June 25, 2o20

Meditation for June 28, 2020
 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. [Matthew 5:9]
Our service of Morning Prayer on Sunday will center on prayers for social justice, and our readers will be members of the Mission Committee. In recent weeks all of us have been reawakened to the many ways we have unintentionally, even unconsciously, been complicit in racial injustice.  I have been haunted by the poem “Strange Fruit”, especially as it was sung by Billie Holliday. (A 1959 recording is available on YouTube).  The poem was written by Abel Meerpool, a Jewish man who taught English at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and who wrote under the name Lewis Allen. In the early 1930s, he wrote this poem in horrified response to a photograph of a lynching; he put the words to music and performed it for a club owner he knew, who gave it to Billie Holliday, through whom it became widely known as this century’s central metaphor for lynching.
Abel Meerpool wrote out of indignation and horror, little knowing how many millions of lives he would touch.  We pray for the grace to trust that our own small acts from the heart, perhaps solitary and invisible, will also awaken others in ways we cannot imagine.
 
Strange Fruit , by Lewis Allen. Sung by Billie Holiday
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolia, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

9 AM SUNDAY - MORNING PRAYER
via ZOOM
Prayers for Social Justice
Ministers of the Liturgy:
The Rev. Judith Lee
Members of the Mission Committee:
Mary-Ellen Yaroshefski, Lucille Clinkman, Mary Torian, Ginny Starkis, Mary Johnson
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
 
Next Steps:  Moving Forward
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the frantic heart;
bring us hope and courage as we wait in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make us the equal of whatever lies ahead.
Bring us courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.
- from A New Zealand Prayer Book

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. We will arrange for the church to be open for private prayer one weekday evening and on Sundays, pending diocesan approval. 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:June 29, July 13 & 27, August 10
Wednesdays: June 24, 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 12.
For a copy of the Reading Schedule click here: 
https://mcusercontent.com/31f1ff6e86fdaf99cb3a10f4e/files/69c82ad4-fdda-47fa-958a-a17d936fab63/Bible_Study_Gospel_of_Matthew.June_July_2020.01.pdf
Please note: Unscrupulous people have contacted parishioners claiming to be Mother Judith and  asking for money. Mother Judith's only email addresses are jlee.trinitychurchmilford@gmail.com or lee.judith.mary@gmail.com 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
An important part of the search for a new rector is identifying who we are and what we as a parish are called to be. Ordinarily, we would gather that information at a parish-wide meeting. Since that is not possible, we will be hosting a series of Zoom meetings where we can discuss and reflect on these topics. For those without access to Zoom, we will schedule two in-person meetings sometime in July after we have received permission from the diocese to reopen. Members of the Vestry and  Chairs of the Search & Profile committees will facilitate these meetings. 
For a copy of the questions to respond to by mail or email click here.


The Zoom meetings will be held on:
Thursday, June 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM:   Meeting ID: 857 8399 5482   Password: 753634   Telephone: 929-205-6099
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85783995482?pwd=dkE5SHNoUVJHTXdXdTE0VGc2a25qQT09
Sunday, June 28th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM:  Meeting ID:  823 0182 9874   Password:   094136   Telephone: 929-205-6099
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82301829874?pwd=TG9oLzd3WituQnp0ajcybmpDL2lNUT09
Wednesday, July 1 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM:     Meeting ID: 889 0515 8309   Password: 365669
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88905158309?pwd=dVpmY1JhajN6RWpTZmEzQ3NnOERBdz09
The four areas we will cover are: 

1. Worship/Liturgy
2. Formation: Adult, Youth, Children
3. Community partnerships
4. Parish Life/Fellowship/Pastoral Care

 For each of these areas we will discuss the following questions:
      1. What ministries are most important to what Trinity is called to be?
      2. What is one important change or new ministry you would like Trinity to initiate within the next 3 years in each area?        
      3. What do we need to do now to prepare for this change or new ministry in each area? If you are unable to participate in any of the meetings, please provide written answers and send  them to vstarkis@verizon.net  by July 15.
 Your input, whether in person or written, is necessary for the success of our search and I encourage you to participate in these discussions. Thank you!    Ginny Starkis, Senior Warden

​Community Dinners