Trinity Episcopal Church 316 ADAMS STREET, TOLEDO, OH 43604
419.243.1231
trinitytoledo.org
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well-pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too small, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life. Stir us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery, where in losing sight of land we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hope, and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope and love. Amen. (attributed to Sir Francis Drake -1577) Beloved Friends,
January 2021
Assuming no changes in public-health directives (vaccine related or otherwise), we will be extending our “Trinity@Home” -- which includes Sunday “on-line” worship and weekly formation opportunities -- through May 2021. During this next chapter of life together we will not regather for in-person worship in the building, but will continue to provide opportunities to worship, learn, grow and serve together. We will also explore possibilities for gathering outside as weather and safety protocols allow, while continuing to monitor if and how vaccine roll-out might bring us together more quickly. We remain committed to our safety, our spiritual engagement, and our desire to be a force for good in Toledo and in the world. To do all of that we must, for the sake of the gospel, find ways to stay connected but apart until we can all regather safely. We also want to take a moment to share some of the amazing gifts this season has, difficult as it continues to be, afforded our community. Since we wrote last, we have together lived and leaned into a number of significant milestones. We delivered and engaged in the most successful Annual Pledge Drive in recent history. Due to your radical generosity, the number of pledges received, and the aggregate amount of dollars pledged for 2021 are both 20% over the previous year. This is an increase beyond anything our community has experienced in recent memory. What that says to us is that we are indeed “in this together” and we are so grateful. We also lived and grew through the important seasons of Advent, Christmas and now Epiphany, and in each, you were right there with us, participating in the liturgies, rolling up your sleeves in service, taking care of each other and offering encouragement to all . We will never forget moments like our 2020 Virtual Christmas Pageant with the shepherd’s zoom planning meeting, as well as the poignant moment of singing Silent Night holding candles in our own homes and seeing the faces of so many on the screen doing the same. We have somehow shaped our digital space into a prayer-filled sacred extension of our community and will continue to do so with God’s help. Thank you, dear ones, for the faith and community we share this day as we continue to live into this unknown future with faith, courage, hope and love. We will keep you updated of additional changes and adaptations to our common life as the days unfold. And may you never forget that you are loved. With deep affection, Lisa The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, Rector
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