May 2008 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church

8/8/2019 May 2008 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church

1/8

TrinityTopicsThe Newsletter of Trinity Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio

MAY

2008

VOLUME134,

NUM

BER5

Looking outside our walls

Girls at

Hogar deNiosEmanuelorphanage inHonduras.Read moreon page 3.


2/8

litu

rgy

&e

ven

ts

2

SUNDAY, MAY 4 ! EASTER 7A

Acts 1:6-14; 1 Pet 4:12-14, 5:6-11; John 17:1-119:00a Eucharist w/ hymn s

10:00a Formation

10:45a Parish Eucharist

SUNDAY, MAY 11 ! PENTECOST

Acts 2:1-21; 1 Cor 12:3b-13; John 20:19-23WEAR RED TODAY!

9:00a Eucharist w/ hymn s

10:00a Formation


SUNDAY, MAY 18 !TRINITY SUNDAYGen 1:1-2:4a; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Matt 28:16-2010:45 SERVICE AT PEARSON METROPARK


10:45a Par ish Eucha rist at Pearson

Metropark

12:00p Tree planting at Pear son

1:00p Parish p icnic at Pear son

SUNDAY, MAY 25 !PROPER 3AIsa 49:8-16a; 1 Cor 4:1-5; Matt 6:24-34MORNING PRAYER

9:00a Morning Prayer

10:00a Formation

10:45a Morning Prayer

SUNDAY, JUN 1 !PROPER 4AGen 6: 9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19; Rom 1: 16-17; 3:22b-28;Matt 7: 21-29


10:00a Formation10:45a Parish Eucharist

SUNDAY, JUN 8 !PROPER 5AGen 12:1-9; Rom 4:13-25; Matt 9:9-13, 18-26


10:00a Formation


Take your faithoutside!

Join us at 10:45 at Pearson MetroparkSunday, May 18

Eucharist, tree-planting, picnicEveryone welcome

Trinity Episcopal Church

419-243-1231 trinitytoledo.org

PROGRESSIVE ! INCLUSIVE ! CREATIVE


3/8

f

rom

the

rec

tor

Sometimes we best experience Church w hen w e are farthest away

from the building. We look up wh en we are far away from home--

see Jeffs colum n this mon th--or we look out ar oun d u s at Gods

creation in each other and in some great kids and selfless edu cators

many m iles away. Toward the end of our 72-hour trip to Hond uras, I

was riding from the Hogar d e Nios Emanuelthe Hom e of God w ithUs--into town in the back of a pickup truck. Its not m y norm al seat

preference, but orph anage staff had three children in the front of the

truck, and they were d ropp ing us off before taking the children to see the

doctor in town. After three visits to the orphanage, something about

being the one in the back of the truck, instead of the one dr iving the

truck, gave me greater sense of wh y w e had mad e this trip. We did not

make the trip to change them, to be in charge or to be th e ones d riving.

We had gone to serve, to learn, to be vulnerable, and to hav e our

perspective forever changed.

Reaching out beyond our board ers comes w ith risks, and it comes

with qu estions. Some p eople are sure to ask, Why help ou tside of our country? Why give there when

there are so many needs HERE? I can respond with m any logical, left-brained answ ers:! The folks at the orphanage are very good steward s of wh at they are given. Director Vivian

Chehin, who is not only a volunteer but also a financial supp orter, makes sure that the H omes

finances are very transparen t. If you give paint, she can show you the wall where it has been

used . If you give for an educators position, she will introd uce you to the person you have

funded , and to the children who are u nder th at persons care.

! ANY child at the orphanage wh o app lies him or herself in secondar y school gets a completely

FREE college edu cationas w ell as continuing room an d board at the orp hanage. In H ondu ras,

this often means the difference between h aving a good job and being a member of a gan g.

! Hogar d e Nios Eman uels goal is to keep families together. In some instances, there ar e four or

five siblings living there. They hop e to build and staff a nu rsery for children u nd er two so they

may always m eet that goal.

! The orphanage supports itself through some remarkable sustainable agriculture: children help

with a large gard en, and most of the trees on the p roperty p rodu ce fruit. The excess is sold at

market, and th rough this and other p rograms, the older children learn the basics of runn ing a

small business.

! The dollar goes m uch farth er there than in th e US. For about $2,000 US, an ed ucators position

can be funded for one year, and for every educator, four m ore children can live at H ogar de

Nios Emanuel.

! The work of Hogar de Nios Emanuel supports fiveyes, five-- of the millennium development

goals.

Those are but a few answ ers that have to d o w ith them. But th ere are some very compelling reasons

that have to do with u s. We here at Trinity are good citizens of Toledo. It is time to expand our r ole as

good citizens of the world, and to do that often means getting out of our comfort zones.There were some simple moments d uring th at trip that were life-changing. One child, wh om I w ill

call Ernie, took to all of us, and w as mesmerized by Chu ck Kiskaddons beard. We ha d no common verbal

language w ith him, but had the language of care and play. We found out that less than a year before, he

had come from a h orrifying situation . Seeing how God had br oken throu gh his life to give him real joy

and hope broke us open. We may go ou tside ou r borders to work an d serve, but it is inevitable that we

will be blessed thou gh chan ge as well.

Looking up, looking out, looking beyond

3

continued on p. 4, col. 2


4/8

4

wha

tinGods

nam

e?

Looking Up

What in Gods name is on Jeff Albrights mind? God, stars and

finding our way.

I

t wa s our first night in Key Westafter a

harrowing day of travel, fraught with freezing

rain, faulty wind shield w ipers and high

anxiety. After a long, cold Ohio winter. We werestanding by the p ool; Scott looked up and asked me,

How long h as it been since youve seen so many

stars? I looked u p at a beau tiful, star-filled night sky

and said, Its been so long since Ive looked u p.

An Epiphany. What I mean t as a matter-of-fact

statement w as something mu ch more. Scott

recognized it as well, How n ice to hear you say

that, he said as he squeezed my han d. We star

gazed for a few more mom ents and then w ent about

enjoying ou r first night of vacation.

Its been so long since Ive looked u p. It stayed

with me and I woke up the next morning still turning

that statement around in my mind.

For years Ive looked back, Ive looked d own and

Ive even looked forwar d. But up not often and not

recently. And h ow foolish of meup , thats where

the answers are. Not God proclamations. Not a loud ,

auth oritative voice telling me what to do. Jeff the

answer to your p roblem is this Thats not wh at

God is about. He is not some grand pup pet master

pu lling the strings, making m e do this and that.

But God is up therethat night I looked up it

became abund antly clear. He is up th ere calling outto us to look up and ask, God w hat is your will for

me? Dont expect the answ er to fall from the sky.

Thats where discernm ent comes in. Look up, ask,

wait and listen. Ask, listen and p ray as an

individualas a commu nity.

God w hat is your w ill? It may take some time

for the answer to be clear. Dont rush . Listen, wait,

pray. Discernm ent is not an easy process. Its also

not always comfortable either. We are so used to

quick fixes and instant gra tificationwe have to

relearn the spiritual practice of d iscernm ent. Dont be

surprised if the answer to your qu estion is not wh atyou expected. God can surp rise us.

God w hat is your w ill for me? Look up , ask,

listen, pray , wait.

We have some d iscerning to d o to

determine how our strengths and their

needs may best match. Some may give,

some may travel.

Others may make good on the p romise

to self of Gee, I always w anted to learn

Spanish, then go on a work trip to helpedu cate children or set up a p roject that

will help them be even better steward s.

One look at Christ on th e cross shou ld

remind u s that Christianity is not about

safety, control, and protection. Our faith is

ultimately about love and service and holy

vulnerability.

It is when we are in the p ositions of

safety, power and control that we m ay

insulate ourselves from the work of God in

our lives rather than be a part of it. Chu rch

happ ensGrace happensmost often wh enwe are the ones N OT in control, wh en we

get in the back of the truck instead of

insisting that w e ought to d rive.

To learn m ore, go to

www.hogaremanuel.com

continued from p. 3

Children at

Hogar de Nios Ema


5/8

5

congregati

on/w

orld

Ohio Bishop s sup port non-discrimination

legislation

In May 2007, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland issued an order prohibiting

discrimination of state workers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.The bill proposed in the Ohio General Assembly would expand this to protect

employees at privately owned businesses. On March 12, 2008 bi-partisan legislation

was introduced in the Ohio Legislature that would protect workers from

discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill is sponsoredby Ohio Rep. John Peterson (R-Delaware), Rep. Dan Stewart (D-Columbus) andSenator Dale Miller (D-Cleveland). On April 21, Bishop Hollingsworth published this

letter of support.

Sisters and brothers in Ch rist,

Today Bishop Breidenthal of Southern Ohio and I, along with ou r

colleagues, Bishops Price, Bowm an, Persell, and Williams, have

subm itted a letter of encouragement to m embers of the Ohio State

Legislature as they consider curr ent legislation that would p rotect the

civil rights of homosexua l persons in th e State of Ohio, pa rticularly as

regard s equal access to housing and emp loyment (House Bill 502 andSenate Bill 305). The text of our end orsem ent is as follows:

Re: Statement of Supp ort for Civil Rights for Gay and Lesbian

Persons in Ohio

Legislation curren tly before the Oh io State Legislatu re seeks to

secure equal access to housing and employment opp ortunities for gay,

lesbian, bisexual and transgend er persons. The Episcopal Chu rch has

stated u nequ ivocally that the civil rights of all persons, regardless of

sexual orientation, must be uph eld and p rotected. As the bishops of

the tw o Episcopal d ioceses in O hio, we strongly supp ort the enactment

of laws that further this goal in our state. We pray that the d emand s of

justice and equity will guide you as you consider th is opportun ity to

extend a small measure of protection and dignity to our brothers andsisters in the GLBT commu nity.

While there is a wide range of perspective and conv iction in ou r

Church and Diocese on issues related to human sexuality, there is and

mu st be consistent ad vocacy for the civil rights of all people. This is

well reflected in Resolutions A069 and A071 of the 65th General

Conven tion (1976) wh ich p roclaim r espectively that "homosexual

persons are children of God w ho h ave a full and equal claim with all

other persons u pon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care

of the Chur ch," and that the General Conven tion "expresses its

conviction that h omosexua l persons are entitled to equa l protection of

the laws w ith all other citizens, and calls upon our society to see that

such pro tection is provided in actua lity." The pastoral concern andcare of the Chu rch includ es working to p rotect such basic rights as

equal access to housing and employment.

Gratefully,

The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr.

Bishop of Ohio

MEMBER MATTERS

2008 Graduates

to be recognized onPentecost Sunday:

Jason Rahe: University of Toledo

Susan Lowrey: GraduateTheological Foundation, Doctor ofMinistry

Chris Windnagle: University ofToledo

Megan Simmons: University ofToledo, BS in Nursing

Spencer Rife: Anthony WayneHigh School

Christina (Bea) Elliot (Su Elliot):University of Kentucky, BA inIntegrated StrategicCommunications

Chuck Kiskaddon andCourtneyAltenburgwill also be recognizedfor their 5 year anniversary with

the Canterbury Choir.

Bud Gartz returned home onApril 30 following back surgeryand physical therapy. Bud andMary would like to thankeveryone for their flowers, many,many cards and the upliftingprayers during his recenthospitalization.

Ann Stranahan wrote the scriptand was Associate Producer for adocumentary about The ToledoSymphony which aired on WGTEon Thursday, April 24.

Marie Harkey is going toEpiscopal Divinity school inCambridge, MA in September.

David S. Nelson has been nameda postulant for Holy Order byBishop Hollingsworth.

A huge THANK YOU! goes toJoni Zechman for making ournew Pentecost vestments! Dontmiss their debut on Sunday, May11!

Derick John Oyler, Jr(grandsonof Jane and Reuben Bueche, son ofBeth & Derbick Oyler)wasborn on April 29.

Jill Snyderis recovering at homefrom a heart attack that shesuffered on April 22.


6/8

6

Cedar Hills Volunteer DaySaturday, May 17 is Volunt eer Day at Cedar

Hills, the Diocesan Cam p an d Conference Center in

Painesville work p rojects includ e gard ening, trail

mainten ance, playing field pr epar ation, picnic area

set-up, painting, cleaning and organizing the

chapel and library. In add ition several major

projects are being planned cabana bathroomrenovation and wildlife observation p latforms an d

blind s. You can go as an individual or make a

Trinity group , go for the whole day (8 am to 5:15

pm ) or just a few hour s. Volun teers will be served

lunch a t 11:45 and dinn er at 5:30 for those wh o can

stay. For mor e information call 440-352- 6363 or

check [email protected].

Tree Planting at Pearson

MetroParkLast year we began w hat m ay w ell become an

annu al Trinity tradition of holding a Sund ay

service outd oors at a picnic pavilion at Pearson

MetroPark followed by tree planting and a

Barbecue. This year on Sund ay, May 18 we w ill

follow in that trad ition celebrating God s creation

right here in Oh io. Well have a 9 am service at

Trinity and the 10:45 service w ill be at Pearson

with tree planting and a parish p icnic afterward s.

St. Pauls Community LunchEach year Trinity commits to feeding those w ho

are hun gry in Toledo on two Sund ays. The first of

these da tes is Sunday, May 25. St. Pau ls

Commu nity Center provides transitional housing

for around 35 residents bu t on Sund ays the doors

are opened to anyone w ho is hungry usually

around 165 people. We are asked to provide a

nutritious meal including a hot main dish, salad,

bread and butter, fruit and dessert, and milk and

fruit juices as well as d isposable plates and cups.

This is a very moving m inistry in which volun teers

connect directly with those in need . We already

have a commitment from one h igh school student

to boil and peel seven d ozen hard cooked eggs and

are looking for volunteers to prep are and serve the

meal on that d ay. St. Pau ls opens its doors at 1.30

p.m . so the time commitmen t is from about 1.00

p.m . to 2.45 p.m. If you w ould like to help, please

contact an Outreach Comm ittee member.

Valerie Garforth, Outreach Chair

Style show to benefit Harbor

HouseTrinity is a supp orter of Harbor H ouse, a

transitional housing facility for single,

homeless women w ho are recovering from

substance abuse and working to reclaim their

lives. Harbor H ouse w ould like to invite us to

supp ort their Spring Fashion Show and

Luncheon to be held on Satu rday, May 10. The

event will be held from noon to 3 pm at the

Hilton Toledo, 3100 Glend ale Avenu e, on the

campus of U.T. Medical College. Fashions

from Coldwater Creek, Ragazza and Tootsies

Shoe Boutiqu e will be show n and there will be

a fabulous lunch, perfect for mothers and

daugh ters to celebrate Mothers Day! For

tickets ($30) call Donna Perr as a t 419-244-6300.

Feed Your Neighbor at TheBlarney

The West Toledo Clergy Cluster is

sponsoring a FYN fund raiser on Saturday May

10 at the Blarney Irish Pub, 601 Monroe St.

featuring six bands starting at 7pm including

Locoweed, Jim Filipiak, Blues Con noisseurs,

The Kirbys, Voodoo Libido and the Flecks. $5

donation at the door.

FOCUS Spring Luncheon The FOCUS Spr ing Luncheon is an

opportunity to learn the uplifting success

stories of FOCUS clients w hose lives have been

turned around by their participation in the

FOCUS prog ram. This ann ual event will be

held on Wed nesday, May 14 from noon to 1.00

p.m . in the Par k Inn Grand Ballroom, 101 N.

Summ it Street. Parking is free at the SeaGate

garage. The lun ch also is free but FOCUS

hopes that gu ests will feel moved to make a

don ation. FOCUS was established by a grou p

of clergy peop le from d own town Toledochurches to help p eople in need wh o came to

them for help and has been serving h omeless

families in the city since 1982. If you w ould

like to join the Trinity table, please speak to an

Outreach Comm ittee member or RSVP to

FOCUS at 419 244 2175.

ou

tre

ach

ing

s


7/8

7

ste

wardsh

ip

Planned Giving: Ou r Lives are Sacred Texts

Do you ever take a mom ent, perhaps late at night, to

mentally go over your d ay, and then think abou t

the past, and consider the future? If your age or

your h ealth suggests that m ore of your life is

behind you than a head of you, do you think about how

youll be remembered by family and friends?

Imagine the stor y of your life as a sacred text, to beread and discussed by you r grand childrens grandchildren.

Like man y sacred texts, your life is made u p of stories that

impa rt messages. If those futu re generations read the

collection of stories that is your life, searching for gu idan ce

about how to live, wh at wou ld your text teach them? What lessons would they glean from it? Would

there be stories about strong, end uring love? About wrong s made right? About struggles and trium phs,

or losses nobly su ffered? Abou t generosity and respon sibility? Would you r lifes priorities be clear?

When w e read sacred texts, its easy to focus on a well-turned p hrase, a mem orable quote. But for

stories to come alive, there has to be action. Things have to be done, not just talked about. Christs life

story was the ultimate example of actions matching w ords, of walking the talk. What message will

your actions commu nicate to futu re generations?

If you r life is a sacred text, planned giving writes a compelling story in the final chapter. Plannedgiving to Trinity Church allows you to do som ething to protect your ow n financial security and that of

your heirs, and yet leave behind a pow erful statement about the ideals and values that h ave been

important to you during your lifetime. There are a variety of planned giving methods offered at Trinity

that you can eva luate with your legal and financial advisers. A planned gift tells a meaningfu l story, and

gives the generations that follow a clear message abou t your p riorities expressed in action.

Planned Giving Through a Gift of Securities

When you consider making a gift to the church, keep in m ind th at there are wise and cost-effective

ways to make that gift. Many p eople have assets in the form of securities that can be given to Trinity to

help the parish continue to pu rsue Gods work in dow ntown Toledo and make a d ifference for future

generations.Giving Depreciated Securities

Many people own securities that have declined in value recently. If you are ho lding securities that

are now worth less than you paid for them, you can d ispose of them by making a gift to Trinity. In this

circumstance, it can be advantageous to sell the stocks and donate the proceeds, rather than transferring

the securities. The benefit of this app roach - you may claim a capital loss on you income tax return for the

difference between the amou nt you paid for the securities and the amou nt you sold them for, if you own ed

the stock for at least a year. In add ition, as always, you receive a charitable tax dedu ction for the full

amou nt of your gift.

Giving Appreciated Securities

If you transfer secur ities to the chu rch that hav e app reciated in value since their pu rchase, and

wh ich you have owned for at least a year, you will be eligible to take a charitable deduction for the full

market value of the securities on the day th at you m ake the gift. In add ition, you are not requ ired to pay

capital gains tax on the app reciation. For example, a $10,000 gift of stock for wh ich you p aid $4,400 more

than a year ago entitles you to a char itable dedu ction of $10,000. You w ill also avoid p aying tax on the

capital gain of $5,600 when you tran sfer the securities to the church. However, if you w ere to sell the

app reciated stock in order to m ake the gift in cash, you wou ld have to pay capital gains tax on the increase

in its value.

If you w ould like to consider m aking a gift of securities to Trinity, we encourage you to seek the

advice of your stockbroker or tax advisor. Trinity has documents that can assist you in the direct transfer

of securities to the chu rch. Contact the pa rish office for more information.


8/8

TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL PLEASE HANDLE PROMPTLY

Trinity Episcopal ChurchOne Trinity Plaza # Toledo, Ohio 43604-1585

Phone: 419-243-1231

Fax: 419-243-0920Email: [email protected]

+

Serving Downtown Toledo since 1842.

$Check here and return this pageif you no longer wish to be on Trinitys mailing list.

NON-PROFIT ORG.U. S. POSTAGE

PAIDToledo, Ohio

Permit Number 529

Were on the webwww.trinitytoledo.org

SUNDAYS 9 & 10:45 am, Holy Eucharist

10 am Formation for all ages(Please note: May 25 we will have Morning Prayer)

HOLY DAYS as announced

FOR THE PARISH COMMUNITY

Justin Pershing, Barb Simmons, Cheryl Davis, Ruth Pontius, Bud Gartz, Kate Whitmore, StJohns, Charleston during their transition, those on death row, all victims of war andviolence; Marie Harkey and David S. Nelson in their continuing vocational discernment.

For those who have died: Marshall Brown, Mary Ellen Thompson In the world:

Charlton Heston (actor).

servicesParish StaffElizabeth Hoster, RectorWayne F. Anthony, Associate for Music and the ArtsSusan Lowrey,Associate for Spiritual Development

Marie Harkey,Associate for Digital MinistriesVirginia Shafer, Executive Secretary

Jane A. Bueche, Parish AccountantBridget Blanchard, Organist

Parish VestryBecky Roth, senior warden; Jeff Albright, junior warden;Charles Kiskaddon, treasurer; Jason Rahe, clerkLucia Cooper, Bud Gartz, Jane Gomersall-Zohn,

Jennifer Siebold, Sherre Owens Smith, Karen Wabeke,Jim Zechman.

Parish OfficesMon thru Fri, 8:30 am 4:30 pm

Phone 419.243.1231 Fax 419.243.0920Email: [email protected]

Episcopal Diocese of Ohio

2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, 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

Building Services

Johnsons Cleaning Services, Housekeeping

prayers

vision & missionTrinity is called to be a progressive, inclusive and creative urban 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 ministries

that connect us to God, to one another, and to the world around us.

May 2008 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church

Documents

Transcript of May 2008 Trinity Topics Newsletter, Trinity Toledo Episcopal Church