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 Notes from the April Bishop's Committee meeting The meeting, held at Trinity Church, opened with a reflection by Fran Plank on the importance of not allowing ourselves to be victims. The first portion of the meeting was devoted to a recap of our recent open forums. It was decided that the forums had so successfully addressed the questions raised in the Mutual Ministry Review (MMR) questionnaires that it didn't seem necessary to follow-up with the half-day all-congregations retreat originally envisioned. The MMR follow-up team meets April 30, and will consider children's ministry issues and next steps in bolstering the Bishop's Committee's communications with the congregations. There will be a "Time and Talent" drive in May for the period of summer 2015 through spring 2016. The format will be similar to that used the past two years. Planning for this fall's "Come and See" program will begin in June. It will kick off with Homecoming Sunday on Sept. 13 at Christ Church and Sept. 20 at Trinity Church and conclude with the Blessing of the Animals on Oct. 4 (a joint event at Christ Church at noon). Other summer events will include a June 7 outdoor service and picnic at Trinity to mark that congregation's 60th anniversary; a June 28 outdoor service and picnic at Christ Church; and a joint picnic, possibly at St. Andrew's, Rye, on a Saturday in August (date to be determined). In the individual "break-out" sessions: Trinity Church's committee discussed continuing efforts to update our agreements with the various ministries that use our facilities; discussed upcoming maintenance projects, including the painting of the church kitchen, the removal of several problem trees, and repairs of damage incurred in this winter's storms. We also are seeking an adjustment in our water bill after a pipe break that went undiscovered for a couple of weeks in February. Christ Church's group outlined next steps in that church's upcoming Capital Campaign. The campaign was introduced at our April 19 forum, and team members are being recruited between now and the first planning meeting on May 3rd. The committee also discussed sewer line repairs that will be needed in the coming weeks, and appointed a new liaison to Little Blessings: Peter Monte. The Treasurers presented financial statements showing a positive cash flow in March. This put's Trinity's budget "in the black" for the first quarter; Christ Church is slightly "in the red" - but by less than budgeted. The next meeting will be held on May 19 at Christ Church. Full minutes will be posted when they become available. Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry. In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for... |
May 3
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Seacoast Area Youth Ministry; Nancy McHeachren, Ida Moriarty, and Elizabeth Jambard, all of Trinity Church; Lee Hoginski of Christ Church
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May 10
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The Worship Committee at Trinity Church; Hope Murray & Tommy, and Anne Newell of Trinity Church; Joan HoSue of Christ Church
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Jazz Night at Hobbs House - Trinity Church
Come listen and dance to the
Epsico-Cats Jazz Band! We will have hors d'ouvres and desserts.
Date: May 2, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Place: Hobbs House - Trinity Church 200 High Street, Hampton
Tickets are $10 per adult, and $5 for children under 18 and seniors.
The Remarkable Life of Celia Thaxter
Saturday, May 16 at Hobbs House, Trinity Church
You are invited to explore "The Remarkable Life of Celia Thaxter" in a presentation by actor Stephanie Voss Nugent on Saturday, May 16 at Hobbs House at Trinity Church. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served; the presentation begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Trinity and Christ Churches are the co-sponsors of the event.
"The Remarkable Life of Celia Thaxter" is a slide presentation in which Nugent, a professional actor, director, producer, and founding Executive Director of ACT ONE, invites participants to join her "backstage," as she transforms historical research into performance, tracing Celia's life from her childhood on White Island Light to her unexpected fame as a writer. Using archival photography and performing extended passages from Celia's prose and poetry, Nugent explores the forces that shaped Thaxter's work, and we are introduced to some of the writers, musicians, and artists who followed Celia to her beloved island home each summer.
For more information or to reserve your tickets, please call (603) 926-5688. Tickets may be purchased at the door (cash or check only please).
 23rd annual Letter Carriers' Food Drive is on May 9
On Saturday, May 9, 2015, letter carriers across the country will be collecting food for families in need. Our own pantry at Hobbs House is among the agencies that will be receiving this food for distribution. It's easy to help:
1. Collect and bag non-perishable* food items
2. Place by mailbox for letter carrier to deliver to a local food bank or pantry
*Donate items like canned meats, fish, soup, juice, vegetables, pasta, cereal, peanut butter and rice. Please do not include items that have expired or are in glass containers.
Trinity's 60th anniversary 
Trinity's 60th anniversary is rapidly approaching! The celebration kicks off on Trinity's actual 60th anniversary: Trinity Sunday, May 31. We will have a special Eucharist in honor of the occasion that day - but the "festive event" referenced in last week's article will come one week later, on Sunday, June 7, when we will invite all Trinity "alumni" to return and join us for an outdoor service and picnic on the Trinity Church lawn. Christ Church folk are, of course, welcome as well - but we'll be saving our joint picnic for an August date. Between then and the end of 2015, we plan to theme a number of events around this milestone, so stay tuned.
Seacoast Convocation to celebrate Ascension Day Taizé service
St. John's Church, Portsmouth
Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m.
Ascension Day stands alongside Christmas, Easter and Pentecost as one of the four "Major Feasts of Our Lord." Following the chronology outlined in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, it commemorates our Lord's Ascension to the Father on the fortieth day after the Resurrection.
The Seacoast Convocation of the Episcopal Church will offer a joint celebration in the Taizé tradition in honor of this occasion on Thursday, May 14. The 7:00 p.m. service will be held at St. John's Church, Portsmouth.
I encourage you to come - you will find it an uplifting (sorry for the pun, it's not entirely unintentional...) experience.
Fr. Chip
Calendar drawing winners
Throughout the month of April, we will be publishing the winners of our daily Calendar fundraiser drawings. Cindy Robinson will draw a name each day and the winner will be notified they've won - and how to retrieve their gift. All names go back in the basket - so each person has thirty chances to win. And no prize is worth less than $50! Here are our winners for the April 15-21 drawings ("GC" means "gift card"):
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Date
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Prize(s)
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Winner
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Apr. 22
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$50 GC: Market Basket
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Jennifer Bean
(sold by Patrice Wood)
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Apr. 23
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$25 GC: Harley Davidson
$25 GC: Ron Jillian's
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J. P. Kelty, Jr.
(sold by Rusty Bridle)
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Apr. 24
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$50 GC: Shell Gasoline
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Katie Towler
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Apr. 25
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$40 GC: Cinemagic Movies
$20 GC: GameStop
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Brigid Bauroth
(sold by Gretchen Gobar)
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Apr. 26
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Great Bay Pottery utensil holder valued at $40
$20 GC: 401 Restaurant
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Suzanne George
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Apr. 27
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$30 GC: Market Basket
$25 GC: Ocean Wok restaurant
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Patti Adams
(sold by Sandi Nickerson)
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Apr. 28
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$35 GC: Hess Gasoline
$25 GC: Market Basket
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Rose Avery
(sold by Ginny Bridle)
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New Hampshire Gay Men's Chorus to present "Decades"
at Christ Church, Portsmouth, Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m.
Tickets are now available on the New Hampshire Gay Men's Chorus' tickets page for the Chorus's Spring 2015 concert, "Decades"! So think Spring and save the date! The Chorus brings you a new, exciting concert theme that showcases 100 years of music! In "Decades," the Chorus will serenade you with the best, most popular music of each of the last 10 decades, beginning with the roaring 1920s right up to the present time. So mark your calendar for May 3, 2015 at 4 p.m. at Christ Church, Portsmouth - and plan on enjoying the ride! For complete concert info go to the Chorus's Upcoming Performances page.
19th Annual Seacoast AIDS Walk
Sunday May 3, 2015
Our Goal is to Raise $30,000
The 19th annual Seacoast AIDS Walk is coming up this Sunday, May 3, stepping off from Portsmouth City Hall at 2 pm. Registration opens at 1 p.m. To register, follow this link: http://arswalk.kintera.org/ . The Walk goes on rain or shine. Assembly area is at Portsmouth City Hall, 7 Junkins Ave, Portsmouth. There is ample public parking around City Hall, watch for signs.
If you still have questions, please email walk@aidsresponse.org or visit the above website. Note, too, that volunteers are needed before and after the event. There's a place on the website to register as a volunteer.
Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 9th
Just a reminder for the upcoming plant sale at Christ Church on Saturday, May 9th from 8-2.
Now is the time to start separating the perennials in your gardens so that they can be part of the annual plant sale. We will have a brief meeting after the service on Sunday, May 3rd at Christ Church to discuss the plant sale.
Thanks for your help!
Tena Wolf
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