News for the Week of June 7

Meditation for June 4, 2020 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.  [Isaiah 61:1]
 
According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah when he is teaching in the synagogue at the very beginning of his ministry (4:18).  It is an important reminder of where our own ministry as the Body of Christ begins:  Led by the Holy Spirit (not by our own personal passions) we are a people of hope, compassion, and freedom.  This message has long been at the core of Trinity’s mission, and we will continue to draw together the members of our community with an unwavering faith in God’s mercy in a way that is distinctive enough to open up new ways of understanding and new paths to freedom.

During the past week, especially, I have returned to these words by Martin Luther King, Jr.: Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.
Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.  

How can we lead our community to implement the demands of justice?  
How can we lead our community to correct everything that stands against love?
We can do 3 things:
1.    We can make a public statement. We will gather for public prayer on the grounds of Trinity on Friday June 19th (Juneteenth), the anniversary of the official ending of the Civil War and the pronouncement that all slaves were free.  Watch for more information about the time and arrangements for this gathering.
2.    We can learn.  At our ZOOM chat on Wednesday evening we talked about our need to understand more about the racial divisions in our history and culture and our own unexamined biases.  We will create a forum where we will post suggestions for reading and films to watch, and where we can explore ways to share our questions and reflections.
3.    We can act.  How can we improve access to voting—our essential expression of freedom and hope?  How can we make the grounds of Trinity—even in these days—a space where everyone can breathe? 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. We have been sent to bring about a world where the words I can’t breathe will never be heard again.  It is perhaps a foolish hope, but a sacred trust.

“Listen, Lord-A Prayer”  by James Weldon Johnson ( God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse 1927)  [the first two verses]:
O Lord, we come this morning
Knee-bowed and body-bent
Before thy throne of grace.
O Lord—this morning--
Bow our hearts beneath our knees,
And our knees in some lonesome valley.
We come this morning--
Like empty pitchers to a full fountain,
With no merits of our own.
O Lord—open up a window of heaven,
And lean out far over the battlements of glory,
And listen this morning.

Lord, have mercy on proud and dying sinners--
Sinners hanging over the mouth of hell,
Who seem to love their distance well.
Lord—ride by this morning--
Mount your mild-white horse,
And ride-a this morning--
And in your ride, ride by old hell,
Ride by the dingy gates of hell,
And stop poor sinners in their headlong plunge.

​9 AM SUNDAY - MORNING PRAYER
via ZOOM
We will celebrate our Sunday School Students and Rachel Carpenter
follow the Service we will have an Ice Cream Social
Our students will be our readers and lead our prayers.
Meeting ID: 822-5682-7302     Password: 596896
If you cannot access through your computer, you may participate by telephone.
Telephone: 929-205-6099
For a direct link click here.

We will hold Morning Prayer at 9 am every Sunday in June.

June 14th: Prayers to honor our graduates
College Graduates: Jacqueline Masse & Elaina Chambers
High School Graduates: AJ Cook, Liam & Rory Crisfield, Brandon Kee, Grace Prevelige, Betsey Scrimgeour
Eighth Grade: Harrison Philips & Anthony Ruggiero
 
June 21st: Prayers to honor our fathers

Responding to the coronavirus pandemic at Trinity
Almighty God, who has created us in your own image:
Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil
and to make no peace with oppression;
and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice
in our communities and among the nations,
to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.
​

In-person worship is suspended at least through July 1st.  This does not mean that we will begin in-person worship in July:  There are many factors to be considered in order to make our sanctuary and our building safe for meetings and worship. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey.  Your Vestry has reviewed your responses and they have been very helpful in developing a strategy for going forward.
Vestry Meeting:  June 8th Strategies for moving forward

The Bishops of the Dioceses of Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts issued a joint Letter with guidelines for our churches.  Click here to read the guidelines.

Parish Zoom Events

ZOOM Bingo on Sundays at 3 pm
FUN FOR ALL AGES
Go to zoom.us, and in the upper right corner click on "Join a meeting"
Meeting ID: 946 0462 5193    Password: 450074Make your own bingo cards, or go one of the following websites to print them:  (These are free.)  
https://myfreebingocards.com/bingo-card-generator
https://print-bingo.com/
https://bingobaker.com/view/1228516
http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/bingo7.asp
Sarah Prevelige is our host. Please contact her for help in making cards or entering the game. 

Zoom-Chats: Mondays @ 7am & Wednesdays @ 8 pm
A time tor conversation about what's working and what's not, and including a meditation led by Cindi Scrimgeour. 
Go to zoom.us and in the upper right corner click “Join a Meeting”
Mondays: Meeting ID: 413315567    Password: 715478
Wednesdays:  Meeting ID: 474316522   Password: 744170
Sarah Prevelige will host the meeting via zoom. Please contact her for information on how to join the meeting [email protected]. 

Game Night: Tuesdays @ 7pm 
We will be playing FIBBAGE + new online games every week.
Meeting ID: 823 3526 2364     Password: 067862
Sarah Prevelige is the host. Please contact Sarah if you have any questions: [email protected]

Wednesdays @ 10 am: Morning Prayer & Fellowship via ZOOM
Meeting ID: 889-0515-8309   Password:  365669
Telephone: 929-205-6099

Fridays @ Noon: Lunch & Bible Study:  11:30 this week
Meeting ID: 815-7215-5558    Password:  030395
for a direct link click here: 
This Friday we will meet at 11:30 am and we will begin our discussion of the Gospel of Matthew, with focus on Chapters 1 & 2.

First Fridays @ 12:30 - ROMEOS - THIS FRIDAY  JUNE 5TH 
Join the men of the parish for virtual lunch and conversation. Contact Dave Clinkman for more information.  [email protected]
Meeting ID: 839-5217-3496    Password: 70828   Telephone: 929-205-6099
Magee will be in the office on Monday and Thursday to do essential work.  Mother Judith is working remotely and is available by email and by phone, and she is checking phone messages regularly.  
Please note: A member of the parish  received a message from someone claiming to be Mother Judith and  asking for money.  Please note her phone number: 716-949-8194 and confirm with her if you receive an unexpected or unexplained text or email  
 
For the weekly announcements, click here.

Profile and Search Comitties: Inviting Applications

On July 13th, the Vestry will appoint members of the Profile and Search Committees. It seems like a very long time since we invited applications, so we are asking again.  We have a new story to tell now, and perhaps new priorities.  Please consider whether you are called to serve on one of these committees.  Canon Simpson will meet with the Committees and Vestry on September 12th.  The work of the Profile Committee will take place in the fall; the work of the Search Committee will take place in the winter and early spring.  Please contact Ginny Starkis or Susan Edmondson if you are interested in learning more.
Click here for a copy of the Application.

​Community Dinners
Thursday June 25th  Grab n Go Meals  4:30- 6 pm 
We distributed 40 meals on May 28th, and donated 10 meals to the Food Pantry. We will distribute  meals prepared by Oliva's from the parking lot at Trinity on  the last Thursday of the month throughout the summer: June 25th, July 30th, and August 27th. 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 June, July, or August, please contact Glen Peterson.   We will certify Community Service credit. 
We plan to continue arranging for meals to be delivered to our frontline workers once a month, and to distribute meals from Trinity monthly.  Our purpose is to support our local small restaurants and frontline workers as well as to provide for our neighbors.  We continue our strong partnership with the Food Pantry and with other local churches and community organizations. Please contact Glen Peterson if you are able to help in any way.

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. Please let Mother Judith know if you would like to participate in distributing meals.

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
 A new video meditation will be posted on Mondays through May. Click here to view the latest.

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

Statement from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry on President Donald Trump’s use of a church building and the Holy Bible 
Click here to view.