Trinity

Christ Church, Dearborn Trinity in the Woods, Farmington Hills St. Clement’s, Inkster St. Andrew’s, Livonia St. George’s, Milford Holy Cross, Novi St. John’s, Plymouth Church of the Redeemer, Southfield St. John’s, Westland Emmaus Fellowship

Highlights from Some of the Deanery Congregations

Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn has had a very busy year. In our ongoing effort to adapt to post COVID malaise we have nonetheless been blessed by our evolving mission work with Mother of the Savior and our Partnership in Faith. Through this partnership and the proceeds from selling a portion of the land on which the church buildings reside, we are developing an intercultural community center in Dearborn (ICCD). In the summer of 2021, the Vestry of Christ Church authorized the formation of a task force to explore developing the ICCD. That task force has grown in size from a few representatives of people who use the church building to include a number of people who lead small organizations in Dearborn and surrounding communities. This grassroots community organizing effort has already produced a number of events including pollution and environmental education sessions regarding PFAS contamination (by-product of non-stick chemicals that enter the water system and cause health issues), an organic garden seed exchange, and co-sponsoring Dearborn's Juneteenth event with initiatives looking at policing practices and policies in Dearborn, a prayer breakfast, and parade. In addition the task force was invited to submit a grant to Trinity Wall Street for significant funding to further develop the infrastructure of the ICCD including a bi-lingual website and staff to manage the organization as it transitions into its own 501(c)3. Trinity Wall Street awarded Christ Church with a three-year, $260,000.00 grant to develop the ICCD, including a digital library of resources to assist others in developing intercultural partnerships in their own context. Now the real work begins! (Submitted by the Rev. Terri Pilarski)

St. Andrew’s Livonia had been shut down completely during the pandemic, and then COVID took the life of our priest-in-charge. Since Palm Sunday 2021, we have resumed public worship, reconstituted a Vestry, called an interim priest, begun a Wednesday evening evensong and bible study program, restarted our handbell choir, and made various building improvements. (Submitted by the Rev. Daniel Lawson)

Trinity in the Woods, Farmington Hills is doing well, though the long pandemic is challenging. We are working hard on some capital improvements, thanks to a successful capital campaign. We continue to offer a Zoom component to our worship and love that parishioners who are not able to be physically present can still come to church and participate. We are working on more ways of reaching out to the neighborhood. We love our spot in the woods. Come visit and walk our beautiful meditation path through the trees. It is a very peaceful space. (Submitted by the Very Reverend Julia Huttar Bailey)

St. George’s, Milford spent 2022 in transition, after the Rev. Paul Castelli was called and moved to a church in North Carolina in early 2021. Small but mighty, St. George's congregation is faithfully proclaiming God's love with strong lay leadership and their interim rector, the Rev. Susan Anslow Williams. The congregation has gradually resumed activities like choir and fellowship, carefully, since Lent. Summer saw us worshiping outdoors under a blue-and-white striped tent! (Submitted by the Reverend Susan Anslow Williams)

Holy Cross, Novi continues to persevere as the pandemic ebbs, flows, and transitions towards endemic. The ’21-’22 program year featured a Tuesday evening Bible study that read through major passages of the Bible from start to finish. In-person volunteering is down from pre-pandemic levels as many still need to be careful, so we have stayed active by organizing small outreach projects (e.g. providing weekend food to students in need at a local school), holding a couple of “public worship” events (Litany for Black Lives on our front lawn), and continuing to give funds generously towards various needs locally and worldwide. Our Social Justice committee continues to organize issues-based letter-writing campaigns, household-item collections for refugees, and other efforts. We have a vibrant in-person 8 am service and are running hybrid worship at 10 am, emphasizing community connection with a large-screen TV in “gallery view” so online and in-person worshippers can interact. We are now working to bring the music back into the sanctuary as well. (Currently it is being prerecorded by musician and choir using an online, multi-track recording platform.) By God’s grace our numbers are holding steady and we continue to welcome a few new members each year. Holy Cross continues to enjoy a sense of open-but-connected community that cares for its own and welcomes new folks. We are blessed! (Submitted by the Rev. Ian Reed Twiss)

St. John’s, Plymouth has had a year of ‘re-building’ after the long months of quarantine and isolation. Like many congregations and other organizations, we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness even yet as people decide how and when to reengage. But on the bright side, we have committed to turning our old rectory/youth center into a refugee resettlement location. We continue to seek grant money to help us do the necessary repairs and updates to the house. We are rebuilding our music and many of our lay guilds that take part in the liturgy. We have begun raising money needed to update the lighting in our worship space. And we have committed to updating restrooms and meeting spaces so that the building will be more attractive for use by outside groups. We have also updated our landscaping and hope to begin working toward new outdoor lighting and a new, more modern sign on Sheldon Road. Our theme for the upcoming pledge drive is St. John’s – Re-imagining the future with renewed commitment and renewed engagement. We hope to prove this statement true. (Submitted by the Rev. John Connors)

A Celebration of the Ministry and Closing Service for St. Elizabeth’s, Redford was held on Sunday, June 12, 2022.

The Very Rev. Julia Huttar Bailey, Dean