Beloved Friends,
Perspective…that is the word and thought coming to me as I sit down to write to you today. Both literally and symbolically, this word captures reality; literally, as I sit on a plane in between Detroit Metro and LaGuardia airports heading to NYC for a quick overnight to celebrate Taylor’s 22nd birthday, and symbolically, as we once again find our beloved faith community still in a season of “living in-between.” Oh, how we had worked and prepared to fling our doors open for our first re-gathered service last Sunday for Trinity@316 (316 Adams= our physical address), and yet by Saturday afternoon your leadership decided it was not yet time and we postponed that next step.
So, where do we go from here?
We have spent this week talking, praying, consulting and discerning how to approach the days ahead as the Delta variant continues to impact Lucas County with clear and deleterious effects. We are absolutely aware of both the desire to see each other face to face at the same time we are charged with the gospel mandate to “seek and serve Christ in all persons loving our neighbors as ourselves.” To that end we have decided to err on the side of intentional caution and suspend all indoor church gatherings through the month of October and commit to reassessing next steps during the third week of October.
Here is what that will look like for our community in the days ahead:
- Suspension of all gatherings in the building including: Trinity meetings/trainings/worship for the month of October. This will also include outside group meetings and performances. Anything currently scheduled will be cancelled, postponed or relocated to another location. We will do all we can to support this process for both Leadership Toledo and Actors Collaborative of Toledo.
- Masks will continue to be required for anyone entering the building. Staff will continue to work on hybrid models in and outside of the building making safety a priority.
- Weekly schedule of activities through October:
-9:00 Sundays – Trinity@Home (followed by Coffee Hour)
-12:00 Wednesdays– Noon Day Prayer (via Zoom)
-7:00-8:00p Wednesdays Marcus Borg Book Discussion (10/6, 13, 20) (via Zoom)
-7:00p Thursdays– Choir practice (via Zoom)
Mark Your Calendars!
Sunday, October 3, 4:00pm Middle grounds Metroparks
we will celebrate the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. Known and cherished for his love of animals and creation, this feast day is often used to schedule a blessing of the animals in our lives. Originally, we had planned to offer a short pet blessing service that afternoon as we have done in the past, but instead we are going to expand this service to a full outdoor, safely distanced Eucharist.
SO I end today where I began- the importance of perspective. For the daily challenges, for the bigger picture of patience and persistence woven into God’s all-encompassing love, and for a community to walk these days with- that is a perspective I try never to lose sight of. Thank you for all of it and most especially for the countless ways you are serving and giving of yourselves to the world that needs all of our hearts and hands.
May you never forget that you are loved.
Lisa