Winter 2015 TrinityLife Volume 2, No. 2 And the Spirit Will Lead You… s I write, the mountains and hills of increasingly gray snow Acontinue to line the streets around Copley Square. Pedestrians bustle along shrouded in their jackets and layers of wool. Getting to church on Sundays has often proved daunting, but despite winter’s !erce moods, life at Trinity has been moving forward with remarkable energy. The Rev. Samuel We at Trinity are T. Lloyd III calling this a “Year of Rector Discovery,” a phrase that resonates in more ways than one. We recently “discovered” the latent power of hosting a public conversation as we gathered for the !rst Anne Berry Bonnyman Symposium, addressing Winter roared through New England in late January and February of 2015. Here, the challenges of racism in our country. Trinity rises from the snowbanks from the intersection of Clarendon Street and And we St. James Avenue. Photo by parishioner Monte Agro. What are gathered for we learning an all-parish ranging conversations of the Mission building we call our spiritual home, about living in dinner and Task Force, the Building Committee, and the ways in which we are being community with cabaret that and the Liturgy Study Group will be called to reach out and serve our each other? Who used nearly helping to chart the future into which community outside our doors. does God want us God is calling us. every space in The groups haven’t been charged to become? the church and Several people have asked me in primarily to develop plans for next gave us a taste recent months what exactly these steps, but to discern where God’s of Mardi Gras fun as Lent loomed on planning groups are trying to Spirit is leading our congregation in the horizon—another discovery. achieve, and I’ve replied that these those areas, and how God is calling And then there have been our three are not so much “planning” groups us to serve and use the resources with major discernment groups that have as “discernment” groups. Rather than which Trinity is so blessed. rushing to achieve something in been deeply engaged in exploring The root meaning of the word “discern” particular, these groups are looking who and what we are being called is “to separate.” To discern is to listen to become in the coming years. deeply into key parts of our life—our The research, re"ection, and wide- patterns of worship, the luminous Continued; see SPIRIT, page 2 Being Community Helping Our Homeless Acolytes Re!ect on Worship page 3 Neighbors, page 6 page 12 TrinityLife — 1 There For One Another Being Community Community. It’s a word that gets used who tethered us to this world, who I am happy and relieved to say that As a parish, we have been spending a lot of time in the past so often for so many things, it can start made sure were safe and supported Tom is home and healing, and came year learning, talking, and re"ecting about what it means to lose any real sense of meaning. and comforted on this journey. to the 6pm service last weekend. And, to be part of a community. Through our Pray Love Serve Is it a place? A group? A feeling? As like most Sunday nights, we stayed to forums, at Gratitude Gatherings at parishioners’ homes, Our Trinity friends sprang into action. Director of Communications, I spend a have dinner with our Trinity friends. at the anti-racism Symposium and the Parish Dinner and One took on the role as captain, and lot of time thinking about community We joked, “Thanks guys, this church Cabaret last month, at weekly worship, in service to our organized our mission control team. here at Trinity: How can we nurture thing works!” And we gave thanks homeless brothers and sisters, and in countless other While a few shoveled our roof in an experience of that, in ordinary and extraordinary ways, we at Trinity are talking a lot about—and living anticipation of the coming blizzard, “common unity,” times, the Trinity community is deeply together in—community. In another took me grocery shopping support the sense manifesting God’s love in ways ways both large and small, we’ve been in hopeful anticipation of Tom’s of “communion,” and small and large. This is a beloved connecting, getting to know one another homecoming; when one came to take ultimately grow and community indeed. TL better, caring for each other, and being me out for my !rst non-cafeteria meal, share that? of service in the world. another sat by Tom’s side while I was Re"ecting on the gone. Clergy came to visit, to share The Vestry has heard from a number of Connect to Community Pat Hurley past year, I’ve communion, blessings, and a few you that fostering community requires Director of on Trinity Table noticed that this laughs when it was clear we were “out Peter Lawrence greater engagement, transparency and Communications feeling seems to of the woods.” If you haven’t signed up yet, here’s Senior Warden participation in decision-making. We become heightened at moments of have adopted these as guiding principles I felt so supported by my colleagues, some of what you’re missing: celebration (baptisms; last month’s for our Year of Discovery and beyond. One early example who shielded me from the stress of Copies of the reports from the Patriot’s parade), or crisis (“Boston of our commitment is the Decision-Making Protocol, which being part of their heroic e#orts to liturgy study group and mission Strong”). But I was reminded of the was adopted by the Vestry last November and is available support the greater Trinity community task force; true essence of Christian community to all on our website, and is in regular use. I hope that, by pre-empting the blizzard with the Each week’s TrinityEvents; when my family experienced its own through our actions and interactions, you will feel that we “virtual” and Saturday night service. crisis, and my husband, Tom Hulme, The list of people we prayed for in are living in to these principles. And, knowing that those assembled suddenly was taken ill and landed in church each week; for that Valentine’s Day service were As I write this, our Year of Discovery is at its midway the hospital for a week. Provocative discussions; praying for Tom when his name was point. The Liturgy Study Group and Mission Task Force For a week, it felt as if we were living read in the Prayers of the People, And opportunities to connect have presented their !ndings at Forums this month, and on a separate planet called MGH—dis- provided great comfort to us both. with Trinity friends, old and the Building Committee has been scheduled to present tant, foreign, and where time had no new, as individuals and in small their update in early March. Sharing these reports, and At a time when we truly felt untethered meaning. Our focus narrowed to that groups. expanding the conversations to include the parish, is Paul Zintl, member of the Mission Task Force, shared some of from earth, we felt safely held and sup- dimly lit room. While our beloved fam- To sign up, visit a critical part of engaging the whole community. Every the group’s recommendations to a full forum on February 22, ported, as if by a heavenly web. God’s ilies in other states o#ered prayers and trinitychurchboston.org/ voice is important to the discernment process of where before parishioners broke up into small discussion groups. love was tangible through the love and help, it was primarily our Trinity friends community-life/trinity-table God is calling Trinity Church at this time. Copies of the Mission Task Force’s Report are available for actions of our Trinity community. parishioners on the Trinity Table, with limited copies at the Another opportunity to participate We are blessed Parish House desk. SPIRIT Continued from page 1 in our community is our Annual to have such a Meeting. I encourage you to to the many voices that are speaking to get there has been not so much one entire selves to the working of the gifted population, join us for an information-!lled commitment and participation support this community. to us at any one time, and to separate of planning as of listening. As these Holy Spirit. A !ne little book on willing to give hour about the !nancial health, In the short space I have here, I would especially like to out from them those that we believe committees share their reports with discernment called Grounded in God their time and governance and outreach work of thank each of you who has made a pledge to support the represent the leading of God’s Spirit the parish, I hope you too will join us puts it this way: “Our job is to let go energy and this parish that we all share. We ministries of Trinity Church. Thanks, also, to each of you in our community. One of the most in listening for the Spirit. Where is God of preconceived ideas so that we can resources to will be reporting on the status of who has answered a call to leadership with “Here I am.” moving dimensions of reading the New leading us? What are we learning about be open to new possibilities that God the parish and our 2015 Stewardship Campaign, We are blessed to have such a gifted population, willing Testament is following the adventures living in community with each other? may have in mind for us.” diocese.