Volume MMXX Issue V May 2020

The Trinity Times

Rev. Taylor Albright Rector

The Rev. Patricia Joy Deacon Emeritus

The Rev. Julie Mudge Honorary Associate

Paula Kern Director of Music Ministry

Amanda Lavallee Director of Christian Education

Carole Noonan Parish Administrator

Ed Gaidos, Bookkeeper

Kevin Pelletier, Sexton

Happy Birthday/Anniversary

Service Times

Upper Room Available

Pizza Prayer and a Pint

Need A Mask?

Easter Bunny Drive By

Holy Week at Trinity

Keep In Touch

Youth and Family Ministries

Healing Ministry

May Prayer Calendar

Vestry Meeting Minutes

May Online Events

Dear Friends in Christ,

Grace and peace to all who are part of the worshiping community of Trinity Church. God is still God, Jesus is risen and is at the right hand of the Father. The Spirit is at work in you and around you in the world. A lot of other parts of our lives are TBD, but we know that Jesus is Lord, and our lives are centered in him. We continue to embrace the changes the virus has brought. A month ago, that meant wondering if we would have a Holy Week and Easter. A month ago, we wondered if school would reopen after Spring break. A month ago, many of us wondered what the closures would mean for our jobs. Now, some of those questions have been answered, but now we face new ones. Thats why we return to what we do know for sure : God still calls the shots, God loves us, God will provide for us. Trusting God is more important to us now than we may have ever thought. What are we doing as a church right now? The date when it will be safe for churches to resume in-person worship is still uncertain. Our ethic for decision making comes from the command of Jesus, the one he demonstrated in his Passion: To love one another. Our decision making must always be based on how we are called to love others, even our enemies. To follow Jesus we must give up our claim for our personal rights. We are called to take up our own cross, and we follow where Christ is leading. We will not endanger the health of others because we have a right to be physically present in worship. Our love for one another may also mean that we rethink our own finances so that someone who has taken a hit from the closure has enough to pay for their expenses. That is just being a disciple. This week, we have begun working on ways to resume some programs and to develop new programs that fit our current circumstances. Within a few weeks, we hope to have programs like the Women's Tuesday morning Bible study and the Wednesday afternoon Dwelling in the Word group meeting on Zoom. Some of our ongoing small groups are already there. What's coming are several new programs done in ways we haven't done before. We hope to have both disciple focused programs, like prayer and teaching, and community building opportunities offered in both a live and recorded format. That way, people can access them when they can fit it into their schedules. And, these programs will be shorter, some as short as 20 minutes, in order to make them easier to access. Our finances have been OK so far. Some of our members have given ahead, knowing we would need some cushion during this time. Much of our giving has been connected to the offering and passing the plate at our in person Sunday service. Since we are unable to do that at this time, we encourage members to send their pledged giving in by mail, or, to arrange direct transfer from their bank, or, to contact Ed Gaidos at the Office to arrange for direct deposit. We also are using PayPal and will be adding giving through Facebook to make it easier. Our online attendance continues to grow. Last Sunday, we had just under 90 'devices' signed into Zoom, 26 through Facebook Live and Facebook Watch parties, and by today, at least 481 people have watched some part of our Sunday worship on Facebook. How can we further serve these people? (Continued on page 3)

2 Bill Cross 3 Karen Demmons 3 Ryan Salisbury 4 Ron Hall 6 Rebecca May 8 Liz Hart 8 Timothy Morris 10 Bill Garrity 11 Jason Demmons 11 Jonah Thayer 13 Sharon Girard 14 Andrew Mylander 15 Lori Ferreira 15 Kyle Madigan 15 Karen Sterrett

17 Nealy Martin 18 Carolyn Clement 19 Denis Reardon 19 Rollie Sterrett 19 Ella Thayer 20 Catharina Bates 23 Jared Lobo 23 Spencer Malley

3 Ron & Katie Amarante

18 Robert & Rebecca Malley

21 Dan & Heather Nagy

22 David & Kerrie Stelly

26 Alan & Dana Wild

30 Troy & Michele McFarlane

May 11th for all articles for the

JUNE Trinity Times

Thank you !

TRINITY WORSHIP SERVICES

All services are online. See the Trinity website for

instructions and links: www.trinitytariffville.org

Weekdays Prayers

Morning Prayer at 8 am

Noonday Prayer at 11:30 am

Compline at 8 pm

Saturday Prayers

Morning Prayer at 8 am

Compline at 8 pm

Sundays

Join us online for coffee at 8:45 (bring your own) Sunday Service begins at 9:45 am

Our heartfelt condolences to Bob Malley and his family on

the death of Bob’s father

John Malley

who went to be with the Lord on April 22, 2020.

The Upper Room Devotional is Available

The May Upper Room Devotional has arrived at Trinity. We know many of you read the Upper Room and have inquired about getting a copy. If you would like a copy, there will be in a bin on the bench by the side door of the church. They will be available Monday - Friday from 9 am - 3 pm. If there is inclement weather, the bin will not be put out.

Pizza Prayer and a Pint Has A New Location

The Pizza Prayer and a Pint group is still meeting every 4th Monday of the month at 6:30 pm, however, not at the Cracker Barrel Pub. The new location is via Zoom. The link to the meet-ing will be available on the Trinity website at: www.trinitytariffville.org All are welcome. Come join the conversation!

Do you Need a Mask?

Bob and Elaine Chagnon, from our parish, have been making face masks with filters. If you have a need for one, send a text to Elaine at: 860-930-8703. There is no charge for them. Usually the turnaround time is a day or two. These masks are not medical grade and they do not prevent the virus.

We need your help and input. (Continued from page 1)

We still have many questions! And you have the ability to help us answer them. We know there are many needs in the towns and neighborhoods where we live. Where is God calling us to serve? Families with school age children have been heavily affected by school and childcare closures, job loss, and now find themselves as homeschool teachers. Teachers have to learn new ways of engaging students by video recording. Some seniors are more isolated. Homeless people have fewer options. Hospital workers are exhausted.

There are many needs, but which ones are we being called to serve? Think of the needs this way, like a series of concentric circles. Church family, church neighbors, Farmington Valley, the wider world. We start with those closest to us and work our way out. Where is the need? Who needs the help? Where is the call?

Let's talk about that. You can call me directly and, after we talk, we can expand our discussion on Zoom.

Stay close to the Lord, pray for one another, find three things for which you are thankful, and call someone today. May the Lord help us to hear what he is saying in these challenging days.

Rev. Taylor Albright

Easter 2020 - The Easter Bunny Drive By Since we were not able to have our annual Easter Egg Hunt, our Easter bunny made a drive by to several families in our parish.

Holy Week at Trinity 2020

(wish you were here)

Drive By Palm Pick Up

Palm Sunday

Maundy Thursday

Good Friday

Easter Vigil Easter Sunday

Youth and Family Ministries Update!

Boy Have we been busy!

On Wednesday, April 1st we had nine families join a zoom meeting to make palm crosses with Bill Pascucci. The kids learned very quickly and moved on while the parents had a chance to chat and catch up. Those crosses where then picked up from each house by Manda and bagged up for members of the congregation.

Then on Wednesday, April 8th, a smaller group met again on zoom to paint their Drive By Easter Eggs. That was a hit for our Tariffville Neighbors.

On Saturday, April 11th, The Easter Bunny got a ride in my Grandpa’s 1961 MG Midget (British Racing Green) and got to stop at all our kid’s homes to check in with them. (Since they did not get to see EB at our regular Easter Egg Hunt.) We decided we are going to have to do that next year because we had so much fun!

On Wednesday, April 15th and Thursday, April 16th, we met again with a large group to make Easter Cross and Empty Tomb pictures. Most of us painted, others used crayons and oil pastels to decorate their pictures.

In the coming weeks we will most likely stick to the once a week lesson and craft/ activity with Miss. Manda. We also have some of our Sunday School teachers who will be reaching out to your kids with Sunday School lessons and words of encouragement.

As a reminder we also have a number of Educators in our Church who are happy to speak with parents who might want encouragement or suggestions. Just send me a text and I will get you in touch with someone who can help.

Finally, don’t forget to utilize the TrinityTariffville.org website! There is a kid’s service there done by Life.Church, a great playlist of songs with lyrics, and the links to join our Kids and Teens groups, our many prayer meetings, and Sunday Service!

I miss getting to see you all in person, but I am so glad for this time to connect in other ways!

We were able to mail out 34 K.I.T. Easter packages at the end of March. Thank goodness for the Windsor Locks Post Office at Bradley. They consistently take care of our mailings with patience and expertise. We continue to pray for all essential workers in this time of uncertainty.

Summer Barbecue News !

We are tentatively planning the K.I.T. Summer Barbeque for members and the Young Adults of the parish. However, given the circumstances, we’ll have to Keep In Touch with you as the date gets closer. Please mark your calendars just in case we can go ahead with the barbeque at Moe & Geri Lavallee’s house on June 7th at 1:00 PM. Stay tuned !

We are lifting up all our K.I.T. members and their families in the midst of these challenging times. Please find a moment each day to realize joy, peace, and comfort in God’s great love for each of us!

Moe and Geri Lavallee: 860-651-4232 Email: MCLAVALLEE@AOL.COM Facebook: Geri Lavallee

K.I.t. Keep In ouch

The Trinity parking lot is the “Grand Central” of Tariffville. Everyday people are passing through. There are people walking dogs, or just them-selves, runners, kids on bikes or scooters, roller bladers, cars making u turns. With school closed and more folks at home, the traffic has in-creased. It’s a popular spot. We set up these stuffed animals in the win-dows for the folks to enjoy while passing through the parking lot.

We are in the season of Eastertide, when there are many instances of Jesus appearing spontaneously to the disciples. A time of recommitment to following the teaching of our Lord to this band of men. We also are in a time of anxiety and concern about what the next step we are to take during this time. Father Taylor has done an amazing job of keeping our faith community together enabling all of us to partake of services daily and Sunday. We are made aware of folks to pray for who might be ill or facing a difficult time. It is a time of “Being still and know that I am the Lord.” I would encourage all of us to repeat this mantra throughout your day as a reminder that Jesus is hearing our pleas. There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of our Lord. Blessings, Pat

OUR HEALING MINISTRY

PONDERING

Be still and know that I am God

Prayer Chain Requests

To put someone on the prayer chain call Sandy Cross 658-5772 or Pat

Joy 653-6721, contact the Church office

or e-mail Judy at

jbgessford@yahoo.com.

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

There are prayer shawls in the library that are still available. If you or some-one you know is in need of the comfort and assurance of our Lords healing pres-ence, please call the church and see how you can pick one up. I would suggest that, for the time being you wait until there is a safer time for a shawl. In the meantime, a note or phone call would be encouraging for someone going through a difficult time. Blessings, Pat

Father, during this time may your Church be a sign of hope, comfort and

love to all. Grant peace. Grant

comforts. Grant healing.

Be with us, Lord. Amen

Trinity Church Prayer & REFLECTION Calendar:….. May, 2020

May 3rd – Fourth Sunday after Easter

John 10:9….I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture

The sheep pen, then as now, is an enclosure open to the elements and the scrutiny of the owner. It is not covered in or roofed over like a barn or shed, it has no door either, just an opening. Its walls are open to the sun, the sky, rain and wind. They are often made of rough stones with a layer of thorn brush along the top. They can be quite dirty, smelly places but their main purpose is to provide protection. At night, after the sheep are in, the shepherd just lays down in the doorway. He becomes the gate. There is no legitimate access to the sheepfold except through him. So anyone who tried to climb over the wall to get in was obviously up to no good. If a predator tries to enter, the shepherd would be disturbed. The shepherd therefore puts his life at risk to protect his sheep in becoming the gate. A hired hand won’t but the owner will. The people would have been familiar with the many occasions in the Hebrew scriptures where the Lord God describes himself as a shepherd. So Jesus is saying He is NOT one of many doors to the Father, He is the ONLY DOOR. He never claimed to be one route among several to an intimate relationship with God but insisted He was the only way. Lord Jesus…..Help us to see and understand that there is only way to the Father and that is thru You. Thank you for being our loving shepherd who protects and provides a safe passage to your Kingdom. In your name we pray….

May 10th – Fifth Sunday after Easter

1 Peter 2:9-10……….But you are not like that, for you have been chosen by God himself—you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own—all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness; now your very lives have been changed by it.

We have heard people say, “what’s in a name?” The answer to this famous question is very important from God’s perspective. Names often reflect something about us. Peter’s original name was Simon Bar Jona ( or son of Jonah). The name Peter comes from the Greek Petros meaning “rock” or “stone”. He was faithful and steady, and he was also impulsive, brash, outspoken, loud, self-confident, and even arrogant, he was rock solid in his love for Jesus.

Why would the Savior pick a man who at one point denied knowing Him. For the same reason He picks us. He sees potential in our lives. Though we fail, He knows what our lives contain, and He wants to transform our brokenness and faults for His use. We can learn an awesome lesson about faithfulness by studying the life of Peter. What we will find is this: His most compelling characteristic wasn’t impulsiveness or outspokenness, but his willingness to change and, in Jesus’ hands, to become a person mightily used by God. What’s in a name? Today it isn’t so important what we are called…just what we hear and obey when God calls us. Lord Jesus,…..You are the Potter and we are clay. Mold us and change us and help us to obey. Thank you for seeing the potential in us that we don’t. In your name we pray….

May 17th – Sixth Sunday after Easter

1 Peter 3:14-16…..But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it. Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way. Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good.

Does it matter what we believe?

When the apostle Peter wrote to the believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, the persecution of Christians was intensifying. He realized that believers needed to stand strong in their faith, so he instructed them, “Do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account. Everyone needs faith during times of adversity and hardship. Whether the trouble is persecution from a political body, a natural disaster, or interpersonal conflict, it is important to know what we believe so that we can remain strong.

When we trust in Christ, we have placed our faith in the very One who has overcome the world. Yet if we do not have confidence that Christ’s salvation is sure, what guarantee do we have?

Malcom Muggeridge wrote, “It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything.”

How easy is it to throw away our faith when it seems like God has abandoned us and our circumstances are more than we can bear? Yet it is precisely in the darkest moments of our lives when faith in God is crucial. Heavenly Father, thank you that we are able to call you Father, Abba. Help us to remember that You will never forget the promise You made to us as we clutch our faith in You with both of our hands. You are so faithful and we know that You will not disappoint us. In your Son’s Name we pray…

May 24th – Seventh Sunday after Easter

Luke 24:16………..But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

In many accounts of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus, the disciples did not at first recognize the Lord. It took some real convincing to get the disciples to believe Jesus really had risen from the dead. Usually it took hearing His voice or seeing Him perform some recognizable action to open their eyes. Only after they became convinced of its truth did they become powerhouse witnesses for Christ.

May 31st – Day of Pentecost

Lord Jesus…Help us to keep our eyes looking up so that we might see and recognize you at all times. Let us not become so overwhelmed with life that we miss your presence with us. Help us to remember and recognize You when partaking the Lord’s Meal….in Your Name we pray..

John 20:21…., “ As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The Father sent His Son into this world to make it possible for sinful men and women to become holy, and the Son now send His followers into the world to make it possible for others to hear about His provision.

Heavenly Father anoint us as we go out in the Name of Jesus sharing the Good News.

ATTENTION: Next Vestry meeting: March 17, 2020, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

MINUTES OF THE VESTRY MEETING: Tuesday, February 18, 2020

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Vestry was held on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, in the Sanc-tuary. Present were: Fr. Taylor Albright, Elaine Chagnon, Carolyn Clement, Madeline Christensen, Dave Desmarais, Josh Eichelberger, Anthony Galici, Judy Gessford, Dennis Golden, Melien Lavoie, Jessica Olewnik, Steve Parker, Lisa Salisbury, Rollie Sterrett, Josh Thayer, Marta Williard, and Kathy Zirolli.

Regrets received: Tara Smith

I. Formation A. Prayer Walk – The meeting opened at 7:00 p.m. with a silent Prayer Walk in the Sanctuary fol-lowed by shared reflections. B. Retreat Review – We shared retreat takeaways, including: relaxed time of fellowship and prayer, what type of church we wish to be (e.g., able to share life’s challenges, friendly and welcoming, pray-ing and caring for one another, etc.), how the Vestry listens, prays and discerns together as well as purposefully engaging the congregation, and the need for additional mini Vestry retreats. II. Information A. Rector’s Report – Fr. Taylor informed the Vestry of four issues that will need to be addressed in 2020:

1. Learn how to discern God’s call for our church’s vision working with our congregation, 2. Building & Property matters – how best to use for our church’s mission 3. Staffing & Leadership matters and needs 4. Commitments made regarding education and training for ministries.

B. Senior Warden’s Report, Carolyn Clement reporting:

1. Safe Church Training is required for Vestry. Carolyn will reach out to Episcopal Church in CT (ECCT) to see if we can get a training at Trinity. If that isn’t possible, there a number of options in places not too far (e.g., Collinsville, Hartford). For those that have been through training; recertifi-cation is required every 3 years. 2. Spring Training – the ECCT Annual Spring Training & Gathering is on Saturday, April 18, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Berlin High School, 139 Patterson Way, Berlin. Information can be found on the ECCT website. (Link here: https://www.episcopalct.org/spring-training/). If the link doesn’t work – simply type in “ECCT Spring Training” into your web browser and click on the link that way. 3. Ministry Reports – Carolyn handed out a visual aid to assist in preparing ministry reports. “Telling the Story – Reporting to Vestry” as a guideline for spiritual and strategic Vestry conversa-tions. Reports prepared in advance of the meeting should be shared with Carolyn in order to be placed on the agenda and help facilitate efficient and good use of our meeting time together. Ques-tions to be reflected in the report are: Where do you see God at work here? What worked well? What can we try next time? What can we learn? What’s next? 4. Prayer Partners – the Vestry established Prayer Partners.

C. Junior Warden’s Report – none D. Treasurer’s Report – Judy Gessford stated that signatures for the church’s bank accounts requires updates for changes in Vestry officers. See Decisions.

E. Clerk’s Report – Kathy Zirolli requested written reports be provided to her to assist with accurate minutes. III. Discussion – Strategic & Spiritual Evaluation & Planning Elaine Chagnon presented Father Taylor with a “Servant’s Entrance” sign and bookmarks to each Vestry

member. The verse on the bookmarks is from 1 Peter 4:11 – “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Judy Gessford and Dave Desmarais extended an invitation to Vestry members and their families to their

home on Saturday, March 14th from 4:00-7:00pm. IV. Decisions

A. Approve Minutes Dennis Golden made a motion, seconded by Dave Desmarais to approve the January 21, 2020 minutes. The motion passed with 16 affirmative votes, and 1 abstention. B. Changes in Check Signers:

1. Marta Williard made a motion, seconded by Elaine Chagnon that the new Senior Warden, Carolyn Clement and the new Parish Clerk, Katharine F. Zirolli be added as a verified check signers of the Trinity Parish Business Checking, Business Savings and Pension-Debit accounts in addition to the existing sign-ers, Treasurer Anthony Galici and Asst. Treasurer Judy Gessford. The motion passed with 15 affirmative votes, and 2 abstentions. 2. Lisa Salisbury made a motion, seconded by Madeline Christensen to remove the retired Senior War-den, Troy C. McFarlane, the retired Parish Clerk, Sonia E. Bayne from the list of verified check signers and Ellen Corriveau as the ATM card holder. All approved.

C. Adjournment – Dennis Golden made a motion, seconded by Jessica Olewnik to adjourn. All approved. Father Taylor concluded the meeting with closing prayer at 8:55 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted: Katharine F. Zirolli, Parish Clerk Approved Katharine F. Zirolli Date March, 17, 2020

Schedule of Weekly Online Events For links to these events go to the Trinity Website

www.Trinitytariffville.org

Sunday: 9:30 am Join us online for coffee (bring your own)

9:45 am Sunday Worship Service begins

Monday: 8 am Morning Prayer 1 pm & 3:30 pm Kids Only Program 11:30 am Noonday Prayer 8 pm Compline

Tuesday: 8 am Morning Prayer 1 pm & 3:30 pm Kids Only Program 11:30 am Noonday Prayer 8 pm Compline

Wednesday: 8 am Morning Prayer 3:30 pm Kids Only Program 11:30 am Noonday Prayer 8 pm Compline

Thursday: 8 am Morning Prayer 1 pm & 3:30 pm Kids Only Program 11:30 am Noonday Prayer 8 pm Compline

Friday: 8 am Morning Prayer 1 pm & 3:30 pm Kids Only Program 11:30 am Noonday Prayer 8 pm Compline Saturday: 8 am Morning Prayer 8 pm Compline

THE TRINITY TIMES Trinity Episcopal Church 11 Church Street Tariffville, CT 06081

May 2020

Phone 860-651-0201 E-mail trinitychurch@trinitytariffville.org Website: www.trinitytariffville.org facebook.com/trinitychurchtariffville