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Dear Friends,

Clergy are notorious bibliophiles. We buy books. We are given books as gifts. And we inherit books from older priests or their surviving spouses. We read a lot of the books that we have – or at least parts of them. The rest of the books serve as backdrops in our offices; as we sit in front of them, they make us appear more learned than perhaps we really are. Back in the day, clergy had “studies” where they read and contemplated. One of the gifts my father gave me after I was ordained was a hand-carved wooden sign that reads, “Parson’s Study.” Now, more often than not, we clergy have “offices,” suggesting that what we do is more managerial than it is pastoral. Since words matter, the change in terminology is worth pondering.

Over the last several years, I’ve drastically reduced my library. Part of the reason is that I move every year or two, and books are heavy! Part of the reason is that I no longer kid myself that I’m going to read or refer to most of them. The books I have kept are the ones I go back to again and again.

Every Advent, I take one particular book down from the shelf and read an excerpt from it every day. The book’s title is Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas. Just like Advent calendars, Watch for the Light gives me something to open every day – short pieces by some of the great spiritual writers. Some are from the distant past, like St. Bernard of Clairvaux and John Donne, and some are from more recent times, like Kathleen Norris and Madeleine L’Engle.

One of my favorites is by J.B. Phillips called “The Dangers of Advent.” Phillips was an Anglican clergyman and a pioneering Bible translator best known for his The New Testament in Modern English, a translation that had its start during World War II, while he was vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd in London. He found the young people in his church did not understand the King James Version of the Bible, so he used the time he spent in the bomb shelters during the London Blitz to begin a translation of the New Testament into modern English.

Here’s how “The Dangers of Advent” begins: “By far the most important and significant event in the whole course of human history will be celebrated, with or without understanding, at the end of this season, Advent. The towering miracle of God’s visit to this planet on which we live will be glossed over, brushed aside or rendered impotent by over-familiarity.”

Further on the in article, he continues, “The particular danger which faces us as Christmas approaches is unlikely to be contempt for the sacred season, but nevertheless our familiarity with it may easily produce in us a kind of indifference.”

Indifference due to over-familiarity. I don’t know if that’s a problem for you. I know it sometimes is for me. So I count on J.B. Phillips to remind me every Advent that the coming of Jesus at Christmas is – in his words – a “towering miracle.”

“The Dangers of Advent” is too long a piece for me to include here. So, in addition to the brief snippets I’ve already shared, let me close this Dear Friends letter with the words Phillips uses to close his article. He writes: “. . . behind all our fun and games at Christmastime, we should not try to escape a sense of awe, almost a sense of fright, at what God has done. We must never allow anything to blind us to the true significance of what happened at Bethlehem so long ago. Nothing can alter the fact that we live on a visited planet.”

We live on a visited planet. What an extraordinary thing to realize! I can’t possibly become overly familiar with the idea, or indifferent to it either. How about you?

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

The season of Advent begins this coming Sunday, December 1, with the first of the four Sundays of Advent. The season provides time and space for the coming of Christ as we celebrate his first coming at Christmas and anticipate his second coming at some future unknown date – the time when, as the Nicene Creed says, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”

Read several of Paul’s letters to the churches he founded, and you’ll quickly see how the first Christians were standing, as it were, on tiptoes. They expected Jesus to return at almost any moment and looked forward to that time with joyous anticipation. They saw themselves living in an in-between-time; the awareness of this inspired them to share the Good News with as many people as possible, to serve the world in which they found themselves, and to risk everything since they believed they would be called upon right away to give an account of the gifts God had given them.

Two thousand years, and then some, have passed since the early church waited with eager longing for the return of their Lord and Savior. Quite understandably, people found it harder and harder to wait for Christ’s return. The church settled down for the long haul and created institutions and orders of ministry that could sustain the faithful for a longer journey than they had anticipated. So, with the exception of a few believers, most of us don’t stand on our tiptoes in anticipation of the Second Coming. That’s why, it seems to me, the season of Advent is so valuable. For four weeks out of fifty-two, we recapture some of the joyous anticipation of those first Christians.

I will admit that most of the joyous anticipation this time of the year seems more directed to the celebration of the first coming – Christmas – than to the second coming. But I believe we can anticipate more than one thing at a time – and I hope we’ll try.

What might that look like? Here’s a suggestion. Take some time each day of Advent and remember a time when you waited excitedly for something – perhaps the birth of a child or grandchild, the return of your college student after a semester away, a service member’s homecoming after a deployment, how about the arrival of Trinity’s new rector sometime early in 2025 – you get the idea – and then ask yourself this question, “how would I live my life differently if I was waiting excitedly for God to come into my life?”

I look forward to observing Advent joyfully with you again this year. How will you be transformed while you wait?

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

I may hold the record for attending the most school holiday concerts of anyone you know. Our eldest child is 18 years older than our youngest. That means that – starting with elementary school concerts and ending with the last high school concert – we were in school gyms and theaters for a lot of years listening to kids sing or play in an orchestra or band. Not that I am complaining. I enjoyed all of the concerts – with the possible exception of the performances by those young people who were learning to play strings: violin, viola, cello, and bass. Heaven holds special reservations for middle school string teachers.

For seven of the above-mentioned years, we were able to secure tickets for the Granville High School Holiday Concert. These are as hard to come by as the tickets for Hamilton were when the original cast was performing on Broadway. The reason is simple – the music program is terrific, the percentage of the school’s kids participating is astronomical, and the performing arts center simply doesn’t have enough seats to accommodate everyone who wants to attend.

The culmination of every holiday concert was the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Somehow, they were able to get every single kid on the stage – the choirs, members of the orchestra, and concert band members. It took two conductors to pull it off – one for the instrumentalists and one for the choirs!

Perhaps sometime between now and Christmas, you will hear the Hallelujah Chorus sung live – or if not live – on your record player, CD player, or streaming service. It was always a showstopper at the end of the concert at Granville High. I’m guessing you already know the words. The lyrics are quite repetitive – stop and count the number of times “hallelujah” is sung!

But there’s more there than a bunch of hallelujahs – and the more there underscores that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I know you can hear the music as you read these words: And he shall reign for ever and ever. The kingdom of this world/Is become/The kingdom of our Lord/And of His Christ.

It’s unclear how the Hallelujah Chorus became associated with Christmas. It actually appears in Part II of the oratorio – the part that covers the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus – rather than Part I, the part that draws its texts from the Christmas readings. It’s probably included because it’s a much more exciting way to bring a concert to its climatic conclusion than the chorus with which Part I ends: “His yoke is easy” – great music, but one wouldn’t fill a stage with teenage musicians to sing it!

The Hallelujah Chorus will be going through my head this Sunday – not because Chelsie has the choir singing it – but because the theme of this Sunday – the Last Sunday after Pentecost – is Christ the King (or if you prefer a less-gendered name: the Reign of Christ).

What does it mean to talk about Christ as King? To call him King of Kings and Lord of Lords? And if the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, how come it so often feels as if someone else is ruling or, perhaps equally troubling, no one is ruling over the darkness and the chaos?

I hope you’ll come this Sunday as we celebrate Christ the King and as we pray our way through what it might mean to acknowledge his reign.

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, November 3, we invited people to bring their loose change for a “Day of Change” fundraiser to benefit Breakfast at Trinity. I am happy to announce that it was a rousing success, and we received $3,701.60 in total donations. This amount will continue to bolster and support our rapidly growing signature ministry. Thank you so much. Over the past month we have averaged about 100 people a Sunday, and this past week we served our 2,500th meal. For a ministry that has been in full operation since Easter, I am constantly impressed with its growth – not just in numbers of people, but, more importantly, in the relational aspect that we value the most. Our incredible volunteers, who show up every week and continue to listen to the stories of those present, are an important part of who we are at Trinity.

Before we know it, it will be time to decorate our houses for Advent and Christmas. Trinity, at one point, had a history of making custom ornaments. This is something we are bringing back in the form of another fundraiser for Breakfast at Trinity. Starting this Sunday, November 17, you will be able to purchase custom-designed ornaments for $30 (about what it costs to feed a table of eight people on Sunday). All proceeds will support Breakfast at Trinity. It is getting colder, and as the number of guests on Sunday climbs due to inflation affecting the cost of groceries, your purchase of an ornament will help put us further ahead of our financial goals as we wait to hear whether we will be the recipients of another Episcopal Community Service (ECS) grant for Breakfast at Trinity.

Finally, as has been announced in a previous issue of Topics and on Sunday in church, we received a gift from a long time Trinity member to provide meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our Thanksgiving meal will be served 11:30 am-12:30 pm on Thanksgiving Day. Most of the food we need has already been purchased. However, if you are interested in volunteering and want to bring something as well, please feel free to do so! We are asking for volunteers to arrive by 10:30 am to help set up and to review some brief training about serving the meal. We expect 100 guests to come and eat, so we could use all the help we can get! Please sign up to help by clicking here.

This is the stuff that matters in the times we are in. Shine bright my friends.

Grace and peace,

George Benson
Director of Community Engagement

Dear Friends,

The deadline each week for Trinity Topics, our weekly e-newsletter, is Wednesday at 5:00 pm. This means that I am writing my “Dear Friends” letter on the day after the election.

I’ve had little time to process my own feelings, much less reflect on the meaning of all the election results. Although I follow politics and economics closely, I don’t have formal training in either. My training is in scripture, church history, and theology. So, rather than opine about what the election might portend in terms of the political or economic implications of one-party rule at the level of the federal government, I’ll write about what I know.

First, scripture contains story after story of the ways human beings have thwarted God’s hopes and dreams for the world. The list is long. I know that some who call themselves Christians believe with all their hearts that the election results match God’s hopes for the world. I respectfully disagree. What scripture also says is that God can take the ways we have thwarted God’s hopes and dreams and redeem them. Exhibit A: We crucified Jesus of Nazareth. And God raised Jesus on the third day. What this means, in part, is that everything Jesus stood for – and stands for – ultimately wins: love, joy, compassion, kindness, life. . . .

Second, church history, which begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to a tiny community in Jerusalem, tells how that community – and every faithful community of Christians ever since – has kept hope alive, stood with the marginalized, and actively resisted evil. Sometimes, as a result, members of the Jesus Movement have given their lives rather than capitulate to “the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.” What this means is that, come what may, we must hold fast to the Baptismal Covenant: persevering in resisting evil, seeking and serving Christ in all persons, and striving for justice and peace among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human being. Trinity Toledo is linked by its witness to faithful Christian communities throughout history and to faithful Christian communities that exist now in the country and around the world. The work continues.

Third, theology, which is, in part, trying to discern what God is up to. Years ago, one of my clergy colleagues, Jim Hanisian, decided that he would ask his parish to focus on a single question: “Where do you find God in this?” The question completely transformed the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati. Every time something happened in that congregation, whether it was tragic or joyous, the question, “where do you find God in this?” caused people to look for where God was at work. I will be honest: I don’t know where God is at work in this, but I know it’s the question I need to be asking today, tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future.

We gather again this Sunday, as the Trinity community does every Sunday, to remember who we are and whose we are, and to ask ourselves and each other where we find God. I hope to see you.

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

I’ve been thinking about my sermon. This is something I do every week I’m preaching, of course, but so much is going on this Sunday that I’m having trouble narrowing the focus. And since the professor of my advance preaching class in seminary told us students not to start writing a sermon until we could complete the statement, “what I want this congregation to do is . . .” I find that I’m paralyzed. Here are the strands I’m supposed to weave into a coherent sermon:

• The Day of Change – two things to remember – the first is to set your clocks back one hour – “fall back.” If you don’t you’ll be an hour early for church! Related to the time change is our request for you to bring in your loose change (Day of Change – get it?) Every quarter, dime, nickel, and penny will go to support our Community Breakfast program – a program that welcomes more and more of our neighbors every week.
• Ingathering Sunday – Thanks to everyone who has already turned in their pledge card for the 2025 Annual Pledge Drive. The tally of pledges is encouraging: Trinity hopes to receive $215,000 in pledge commitments from 80 households. As of this writing, we have $142,704 from 38 households. Thirty-two additional households pledged $63,708 for this fiscal year. If those households renewed their pledges, we’d only be $8,588 shy of our goal. Let’s do this!!
• All Saints’ Sunday – one of my favorite church holy days. We’ll remember the giants of the faith – apostles, prophets, and martyrs – and we’ll also remember loved ones whom we hold dear in our hearts. Those you want to have remembered in the parish’s prayers will be chanted by the choir as we begin the service. Please email their names to heather@trinitytoledo.org no later than today at 5:00 pm
• Baptisms – two adults will be baptized during this Sunday’s service, and we’ll all have the opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant. Congratulations to Taylor Marshall and Alyssa Thomas as they take this step in faith!
• Garage Black Out – as if Halloween weren’t scary enough, the lights will be out in the Four Seagate garage this Sunday as the building undergoes necessary maintenance. You may want to bring a flashlight or have your cell phone handy to find your way to one of the two entrances from the garage to Trinity.
• Election Day on Tuesday – a consequential day under normal conditions, this Election Day on November 5 feels particularly significant. Remember that there will be a prayer vigil at St. Andrew’s, 2770 West Central Ave, across from FoodTown, on Monday, November 4, at 7:00 pm. Trinity will have its usual noon celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Wednesday, November 6 – the day after the election – in St. Mark’s Chapel.

You can see where my problem lies. What do I want this congregation to do? All the things I’ve listed above! And if you have trouble remembering them, most – if not all – of these will be repeated below.

See you this Sunday. And if you want to volunteer to preach, let me know. I’d be grateful for the help 🙂

Blessings,
Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

Election Day is November 5, a week from Tuesday. I suppose a few people are unaware of this, but one would have to wonder under what rock they’ve been hiding.

Hyperbolic declarations of catastrophe around presidential elections are nothing new. The first bitterly contested election in US history was between John Adams – then Vice President – representing the Federalist Party and Thomas Jefferson – then Secretary of State – of what was called the Republican Party. The campaign quickly descended into mudslinging between the candidates’ supporters.

On October 1796, a mysterious editorial appeared in the Gazette of the United States, a popular Federalist newspaper in Philadelphia. The editorial said, in terms understood by most readers, that presidential candidate Jefferson was having an affair with one of his female slaves. Not to be outdone, Jefferson’s folks had been using their own strong campaign tactics in the fight against Adams. Adams was accused of wanting to be a king and starting a dynasty by having his son succeed him as President. He was also accused of being overweight and given the nickname “His Rotundity.”

So, if you are disturbed by the cataclysmic prospect that your candidate won’t be the one elected, or that one or the other candidate’s election means calamity for the United States, you have plenty of good company throughout the history of our republic. None of what I have written excuses you from voting, however (assuming you haven’t already cast your ballot). Our votes – every single one of them a privilege – represent our hopes and dreams for America.

Even though our votes are important – why else would candidates and parties spend so much money trying to garner them? – Americans are inconsistent voters. Only 37% of citizens 18 years and older voted in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Why the percentage is that low mystifies me.

The country’s votes are not the only ballots being cast this time of year. Trinity is also holding an election in early November – an election called the Annual Stewardship Drive – with pledge cards serving as ballots. Our pledges represent our hopes and dreams for this parish church. How we vote in the stewardship drive “election” determines the reach of our ministries in the coming year.

Ingathering Sunday is November 3. Please join me in making a generous pledge for 2025 – yes, I’ve pledged for 2025 in support of Trinity’s bright future under the leadership of your next rector. So many have worked tirelessly to strengthen the parish during the past year. Now it’s time to ensure that you all have the resources you need to continue the ministries to which God has called Trinity. Vote by returning your pledge by November 3 as we “prepare the way.”

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Trinity is asking for a pledge.
How does my pledge help “prepare the way”?

When this year’s Annual Stewardship Drive began, Trinity was a little bit more than a year into its transition from one rector to the next. Since last October, the Search Committee has been working steadily and faithfully to accomplish the tasks needed to find the right priest to join us as we share Christ’s light in downtown Toledo and beyond.

The Committee of eight parishioners – Karen Keune (Chair), Gail Abood, Mary Beroske, Angie Carriker, Mark Dubielak, LaVonda Jossett, Allen Santiago, and Sue Smitley – have put in more time, energy, and prayer into “preparing the way” than anyone else here at Trinity. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a part to play. Every Sunday (and, hopefully, throughout the week) we pray for the transition – for God to send us a faithful priest who will love us and joyfully serve here. An increasing number of people have accepted a ministry beyond attending church services regularly. Folks are teaching Sunday School, planting the Plaza gardens, serving our neighbors at our weekly Community Breakfast, singing in the Choir, handling Altar Guild duties, planning Adult Formation, welcoming visitors, overseeing our buildings and grounds – the list goes on and on. Trinity is alive, active, and growing!

These are good things, because when a priest and parish come together, it’s the result of mutual discernment. The members of the Search Committee aren’t the only ones evaluating; candidates are also evaluating Trinity, asking questions like: how strong and active is the lay leadership? Are the buildings and grounds well-cared for, what’s the worship like? And does Trinity have the resources to do the ministry God is calling them to do?

It’s the answer to this last question that connects your pledge to the theme of this year’s pledge drive: “prepare the way.” A prospective rector wants to know if they’ll have to scratch hard to find the money to pay for ministry. A robust response to the 2025 pledge drive will let them know that the parish will have the resources needed in the new year. So, just as you have helped prepare the way by all that you are already doing, take one more step and make a pledge for 2025. When you do, you’ll do so knowing that the next rector is paying attention and will see that Trinity’s donors have “prepared the way” for an exciting new beginning.

Trinity is asking for a pledge.
What are some ways to satisfy my pledge?

Pledge, how do I satisfy thee? Let me count the ways (with apologies to the Bard of Avon):

Some of the typical ways

1. Write a check and put it in the offering plate when you attend a Sunday service. For some people, the traditional approach is deeply satisfying and has lots of history behind it.
2. Write a check, put it in a stamped envelope and send it to Trinity Episcopal Church, 316 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604. If you can’t get to church or will be away on vacation, let the US Postal Service take care of delivering your gift.

   Some slightly less typical ways
   

3. Set up an automatic transfer from your a) bank account (ACH transfer), b) credit card, c) debit card, d) PayPal. Call the parish office (419) 243-1231 or email heather@trinitytoledo.org if you need help.
4. Go to the kiosk in the rear of the church & enter the information about how much you want to give and from what source
5. Click on the QR code that appears in each Sunday service leaflet
6. Text to give – (419) OMG-GIVE

Some unusual, but tax-advantaged ways

1. Take a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). (Important disclaimer: talk to your financial advisor or accountant before deciding to give this way! And remember, the gift must be transferred directly from your account to Trinity or other charity.)
   • Your QCD counts towards satisfying your RMD once you reach RMD age.
   • Up to a maximum of $105,000 of your RMD can be donated to a qualified charity.
   • If you have the RMD service, be sure to factor in these donations to avoid distributing more than your annual RMD.
   • Qualified charitable distributions are counted for the tax year in which they’re taken.
   • You may be able to avoid taxes on otherwise taxable distributions if you’re drawing from a traditional IRA.
2. Transfer appreciated stock to Trinity. Here are four reasons:
   • You can give more. By donating stock that has appreciated for more than a year, you are actually giving 20 percent more than if you sold the stock and then made a cash donation.
   • You can potentially reduce future capital gains. Any appreciation of the value of a stock that you love and want to hold for the long term confirms your belief in it, but it can also set the stage for substantial gains when you sell.
   • You can give your portfolio a health check. Any investment portfolio can get out of balance. If a review of your investments’ gains and losses shows that it’s time to rebalance your portfolio to maximize its performance and optimize for risk, donating stock can give your portfolio the health check it needs.
   • You can donate stocks without headaches. Some people think it will require a lot of paperwork and phone calls to donate stock, or that their chosen charity may not be able to easily accept a stock donation. Trinity can help make such a transfer simple and easy. Just contact the parish office for more information.

At Trinity, we are grateful for every donation and have developed a number of convenient ways to give in support of God’s mission and ministry. We hope one of the ways listed above helps you give regularly and generously.

How much should I commit to give for 2025?

The first – and most important – answer to the question is to consider prayerfully what you are able to give. No one knows your personal circumstances better than you do, nor does anyone comprehend what your relationship is with Jesus and his church. We also want to acknowledge that people often have other important philanthropic interests. Every household has some idea what their total giving to charity could be on an annual basis – to the church, their alma mater, Heart Association, Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, NPR.

Having said this, some people find it helpful to think of their pledge as a percentage of their income. (And if you wonder whether we mean your net or your gross income – you get to choose!) The fact is that everyone who gives money to the church already gives a proportion of their income – they just aren’t aware of it. We think it’s better to know the percentage so you can actively think in such terms.

Let’s say that you earned $50,000 in 2024 and gave $1,000 to Trinity. Your pledge would be 2% of your income. Let’s take it a step further and say you received a healthy $10,000 raise, so your income for 2025 will be $60,000. If you sustained your giving at 2% of your income, your pledge will be $1,200. Of course, if your income decreases, proportional giving means that your pledge will decrease.

Here’s a handy chart that provides the information you need to determine what percentage of your income you are now pledging to Trinity. Can you sustain your gift at the same proportional level in 2025 – or, consider increasing your pledge by 1% of your income. Just find your income, and the block of your weekly gift, and move one block to the right!

Dear Friends,

I don’t like being inconvenienced. As you know, I live across the river from downtown. I specifically chose the Marina Lofts apartments because my commute to Trinity would be all of four minutes long. In the last parish, my commute was 35 miles long and a soul-crushing 45 minutes long in heavy traffic. A four-minute commute? Piece of cake. Only, they (whoever “they” are) have chosen this time to work on the Cherry Street bridge AND tear up N. Summit Street to boot. I have been inconvenienced. My commute time has now doubled – to 8 whole minutes. Okay, so it’s a little hard to complain about an 8-minute commute. However, I still don’t like being inconvenienced.

This week, parishioners and guests wanting to worship at Trinity on Sunday morning can expect to be inconvenienced for two reasons:

The first is that the Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio Race for the Cure will be held this Sunday, September 29. Several streets will be closed as the race route completely surrounds Trinity that morning. Our primary goals are to hold our normal Sunday service at 10:00 am and to support the race and the safety of those involved. The second is that the owners of Four Seagate garage will be doing maintenance work that necessitates shutting down power to the garage. You will still be able to enter and exit the garage without any problem. However you may want to bring flashlight – or have the flashlight on your cell phone ready – to be able to find your way to and from your car.

• As for the Komen Race for the Cure, here are the instructions to make it easier for you to come to church:
  No matter what direction you are coming from, find your way to a point on Adams St. west of N. Michigan St. Once there, proceed east on Adams toward the church.
• Plan to be at Trinity no later than 9:30 am! (The race begins at 9:30, and we cannot promise that people driving to Trinity will be allowed access once the race has started.)
• You will encounter a police barricade at Adams and Erie. As long as you arrive at the barricade by 9:30 am, you will be allowed through.
• You will encounter another checkpoint at Adams and N. Huron (part of the racecourse). Again, as long as you are through the intersection by 9:30 am, you will be allowed through.
• Once you have crossed both Erie and Huron, you will be able to continue to drive east on Adams, make a left turn on N. St. Clair, and access either parking on N. St. Clair or the entrance to the Four Seagate Garage between Adams and Jackson.
• To help identify Trinity parishioners, we have created a pass that can be presented to police or race staff. If you want a copy of the pass to download, please email trinity@trinitytoledo.org
• Since morning activities at Trinity typically end by 11:30 am, we don’t think parishioners will have a problem leaving downtown after church.We’re grateful to Komen Northwest Ohio for graciously offering Trinity parishioners a way to serve the Community Breakfast for our neighbors and to attend the celebration of Holy Eucharist in our sanctuary.

More than being grateful to Komen Northwest Ohio for providing access to Trinity this Sunday, I am personally grateful to the Susan B. Komen organization for the work they’ve done supporting breast cancer research, patient support services, and advocacy.

You see, my wife, Terry, is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2001 at the age of 41. Having breast cancer is categorically not an inconvenience. For Terry and our family, it was a life-changing event. Terry underwent surgery, had chemotherapy treatments, and then radiation. The aggressive treatment approach worked; she’s remained cancer free ever since. She benefitted from the efforts of the Susan B. Komen organization and other similar organizations who all help the 1 out of every 8 women who will develop breast cancer sometime in their lives.

So, as I cross the Cherry Street bridge this Sunday and drive far enough west to reach a point on Adams Street where I can turn around and head east toward the church, I won’t complain about either the construction or the race. I hope you won’t complain either and that the information above will help you be less inconvenienced when you come to Trinity this Sunday. (Notice I said “when” not if!)

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I don’t know how many times that phrase has been repeated to children who have been on the receiving end of verbal bullying. I know my mother frequently recited it to me as a reminder that I couldn’t be hurt by unpleasant things that were said to me. A quick Google search yields the information that the saying was used as early as 1862. I’m guessing it was in circulation long before then.

Turns out, it’s not true. Words can and do hurt people. A bully doesn’t have to punch you in the nose to bruise you. Too many tragic stories of young people taking their own lives because of in-person or cyberbullying let us know that words can wound, sometimes fatally. Our spiritual ancestors knew this. Just this past Sunday, we heard the author of the Epistle of James say:

“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. . . . With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.”

Here in Ohio, we’ve seen Springfield set on fire by hate-filled words and made-up stories about the community of Haitian migrants who have moved to the community for work. The spread of blatantly racist lies has resulted in bomb threats that have closed government offices and businesses and kept children home from school. Former President Trump amplified the falsehoods during the recent debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance refused to step back or apologize what had been said in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, both Republicans, have noted the impact of lying words. Mayor Rue said, “Any political leader who takes the national stage and has the national spotlight needs to understand the gravity of the words that they have for cities like ours, and what they say impacts our city.” And Governor DeWine sent Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on Tuesday to protect the students of the Springfield City School District.

“Words will never hurt me” is not true. They have hurt, and they are hurting the people of Springfield – members of the Haitian community, to be sure, but, truthfully, all the residents.

One of my closest clergy friends was rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Springfield for over a decade, and her husband was a philosophy professor at Wittenberg. They have deep roots in the community and are distraught over what’s happened. If you are interested in helping, they recommend a contribution to the Haitian Community Help & Support Center. You can learn more about them and make a donation here.

You may also be interested in reading a blog post by the Bishop of Southern Ohio, the Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White. The piece is called “Our Words Matter: Standing Up Against Hate in Springfield.” You can find the article at this link.

Words have power – power to bless and to curse. As followers of Jesus, let us use our words to bless.

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear friends,

It is finally here! Trinity Kid’s, our 1st – 5th grade ministry launches this Sunday during service. We are so excited; we can hardly contain ourselves. Here is a little run down on how this will work starting September 15:

1. Families arrive at Trinity and sit in the sanctuary waiting for service to begin.

2. Around 10:05 after the first hymn, Father Applegate will announce that kids may be released by parents to the Trinity Kid’s volunteer teachers. They will be in the sanctuary holding a sign for kids to follow. They will then be walked upstairs to the TK Clubhouse (formerly known as the Grace Room or upstairs Rector office).

3. While upstairs, the kids will have a Bible story, some games, and an activity.

4. During the passing of the peace, the teachers will walk the kids down and be released back to their parents for the remainder of the service.

This would not be happening if it wasn’t for our incredible volunteers who will be spending one Sunday every seven weeks teaching. We will also be commissioning them this Sunday, so if you see them give them a high five!

Registration forms went out this week for parents interested in having their kids be a part of our program, and more will be available this week. If you have them ready to turn in, please hand them to myself, or Heather Meyer, our Director of Operations.

We are looking forward to this Sunday’s launch!

Grace and peace,

George Benson, Director of Community Engagement

Dear Friends,

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins one week from this Sunday. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. To get an early start, Trinity will look south of the border for inspiration this Sunday, September 8, as we celebrate Welcome Back! Sunday.

We’ll feature a terrific mariachi band from Detroit, Mariachi Mexico 2020. The band will play during the 10:00 am service and will provide entertainment in My Brother’s Place at the fiesta that will follow the service. We’ll have a walking taco bar, a multigenerational art project, and activities for kids. The forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 71 – perfect for enjoying our elevated Plaza.

Trinity’s talented choir will be back as well leading our music and bringing their infectious joy to our worship together.

I hope you’ll join us as we start a new church program year. We’ll share information about the church school program for children in grades 1-5 and preview this fall’s adult formation offering. Remember, too, that you are welcome at our free Community Breakfast starting at 8:45 am on the second floor of the parish house.

Church attendance was up this summer, so we added chairs this past week to ensure that everyone has a spot. And if you’ve been thinking about inviting a friend or neighbor to join you for worship, Welcome Back! Sunday would be the perfect time to say, “Come and see!”

Hasta el domingo! (See you on Sunday!)

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

It’s Labor Day weekend. You’re going to have people tell you that it’s the end of summer, but don’t believe them. The actual first day of fall isn’t until September 22, and even then, Ohio usually offers a number of pleasantly warm days in early October. But the fact is things are changing. School buses are rolling, road construction crews are finishing their projects, and the hours of daylight are growing shorter.

In last Sunday’s New York Times, Melissa Kirsch noted that, “Labor Day arrives and we shift gears, shift wardrobes and menus and mind-sets. Maybe our gaits get faster. Summer self is self-indulgent; fall self is all determination. Summer self puts things off and fall self gets things done.” I recognize myself in the mirror she’s holding up, and perhaps you do, too.

If Labor Day represents a quickening of tempo, it also represents an opportunity to reflect on work. In the late 1800’s, before President Grover Cleveland made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, many Americans worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week. Children worked right alongside adults on farms, and in factories and mines. Most people in the United States don’t work like that anymore. Yes, the Labor Department uncovers abuses from time to time – sometimes of children, more often of immigrants. But the incidents are rare.

The late Studs Terkel, host of his own well-known radio program in Chicago between 1952-1997, wrote Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, in 1974. He interviewed more than 100 people for the book – everyone from gravediggers to studio heads. How did people feel about their working lives? How did work fit into American life? Studs, in his inimitable fashion, explored these questions and others with a farmer, a strip miner, a hotel switchboard operator, a hooker, a garment maker, and a host of others. Although there were a fortunate few among those he interviewed who loved their work, most found plenty not to love, and Studs got an earful about those things simply because he was willing to listen.

In the introduction to Working, Terkel refers to the story of Adam and Eve: “To earn one’s bread by the sweat of one’s brow has always been the lot of mankind. At least, ever since Eden’s slothful couple was served with an eviction notice. The scriptural precept was never doubted, not out loud. No matter how demeaning the task, no matter how it dulls the senses and breaks the spirit, one must work. Or else.”

How do you think about the work you do? Or did? How many jobs have you held? What do you like about working? Not like? Wish was different? And, thinking about work more broadly, how can we make sure that workers of all different kinds of experience dignity and fair compensation?

The Book of Common Prayer, which provides prayers for nearly every occasion, offers this one “For commerce and industry.” May I suggest we pray it as we observe Labor Day 2024:

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life, shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give us all a pride in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Happy Labor Day!

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

Every Episcopal parish I’ve known has its “high holy days.” I’m not talking about Christmas and Easter. Those are the church’s high holy days. I’m talking about the days that, for a variety of local reasons, a parish observes in some special way.

Let me give you an example: the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July at St. Luke’s Granville.

It’s hard to capture in words the Village of Granville during the week of Independence Day. The central Ohio village of just under 6,000 residents delivers a quintessential Midwestern celebration of patriotism. Fireworks, a parade, a carnival midway that takes up two blocks of downtown (okay, so downtown is only two blocks long), pet costume judging, egg tosses, and a bandstand offering everything from rock and roll to kids’ dance troupes – it’s all there. Food vendors offer elephant’s ears, fresh squeezed lemonade, and every imaginable fried food. Oh, one more thing. . . the Pharaoh’s Fury ride is set up right outside the front door of St. Luke’s. You get the picture.

The church – adopting the attitude of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” made the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July it’s local high holy day. Since The Book of Common Prayer offers readings and prayers for Independence Day and Hymnal 1982 has a section called “National Songs,” the parish went all in. Because the Fourth of July in Granville is a time when many return to the village to visit family and friends, St. Luke’s billed the day as a parish homecoming. Terry and I were in charge of coffee hour and gave it an appropriately corny name – “Apple Pie with the Applegates.” The liturgical colors for the week were red, white, and blue.

Pride is one of Trinity’s high holy days.

This weekend’s colors are the colors of the rainbow, plus the five colors that have been added for the Progress Pride Flag – black, brown, light blue, pink, and white. Trinity’s celebration begins tonight with a picnic on the Plaza from 5:30–7:30 pm. Tomorrow – Saturday – parishioners will offer hospitality from 10:00 am–3:00 pm. Folks will march in the Parade that begins at noon, and staff Trinity’s booth in Promenade Park throughout the day.

Most importantly, we’ll offer thanks and praise to God on Sunday morning at 10:00 am. Because Pride is a high holy day, Bishop Anne has approved liturgical changes for this week’s service that gives the Trinity faith community the opportunity to pray with intention for the LGBTQIA+ community – for every person who is created in God’s image – and that means for everyone.

Happy Pride, Toledo! Happy Pride, Trinity! Remember that you are loved!

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

On Wednesday of this week, our son, Peter, sent photos of his sons on their first day of school. Edward and Sammy started sixth and third grades respectively in the Worthington City School District located just north of Columbus. Their cousins – also our grandchildren – live in New York where school begins after Labor Day (the time of year, in my opinion, when school should start. I suspect my having grown up in Upstate New York influences my opinion about this matter.)

Back-to-school pictures have been popping up in my Facebook feed ever since the beginning of August when schools in Indiana kicked off the 2024-2025 school year. Because I began to serve as interim at St. Christopher’s, Carmel in 2017, the little children I knew then aren’t little anymore. Elementary school kids are now in high school, and high school students have already graduated from college. As Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “So it goes.”

The start of this year’s school year feels different from others for me. You see, I’ve always had someone in our house heading back – my wife, Terry. Her retirement last May has changed the usual rhythm. The advent of August always used to bring a flurry of activity, and although Terry doesn’t seem to miss the tasks of ordering supplies, prepping her room, and making name tags for her first graders, I do.

So, it’s probably a good thing Trinity’s “program year” begins in early September. Its arrival mitigates the loss of my going back to school, even if my “going back” was vicarious. I’m grateful there’s a similar feeling of anticipation and excitement in the parish as various committees and your staff gear up for the start of the fall “term.”

With PRIDE only a week away, most of the time and energy recently has gone to ensuring Trinity’s celebration of our LGBTQIA+ siblings is beautiful and joyful. This issue of Topics contains information on all the ways to participate and, especially, to volunteer (see below)!

Then it’s Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. How can that be already? Many enjoy the long weekend with trips to the beach or pool and cookouts. We’ll still have church on September 1 – and feel free to come in summer casual attire!

Then the pace quickens on Adams Street! Here’s a preview of what’s in store:

• Saturday, September 7 – Safe Church Training will be offered in person at Trinity from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm. Sadly, both child and adult sexual abuse happens in churches. Safe Church Training gives church members the tools to recognize and reduce the likelihood of such abuse occurring. The training is mandatory in the Episcopal Church for the clergy, for those who work with children, and for others in leadership positions. Sign up for the class below.
• Sunday, September 8 – “Welcome Back Sunday!” Trinity will welcome Mariachi Mexico 2020 – a terrific mariachi band from Detroit – who will play during the service and at the fiesta afterwards. Trinity’s Choir will be back after their summer hiatus. Plan to join us for a morning of great music and celebration. It’s a good way to kick off national Hispanic Heritage Month when, starting September 15, the history, heritage, and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans of past and present takes center stage. There’ll also be a photographer taking “School Pictures” as we populate the parish’s database with photos to help the new rector get to know us better.
• Sunday, September 15 – Sunday School classes begin for children where families meet the teachers at the beginning of worship in the sanctuary. After a game, a Bible story, a craft related to the story, and a snack, kids return to the sanctuary to join their families for Holy Communion. For more information contact George Benson, Director of Community Engagement.
• Also on Sunday, September 15 – we begin our fall adult formation offering: “Prepping for Election Day 2024.” What is the relationship between faith and citizenship? What is a Christian’s responsibility as a citizen? What do I need to know about voting? Is American Civil Religion the same as Christian Nationalism? How can we disagree without being disagreeable? What spiritual disciplines can we practice as we approach Election Day on November 5?

Mark your calendars now and be thinking of someone you might invite to join you in one or more of these activities. It’s not back-to-school; it’s Welcome Back! I hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am.

Blessings,

Stephen Applegate

Dear Friends,

Over the past year, there has been an ongoing conversation about how we can care for our children here at Trinity when it comes to spiritual formation. This is something close to my heart, and it is not because I have a kid here. When I first started volunteering and working for churches, it was in children’s ministry. Providing a safe space for children to learn who they are in Jesus is an incredibly important part of caring for the church body. We started down the road earlier this year when we hired Ms. Wendi to staff our nursery. She’s been a great addition to our team.

We are now ready to take the next step by expanding what we offer for our 1st – 5th grade kids. Starting Sunday, September 16, we plan to launch Trinity Kid’s Sunday School. What would it take to do this?! Great question, and this is where you come in!:

• 12 volunteers who would serve in pairs (2) in a single classroom
• Volunteers serve once every 6 weeks
• Parents can be volunteers; other parishioners especially welcome!

Here’s the support and training Trinity will provide:

• Safe Church training (required) – either in-person here in My Brother’s Place at Trinity on Saturday, September 7, from 9:00 – 12:30 am. Childcare, coffee & refreshments provided. Or,
• Online Safe Church training (required). Register by contacting Heather at the Parish Office – heather@trinitytoledo.org
• Sunday lessons from Illustrated Ministry curriculum detailing the story, craft, prayer, and expectations for each week.
• Classroom materials and supplies
• Snacks

Here’s how a typical Sunday morning would go for that week’s volunteers:

• Volunteers of the week meet parents and kids in the sanctuary where kids are “dropped off” to them.
• At 10:05, one volunteer leads the kids upstairs to the Parish House classroom; the other brings up the rear to make sure no kids wander off.
• The volunteers lead the kids through a game, a Bible story, a craft related to the story, and a snack
• When the lesson is finished (10:40 am), the volunteers and kids return to the sanctuary where they meet their parents during the passing of the peace.
• Kids then stay with their parents for the rest of the service.

We are excited to have a number of children worshiping with us. I know we have at least 12 volunteers who will help us kick off Trinity Kids’ Sunday School on September 16 because whenever there is an ask here, Trinity shows up! Is God calling you to this ministry?

This has been a banner year for Trinity Episcopal Church as we have launched and sustained new ministries and have seen growth during a transition period. The way y’all continue to show up to support and be present is not something I have ever experienced before in a house of worship. I am so honored to be here serving with and for y’all. If there are any questions, or if I can clarify anything, please reach out and ask me.

Grace and peace,

George Benson (he, him)
Director of Community Engagement
george@trinitytoledo.org