Trinity Episcopal Church 316 ADAMS STREET, TOLEDO, OH 43604
419.243.1231
trinitytoledo.org
Loving God, Lead us beyond ourselves to care and protect, to nourish and shape, to challenge and energize both the life and the world You have given us. God of light and God of darkness, God of conscience and God of courage lead us through this time of spiritual confusion and public uncertainty. Lead us beyond fear, apathy and defensiveness to new hope in You and to hearts full of faith. Give us the conscience it takes to comprehend what we’re facing, to see what we’re looking at and to say what we see so that others, hearing us, may also brave the pressure that comes with being out of public step. Give us the courage we need to confront those things that compromise our consciences or threaten our integrity. Give us, most of all, the courage to follow those before us who challenged wrong and changed it, whatever the cost to themselves. -Prayer for Conscience and Courage by Joan Chittister (April, 2017) Beloved Friends,
September 2020
After an intentional time of prayer, reflection, conversation and strategic planning we, your vestry and I, have made the decision to extend “Trinity@Home” and our Sunday “on-line” worship and weekly formation opportunities through January 2021. During this time we will not regather for in-person worship, but will continue to provide opportunities to worship, learn, grow and serve together. We are committed to our safety, our spiritual engagement, our desire to be a force for good in Toledo and in the world, and 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. This decision will afford us the ability to plan for our upcoming 2020 Pledge Drive in October as well as our liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas and then our Annual Meeting on January 31, where we will elect new members for our leadership team. By then we will have a new leadership team in place and will know much more than we do now about our situation and how and when we might be able to plan for re-gathering for worship. Following is a brief summary of where we have been and how we have continued to stay faithfully engaged and connected during the past 5 months staying safely apart: • Our “peak view” (views during Sunday service time) per household = 83 • Average views of each Sunday service over the same period = 490 • Over 100 people have said yes to becoming worship leaders offering readings, prayers and sermons • We have explored new ways of singing within the given guidelines, • We have been blessed with a significant increase in generous donations from nearly 40 new friends of Trinity • We have found ways to gather after services for “virtual coffee hour” • May 31- Pentecost- we welcomed 27 new members “home” to Trinity! Progressive
Inclusive
Creative
Downtown