Holy Week and Easter at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
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The Reverend Canon J. Fletcher Montgomery, Rector 100 NE 1st Street, Gainesville, FL. The Reverend Robert A. Osborne, Associate Priest Main: 352-372-4721 The Reverend Jeremy G. Hole, Priest Emeritus Issue 729 March-April 2020 Robert Bala, Publisher Inside This Issue: Holy Week and Easter at Holy Week Schedule Cover Holy Trinity Episcopal Church From the Rector 2 From the Associate Sunday, April 5 Palm Sunday 3 Priest Liturgy of the Palms 7:45 a.m. Courtyard Easter Music & 3 Lilies Memorials Liturgy of the Palms 10:15 a.m. Courtyard Springtime Celebration Steak 5 Liturgy of the Palms 6:00 p.m. Courtyard Dinner Gala Cubana 6 Wednesday, April 8 Holy Wednesday Nicholas Fichter in 7 Concert Healing Service 12:15 p.m. Chapel Celtic Service 7 Palm Sunday Thursday, April 9 Maundy Thursday 7 Concert Holy Eucharist 6:00 p.m. Church A Service of 8 Compline Friday, April 10 Good Friday Family Ministries 8 Vacation Bible Good Friday Service & 9 School Stations of the Cross * 12:00 p.m. Church From the HTESG 9 Good Friday Liturgy 6:00 p.m. Church Wednesday Prayer 10 Immigrant Ministry 10 Saturday, April 11 Holy Saturday Veterans Ministry 10 The Great Vigil of Easter 6:00 p.m. Church Where Thanks are 12 Due Decorating the 13 Sunday, April 12 Easter Day Church for Easter Holy Eucharist, Rite I * 7:30 a.m. Church Ministry Spotlights 13 Parish Registry 14 Holy Eucharist, Rite II * 9:30 a.m. Church Reminders 15 Holy Eucharist, Rite II * 11:30 a.m. Church Parish Office 15 Closure Dates Holy Eucharist, Rite II * 6:00 p.m. Church Shop Hours 16 *Child Care Provided ISSUE 729 HOLY TRINITY PARISH NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 From the Rector As we begin our third year together as pastor and people, I am grateful to look back with you on 2019 as a year of growth in several areas, and of faithfulness in many en- deavors. The year did not pass without some surprises and disappointments of course, but I hope we learned from them, and that with forgiveness and forbearance we will all be stronger for them. I am so grateful for our excellent professional staff who serve us all day by day. The Reverend Robert Osborne joined us last March, and has been a wonderful addition to our team. I appreciate his friendship, his wise counsel, his patience, his willingness to learn, his faithful preaching, and the genuine care he takes with our parishioners. At- tending both Robert’s ordination to the priesthood and his marriage to Caroline gave me great joy in this past year. The Reverend Jeremy Hole, our venerable Priest Emeritus, has served Holy Trinity in various roles for nearly four decades. I am grateful for his gift of teaching, his holiness of life, his sweet and gentle spirit, and his wise counsel. Dr. John Lowe continues to be perhaps our greatest evangelist, packing the church for various musical concerts and events month after month and Sunday by Sunday. I am grateful for his friendship, his truly amazing talent, and his willingness to be flexible when things sometimes (or often!) change at the last minute. John’s assistant organist, Dr. Chris Goddard, along with our gifted choir scholars, all of our excellent volunteer musicians, and our Sunday evening folk choir, make our weekly worship beautiful and joyful. Though I understand it’s falsely attributed to St. Augus- tine, the saying holds true here at Holy Trinity: “those who sing pray twice.” My deep thanks to John and our entire music ministry team for bringing so many to know the love of God through music and song. Sarah Larsen wears two hats for one paycheck, serving cheerfully both as Parish Administrator and Financial Admin- istrator. Her attitude each day is professional and helpful, and I am grateful for her loyalty and teamwork. Assisted by Robert Bala in the mornings, and Joyce Rolle each afternoon, we are faithfully served in communications and fi- nancial documentation. Jaxon Crews, our Director of Family Ministries, joined us in June and hit the ground running! He is a teachable teacher, a mature believer, and a very talented musician. He has a heart for children, teens, and their families. We have been blessed to have him – and his new bride Elizabeth – with us at Holy Trinity this year! Merle Hitchner, you all know, is a man of many skills, and great integrity. He and those who work with him love Holy Trinity, and under his leadership they show that love in innumerable ways day by day. With Merle as our long- time Senior Sexton, our buildings – and our people – are cared for with grace and care. Thank you, Sir, for your ded- ication and service to this parish. Others faithfully serve us quietly and without pay. Among the many, I think of Lorraine Holston who keeps our par- ish library orderly, up to date, and easy to get around. Carolyn Horter looks after our growing collection of historical documents and other archived treasures. Kim Curtis has lovingly picked up the mantle of funerals and other recep- tions; Joyce Crawford and her delivery volunteers turn Sunday altar flowers into weekly bouquets for those in need of a cheerful reminder their parish holds them in their thoughts and prayers; and Cyndee Park and her army of volun- teers decorate the church for major feasts and holy days. Time does not permit me to go on about our excellent lay worship leaders, our front desk and other office volunteers, our vigilant ushers and greeters, our dedicated altar guild… So many of you come here day by day and week by week to serve quietly and to share your gifts of excellence and expertise with the rest of us. I am grateful for you all. (Continues on page 4) ISSUE 729 HOLY TRINITY PARISH NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 From the Associate Priest I am approaching the anniversary of my first-year as an associate priest at Holy Trinity. Recently I have started reflecting on my experience serving at our parish. So much has happened in one year! It is hard to separate out the life events from my ministry experienc- es. But perhaps that is part of the point. Ordained ministry intersects with day-to-day life in such a way that the lines between work and the rest of life are very, very blurry. Perhaps, looking back on years of priestly ministry, it will always be the case that it is hard to sepa- rate life from ministry. Maybe that is the first lesson of my first year as a priest. Another lesson is the importance of working as a team. This became abundantly clear to me whenever Fr. Fletcher left town for vacation or other ministerial responsibilities. Step- ping into that leadership role would have been close to impossible without the great team of staff and volunteers we have at Holy Trinity, in addition to the graciousness of our parishioners. My time here has given me the opportunity to see how a healthy team works and what an incredible difference that makes for the church as a whole. To be honest, I could list lesson after lesson – how to preach week after week, how to conduct a funeral, how to en- counter and overcome unexpected obstacles, how to try a new idea but also be okay if it fails – but the summary of them all is that I feel incredibly blessed to have this time here. I know several newly ordained priests who were thrust straight into being rectors, and I struggle to think how difficult that would be right out of seminary. The learning curve must be vertical! Above all, as I reflect on this past year, I want you all to know what a gift it is to the wider Church for Holy Trinity to raise up members of the clergy. Associate positions are mostly designed to assist the rector in the running of a par- ish, but also to train members of the clergy to eventually go and serve as rectors elsewhere. Did you know that, as of 2019, the average age of an Episcopal priest is in the low 60’s? We are racing toward a seri- ous demographic crisis! When you, as a church, welcome, support, and train new priests, you are equipping them to serve the Lord better, longer, and in a healthier manner. What a gift to the Church! I hope that someday, long after my time at Holy Trinity, the parish will continue to foster the growth of newly ordained priests, and send them out to serve with gladness and singleness of heart. Robert Easter Music and Easter Lily Memorials Easter Lilies that will adorn Holy Trinity Church at Easter may be given in memory or in honor of a loved one. You may also make a gift in memory or in honor of a loved one for the glorious mu- sic. The envelopes will be available in the parish office, and will also be inserted into the Sunday bulletins on March 15, 22, & 29. Please carefully print the names of those you want remembered in the Easter bulletin. Also, if you would like to designate your gift for the music or flowers, please do so on the envelope provided. Deadline is April 2. ISSUE 729 HOLY TRINITY PARISH NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 (Continuing from page 2) Last, but not least, my sincere thanks and devotion to my strongest supporter and best friend, my wife – Sarah, who has made my being rector here infinitely easier. She praises me far more than I deserve when something goes right; she encourages me when I’m down; she suggests a way or two out of something when I have mis-stepped; she prays for me; and she is my faithful partner in ministry here at Holy Trinity.