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From the Vicar...
Another long "green season" begins: shall we use it to grow our prayers?
In our church calendar, we have arrived at the start of what is called "ordinary time" - the long "green season" following Pentecost that stretches all the way until Advent.
Many times we find ourselves in particular moments - you may have heard me talk about Advent moments, Epiphany moments, Holy Week moments, Easter moments, etc. - but often we find ourselves in ordinary time. We find ourselves in the ordinary, everyday, common, going on as usual time. And it is in the very ordinary that we have tremendous potential for growth with God and digging deeper into our spiritual lives.
During this long, green, growing, ordinary season, how will you as an individual and we in our communities engage more deeply with God in prayer? Will you have the courage to name aloud (or silently) those who are on your hearts and minds every Sunday during the Prayers of the People? Will you commit to spending five more minutes than you do already in prayer every day, perhaps adding to intercession and petitions more thanksgivings, more praise and adoration to God?
One way our prayers may well be different this season is through a new way of presenting our liturgies. Instead of containing most of the text in a thick weekly bulletin, we will print the parts that repeat regularly in a seasonal booklet that you'll find in the pews, and put the parts that change from week to week (the readings and hymns, generally) in a slimmer leaflet for distribution at the door.
This change not only saves us paper and money over the course of the summer, it gives us the opportunity to be a bit more experimental (and experiential) in our prayers. At Trinity, in particular, we will be introducing "home-grown" forms of the Prayers of the People (something we already do at Christ Church), all that's needed for which in the booklet is the community's response. This allows us to more readily respond to particular needs than the pre-set forms in the Prayer Book generally allow.
This fall, after we've lived with and prayed by our first two sets of these seasonal booklets (one for summer, another for Sept. through Nov.), we'll stop and evaluate how it's working. If it's working well, we'll continue with the use of an Advent booklet, an Epiphany booklet, a Lenten booklet, etc., as the coming church year unfolds. (Special occasions like Christmas, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost will still have their own bulletins as at present.)
As we take the opportunity to adjust to these new booklets and leaflets, just a reminder: please extend a loving and caring presence to all who share in our worship as guests. As you see new faces among us, please assist them with the hospitality to which we are called and welcoming words that make them feel at home.
Fr. Chip
June 7 brunch to continue our celebration of Trinity's 60th anniversary
Trinity's 60th anniversary celebration is under way! The celebration kicked off on Trinity's actual 60th anniversary last Sunday, with a festive choir anthem and wonderful Trinity hymns. This Sunday, June 7,we invite all Trinity "alumni" to return and join us for brunch following the 8:45 a.m. service. At the brunch, we'll have some historical displays up to help us enjoy our Trinity memories. Between then and the end of 2015, we plan to theme a number of events around this milestone, so stay tuned.
Let your talents shine!
This week, Time and Talent Pledge Forms began trickling in, either electronically or by mail. If you haven't reviewed yours yet, please do so by Sunday and fill out one form for each member of your household who plans to serve in some capacity in the program year to come (June 2015-May 2016). After results are collated, you'll be contacted by a Bishop's Committee member or ministry chair. You are asked to return your form(s), in person, by mail, or electronically, no later than this Sunday, June 7.
Your Bishop's Committee
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...
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June 7
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The Treasurers of both churches, Robert Bischoff and Jim Sparrell; Laurence Pappademus and David & Fran Plank of Trinity Church; Liz Malone & Lynda Swartz of Christ Church
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June 14
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The Clerks of our churches, Suzanne George and Diana Jodoin; Wes & Anne Rowe of Trinity Church; Carolyn Matthews of Christ Church
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Women Singing Out! to offer concert June 13 & 14
Bring your dancing shoes because Women Singing Out! will be Rocking OUT! Saturday, June 13th, 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 14th at 3 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 1035 Lafayette Rd. Portsmouth. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased here or at the door.
Some possible web glitches in the coming weeks
We are in the process of transitioning our web sites to a new platform that will make them more "mobile friendly." We hope to have these completed soon, but there may be times when all is not exactly "right" when pulling up our sites. Have patience - the change should be worth it...and we'll send out word when it's all finally in place and working correctly.
Discretionary Fund has busy month - can you help?
The month of May turned out to be a very busy one for our Vicar's Discretionary Fund - with significant expenditures to help people in need in both our communities. If you can make an "extra" gift to the Fund to get us back to our normal operating balance, it would be deeply appreciated. Please make your check payable to your own church with a memo, "Vicar's Discretionary Fund." We distributed over $200 in vouchers and over $600 in direct aid last month - so the need is great. Thank you for your compassion and generosity.
Fr. Chip
Are you going on vacation?
Are you going on vacation this summer? Your church family hopes you have a great time - but, before you go, just a reminder: the Church doesn't go on vacation! Our services continue throughout the summer months - and our bills still need to be paid. So please, take the time to keep your pledge up-to-date while you are away. Perhaps it is easiest to write a check before you leave, so you don't have to worry about it when you return.
How about making it official?
With the arrival of summer comes that moment when we can "catch our breath" in the church office and attend to matters that tend to get put off through the winter. One of these is parish record keeping.If you are worshiping with us, and consider yourself part of our church family, but have not yet "made it official" by asking for a letter of transfer from your previous congregation, please take a moment to be in touch with us and ask that we issue a Request for Transfer. (You can contact your previous congregation directly if you would prefer.)
Coming Sunday, June 28 at Christ Church...
Outdoor Eucharist and cookout
It's time to kick off the summer season! On Sunday, June 28, Christ Church will host an outdoor Eucharist and cookout (members of both churches welcome - though our joint cookout will be later this summer). The service will be at 11:00 a.m. in the shaded rear courtyard of the church. The cookout will follow on the side lawn. Bring your lawn chair and a side dish or dessert to share. Hamburgers, hot dogs and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP indicating how many from your household are coming to trinity55ad@gmail.com. This will help our food and set-up crews in their planning. Oh, and as for a rain date...we won't need one. It never rains on our cookouts! (If, ahem, it does, we'll come inside Hobbs Hall.)
For those of you who cannot (or prefer not) to come to the outdoor service, there will be a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Trinity Church that morning at the usual 8:45 a.m.
Looking way ahead to July...it's time for a ballgame!
As the "official ballgame organizer" at Christ Church, Exeter, I would like to invite parishioners at Trinity and Christ Churches to join us for our annual trip to the Fisher Cats game in Manchester on Sunday, July 19. This is the entire schedule for the day and you can join in as your Sunday schedules permit:
- 10:30 - tailgate party (burgers, dogs, etc.) at Christ Church, Exeter, 43 Pine St.
- 11:45 - bus leaves for Manchester with choir members (see choir invite below) and all who wish to leave the driving to someone else. Those who wish to drive on their own may do so.
- 1:30 - game begins between New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Portland Seadogs (Red Sox affiliate)! Choir members will sing the National Anthem and David Holroyd will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game! Immediately after the final out, kids can run the bases, after which the bus will immediately head back to Exeter.
The tailgate party is basically free. The cost of a ticket (great box seat behind third base) and the bus ride is $20.00 per person ($11.00 if folks drive on their own). A few pertinent details:
- The final cutoff date for tickets is July 5 but it would be good to start gathering names and numbers of tickets right away. Checks should be made out to Christ Church, Exeter, with "ballgame" on the memo. Drop your reservation and check in the offering plate - or stop it by the Shared Ministry office.
- Choir members from both congregations are invited to join Exeter's choir to sing the National Anthem. Bruce Adami and Suzanne Jalbert Jones, our music directors, will rehearse the group at the tailgate party. I will need those names as soon as they are available. Choir dress code is khaki pants or shorts and blue shirt. The more the merrier!
Tickets will be distributed at the tailgate party before boarding the bus or cars. If people are not coming to the tailgate party, other arrangements can be made as long as I know in advance.
Questions may be directed to me at dholroyd0219@comcast.net.
Hope you can join us with a big contingent. This is our fifth year and it is a truly fun event.
Cheers and blessings!
David Holroyd
Christ Church, Exeter
Brother, give us a word
Prayers of the People for this summer's General Convention will be collected from Episcopalians throughout the country during the period from June 24 - July 2. We hope you will consider writing a prayer or sending an image on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with #prayersof.
The prayers will follow one of nine themes, seven of which are the forms of prayer identified in the Book of Common Prayer: life, thanksgiving, praise, intercession, adoration, oblation, penitence, petition, and celebration.
We invite your prayers to the God of Life in words and images on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram in the format #prayersof #Thanksgiving. You may want to start "I give thanks...". Please consider sharing these with the Episcopal Church of NH on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, as well.
To learn more about how you can participate, please visit www.prayersofthepeople.org.
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