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Rector's Report for June
Sabbath Time: "And on the seventh day, God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation." {Gen. 2} The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word which means to cease or desist. For the people of Israel, keeping the Sabbath holy meant a weekly day of rest and abstention from work. It was a gift of necessary downtime for a people who were once enslaved and who later worked the land to eke out a living. Now that we are a people connected to a world wide web and living in a culture where more, bigger, better, and faster are valued over taking time out to care for our bodies, minds, and souls, Sabbath time has become a forgotten commodity for most people. Sunday has become the busiest shopping day of the week in California, often depriving us and the sales people a day on which to worship, rest, and spend time with our families.
Because there will always be more to do on one's task list and because overseeing a church community is a 24/7 endeavor, the Episcopal Church has encouraged its clergy to take a sabbatical every five years. It is written into our contract! Its purpose is to give the clergy time to set aside their duties and to listen to God. This includes refreshing one's batteries and discerning goals and direction for the church community. I have been at Trinity Church now for over 5 1/2 years. With the vestry's blessing, I have decided to take a mini-sabbatical this summer from July 12-August 5th. I will be spending time in the New Mexico desert, attending a Richard Rohr seminar and praying with the Benedictine monks at the Monastery of Christ in the desert. {http://christdesert.org} Why the desert?
"Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words." {BCP 856} Contemplation is the act of "looking thoughtfully at something for a long time or to gaze attentively." A sabbatical (with part of my time in the desert) gives me the space to pray, contemplate, and study without distraction. What do I hope to thoughtfully consider? I want to better understand and gain some wisdom on how to lead a congregation in the 21st century. What worked in the early years, doesn't seem to be as effective now, at least in Amador County. The forces in society that pull people away from being part of a community of faith seem to be stronger than the forces that draw people into a worshiping community at this time.
Whereas people used to attend church 3-4 times per month, many only attend 1-2 times per month. Whereas families used to join their parents on special days such as Christmas, Easter, and Mother's Day, adult children are now pulling their parents away from the church by scheduling special events on these holy days. In a culture where commitment is fleeting, the offering of time, talent, and treasure to a church has becomes a struggle. I have no doubt that the gospel of Christ remains compelling and that people crave for a spiritual connection to the Source of Life. But how to keep a community of faith alive and thriving during this time of social upheaval and reformation, well, that will be something I will contemplate and study during my time off.
There are two things I hope you will do for me during my sabbatical. First and foremost, pray for me. Pray that I will listen intently to God's voice. And pray that I will gain wisdom in helping Trinity Church move forward into the 21st century. Second of all, I will be gone for 3 Sundays and would like you to attend worship at Trinity while I am absent. I have noticed that when I am on vacation, attendance drops. This is a disappointment because we gather together to worship God, not the rector. You are the body of Christ, the Church, and your presence is vital to the vitality of the community. So please make a commitment to attend Sunday service at Trinity when you are in town.
Finally, please pray for me and your vestry as we gather at our annual retreat in Carmichael on June 10th. We will take a look at the ministries at Trinity, evaluating them by importance and noting where to put our efforts in building up leadership. If you are interested in being on the vestry (church board) next year, please let me know or speak to one of your vestry members. If you don't know who they are, look at their names on the back of the Sunday bulletin and get to know them. They are a great group of folks and I give God thanks for their presence in my life.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Karen Siegfriedt+
Photos of Activities at Trinity in May:
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| | Celebrating Mother's Day at Trinity |
Trinity outing to PAWS
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| | Trinity Singers on Pentecost Sunday |
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Did You Know?
- June 14th: Trinity outing to Big Trees and lunch at Ironstone. Meet in the Trnity parking lot at 9am to carpool.
- July 3rd: Rector's open house 7:30-10:00pm. Slideshow at 8:00pm and fireworks at 9:15.
- Book Study at Trinity led by rector: Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr. Aug. 12, 19, 26 5:30-7:00pm.
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Vestry Briefs
May 26, 6:00pm, Jane's Hall
New Business: Vestry members discussed various ways by which our Trinity congregants could form closer ties, recognizing that with 2 services, people who generally attend one service may not get to know people from the other one. This will be pursued at the Vestry retreat. We also had a discussion based on the Vestry Guide handbook.
Rector's Report: Pastor Karen outlined the schedule and topics to be discussed at the June 10-11 Vestry retreat. A Trinity pool party was scheduled for Saturday, August 6, at the invitation of the Laffertys.
Old Business: Plans were reviewed for the Parish Picnic at Detert Park on Oct.9. David Hoos, Jr. Warden, reported that the urinal in the men's rest room now functions well. He will compile a binder that contains important information about the buildings and grounds for maintenance and repairs. Needs to be addressed: a grab bar in the Jane's Hall restroom and safety paint on the bump outside of the kitchen door. Margaret Lewis reported that the Charter for Compassion committee will reconvene in the fall, and that the Missio-Engage team is organizing a food drive at Safeway on July 8-9. The Back-Pack 2 School in gathering is a June event.
Financials: Carol Holt presented a report showing a drop in pledges as compared with the projected amount.
The meeting closed with prayer.
At both services on June 5, I (Nancy) will share with you the Vestry 's wholehearted support of Pastor Karen's upcoming sabbatical.
Submitted by Nancy Moore, Sr. Warden
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Back-Pack 2 School
The Back-Pack 2 School Program provides backpacks and school supplies for students from financially stressed families who are going into grades K-12 living in Amador County. Trinity Church has a tradition of participating by donating backpacks, school supplies and money to provide students what they need to succeed in school.
There will be a box(es) in Jane's Hall for donations. A list of supplies will be posted. If you prefer to make a money donation, please put your check in the collection plate with a memo stating Back-Pack 2 School Program. The last Sunday for collection before going for distribution is SUNDAY, JUNE 26. Thank you for your generous participation by showing God's love to the children of the community!
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Upcoming Food Drive
Hunger doesn't take a vacation- On Friday, July 8th and Saturday, July 9th, Trinity Episcopal Church is partnering with Safeway to sponsor a food drive for the Interfaith Food Bank of Amador County.
As you know, the schools provide meals for many children in our community and when summer comes, these meals are no longer available. Amador County also has a thriving senior program, but many seniors are unable to go to the senior center to participate in their meals. The food bank is able to provide food to low income seniors, homeless, disabled and unemployed individuals and families that require assistance. Sadly, summer is the time that the food bank experiences difficulty getting donations and has a shortage of non-perishable grocery items that are needed to fill the many requests for food.
Helping to feed the hungry has always been a part of our church's mission and sponsoring the food drive, providing homeless bags, volunteering at the Interfaith Food Bank Thrift Store Great Finds, and the Interfaith Food Bank are all ways in which we accomplish this goal.
We need volunteers to work a minimum of a two-hour shift on July 8th or 9th. Shifts start at 9:30am and end at 6pm on Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturday. A clip board at the welcome center (back of church) will be provided for you to sign up or you can call Noreen Lafferty at 274-4000.
Thank you for your generosity and commitment to this outreach.
Submitted by Noreen Lafferty
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Food Bank Donations
The Food Bank's cart, in the sanctuary, yielded 117 lbs. of food in May. Total giving in 2016: 756 lbs. of food.
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Trinity Singers Rehearsals
All are invited to join the Trinity Singers/Worship Team! Rehearsals are the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7PM. Bring your voices, your instruments, and a heart for worship and praise! For more information, please contact Carol Harper at 916-604-1872 or email carol@worshipattrinity.com. Web site: WorshipAtTrinity.com.
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June Birthdays
 The following members of our church family are celebrating birthdays in June! 1st- Katie Christensen 6th- Jo Foote 10th- David Hennings 12th- Lila Jean Regan 15th- Janet Kendig 17th- Glenda McClenahan 18th- Paul Dinger 22nd- Carol Holt 28th- Rouze Foote If you are celebrating a birthday in June, but you don't see your name listed here, please contact our Parish Administrative Asst. |
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Would You Like to Contribute to the Newsletter?
If you have an article of interest to the congregation that you would like included in the newsletter, please email it to the office, office@trinitysuttercreek.org by the 20th of the month. It will be included in the next month's newsletter. |
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