Trinity Church in Menlo Park
Please note that due to the wildfire in Big Sur, we have had to cancel the planned Church Camping Trip.  Please scroll down to Upcoming Trinity Events for more details.

 
This coming Sunday will be the last Sunday for Summer Sunday School at 10 am in Trinity Hall.  We are grateful to all our volunteers who have been sharing their stories of faith with our children this summer.   Godly Play and Explorers kick off the beginning of another year on September 18.  For the last two Sundays in August and the first couple of Sundays in September, children are encouraged to be in church with their parents -- the children's area will be available at the front of the church on these Sundays.

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, August 28, and be sure to join us at the 10:00 am service as we welcome the Rev. Ed Bacon as our guest preacher.  We are fortunate to have been given the opportunity to hear from Ed, who is acknowledged as one of the best preachers in The Episcopal Church.  Recently retired as the Rector of All Saints, Pasadena, he is known as a powerful speaker on issues of faith and justice for all.  You can learn more about Ed by clicking here.

We are also beginning to look forward to Sunday, September 11, when we will hold our annual Celebration Sunday that signals the kick-off of a new year of life and ministry together. We will have one service on that day, at 10:00 am, to bring the whole congregation together, and then enjoy lunch and some fun afterwards.  We will also be sharing our new three-year plan with you, and inviting you to offer your time and talent in some particular ministry opportunities for the first year of that plan.

The Spirit is moving at Trinity!

Peace,
MatthewSignatureGenuine  
 
P.S.  The schedule for my Monday evening OR Wednesday morning classes has been set for 2016-2017, and will focus on mystical Christianity.  You can see the schedule HERE.

P.P.S.   See below in this email for information on our Sunday Formation Sessions for adults and this year's Bishop's Ranch Retreat!
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 12
 - OWLS Picnic at Trinity 
August 13 - Youth, Children, and Families Pool Party
August 18-21
 - Church Camping Trip to Big Sur: CANCELLED
August 28 - Guest Preacher, The Rev. Ed Bacon
September 11 -
Celebration Sunday 
September 17 - Outreach Work Day at Redwood Family House
September 30 - October 2 - All Church Retreat
October 16 - Bishop's Visitation to Trinity
October 22 - Hearts for Justice

All of our upcoming events can be viewed here.
CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILIES NEWS
 
This Coming Sunday: Summer Sunday School

What Matters to Me and Why: EaRtHqUaKeS -- Led by Brad Aagaard  
Trinity's summer Sunday school program concludes this week! 
All K-5th graders are encouraged to arrive by 10:00 in the Good Shepherd classroom for this fun lesson. 

Thank you to all of our volunteers this summer who led our Sunday morning programs: Alice Chernikoff and Christian Pedersen, Camille Kennedy, Kate Dutton-Gillett, Elaine MacDonald, and Brad Aagaard. You made our summer great and taught us that what matters to us matters to God. 
 
Our nursery, located in Angus Hall, is open every Sunday for younger children.

Summer Potluck Pool Party 
Children, Youth, and Parents 
Saturday, August 13, 3-6 pm

Parents, children and youth groupers are invited to a potluck pool party at the home of Cathy and Robert Sage. Join us to enjoy the beautiful summer weather and get to know other families at Trinity! 

If you have any questions or to RSVP please contact Cathy Sage.
Address: 540 Los Altos Ave. Los Altos, CA 94022 

Fall Children's and Youth Formation Programs Begin Sept 11th

Sept 11th at 10:00 -- Children's Liturgy Kick Off in the Chapel
Sept 11th at  6:00 -- Youth Group Resumes in the Tierney Room
Sept 18th at 10:00 -- Children's Godly Play and Explorers Resume in Trinity Hall 
Sept 18th at 11:15 -- Singing Saints for K-6th graders
Sept 18th at 11:15 -- Confirmation for youth in 7th-12th grade


UPCOMING TRINITY EVENTS
OWLS Annual Picnic
Friday August 12th, Noon in the Trinity Courtyard

Please join us on Friday, August 12th, at 12:00 for the OWLS Annual Picnic, held this year at Trinity. We are setting up tables in the courtyard between the Church and Montgomery House, under the cool shade of the trees. Our own Alecia McDowell and her husband Nate will be the Disc Jockeys for the event, playing your favorite songs to celebrate the summer and entertain attendees. If you have any special music requests please call/email Alecia.  Come visit with your friends and catch up, in a festive, yet relaxing venue.  We will serve BBQ chicken, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw, corn muffins, watermelon, and end the meal with "make your own sundaes". We hope to have a great turn-out, with OWLS and all parishioners who want to join us!! But we need you to call or email our "D.J. Extraordinaire" Alecia in the Church Office to let us know by August 9th if you are coming. Hope to see you at the picnic! 

Big Sur Camping Trip is CANCELLED Due Fire
August 18-21, 2016

Due to the fires in the Big Sur area, we have had to cancel the planned Church Camping Trip to the Santa Lucia Campground.   As of Wednesday, August 10, the fire had reached the area of the campground, which had been placed under an evacuation order.  Please keep the people of the Big Sur area in your prayers as they continued to be affected by the wildfire.

We have contacted all those who registered for the camping trip by email.  If you have already paid for the trip, there are three options:  you may reclassify your payment as a donation to the church; you may apply that payment to the Bishop's Ranch Retreat if you plan on attending; or we will issue a refund.  Please let Rev. Elizabeth know which option you would like to choose. 

Outreach Work Day at Redwood Family House 
Saturday, September 17
Trinity Outreach is planning a work day on September at Redwood Family House to offer our hands and hearts to help maintain and improve this shelter. The facility is operated by LifeMoves, (formerly InnVision Shelter Network,) to provide transitional housing in Redwood City for 9 homeless families with 15-25 children.  Volunteers are needed to prep and paint railings and other areas, build a cover for the sandbox, and do some light weeding and general clean-up of the playground area.  To volunteer, or if you have questions, contact Jim Bramlett or Barbara Newton.  For more information on Redwood Family House and this project, please click here.

Save the Date - Hearts for Justice: Addiction, Recovery, and Grace
October 22, 2016

Save the Date for this year's Hearts for Justice conference! We will be focusing on addiction and recovery with two great speakers: Fr. Tom Weston and The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen. You can read more about them here.
 
Want to volunteer help make Hearts for Justice happen? Please contact Rev. Elizabeth Riley.

Stephen Ministry Training This Fall

Two years ago Trinity launched a Stephen Ministries program. Stephen Ministries is a one-on-one pastoral care program. It trains members of the congregation to offer ongoing pastoral care to individuals in the midst of transition, change, or life hardship. Stephen Ministers are weekly prayer partners to those they minister too. Stephen Ministies work with the clergy to provide long term pastoral care and comfort to our community. 
 
We are currently looking for new members of the Trinity community to join our current Stephen Ministry Team. You can learn more about Stephen Ministry here. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Rev. Elizabeth Riley.

THIS COMING SUNDAY
August 14th, 2016
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Click here for this Sunday's Readings 
    
5:05 Service:
There is no 5:05 Service during summer. The 5:05 returns September 18th.
 
Did you miss last Sunday? Listen to the sermon here!

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS
Twilight Fashion Show for Catherine's Center
August 30th 5:30-7:30 pm at Trinity Church

Catherine's Center will be hosting their annual fashion show fundraiser at Trinity on Tuesday August 30th. Join us for cocktails, mocktails, and heavy hors d'oeuvres to help support the work of Catherine's Center. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased here.
 
Multi faith  Peace Walk & Picnic
September 11, 2 pm
 
Join with other local houses of faith for a multi faith peace walk in September 11th! The walk starts at Congregation Etz Chayim, Spark Church and St. Andrews United Methodist Church parking lots, 4111 & 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto. You can learn more bout it here.
 
SUNDAY FORMATION SESSIONS & BISHOP'S RANCH RETREAT
With the success of our last Lenten Series, we will be offering several Sunday Formation Sessions this year.  As a result of our recent planning process, the theme for these Sunday Sessions in 2016-2017 will be "Episcopal 101:  Faith & Life in the Episcopal Tradition".  The first two of these Sunday Sessions will be on September 18 and 25, and will focus on the ethos or spirit of our tradition, captured by the term "via media" or "middle way".  As we did this past Lent, we will have a quick lunch following the 10 am service, followed by learning time, all to be done by 12:45 pm.   Children will be invited to practice with the Singing Saints children's choir in preparation for the Bishop's Visit on October 16.  More information on these sessions, and all our Sunday Session offerings this year, may be found here.
+ + + + + +
Our annual All-Church Retreat at Bishop's Ranch is coming up!  We begin Friday evening, September 30, and run through Sunday morning, October 2.  The retreat provides generous amounts of free time to relax, reconnect, and deepen relationships.  A programmatic element is included for Saturday morning, and this year we will be following our "Episcopal 101" formation theme with a focus on the history and meaning of the various parts of the Eucharist.   All are invited, but space is limited, so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible.  Information, including online registration link, may be found here. 
 
LINKS
The Trinity Church calendar can be found here.

A complete list of upcoming Trinity events can be found here.

For information about online giving, and other information about Trinity, please visit our website: www.trinitymenlopark.org
 
 
 
PRAYER
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ The Book of Common Prayer

Sincerely,
 
Trinity Church Communications
Trinity Church in Menlo Park
650-326-2083