July 2, 2020

Meditation for Independence Day
July 2, 2020

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love serve one another.  [Galatians 5:13]

This year’s 4th of July celebrations will be an opportunity for us to invent new traditions, either by modifying what we are used to doing or by trying something we haven’t done before.  In the poignant mix of disappointment and appreciation that will inevitably color this weekend, we give thanks. 
On this weekend, we remember and honor the people who took great risks to come to an unknown land, to build a society that had never existed before.  We remember, too, the costs and mistakes that continue to be part of making their dream come true.  We remember with humility that our work is unfinished and we accept with awe the mercy with which God continues to guide us to repair the damage we have done.
We pray for the grace to stop waiting for the world to be the way we want it to be and to remember that God’s promise of a community of mutual respect and shared dignity means that our personal freedom cannot be limitless.
We prayer for the grace to turn our thoughts from our limitations to our freedom:
       from what we cannot do to what we can do, from what we should do to what we must do.
We pray for the grace to reach beyond the barriers of self-pity and self-indulgence and to clasp the hands that are reaching out to us in compassion and hope.
O God, who out of nothing brought everything that is,
out of what I am bring more of what I dream but haven’t dared; 
 direct my power and passion to creating life where there is death, to putting flesh of action on bare-boned intentions, to lighting fires against the midnight of indifference, to throwing bridges of care across canyons of loneliness;n so I can look ocreation, together with you, and, behold, call it very good;
through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
​[Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace]

  9 AM SUNDAY - MORNING PRAYER
via ZOOM
Prayers for Our Nation
Ministers of the Liturgy:
The Rev. Judith Lee
Military Veterans: Steve Howe, Jeff Lukas, Dave Clinkman
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82256827302?pwd=Z0E3ZlpXY0hIRFdIZHN0ZnltdXNlZz09
Meeting ID: 822-5682-7302     Password: 546896
If you cannot access through your computer, you may participate by telephone.
Telephone: 929-205-6099
For the Morning Prayer leaflet, click here.We will hold Morning Prayer via ZOOM at 9 am every Sunday in July and August

A Message from Rachel Carpenter:
Each week I will be posting on Trinity's website (www.trinitychurchmilford.org) some videos and activity ideas that you can do from home!  
If you complete an activity, email me a picture of your finished product.  You will get a point for each activity you complete.  At the end of the summer, whoever gets the most points will win a prize!  
Our summer theme will be The Fruits of the Spirit.  This week, the activities focus on introducing the topic.  The following weeks will focus on each individual fruit of the spirit.   
Make sure to email me something that shows me that you completed an activity.  What did you learn from the cartoon video? Send me a video of you doing the dance in the second video!  Send me a picture of the craft you complete!   Have fun!!!   
My email is [email protected]
Fruits of the Spirit Cartoon   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZrlDT3k84U  
Fruits of the Spirit Song/Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF8Rdn7lEFU  
Fruits of the Spirit Craft  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPxwkImyzus

Next Steps:  Moving Forward
​
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve:
Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others;
that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name
to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy;
for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

On June 22nd, your Vestry met to consider plans for re-opening the church building and in-person worship for the months of July and August. Their two considerations were the well-being of the congregation and faithfulness to your Mission Statement: Sharing the Grace of God, the Light of Christ, and the Power of the Holy Spirit through worship, ministry, and fellowship.

1. We will continue with virtual worship for the summer.  A Vestry subcommittee will plan a special in-person service (outdoors) to be held in August, pending public health protocols.Pending peer review by the Dean and the Bishop, we will arrange for the church to be open for private prayer one weekday evening, one weekday morning, and on Sundays. We will also arrange for a "tech partner" to help anyone who is having trouble accessing online worship.
2. Despite our commitment to supporting our community, the Vestry felt more research is needed into what other churches are doing, what other community resources are available for meetings, and what our own liability would be, before opening our building to community groups.  A Vestry subcommittee will do the necessary research and present a proposal to the Vestry on July 13th.   At that meeting the Vestry will also approve a new Building Use Agreement. 
3. Recognizing the importance of providing opportunities for in-person, non-virtual ways to share discussions about the preparations for the search, especially, the Vestry agreed to wait until after the virtual meetings, phone conversations, and mail-in responses to the topics for discussion scheduled in June. After that, they will decide whether in-person small-group meetings are both necessary and safe.  They agreed that the people who might seek the small-group meetings are the very people who might be most vulnerable in a room with other people.
4.  There was strong consensus that whether or not to open the office should be determined by the amount of time needed for Magee to do the work that is required for current church operations.  They agreed that this decision should be made by Mother Judith in consultation with the Wardens.  Through July, Magee will be in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, 10 am – 3 pm

Parish Zoom Events:  We have a new Summer Schedule:
ZOOM Bingo on Sundays at 3 pm  & Game Night on Tuesdays @ 7 - We'll resume in September
Zoom-Chats: Mondays @ 7am & Wednesdays @ 8 pm:  Every Other Week:
Mondays:July 13 & 27, August 10
Wednesdays: July 8 & 22, August 5 & 19

Wednesdays @ 10 am: Morning Prayer & Fellowship via ZOOM - We'll continue weekly
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88905158309?pwd=dVpmY1JhajN6RWpTZmEzQ3NnOERBdz09
Meeting ID: 889-0515-8309   Password:  365669
Telephone: 929-205-6099

Fridays @ Noon: Lunch & Bible Study:  The Gospel of Matthew - We'll continue weekly through the month of July.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87474952317?pwd=UkdpQTNuNmtxVkhtYlZkVGVDVkZOQT09
Meeting ID: 874 7495 2317  Password:  097331
This Friday we will continue our discussion of the Gospel of Matthew through Chapter 13.
Please note: Unscrupulous people have contacted parishioners claiming to be Mother Judith and  asking for money. Mother Judith's only email addresses are [email protected] or [email protected] and her phone number is (716) 949-8194 .  She never asks for money! Please do not respond to any other email addresses or phone numbers. If you have a question about whether a request is REALLY from Mother Judith, please contact her first at these email addresses/phone number before sending any money. Thanks.
 
For the weekly announcements, click here.
​
 New Rector Search: Next Steps
Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the Parish Meetings.  During this time of preparing for new ministry, it's helpful to listen to each other express our hopes and concerns for the future.  We have heard some good ideas about what we might initiate and improve,  and you have been very clear about what is important to you.  Your stability and commitment to ongoing ministries is a real strength and it will be a clear message to your candidates. If you have not taken part in the zoom meetings, nothing is more important now than for you to send your written responses to the church or to email them to Ginny Starkis ([email protected]) by July 15.   We need to present an accurate portrait of our congregation  to candidates, and your responses are absolutely necessary for the Profile Committee to design a Parish Profile. 
On July 13th, the Vestry will appoint the members of the Profile and Search Committees.
On Sunday July 19th i will commission those members, and they will be our Readers in the Liturgy.
For a copy of the questions to respond to by mail or email click here.
May God continue to inspire us, bless us, and guide us.

​Community Dinners

We distributed 45 meals on June 25th and donated 5 meals to the Food Pantry. We will distribute  meals prepared by Oliva's from the parking lot at Trinity on July 30th and August 27th.  In addition, we will distribute meals  to the staff of Cornerstone Assisted Living  in July and Whitcomb  House in August. Your generosity has made it possible for us to continue feeding about 100 people each month during the pandemic, in addition to supporting our local restaurants. 
If you can volunteer to help with setting up and taking down the tables, distributing meals, and bring leftover meals to the Food Pantry, in July or August, please contact Glen Peterson.   We will certify Community Service credit. 
At their August meeting the Vestry will make a decision on how to continue the Community Meal program in the fall, pending peer review by the Dean and the Bishop. Meanwhile, we continue our strong partnership with the Food Pantry and with other local churches and community organizations. 

To contribute to this project, please send your check payable to Trinity Church with Community Dinners on the memo line or donate directly to Hopedale Unitarian Parish, who is managing the funds for this project, by going to https://hopedaleunitarian.org  and  pressing the Donate button. 

Prayer List
Please send Magee the names of people you would like to be on the Prayer List. Our policy has been to remove names after 4 weeks, but we want to be sure we follow the wishes of families and friends.
Our prayer list is included in the weekly announcements . 

Pledges
Thank you to all of you who have been sending in your pledges.  Our deposits are being made on a different schedule these days, so there may be a delay in seeing the record of your payment.  Some of you are facing financial stress: if so, please give what you can; if not, please give a bit extra to support those who cannot.
How to keep up with Trinity news:  All notices, videos, and links can be found at www.trinitychurchmilford.org
Our diocesan website offers links to online worship in our diocese.  
https://www.diocesewma.org/
Worship from the National Cathedral is available online every Sunday at 11:15 am. https://cathedral.org/
Third season of The Way of Love with Bishop Michael Curry podcast began on May 5th. Click here. 
Habits of Grace: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry
 New video meditations were posted on Mondays through June. Click here to view them all.

Mission Matters: News from the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA latest issue can be found here.