Welcome Home!

This 2022 Annual Report offers pictures and words capturing moments of another year of ministry and life together. As always, none of it is definitive, but pray it is a faithful and joyful representation of our walk with Christ.

It is our hope they are enough to share the profound and life-changing elements of what it means to belong to each other, to this faith community, and a God always pulling us forward in love. We live in a culture where the dominant voices and norms would have us deny our primal need for connection and belonging. Thankfully, Trinity continues to offer a counterpoint to the narrative of rugged individualism; inviting authentic connection while constantly encouraging us to reach out to others with generous hearts, open minds and a willingness to give and receive love.

As a community committed to cultivating members for a life of service, connection, courage and compassion, Trinity continues its long legacy of invitation and welcome stretching over 180 years in downtown Toledo. And while many things have changed since 1842, we are still being called to seek out and find ways to, as the diocesan tag line reads, Love God, Love our Neighbor and Change the World. ©

May it inspire, challenge, comfort and remind us that together we are called to put away our complacency and embrace a kind of collective spiritual activism as we seek to follow Jesus, walking the way of love in the year to come.

To those who have come before, thank you for walking the path and shining your light.

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To those who are with us now, thank you for sharing your gifts.

To those yet to come, your place is waiting, and we are ready to welcome you “home”!

May the words and pictures of this report convey the excitement, growth and possibilities shaping who we have been and are always still becoming with God’s help.

Minutes

Draft Minutes of the 179th Annual Meeting

Trinity Episcopal Church, Toledo, Ohio

Sunday, January 30, 2022

11:07 am – Call to order by The Rev. Dr. Lisa Tucker-Gray, via zoom format.

• The presence of a quorum was confirmed by visual inspection, and Becky Koskinen was appointed clerk for the meeting.

• The minutes of the January 31, 2021 Annual Meeting were approved as presented.

• Vestry Member Donna Steppe offered thanks to 3 vestry members completing their terms:

1. Bob Meeker

2. Dennis Degnan

3. Donna Steppe

• Donna acknowledged and thanked continuing Vestry members: Jeffrey Albright, Gary Franklin, Becky Koskinen, Fritz Hany, Jamie Paul and Leah Read. Long-time Trust Fund Officer Greg Shumaker was also thanked for his years of service now at an end, and we welcomed Will Daily as the new Trust Fund Officer. The 2022 approved vestry slate was presented and approved by acclamation with Dennis Degnan and Donna Steppe to serve another full three-year term as well as Karen Keune for her first three-year term.

• Lisa thanked Roberta Durham for her service on vestry and for her desire to get Trinity involved in helping youth aging out of foster care through the development of Better Together Toledo (formerly Open Table).

• Staff member Lynzi Miller shared a video celebrating the ministry and volunteers over the years of Next to New, followed by a report explaining why the ministry will be closing and next steps. Trinity will take the coming year to start the process of discerning next steps for the footprint of the downstairs space that has been used by this ministry.

• Lisa thanked Trinity staff for their dedication and service: Heather Meyer, Director of Operations & Community Engagement; Lynzi Miller, Communications Coordinator & Next to New Manager; and Chelsie Cree, Choir Director. Resignations tendered this year included: Nick Zurawski, Sexton (Sept 2021) and Megan Allen, Curate (Dec 2021). Lisa thanked Trinity Choir Section Leaders for bringing joy to the Trinity soundtrack of music: Melissa Toth, Kim Buehler, Michael Barlos and Bradley Baker.

• Donna extended gratitude to Lisa for her continued commitment to Trinity, as we not only have survived a pandemic, but are also thriving. Jeffrey thanked Post Companies and the work they provide with technology, communication and digital media support.

• Lisa shared her excitement about the upcoming, in-person Vestry Retreat in February after a 2-year (and still continuing) pandemic. Lisa ended with highlighting some amazing accomplishments from 2021 including the completion of Trinity’s 2030 Vision and Feasibility Study before offering a final blessing.

• There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:50 am.

Respectfully submitted, Becky Koskinen, Appointed Clerk.

Summary of Vestry Actions

Throughout the year, the vestry and Lisa work side by side developing and nurturing our ministry. In 2022, the vestry’s main areas of focus included: capital projects attending to deferred maintenance (staff hall/plaza water mitigation, sanctuary light dimming panel), managing and supporting the closure of Next to New ministry, exploration of remaining plaza renovation, supporting staff during times of employee transition, discernment of new expanded faith in action ministry and ongoing conversation regarding the expansion of worship to include both Trinity@316 and Trinity@Home. Highlights from the year include:

• Saturday, February 5, all-day vestry retreat in-person.

• Approved 2021 Parochial Report

• Approved Director of Operations, Heather Meyer as authorized officer for KeyBank accounts with accompanying Rector, Senior Warden and Junior Warden approvals.

• Approved KeyBank signature card updates to the following individuals: Donna Steppe, Jeffrey Albright, Jamie Paul, Lisa Tucker-Gray, William Dailey and Gary Franklin.

• Approved Trinity as new Food-for-Thought mobile food pantry host site once a month for a two-hour time period beginning April 2022.

• Approved funding for the RAM Construction Plaza water mitigation project.

• Approved recommendations for 2022 Diocesan Convention delegates: Leah Reed, Jolene Miller, and Hugh Grefe and alternates: Fritz Hany and Becky Roth.

• Approved contract and funding for EDGE Landscape Architecture to provide design options for full plaza renovation.

• Affirmed 2023-2026 vestry slate: Jeffrey Albright, Jamie Paul and Leah Reed.

• Approved contract and funding for B Creative Studio to produce on-line and print version of Trinity’s 2022 Annual Report.

• Approved annual audit for the year ending December 31, 2021, prepared by Rayner, Foos, Kruse & Irwin.

• Approved renewal line of credit with KeyBank and request for increase from $750,000 to $1 million, secured by the Trinity Episcopal Endowment Trust per the terms in the proposal provided by KeyBank.

• Approved RAM Construction Services proposal for Laurenco Waterproofing and full plaza redesign work to commence in spring 2023.

Rector’s Message

Beloved Friends -

This year has been a spiritual “coming out” experience in many ways for us as a community of faith. Starting in March 2020 we suspended all in-person worship and meetings shifting to a completely new model of digital ministry. Then, nearly two full years later, in March 2022, we “came out” with a new hybrid approach to spreading God’s love through offering both our weekly digital worship, Trinity@Home, along with a revived Sunday in-person worship experience called Trinity@316. It has been a challenge to find a way to do both, but have remained committed and faithful to both efforts, and the fruit of that labor has yielded amazing results. We could never have imagined we would have come out of the devastating time of a two-year pandemic with not only two weekly worship services, but also welcoming so many new members.

The sidebar shows a snapshot of highlights I will carry with me from 2022. They are reminders that with God all things are indeed possible, and we have come so far.

It continues to be an honor, joy and privilege to walk with you day by day my beloved friends in Christ.

May you never forget that you are loved.

2022 Highlights

• A third year of developing our new Trinity@Home worship platform

• Being a member of the Diocesan Bishop Search Committee

• Serving on Diocesan Council and the Commission on Racial Justice

• Welcoming retired deacon Meribah Mansfield onto our Trinity liturgical team

• Attending the National Thistle Farms Annual Conference in Nashville

• Supporting Equality Toledo, collecting food for their Food Pantry

• Completing the RAM water mitigation on the plaza and restoring the staff corridor

• Working on the 2030 Vision priority to develop a plan to redesign the full Plaza

• Offering a third round of the documentarybased Sacred Ground curriculum

• Deepening our support and engagement with Toledo Streets Newspaper

• Celebrating nine baptisms and welcoming 42 new adults and 16 youth

• Teaching Episcopal Identity classes and shepherding four members to Confirmation

• Offering our first Lenten Music Concert Series

• Officiating at Silma and Ashley’s joyful wedding

• Becoming a new monthly Mobile Food Pantry site with Food for Thought

• Completing a successful Annual Pledge Drive exceeding all our goals

• Hiring George Benson as our new Director of Community Engagement