Rector’s Address: the State of the Parish The Rev’d Julia E. Whitworth, Rector Beloveds of God,
have first introduced a video camera into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning. Since then we have worshiped the Lord in every way we could imagine except corporately in the Church: via zoom, via the website, on Facebook Live, through email, snail mail and using drive-by pick-up supplies, in both gardens and on the soccer field, on our couches and at our kitchen tables, in our cars and our yards, and even, I suspect for someone out there, in our beds.
How does one tell the story of 2020 at Trinity? Was it annus horribilus— the dumpster-fire year we will dismiss as the worst of our lives? Or was it an incredible opportunity to reveal our own creativity and flexibility, resilience and resolve, connection, faithfulness, leadership and patience? Or, was it both, and more? We started 2020 with big plans for Trinity. In January, the Clergy attended the “Rooted in Jesus” conference in Atlanta, and a large delegation of Trinity leaders attended the CEEP conference in Louisville in February. Both fueled our excitement for a new year — with a new “Wade in the Water” Lenten formation program, a renewed commitment to planned giving, strategic planning, community formation through small groups and an all-parish retreat, an added Sunday service, discernment about new programs and beyond.
What have we learned? We have learned that we can do hard things. That we can pivot on a dime. That we can learn new technologies and form new connections across great distances. That we can adjust to change far better than anyone ever credits Episcopalians. That we can be part of a community even when we are apart -- creating our Trinity home wherever we are. We have learned that the rich familiarity of our liturgical tradition holds up even when set in relief with new technologies and experimentation. And we have also learned that we miss the Eucharist -- that sacramental bond which holds us together. And singing. And our beautiful space. And one another. Mightily.
Then COVID-19 hit in March, and most of those plans were turned upside down. That’s when 2020 as we will remember it began. Creativity and Flexibility Once we were restricted from public worship and eventually to our homes entirely, Trinity had to remake itself—its operations and especially its worship life— many times over. In the Worship report, I went into great detail about the ways we responded to COVID-19 liturgically since March 15, when we
Resilience and Resolve 2020 may have changed how we all lived our lives, but it did not stop Trinity, its parishioners, partners, and leaders, from living into its call to serve. It has been an honor to support our 1
