alignment with our values.

Trinity United joins over 100 other United Church congregations in investing in this fund, primarilyfor its excellent historical track record and adherence to socially responsible guidelines.

Further, even given the recent volatility in financial markets the fund still provides a positive return toTrinity United.

Submitted by Steve Orlesky, the Investment Committee

Did You Know Trinity Is an Ethical Investor?


THE 2ND REFUGEE COMMITTEEBy John Comfort

As we go through this cold spell in the winter, werealize how lucky we are to have a roof over ourhead and a place to call home.

Hasanain and Ridha Al-Saadi are settled with their familyin Barrhaven but it was only a little less than a year agothat the Canadian Government accepted their applicationto settle with Zaenab. They had been waiting for over 4years to get that news. We are grateful that they have awarm, welcoming home to live in but we know that thereare many more families who are wishing and praying andworking hard to find other families and groups to welcomethem. Zaenab continues to work to support many otherfamilies in camps and has come to me on severaloccasions to learn whether we are considering supportingmore families or even individuals who may have familyhere in Ottawa but a church-sponsored group is needed tomake it happen. Please think about how you can help.

Hasanain continues to go to school most weekdays andworks many hours at a family restaurant. Ridha is makingfriends and has a knack for learning. He has a very shortwalk to Mary Honeywell Elementary School. As acommittee, we would like to do a little more to support thefamily but the distance is a factor.Suzan, Rowan, Roshan and Haitham continue to expandtheir network and a number of the members of thecommittee continue to offer schooling support at variouslevels to the girls. Haitham has been struggling to findsatisfactory work and continues to look for newopportunities. The catering company that Suzan works forwill provide the meals for the upcoming United ChurchGathering at our church. Please do not forget to order hergoodies. It helps the family income.

Trinity PrideA reminder that there is a Trinity Pride

Facebook group for the LGBTQ community,allies and other interested parties. The groupis private (i.e. posts and discussion are limitedto members of the group) but membership isopen to all who are interested on request.

The Trinity Pride Group was approached by aSunday School member with a proposal tojointly host a rainbow potluck with the Pridegroup, Allies, and other interested parties. Wewill be working towards this for the spring—offering some learning/discussion and a"rainbow" of foods. If you are interested in

helping with the planning of this event, pleasecontact Derek Kitchen.

Death CafeLunch and LearnWills and Estateswith Phil AugustineSunday, February 24

Tait Hallafter the service

Show love to yourself and your lovedones by preparing a will and thinking

about your estate.Soup and rolls provided


PAUSE TABLE NEWSBy Jean MeldrumI would like to thank all the members of Trinity that supported the Pause Table with donations of food supplies, bakingand financial support. Here are a few comments overheard at the table:• Me: How is your day going? Student: Better now!• “Thank you! Thank you so much”• “This is amazing”• “This is awesome”• “You guys are great! How are you…? How…? (shaking her head in disbelief)• “I look for you guys every year!”• Me: (to a student who lingered and expressed his thanks) “If I have a chance to

report back, what would you like to say to people in our church?” Student: (aftera pause) “I’m surprised! This is amazing and so generous! I never thought I’d seesomething like this from the churches.”

• Aman made a point of coming over to speak to us —he didn’t take any food—he looked older (perhaps in is late30’s or 40’s) He said: “When I was a student here in second year I hadn’t eaten for two days .It was very tough.You people saved me. Thank you for all you continue to do for the students.”

SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATE ( EUGENE KANKU)

Growing up on Caldwell Avenue on Ottawa’s west side,Eugene Kanku knew he had to find something better to dothan hanging out on the streets. “In my neighbourhood,there were a lot of distractions when I was younger,” saidKanku. “There was a gym near my house and I gotinvolved in the sports and recreation they had, and I guessI was influenced to play basketball.”The 19-year-old credits his mentor, who goes by the nameof “Turtle,” for helping him find his passion for the sport.“He wanted me to get into sports and stuff because heknew there were a lot of distractions in my neighbourhoodsuch as violence and he knew I didn’t want to be involvedin that. A lot of the boys I looked up too when I wasyounger kind of went to the streets and I didn’t want tointo the same route, I knew I had to other things to take mymind off that.”Kanku hopes to one day play professional basketball afterhis time in university. “First things first, I have to finishmy school, I promised my parents that,” said Kanku. “Myparents are another reason why I want to play probasketball because they have taken care of me and havedone so much for me. For me, doing what I love andmaking money is how I want to repay my parents. I’mgoing to give back to my parents everything they gaveme.”

An article was written about Eugene and he wanted to share it with the people of Trinitywho helped him with the scholarship. He continues to thank Trinity people for the

scholarship, prayers and wishes.Below are excerpts from the Cape Breton University school paper. Our candidate was

interviewed for the paper.


The Tun Hla family—Sai, Winnie, Samuel and Rachel—aredoing well a little over 4 ½ years since they arrived inOttawa from Malaysia.December 21, 2018 was an exciting day for the family asWinnie, Sai and Samuel became Canadian citizens. Rachelwas born in Canada. One of the first things that Winnie andSai mentioned after becoming citizens was that now theywould be able to vote- would that all Canadians appreciatedthat right as much as they do!Sai attends the Adult High School, taking coursestowards his high school diploma. As well, hedrives for Uber and cleans Trinity as well as acommunity centre. Winnie does some house-cleaning. Samuel is enjoying Grade One and hasstarted to learn to read. Rachel at 3 and a half speaksEnglish well and is learning her ABCs inpreparation for Junior Kindergarten next fall. Thefamily is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a baby boy inApril. Sai’s mother, stepfather and sister, who arrived inFebruary 2016 are also doing well, attending ESL classesand helping to take care of Samuel and Rachel.We have been blessed to get to know and work with thishard-working, appreciative and grateful family. Canada hasgained some wonderful new Canadians!

TUN HLA FAMILY UPDATEBy Virginia MacLatchy

TUC Men’s BreakfastThis is an Invitation to interested men from

Trinity.Want to know a great way to share ascripture reading and have an animatedconversation about the implications of

current events. Come and join our gatheringat 7 am on the 2nd Thursday morning ofeach month at Summerhay’s with fellow

church members to enjoy theseconversations and a great breakfast

together.If you have any questions please feel free

to contact me.John Comfort

Potluck Recipe Exchange

Friday, March 86:00 p.m.

The Congregational Life Group will have apotluck recipe exchange.

Bring a dish to share, and bring the recipeto swap with your fellow cooks.

Watch your bulletins for further details onthese events, and mark your calendars

now.


CHURCH BAZAARThank you so much to our generous congregationwho supported our Fall Bazaar on November 10. Weare grateful for:

• our army of tireless volunteers (before, after andduring the event)

• our creators of homemade crafts and delectableedibles

• our donors of treasures from home

• our shoppers accompanied by friends and family

• our financial contributors.

In the true spirit of Trinity United, by working together,our members raised over $13,000!

Thank you from Cathy and Carol

THANK YOU

Rev. Erin BurnsJessica Knoyle, CDMDerek Kitchen, Co-chair of CouncilAnthea Brandon, Worship CommitteeArlene Smith, Christian DevelopmentSteve Orlesky, Investment CommitteeJohn Comfort, Men’s Breakfast and the2nd Refugee CommitteeDerek Kitchen, Trinity Pride Group andCongregational LifeJean Meldrum, Outreach CommitteeJen Cass, Church Administrator

CONTRIBUTORSTrinity Topics is published four times a year.

Articles are gratefully accepted.The editors reserve the right to edit all

material.

Deadline for next edition:Sunday, May 5, 2019

TRINITY TOPICS TEAMJean Meldrum ~ [email protected]

Jen CassArlene Smith

Email: [email protected]

1099 Maitland Avenue, Ottawa ON613-225-3627

trinity topics february 2019 draft · 2019. 1. 30. · trinity united church - ottawa 2...

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