TIDINGS Trinity’s Mission: Acting in God’s love, Trinity Episcopal Church welcomes everyone to enthusiastically live the Christian faith. We call our members to worship and prayer, lifelong education, spiritual growth, cheerful giving, and active ministry with our community. All members serve as witnesses to Jesus Christ.
Vol. XXVII No. 6 June/July 2018
Exciting things are happening across our campus this summer! In partnership with Trinity School, we will be undertaking some major renovations this summer and next. The kitchen, Bishop Polk Hall bathrooms, the area around the library, and the bathrooms in the gymnasium will all see construction this summer. More work will take place in 2019! In the undercroft of the church you will have noticed the new automatic entry. The bathrooms in the undercroft near the main entrance will also be renovated to be ADA compliant, and more welcoming for all. In addition to our building improvements, our staff continues to grow as well. The Rev. Jane-Allison Wiggin-Nettles will be working with our youth, and The Rev. Bobby Hadzor, Trinity School Chaplain, will join us on Sundays and work with our young adults. We are blessed! What an exciting time for our Church and School family, as we continue to move forward being led by the Holy Spirit.
Trinity Church Summer Hours For the months of June and July, the Church office hours are 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 am to noon on Friday.
Gratitude Report “Stewardship is everything we do, with everything we have, all the time.” ~ The Rev. John Talbird As summer starts, I think about being a kid and being ready for fun in the summer. I feel like it’s a time to recharge our batteries, have a slight break from the normal routine and try something new. We are thankful that we have survived another school year, and we need a little downtime to get ready to do it again. When it comes to stewardship and the church, we are thankful for a very successful Give NOLA day. We had great support from the church, and that is very inspiring! Stewardship is a year-round program, but I still feel like a summer recharge is applicable. Maybe you decide to try something new this summer? You could offer yourself as a volunteer for a summer program or write a devotion or teach a community class for the little ones. Or, maybe you are traveling and you visit a new church? Often seeing something different, helps to bring new energy, life and ideas back to the routine. Think outside the box and see what you can do with your time, talent and treasure! - Gordo Kolb Stewardship Committee Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. – 1 Peter 4:10
It’s common for churches to see what’s been thoughtfully (or painfully) coined “the summer giving slump” where giving declines between May and August due to members being on vacation, going to BBQs, traveling with family, etc., and Trinity Church is no exception. Before you escape the heat and humidity of New Orleans for the solace of cooler climates, please remember that you don’t have to be “in church” to give. Trinity offers multiple ways to give including:
• our QR code: - using your QR reader on your smartphone, you can easily make a donation to Trinity. Your first time scanning you will be prompted to complete donation information, but in the future you will not have to re-enter the information. • text-to-give (text 504-217- 2015) - this works similarly to our QR code in that once you enter your information, you will not have to re-enter it again for future donations. • online giving through our website (trinitynola.com/ donatenow). • recurring giving using a debit/credit card or bank draft. Enrollment is quick and easy using this form https:// tinyurl.com/y9acptc2. These are fast and easy ways to support your church home while on the go! Thank you and blessings to you for a wonderful summer! 2
Children, Youth & Family Ministries Thank you all for your kind applause and reception on Mother’s Day. I am very excited to join the clergy and people of Trinity. I am a “cradleEpiscopalian” born and baptized in the Diocese of Louisiana. If I had not married my husband, Duane Wiggin-Nettles, I wonder if I would have ever moved back to New Orleans. Having grown up in South Carolina, I am fond of that state and my alma mater, Furman University. Sewanee is my seminary home and visits to that holy mountain are a rare treat. My husband and I are both priests. My wonderful stepsons, Jackson and Bennett, like to joke and call us “Father Dad” and “Mother Stepmother” around the house. Jackson and Bennett attend Saint Martin’s Episcopal School. We also have a Maltese-Poodle mix, Stuart, who is convinced he’s another boy. We hope to move closer to Trinity when we find the perfect place to rent. For the past two school years, I have served as the chaplain of Christ Episcopal School in Covington. I care deeply about children’s and youth formation as well as ministering to families. I will continue my additional role as the Diocesan Youth Coordinator for youth retreats at the Solomon Center as well. If you have children in grades 6-12, our diocesan retreats are a great chance to unwind and reconnect with God beside a lovely lake. —Jane-Allison Wiggin-Nettles
Children and Family • Vacation Bible School is scheduled for Monday, August 6-10. We are looking for teen and adult volunteers. Please email Ashley Bond to register and/or volunteer. • Summer Sundays community class for children ages 3 years to 5th grade begins June 3 at 10:30 am in the school library. • Teacher Training for Godly Play. If you are interested in learning about Godly Play and helping to grow this ministry beyond the walls of Trinity Church, please contact Ashley Bond. You do not need to be a member of Trinity or the Episcopal Church.
Further information regarding registration will be announced this summer. You may contact Dr. Paul Weber, Organist & Choirmaster, at pweber@trinitynola.com with further questions.
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Mission and Outreach
Trinity Educational Enrichment Program (TEEP)
The Trinity Educational Enrichment Program is in full swing for the 52nd year. Director Alvin Edinburgh, himself celebrating his 42nd year, reports that the 85 rising 5th and 6th graders are settling into their daily routine of academics and extracurricular activities. During the six weeks that they spend on Trinity’s campus, the children are exposed to rigorous classes in math, science and language arts and experience creative pursuits in the areas of art, music and dance. They will swim at a NORD facility and take several field trips. Please join the TEEP students, their leaders and families on Sunday, July 8 at the 10:30 service and afterwards for a BBQ on the school field. Please RSVP to Tina Grant at tgrant@trinitynola.com if you can join us for lunch. They are eager to share with you what they have learned and created. TEEP will again have a PreKindergarten class of 17 children. These children bring an extra element of joy to the Pink House and, in turn, we can give them a head start on their school experience. TEEP is a longstanding ministry of Trinity Church and we want you all to see first hand the success that it is. Thank you to all for your support. Come see what is made possible by it!
Court Appointed Special Advocate
The mission of CASA is to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect through volunteers advocating for safe, nurturing, and permanent homes for foster children in our community. Register for an orientation with Margaret Ether at (504) 533-8757 or mether@casajefferson.org. Submit an application on line at casajefferson.org and attend a pre-service interview followed by pre-service training. After a Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court judge swears you in as a CASA, you will be assigned a child’s case. Contact Deacon Alyce at ajefferson@trinitynola. com with any questions.
Kairos Prison Ministry: Women
The outside team (East Louisiana Kairos Outside #18) offers a three day retreat for female family and friends of incarcerated individuals. If you want to serve as a team member on the weekend of September 14-16, contact the lay leader, Kurtil Bell, at 601-384-6231 for an application. Trainings are July 8 and 21, August 18 and 25. A reunion is set for September 29. Any questions, contact Deacon Alyce at ajefferson@trinitynola.com.
Loaves and Fishes Africa
Each week in our liturgy, we pray for Moses and Esther Muguro in Kenya. Moses and Esther came to the U.S. shortly after Katrina so that Esther could obtain a Masters Degree in Public Health at Tulane. While she was working on her degree, Moses came to work at Trinity and their older children, Wisdom and Gloria attended Trinity School. Moses was very impressed with our Trinity Loaves and Fishes and dreamed of taking the ministry back to Kenya. The most basic need was for clean water, so he began by building and distributing simple water filters to families and schools. Here are some recent ministry highlights from Kenya: • In 2017 our water filter program has received so much acceptance and penetrated into our communities, and we are pleased to see that families have safe drinking water. • When funds are available we have been able to offer hungry children a simple meal, as well as basic school supplies. • Our teenagers have benefited from our training of HIV/AIDS awareness to help keep them safe and healthy. • We have been using simple basic “Gospel Boxes” to share with children about the stories of the Bibles. We continue to thank the Lord for the gracious and wonderful women of Trinity who have supported our cause in reaching communities here in Africa and we are encouraged by their love. My family is so very grateful for their support for Wisdom, Gloria, Prince David’s education alongside the ministry support. May God bless this thoughtful and kind hearted women of Trinity. You can change a life help by making a donation to Trinity designated to “LF Africa.” Thank you. 4
Trinity Connections Summer Social Justice Book Club
Meets two Sundays each month. Gather with friends old and new to discuss these inspiring books written by even more inspiring people. Contact aeastham@trinitynola.com for details or to request a book. June Selection: Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson Meets two Sundays, June 10 and 24 9:15 am - 10:15 am in the Moore Library A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice. Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children. July Selection: Living into God’s Dream, by Catherine Meeks Meets two Sundays, July 8 and 22 9:15 am - 10:15 am in the Moore Library While the dream of a “Post-Racial” America remains unfulfilled, the struggle against racism continues, with tools both new and old. This book is a report from the front, combining personal stories and theological reflection.
by Ashley Eastham, Young Adults Minister (aeastham@trinitynola.com)
Potluck & Bible Study at Aaron Taylor's home on Thursday, June 14, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm (3205 Chippewa St, NOLA 70115) Please bring a dish to pass and/or a beverage to share! We’ll have time to hangout with each other and with God’s Word.
Out and About Out and About to attend Nola4Women Presentation Thursday, June 14, 9:00 am -2:00 pm The Greater New Orleans Foundation, 919 St. Charles Avenue Nola4Women is challenging attitudes and changing behaviors. We celebrate the vital contributions women have made to creating a vibrant city while promoting a future to improve the lives of women and girls in New Orleans – and beyond. (from the Nola4Women website) Nola4Women has offered three opportunities this year called Hearing Our Voices to witness the realities of women in our city focusing on babies and mothers and girls and adolescents. For instance, did you know that one in four children in New Orleans lives in poverty? Or that Louisiana ranks 48th in average earnings for women working full-time in the U.S.? Or that 50% of men who abuse their partners abuse their children, as well? The speakers on June 14 will focus on the thread of trauma and its impact on adult women. Several issues will be addressed from domestic violence to housing discrimination to reproductive rights. Becki Kondkar, Director of Tulane’s Domestic Violence Clinic, will be a keynoter. Tickets are free, but you should make a reservation by clicking on this site https://tinyurl. com/yalyxcym. Please contact Maria Elliott if you have questions or if you need a ride. 504-670-2535.
Education for Ministry
Trinity will continue to offer Education for Ministry (EfM) this fall. EfM is a unique four-year distance learning certificate program in theological education based upon small-group study and practice. There is a continuing group meeting on Monday evenings led by Ted George and Dan Chapman as well as a Monday morning class mentored by Christina Fay and Maria Elliott. Spaces are available in both of these seminars. Please contact Maria 504-670-2535 melliott@trinitynola.com if you would like more information. If you wish to know more about the EfM Program, you may contact any of these mentors, or visit the website at www.efmsewanee.edu.
Trinity Connections
“Our Trinity Story: Building the Beloved Community”
For the last few weeks several of us—diverse in every way—have been meeting to reflect on our Trinity history from 1847 to 2018. We began by naming many of the Trinity programs that make us a church always striving to become a Beloved Community. Now, we are asking ourselves as we reflect on our 171 year-old past: “How did we get to where we are now?” What from our past can we learn as we move forward? We have learned, for example, how the Rev. Alexander Dobb gave his life ministering to our people during the worst yellow fever epidemic in 1853, showing us the call, when it is necessary, for our “sacrificial love.” We have learned of the magnificent contribution of lay as well as clergy over the years, like the women’s Bishop Polk Society and like Dr. Warren Kearny, who helped found Kingsley House in 1895 and then served as the president of the board for 27 years. He also led various social service city-wide programs while serving on our Vestry for 43 years. How can we in our day follow the lead of lay people like Dr. Kearny? We call our group the “Conversationalists” as week after week we have a conversation with Trinity’s 171-year-old story and with each other. What can we learn from the past that has helped us as we strive to become that Beloved Community? We have read in some depth of our church’s long-ago support of slavery, our attempts at reconciliation over the years, and our silence during the worse kind of racism. This part of our history led to conversations about why, with our strong and admirable support of the undoing racism workshops sponsored by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, why is it that so few African Americans claim Trinity as their church? (Great people all, but few in number.) Our group gave very thoughtful answers to that question, and we will pass them on, later on. We do keep before us the still-vibrant words of Dr. King, who said after the 1956 Montgomery boycott: “The end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the Beloved Community.” —Your longtime friend, William Barnwell (William just found out that he won the national book award from the Next Generation Indie Awards for Angels in the Wilderness: Young and Black in New Orleans and Beyond. It has been featured at Trinity.)
A Story of Hope We all know that there is an opioid addiction crisis in the United States today. The average death rate per day from opioid overdoses is 115 people (CNN). The situation is even more devastating when we take into account that one out of seven babies (USA Today) are being born addicted to the drug used by his or her mother during her pregnancy. Many of us have even gotten to the point that we’re tired of hearing about the destructive effects opioids are having in our country, state and community. Attempts to regulate opiate prescriptions (e.g. Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet and even Tylenol with codeine) are, thus far, not working. Sadly, once the person legally prescribed an opioid drug for pain can no longer get refills, switching to the drug Heroin has become a very real option. The drug Heroin has become not only cheaper than its legally prescribed counterparts, but it is also very easy to attain. Heroin use is now occurring at every socioeconomic level and makes no distinction between race, gender or background. Saving Bobby by Renee Hodges is a true story about a fifty year old woman who is determined to help her nephew return to his life after suffering from opioid addiction. It is a powerful book on so many levels. It is raw and authentic, talking about the progress and steps backwards of a young man who believed himself to be a failure and had basically given up on life. Saving Bobby lets us know that opioid addiction must be de-stigmatized for it to be dealt with in a realistic way. Renee quickly realized this and began talking about her nephew to her neighbors and friends in her lovely Durham, North Carolina neighborhood. She learned that almost everyone she spoke with had family members or friends dealing with this problem. A support system and information on knowledgeable professionals and other appropriate resources began to fall into place. To me, the most important gift of this book is that it provides hope in a world where we are in dire need of positive solutions and life-changing effects. To be moved and uplifted by a real-life example of how love, support and determination can bring about healing of not only a young opioid addict, but also his family and extended relatives, I wholeheartedly recommend Saving Bobby. —Linda Stone 6
Trinity Connections On Living
“There may be thousands of regrets in a single life, Hope, though, can take millions of forms…People sometimes ask what hope could mean for a hospice patient who has no hope for a cure, no hope for returning to the life they had once known and loved. What could hope possibly look like to someone who is dying? It could mean anything. It could look like everything.” On Living is a first-person account of the experiences of hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan. In this short, readable book, Kerry tells how her time spent with dying people educated her about the importance of patiently listening to stories of their lives. Simultaneously she discusses her own tragedy, having developed psychosis following the birth of her first child. Although she recovered from a year of insanity, Kerry was racked by guilt, considering herself a “bad mother”. She could not get past her shame about mental illness and her bitterness over virtually missing the first year of her baby’s life – until she got to know a dying woman named Gloria and learned the critical importance of truth and acceptance. Gloria had kept “shameful” secrets throughout her life, including her racial heritage, the identity of the true father of her son and the reason her husband didn’t love the boy. By getting to know Gloria and helping her come to terms with her past, Kerry realized that her own secret shame was misplaced, and was eventually able to regard her situation much differently. On Living stimulated me to ponder several aspects of life and death. I will read this book again, and I’m confident that I will continue to gain insights from Kerry’s experiences. I hope she will write again as the spirit moves her. —Melissa Fanning
Trinity Rummage
Have you had something in your closet or in your kitchen cabinet that you have not used in a year? Well, donate it to the Trinity rummage please! We need your merchandise including household items, clothing for all, books, small furniture, art, jewelry, toys, etc. Bring it to the rummage box in the church undercroft. Your tax credit forms are at the front desk. Thank you very much!
Trinity Artist Series Sundays at 5 pm For June/July schedule, please check the website or call Manon at 504-606-3442. Save The Dates: The 18th Annual Patriotic Music Festival Sunday, July 1 from 3 pm until 6 pm with the Marine Corps Concert Band, pianist Ellis Marsalis, Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and his Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Albinas Prizgintas and more... A reception for all at 6:00 pm will follow. Bastille Day Fete Sunday, July 15 @ 5 pm: “Vive la France” Musical Extravaganza Celebrating with Classical and Popular Music of France featuring Albinas and Friends...
Every Tuesday at 6:00 pm Organ and Labyrinth
23rd Annual Women’s Creative Process Retreat: CPR for the Soul “Heart Work for Hard Times"
In these hard times, those of us committed to a spiritual path must create practices to keep us on the path. One important practice is to ask ourselves questions-often over and over again- because our answers change and deepen over time. We will ask ourselves the 4 deep, soul questions, posed by Wayne Muller, in his book, How Then, Shall I Live?-- "Who am I, really?"; "What do I love?"; "How shall I live, knowing I will die?"; and "What is my gift to the family of this Earth?" Come explore these timeless questions with us, through worship, prayer, silence, deep listening circles, music, sacred movement, art, writing, dreams, body work, fun and more. Please join us for this life-giving retreat weekend. Presenter: The Reverend Mary Hardy Logistics: Solomon Episcopal Conference Center— Robert, Louisiana, October 25-28, 2018— Thursday 6:30 pm (for dinner)-Sunday, approx. 11:30 am Information: Lisa Holden at (504) 296-7234 or lisatompkinsholden@gmail.com Registration: Jill Melancon at (985) 705-1284 flyfishjill@bellsouth.net or 7
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1329 Jackson Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-5198 504-522-0276 Fax 504-522-9960 www.trinitynola.com
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Clergy
Worship Schedule
The Right Reverend Morris K. Thompson, Bishop The Reverend Andrew R. Thayer, Rector The Reverend Katherine S. McLean, Associate Rector The Reverend John M. Pitzer, Associate Rector The Reverend Jane-Allison Wiggin-Nettles, Associate Rector The Reverend Robert Hadzor, Associate Rector The Reverend Alyce Jefferson, Deacon The Reverend Jay Albert, Deacon The Reverend E. Gary Taylor, Head of Trinity School The Reverend Dr. Hill C. Riddle, Rector Emeritus
SUNDAY 7:30 AM: Morning Prayer in the chapel 8:00 AM: Eucharist in the chapel 10:30 AM: Eucharist in the church 5:00 PM: Trinity Artist Series in the church 6:00 PM: Eucharist in the chapel
Vestry Barbara Waller, Senior Warden Gordon Kolb, Junior Warden Kelly Duncan, Clerk of Vestry Keith Crawford, Treasurer Michelle Cox, John Fay, Cres Gardner, Phillip Gordillo, Elaine Haney, Ellinor Howard, Heather Lonian, Chris Martin, Margaret Murphy, Alice Parkerson, Marguerite Redwine, Jim Theis, Carrie Wright, George Young John Wogan, Chancellor Bo Farrell, WOTC President Jill Pipes, Trinity School Board Chair
MONDAY - FRIDAY 7:30 AM: Eucharist in the chapel TUESDAY 8:30 AM: Morning Prayer 6:00 PM: Organ and Labyrinth in the church THURSDAY 10:30 AM: Holy Eucharist and Healing Service in the chapel
The Church Office will be closed on July 4.