March 26, 2020 Newsletter
From Pastor Chris
I am a creature of habit. I may not want to admit it, but I am. I like predictability in my daily and weekly routine. Adventure is fine as long as I know when to expect it, roughly what will happen, and how long it will last. Give me boundaries on the unexpected, please and thank you.
But right now, we are in the middle of the unexpected, the unprecedented, and the unpredictable; or the beginning; or somewhere else on the hazy, unknown-to-any-of-us timeline. And it is maddening. And exhausting. And scary. If there is one thing I would share with you today, it is this: experiencing those emotions, or whatever your version is today, is not a sin. We are reminded time and again throughout scripture, "Do Not Be Afraid!" God has to keep reminding us, not out of anger or frustration that humans get scared, but out of a love that is so deep and abiding that God's heart aches when we feel fear. So whatever you are feeling today, know that it is o.k. But also know that God is whispering, "Do not be afraid - even now."
Today we enter a new phase of the COVID-19 crisis here in Springfield: at least 30 days of a stay-at-home order. Let me take this moment to add my voice to those encouraging you to respect this order. As we are seeing in other parts of our nation, when COVID-19 spreads rapidly in a community, it can quickly overwhelm our healthcare systems. The best way to protect ourselves and others is to stay home and slow the spread. I know many of us will want to help as much as we are able, and many of you have contacted Sharon Marsh and Penni Groves to volunteer your assistance. Please know that we are working to make sure we are helping in ways that do not put our community at greater risk.
Speaking of helping, I wanted to share with you some of the things Trinity is doing right now to help our community. On Tuesday our Mission & Public Witness Committee met via Zoom and approved the following emergency grants:
$2,000 to Crosslines to help with accessing additional emergency food relief. They are seeing over double their usual daily visits.
$2,000 to Grace UMC as they continue to provide vital food assistance to the homeless community in downtown Springfield, a need which is rising amid the current crisis.
$500 each to Eden Village and Rare Breed as they provide emergency food assistance.
Approximately $1,100 to "round up" our Links of Love drive donations to a total of $5,000 to be directed to the unrestricted funds of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. These funds will be used both to help evacuate Presbyterian World Mission Co-Workers and provide development resources for the eventual recovery work following the crisis.
Here is how you can help:
Grace UMC needs bottled water, about 200 bottles every time they serve a meal. When you do your shopping or place a grocery delivery order, if you are able to purchase a case or more of bottled water we can arrange for a volunteer to pick it up from your home. Please purchase cases of at least 24 bottles and leave them wrapped to keep the individual bottles as sanitary as possible.
Rare Breed is handing out sack meals to homeless teens. We are putting together a team to prepare meals at home and a volunteer will pick them up from your home. We need people to make sets of 10 meals (or 20, or 30).
To help with either of these projects, contact Sharon Marsh or Penni Groves, and they can give you more information.
For most organizations financial assistance is the most pressing need. You are invited to make a special gift if you are able. If you wish you can send donations to the church noted "COVID Response" and we will direct the funds as needed OR you are welcome to send gifts directly to the agency. If you would like contact information for any of our mission partners just send me an email (cmiller@trinityspringfieldpcusa.org).
Finally! I have been sending mid-week updates about worship and how you can remain connected during this time. If you HAVEN'T gotten those emails it might mean we don't have an updated email in our church database (our newsletter list and "official" church contact list are separate). If you want to double check, please email your current contact information to June (office@trinityspringfieldpcusa.org), and she will update your profile. While she is working from home, she still has access to our database.
Friends, I know these are hard and strange times. If you want to chat, give me a call. While we are physically separated, we are still connected as the body of Christ. That bond will always endure.
Wishing you Peace,
Pastor Chris
Carla's Corner
Rain, Rain! Go Away! Well, I love how it sounds when I'm sleeping, but come on! With homeschooling and all of us living so closely under one roof, a little outside time does the family good! And then again, with all of my marching band days, a little rain never hurt anybody. I am missing seeing all of my Trinity kids and church family. I've learned how to Zoom, and our youth are going to hang out via Discord (thank you Reed Dressler) and there's always texting, email and good ole phone calls! We can do this!
I LOVED Sunday's virtual service! We cast it onto our smart TV, and everybody watched. I did feel a little odd just sitting there watching. Presbyterians, I have found, are doers. They are mission seekers. I've never met a bunch of people so set on helping others; whether in Eden Village or helping provide clean water, and the list goes on. My mission is our congregation and our kids. All week I'm thinking and listening for God's guidance regarding what is needed to provide music for our Trinity Family worship time. Well, this week you'll be introduced to my mighty Hammond organ and a couple of hymns. I hope you will sing along!
Sunday Night Youth Group!
Yes, we are going to have our Sunday night youth group via Discord. Discord is an online way of being together, playing games and hanging out. Reed Dressler is the brains behind this idea and I can't wait to have all youth who are willing participate this Sunday night. Reed has sent an invite to all our youth. Please, contact Reed or me (Carla) if you haven't received your invite. 5:30-7:00 p.m.! Hope to see you there......on my computer screen!
Trinity Kids PCUSA Facebook Page
We finally have a Facebook page for our Trinity Kids! This is a closed group due to all the pics of our kids, but our church family and anyone related to our kids can join. I will also keep adding updates regarding what our youth/children are doing. I hope this will be another great way of communicating and sharing. (I'm not very "techy", so all of you Facebook experts let me know if I need to tweak something!)
Trinity Engagement Fair
The Trinity Generosity and Engagement committee is postponing the Engagement Fair indefinitely until we can all get safely back together. We will be in touch soon. God Bless and take care
Church Garage Sale Postponed
May 7-9 Church Garage Sale Postponed for Now
Continue to save your stuff, we will reschedule when it’s safe to do so.
Remaining Connected During Social Distancing
As we all settle into new routines in this age of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to share what we as a Trinity community are doing to remain connected with one another. I'll start by reminding you that just because we need to physically separate from one another, it doesn't mean we need to be isolated from those who love and support us. I'll be hosting an opportunity this afternoon to join with other Trinity members via Zoom for conversation and study. Zoom is a tool that allows for audio and video group conferencing and, whether you are technically savvy or not, it is easy to use. I will be online 10 minutes prior to the gathering to provide tech support.
Lent Book Study - Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
After a week off, we will resume our Lent Book Study on Walter Brueggemann's book Sabbath as Resistance. Quite appropriate in a time of enforced Sabbath for many of us. We will be discussing Chapter 4: Resistance to Exclusivism. NOTE: If you haven't attended the study in the past, don't worry! We would love for you to join us for the conversation.
Join by computer/smartphone/tablet at this link: https://zoom.us/j/265834033?pwd=OHFKcXZMaENtbDkrenFIdmlkYUVOUT09
Join by phone by calling 1 312 626 6799 and entering, when prompted:
Meeting ID: 265 834 033
Password: 087499
Other Ways We Are Connecting
Here are a few of the other ways we are helping connect our community in these days:
Our Deacons and Elders are making phone calls to all Trinity households and families. Our goal is to have a member of Trinity leadership contact each household at least every two - three weeks for the duration of the pandemic. Please share any needs you have, and they will get passed on to the right team.
We have organized a Trinity Volunteer Team to help our members who need to remain in their home. If you would be willing to pick up groceries, deliver a carryout meal from a restaurant, or help in other small ways, please contact Sharon Marsh or Penni Groves, and they will pair you with needs as we learn of them. If you could use the help of a volunteer, reach out to Penni or Sharon, and they will make the arrangements.
Many of our members are connecting with their friends via phone calls or the Trinity Facebook group. Please consider making a phone call every day to a friend at Trinity to check in. We also have a private Trinity Facebook group where you can share prayer concerns, needs, favorite hymns, or a good joke. If you need help with the Facebook Group, reach out to Debbie Cron.
If you need contact information for someone, contact June in the office. While she is working from home, June can still help you with contact information if you want to reach out to someone. Her email is office@trinityspringfieldpcusa.org.
If you have a pressing pastoral care concern, please call me. I am available to talk by phone or private Zoom call; I know these are hard times for lots of us. You don't have to carry the weight alone!
We will be sharing more in the coming days about how we can help our broader community, especially our mission partners both locally and more broadly. In the meantime, the best thing you can do to help is this:
Pray. Pray for all those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, whether in their physical, emotional, or economic health. Pray for those on the front lines of caring for others in healthcare settings. Pray for those who are working long hours to keep stores stocked as much as possible, and for those who cannot work in these times. Pray for the church, that we might be a witness to Christ in these days of fear and confusion.
Stay Home. Seriously, if at all possible, please minimize your contact with others as much as possible. The best way to protect our community is to slow the spread of the virus. Even if you feel well you can still spread the virus, so if you can stay home, please do. There are lots of past sermons on our YouTube channel if you need a way to spend the time...
I hope you and yours are staying well in these strange days - if I can help please let me know. You can find my contact information at the bottom of the newsletter.
Pastor Chris
