Trinity Church in Menlo Park


 
Many people, both staff and lay leaders, have been working to put together a robust menu of offerings for the Trinity community this Fall.  These include opportunities to be more deeply formed in our faith, opportunities to serve others in need, and opportunities to gather for various community events and celebrations that strengthen our bond with one another.   We will also be enjoying a visit from our Bishop in October.

This email is meant to put all these offerings in one place, so you can easily see what is planned out and how you want to plug in.  We kick off this next season of life and ministry together on September 11, with our annual Celebration Sunday.  We will worship together at one service at 10 am, followed by lunch and fun.  We will also be sharing our three-year plan with you that day.   In addition, we will be offering a Children's Liturgy in the Chapel at the same time as the 10 am service for the younger members of our community. 

Look over these offerings, and join with us this Fall as we continue our pilgrimage together into a deeper life in Christ.

Peace,
MatthewSignatureGenuine  
 
FALL UPCOMING EVENTS
August 28 - Guest Preacher, The Rev. Ed Bacon
September 11 - Celebration Sunday 
September 17- Outreach Work Day at Redwood Family House
September 18 - The 5:05 Service Returns
September 18 & 25 - Sunday Formation Sessions "Via Media"
September 19 - The Rector's Class Begins
September 30 - October 2 - All Church Retreat
October 8th - Women of Trinity Dinner
October 9th - Blessing of the Animals
October 14 - OWLS Meeting
October 16 - Bishop's Visitation to Trinity
October 22 - Hearts for Justice
October 23 - Recovery Sunday
October 30 - Halloween Party
November 6 - All Saints Day
November 10 - OWLS Meeting
November 20 - Advent Wreath Making
December 4 - St. Nicholas Visits
December 4 & 11 - Adult Formation Sessions
December 8 - OWLS Meeting
December 11 - Lessons and Carols
December 18 - Christmas Party and Caroling
December 18 - Blue Christmas Service at 5:05
December 24 - Christmas Pageant and Christmas Eve Services
December 25 - Christmas Day Service

Details, descriptions, and more information about all of our upcoming events can be viewed here!
CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILIES EVENTS
Fall Children's and Youth Formation Programs Begin Sept 11th

Dear Trinity Youth and Families
 
Trinity Church's Program year kicks off on September 11th at 10:00 with a Celebration Sunday featuring a children's liturgy in the chapel and fun and informative activities following the 10:00 service. 

We have a year of wonderful programming led by committed Trinity adults for children, youth, and families and are delighted that you are part of this community. Read on to learn about Trinity's children, youth and families' programming year.

Many blessings,
 
Rev. Mary Greene

Sunday Morning Children's Liturgy
Begins September 11th in the Chapel at 10 

This year Trinity is offering a children's liturgy once a month in the chapel at 10:00 a.m. (at the same time as the Eucharist in the main church). The children's liturgy is open to all and will offer child-focused services that engage and invite our children and families into a closer relationship with God, the church and each other. Generally the children's liturgy will be held on the first Sunday of the month. On the Sundays when children's liturgy is offered, Godly Play and Explorers will not be offered.  

Upcoming Children's Liturgy Dates: September 11th, October 2nd (at Bishop's Ranch) November 6th, December 4th, January 8th, February 5th, March 5th, and April 9th.

Youth Group Kickoff
September 18th 6 - 8 pm

Trinity's weekly Faithful, Fun, Friendly, and Food-Filled Youth Group for 6th-12th graders resumes on most Sunday nights from 6-8 p.m. Parents and youth please join us in Trinity Hall at 6:00 p.m. to kick off our program year. Parents are asked to hang around for 30 minutes at this first gathering (from about 6-6:30) to meet, complete signups, and to get an overview of the year's plans while the youth enjoy a yummy dinner in the Tierney Room. Youth group will continue with fun programming from 6:30 -8:00 and parents can return to pick youth up at 8:00 p.m. 


Save the Dates for September

Sept 11th at 10:00 -- Children's Liturgy Kick Off in the Chapel
Sept 18th 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

Make sure to check out the full calendars for the upcoming year! The full calendars will be updated periodically to reflect changes through the program year. Make sure to bookmark them. You can also access them directly through the Trinity website. 

The full Youth Calendar can be viewed by clicking here.

The full Children and Family Ministries Calendar can be viewed by clicking here.


Fall Adult Formation
Sunday Formation Sessions 2016 - 2017 Program Year
Episcopal 101: Faith & Life in the Episcopal Church
 
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.
 
The Rector's Class 2016 - 2017 Program Year
Mystical Christianity

Rev. Matthew offers classes during the program year (September through May) on Monday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm, with the session repeated on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 am to 11:45 am. This year's focus will be Mystical Christianity.

The word "religion" means, at its root, "connection."  This suggests that the purpose of religion is to connect us to something -- to connect us to God.   A deeper connection with God also means making a deeper connection with that place in ourselves where we meet God and God meets us.  For Christians, Jesus is the one in whom we see this connection brought to life most clearly -- so clearly, in fact, that we are able to say that Jesus is God incarnate in a human life.  But Jesus makes clear that to follow him is to be led into the heart of God.  For centuries, Christians of every generation have responded to this call to discover, in their own personal experience, the mystery of God.   Generally, we have called these spiritual explorers "mystics", though that term has meant different things to different people in different times and places.   This year, the Rector's Class will focus on some of these spiritual explorers, beginning with the desert mothers and fathers and moving forward to mystics in our own time.   We will explore their insights, and see how their experiences intersect with our own.  This exploration is rooted in the conviction that we are each called to connect to the mystery of God, and in the embrace of that connection, to be transformed in a more Christ-like direction.

More information about The Rector's Class can be found here.
UPCOMING OUTREACH AND JUSTICE EVENTS
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. You can learn more about our upcoming work with Redwood Family House on the Trinity blog. 

To volunteer you can sign up online by clicking here or if you can contact Jim Bramlett or Barbara Newton.  

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.
AFFINITY GROUPS
Join a Trinity Affinity Group and Stay Connected

Trinity has several groups that utilize Google Groups to stay connected and plan events. Below is a list of groups with links to join through Google. If you have any questions about how to access the group, or if there is another group that Trinity should create, please contact Rev. Elizabeth.

Women of Trinity - join here!
Men of Trinity - join here!
Young Adults at Trinity - join here!
Trinity Parents of Babies and Preschoolers - join here!
Trinity Parents of K-5th Graders - join here!
Trinity Parents of Youth Group Members - join 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
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Trinity Church Communications
Trinity Church in Menlo Park
650-326-2083