LOREM IPSUM FEBRUARY 19, 2021 Rev. Kathleen Gorman-Coombs TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Rev. Dr. Timothy Coombs 185 Swaggertown_______ road NEWSLETTER Scotia, NY 12302 _______ [email protected] www.scotiatrinity.org DO JUSTICE LOVE KINDNESS 1 Table of Contents 8 Save the Date WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD 2 A message from Pastor 9 Time and Treasure Kathy 3 10 SiCM Summer Internship Holy Week Plans Thank You’s 4 In Home Seder 11 5 Seder Continued 12 Birthdays 6 13 15 Upcoming Events Calendar COVID-19 Prayer 7 More Upcoming Events 14 Online Giving 1 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 ear Friends: D Spring is /inally making an appearance —and as I write this, we have the rain coming down to prove it. I preferred the warmth and sun of yesterday! (Opening day at Jumpin’ Jacks)—but as long as we are making progress toward the warmer, longer days, I’m A Message happy. from It’s hard to get my mind around the Pastor Kathy fact that we are now facing another Easter with pandemic related restrictions. We’ve gotten better at keeping the camera in mind when we decorate the sanctuary, way better at livestreaming in general of course . and yet oh how we yearn for the days when we can gather in person to celebrate. Last week, Session made some decisions about how worship will be over the next few months; here’s the plan: Easter Sunday—the Sunrise service, at 6:30 will be out doors (no livestream) The 10 AM service will be livestreamed only—so that wherever we are, we can all sing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as loudly and joyously as we want to! And so that we can hear the choir sing. Livestream only through the rest of April. May 2, assuming the weather is on our side, we will begin to hold worship outdoors as we did last summer. It will also be livestreamed, we’ll ask for RSVP’s. We’ll do that through the summer, and hope that by September, we can feel safer joining together indoors. On rainy days, we’ll revert to livestream only. Hopefully there will be various opportunities for outdoor gatherings of other types. Christ is Risen, of course, no matter where we are. Life overcomes death—even though COVID has left – and continues to leave—so much death in it’s wake. Still, Life prevails, Love prevails. I heard a sermon once, a long time ago, at a Princeton Seminary Graduation (which means the preacher was probably someone famous, but – I don’t remember who it was)—the last sentence of the sermon was something like: “The Resurrection reminds us that Death will not have the last word. God always has the last Word.” It’s stayed with me all these years—and has never been more pertinent than through this last year. Despite all the death and suffering—God always has the last Word.” With hope and love, Katy 2 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 Holy Week Plans HOLY WEEK SERVICES Palm Sunday, March 28 - Pick up your palms at the church during the week. Holy/Maundy Thursday, April 1 -At home Zoom Seder with special guest Rabbi Matt Cutler of Congregation Gates of Heaven. See article for details Good Friday Tenebrae, 7:00 PM April 2 - This service of “shadows” will feature Pastor Tim Coombs telling the Passion according to John’s Gospel. The service will be live streamed on our YouTube channel. Easter Sunrise Service, 6:30 AM, April 4 - Join us in person around the fire circle to celebrate the Christ resurrection. Easter Egg Hunt - immediately after the sunrise service the Youth Group will host an Easter egg hunt for young and old alike. Easter Worship - the choir will sing for this live streamed service. 3 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 A HHolyM au+nd y TZhursday, Apr il S d PM, by Zoom RSVP to RSVPscotiatrinity.org The Passover seder is traditionally an at-home family event, and so this year, we thought we’d try doing it exactly that way—that individuals and families might have the elements and dinner ready at home, and we’d join together on Zoom for the Haggadah and fellowship. As part of our engagement together, there will be some pre-recorded “cameo appearances” by our friend Rabbi Matt Cutler. At Rabbi Matt’s suggestion, we are using a Haggadah called “The Thirty Minute Seder,'' which is contemporary and inclusive in it’s language, while also holding to Jewish tradition. PDF versions of this will be sent out when you RSVP to [email protected], or you can order your own ​ ​ booklet from Amazon or at https://minuteseder.com/. We will be adding a couple of elements—Miriam’s Cup and an orange, which have both arisen out of Jewish feminist tradition (and will be explained during the service.) For Christians to engage in the seder is a bit controversial; we risk of us inadvertently co-opting or even disrespecting a tradition which though related to ours, is not ours; this is part of why we seek advice and guidance from Rabbi Cutler. For the SEDER plate you will need: ○ Matzah, ○ horseradish and romaine lettuce, ○ charoset (recipe below if you didn’t order from Nicky), ○ a chicken bone or roasted beet ○ a hard-boiled egg, ○ parsley, ○ salt water in a small bowl, ○ an orange. ○ wine and/or juice. Somewhere on the table, one additional wine glass or chalice to represent Elijah’s cup, and another, a water glass, to represent Miriam’s Cup. 4 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 5 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 HURSDAY BREAKFAST T BOOK BUDDIES We just started reading Dan Rather’s book “What Unites Us,” which is timely, easy to read, and insightful. Join us every other Thursday morning from 7:30 to 8:30. See the Upcoming worship bulletin for the zoom link. Events MATTER OF FAITH: A PRESBY A PODCAST This is a new podcast, launched on March 11, in which the hosts respond to your questions and comments on issues of faith, social justice, and church life. The podcast is a collaboration between two offices in the PCUSA, the Peacemaking Program and Unbound, the Interactive Journal on Christian Social Justice. The podcast welcomes your questions and thoughts in succeeding episodes. The goal is not to give perfect answers, but voice to the questions. Submit your questions to [email protected]. The hosts will invite guests who have relevant experience related to the questions. If you tune in to the podcast please let Tim Coombs know and we and meet once a month to share our thoughts. OUTH GROUP: EASTER EGG HUNT Y A new wrinkle on the Easter Sunrise Service will be an Easter Egg hunt for children of all ages immediately following worship. Let us gather at 5 PM Saturday evening, April 3rd to fill plastic eggs with candy and messages and then hide them. There will be an area for little kids and a tougher course for older children. See you soon. VER 60 COVID SUPPORT GROUP CONTINUES O All are welcome to join us every other Tuesday morning from 9:00-10:00. Our April dates are the 13th and 27th. Contact [email protected] for the link. 6 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 More Upcoming Events Women’s Spirituality Thursday, April 29 7 PM—Zoom Topic TBA https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87233416660? pwd=alVpREMyZzZVU1d6WWw4UG9oVFhmZz09 We’ll gather by Zoom-- topic as of yet to be determined (open to suggestions!)-- in May, I hope to plan an in person gathering—around the fire circle, or perhaps a walk. But for April, we’ll stick to Zoom. Be watching for info! Save the “Date”- We are in the beginning planning stages of our 2021 Vacation Bible School! If you'd like to be a part of the planning team, or have any question, requests, or early registrations, please email Sarah: [email protected] 7 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH APRIL 2021 Save The Date aster Egg Dying Zoom E Saturday, April 3, 10 am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81794895295?pwd=dU9kQndyN2lDZnlaeTl6QUk5UEZKQT09 Laraine Longhurst will lead us in dying Easter Eggs using some of the items included in The Lenten bags. (There are still a few left, if you didn’t get one!). Make sure to have your eggs hard- boiled and ready to dye; you’ll need food coloring or the fancy egg dye from “PAAS”—as well as vinegar. Contact Kathy with questions! aturday, May 1st, we will be holding our first socially distanced, Outdoor Spring Craft SFair from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and we are looking for crafters, bakers, volunteers, and shoppers! We will also be holding a bake sale, taking pre-orders for some of Chef Nicky's yummy treats for pickup at the event (remember, Mother's Day is the following weekend!), and having the crowd favorite Talents of Trinity table. If you would like to have a space to sell some of your crafts or are willing or able to volunteer, bake, or contribute in some other way, please reach out to Wendi Brandow at [email protected]. There will be a variety of different volunteer roles and it will look a little different than our annual holiday event, but we still need all the help we can get. Please help us spread the word by sharing on social media or telling friends and family. And as always, funds from the event will benefit Trinity's mission work. Save The Date - CROP WALK 2021, Sunday, May 1.