Holy Communion. We will begin celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion on September 13. No, that isn’t the first Sunday of the month, but it is our traditional Fall Kickoff so it seemed appropriate. Briefly, how this will happen is that instead of walking down the aisle to receive, you drive to the church immediately following the regular livestream service to receive. You will have one hour to get here. (For more detailed instructions, please watch the video.) Personally, this has been one of the hardest parts of social distancing and virtual worship for me, so while our plan is not ideal, I am none the less giving God thanks for it! LEARN MORE
Blood Drive. We are hosting the American Red Cross for a Blood Drive on Thursday, September 10. All blood donations are given antibody tests, so in the process of donating you can find out if you may have already had Covid-19. It’s not the reason we give blood, but not a bad thing either. May I point out that the first event and groups meeting at Trinity is the Blood Drive and our Twelve Step Groups (AA, Al-Anon, NA) respectively. I think this says something about our church. We are here to minister to the community. This is who and what Trinity has always been. SIGN UP
Small Groups. Small groups are meeting at Trinity. Right now, the focus is outside, and scheduling is limited. (Sanitizing in addition to cleaning is a huge responsibility for our custodial staff. The limitations that puts on us may not be immediately obvious to you, but trust me, they are doing a great job! We have to be careful of how much we stretch them.) LEARN MORE
Preschool. Trinity Preschool opens this month to a very different year with some very different rules. Please hold the Preschool, our Director Katie Swartz, the staff and teachers and, of course, the kids in your daily prayers.
Dillard Forum. Our 2020 Dillard Forum will feature Rev. Ben Campbell, author of Richmond’s Unhealed History, Executive Director emeritus of Richmond Hill Retreat Center, and Pastoral Assistant of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. How critical it is to know our own history in order to comprehend and deal with current events. Ben will preach at our Sunday, October 11 worship and the Forum will be Sunday-Tuesday, October 11-13 at 7:00 PM (livestream). Mark your calendars, this promises to be quite an event!
In addition, the church staff and I are already putting a lot of time and energy envisioning Advent 2020. Wow, I’m a little tired just writing this update! The work of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the building up of Christ’s Church does not stop! In fact, it hasn’t even slowed down. Please know that while we are apart, we are not alone!
“Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”
Esther 4:14b
In the above verse, Esther’s uncle Mordecai suggests that Esther has been elevated to her royal position precisely so that God can use her to deliver the Jews in their crisis. If this doesn’t sound familiar, read the Book of Esther, it’s a thriller! Also, it’s not a bad reminder that God is still God and we are God’s servants especially in times of crisis.
As I write this things seem very tense. The Covid-19 outbreak in the United States rages out of control, Virginia’s numbers are rising, every educational institution from Preschools to Universities are scrambling and we are all growing weary. May I be so bold as to try to put things in perspective and remind us all of a couple of things.
God is still God. Things looked pretty bad for the Jews in Persia in the Book of Esther (I’m telling you, it’s a real page-turner! But God is faithful. I am not going to stop saying this. This is the big picture; it is the first and foremost thing.
This pandemic will not last forever, though it may last for a while. The worst pandemic in modern times was the Flu of 1918 (also called the Spanish Flu). It lasted from February 1918 until April 1920. It struck in four successive waves infecting up to a third of the world’s population and killing 17-50 million people. That’s bad. That’s very bad. But it ended. Of course, we all hope that vaccines may prove effective and Covid-19 will be brought under control much sooner and with much less loss of life. My point is a double-edged sword, on the one hand we must be ready to deal with this for a while, no doubt longer than we would like. On the other hand, we must not lose sight of the reality that eventually the virus will abate and life will go on. We must not give in, grow weary or lose hope. When that threatens, refer to point number one.
With all that being said, allow me to update you on a few things and give you an idea of what to expect:
Trinity’s limited re-opening plan has been approved by the District Superintendent.
Worship will continue via livestream only for the foreseeable future. We will continue to work to build community in these circumstances.
Holy Communion will be offered once a month starting in September. We will be using approved prepackaged communion elements. The sacrament will be celebrated by the pastor during the livestream worship service. At the conclusion of the service, livestream worshippers will be invited to receive via a drive-through process. This will not be unlike our drive-through ash imposition on Ash Wednesday. Details and instructions will be forthcoming.
Trinity Preschool will open on schedule under the strict guidelines of the VA Dept. of Social Services and protocols of the Annual Conference. The Preschool is already making contingency plans based on the possibility that Central Virginia may revert to the Governor’s Phase 2 restrictions.
Small group gatherings will slowly resume. This will start with outdoor meetings in August and then limited indoor meetings later. Much more information is coming. Rules for outdoor meetings (health care forms, masks at all times, 6 ft. Social distancing, bring your own chair, sharing of nothing and more) will be required. Designated areas will be available for scheduling one-time, monthly or bimonthly gathering.
Trinity will be hosting a blood drive for the American Red Cross. We are told that all donations are tested for Covid-19 antibodies and donors will be able to know whether they have had the virus at some point.
Friends, we are committed to being careful, responsible and most importantly faithful. I have no doubt that many things will change and our plans may have to be altered in this dynamic situation. We are on it. Who knows, perhaps we have been placed here for just such a time as this.
“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Boy, I sure hope so. As I’ve mentioned from the pulpit a number of times, waiting and patience have never been my long suit. In point of fact, the truth is rather the opposite. I like to see things happen (and on my schedule). I am often disappointed and frustrated.
I know that many of you are wondering, “When will we reopen? When will we begin in-person worship?” While I can’t give you a specific answer, I would like to let you know how things are unfolding.
Last week the Bishop released Protocols for a Plan of Return. These protocols are mandatory for all Virginia United Methodist Churches. Our protocols are in phases mirroring the executive orders of the Governor, but they are also more conservative. I want to say that I believe this is appropriate. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors and loving our neighbors must mean protecting not only the most vulnerable of our own congregation but also the community and our health care providers as well. The Bishop and her team lifted up the Three Rules of John Wesley:
Do no harm.
Do good.
Stay in love with the Lord.
What follows is my own, very incomplete, synopsis of the plan (the full Protocol is some 65 pages) with comments for Trinity. We are currently convening a Healthy Church Team (HCT) as is every Virginia UMC.
Phase 1. (Starting May 24)
Each District will have two “Pioneer Churches” that will re-open to in-person worship of no more than 25 persons and strict protocols. (Trinity is not a Pioneer Church.)
All other churches will continue online or virtual worship.
Phase 2 (Start date determined by the Bishop. I personally would not expect this before mid-June.)
Churches may reopen to in-person worship with strict Protocols that include (in part)
No more than 50 persons in worship.
Reservations must be made ahead of time.
Maintain 6 ft. Social distancing.
No singing. (No congregational singing, no choir, no soloist.)
Mask worn at all times (including clergy)
No children under age 7 present.
No fellowship time or space.
Phase 3 (Determined by the Bishop.)
A “New Normal” aligned with prevailing state guidelines.
Friends, my purpose here is to give you a sense of where we are and how we will proceed. I know you will have questions and frankly I probably do not have the answers. We will have to decide how and when we move forward under such limitations. For now, I am so appreciative of the way we as a church have responded and carry on in the midst of this pandemic. Further, let me also say that the Church of Jesus Christ has been through much worse in the past (the Roman persecution, the Black Plague, the Spanish Inquisition, the Thirty Years War, just to name a few.) We will carry on. We will love our neighbors. We will proclaim the Good News to all who will hear it. We will be the Church. Be strong. Keep the faith. And the grace and peace of Jesus the Christ be with us all.
Our Mission: “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Our strategy: “Connect to God. Grow in faith. Serve the world.”
Here at the church we often excel at using big words and bold statements, but too often we give scant attention to what they really mean. Our mission is to transform the world? Little old us? Are you kidding me? That mission is impossible, it is impossible for us, but as Gabriel mentioned to Mary, for God nothing is impossible! To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is our Mission Impossible.
As we start 2016, I’d like to spend the first three weeks (more…)
Behold! Look out! Some exciting change is coming to Trinity. But, first a little background.
Over the past couple of years we have been doing some soul searching and critical examination of our ministries here at Trinity. We did a church consultation with the Unstuck Group. Some (many) of you have been understandably impatient asking, “Where’s the change?”
In truth, the change started over the last year. We have experienced a historic change and reconfiguring of our church staff. I want you to know that your ministry staff here at Trinity is now a fully committed team of self-starters. They are passionate about their faith and contagious in their enthusiasm in ministry! Last summer I explained to them the task before us, I made clear to them what is our mission and then simply asked, “What’s the best way to do this? Come up with a plan.” They immediately started working collaboratively and energetically, while giving themselves the moniker “Hung Su and friends”! I am so proud and pleased with them! Can you sense it?
Last Sunday, the staff presented our plans to the Church Council. It was enthusiastically received and unanimously endorsed. These plans will be executed beginning in January of 2020.
I’m sure you want to know what these plans are, of what they consist, and what will change. Don’t you worry, we will tell you. For now, this is meant to spark your interest and get you ready for answers to come. Please pay close attention to your email and in worship, as you will be hearing plenty of communication with lots of answers about some very important things in the coming weeks. Here, at Trinity, God is making all things new.
Blessings, Pastor Larry
P.S. Trinity sends out an email every Wednesday afternoon with information about upcoming events. For some, this email may end up in your SPAM filter and may need to be whitelisted. This email comes from Trinity United Methodist Church news@trinityumc.net via mailchimpapp.net and usually has the subject line: “This Week at Trinity.” You can subscribe to manage your subscription to this email online anytime at trinityumc.net/emails-updates.
