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Trinity offers worship in the Episcopal
tradition in a newly restored Gothic Revival
space. Our parish serves a vibrant and
diverse population from across the Greater
Columbus area. Morning and noonday services
are offered daily, and our doors are open
throughout the week for prayer and
meditation. In these and many other ways,
Trinity strives to be a house of prayer for
all people.
Come join us as we explore our faith, renew
our hope, and embody the love of God made
known in Christ.
Sunday Schedule
8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with choir
Child care is available during the
service.
10:30 a.m. fourth Sunday only
Morning Prayer and Holy Communion with
choir
Weekday Schedule (except holidays)
Daily: 8:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays:
12:05 p.m. Noonday Prayer
Tuesdays and Fridays:
12:05 p.m. Holy Eucharist
On weekdays, the church is open for prayer and
meditation from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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Rector
The Rev. Richard A. Burnett
Parish Deacon
The Rev. Deacon Joan Grant
Parish Associates
The Rev. Abeoseh M. Flemister
The Very Rev. William H. Petersen
Seminarian
Dr. Richard C. Sauerzopf
Deacon School Student
Joe Mazza
Director of Music/Liturgist
Kevin N. Wines
Senior Warden
Julie Newhall
Junior Warden
Jerry Sellman
Vestry Members
Rhoda Allen, Jim Bliek, Harriet Donaldson,
Peggy Malone, Susan McKinley, Karen Peeler, Alan
Sheppard, Tim Treasure, Mary Wanamaker
Treasurer
Courtney Clark
Rector's Administrative Assistant
Diane Donato
Carillonneur
Nick Tepe
Sextons
Thomas Belcher
Burrell Murray
Webmanager
Mary Wanamaker
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The first Friday of every month
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Explorers & Confirmation Classes
Sundays at 9:15 a.m.
Bible Study
Tuesdays at 7 p.m., in the Parish Library
In the Garden
Sundays at 2 p.m., in the Trinity Garden
St. John's Dinner
Wednesday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m.
BREAD Nehemiah Action
Monday, May 5, at 6:15 p.m.
CCH Mother's Day Brunch
Sunday, May 11
Trinity's Culture Club
Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Library
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The Trinity Chimes
April 2008
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Rector's Reflection
Commenting on what he calls the double aspect
of the moral life, British theologian Oliver
O'Donovan (Bishop Tom Breidenthal's doctoral
advisor at Oxford twenty years ago) says:
"our pursuit of the neighbor's welfare has to
take seriously the thought that he, like
ourselves, is a being whose end is in God. To
'love' him without respecting this
fundamental truth about him would be an
exercise in fantasy." (Resurrection and Moral
Order, 1986)
To love our neighbor as ourselves is to echo
our love toward God with our whole heart,
mind and strength. But, as many perceptive
people have noticed for quite some time,
these two calls to love can often collide.
The moral life, among other duties, tries to
acknowledge and re-direct this collision
course. Moreover, the Christian moral life -
grounded in the affirmation of resurrection,
renewal and new creation is Christ - fuses
these acts of love in a single event.
As the fifty days of the Easter season come
to an end the church receives the lasting
gift of God's comfort and guide - the Holy
Spirit. As we receive the Holy Spirit again
on the Day of Pentecost (this year on Sunday,
May 11th) and continue to grow in her mighty
power for the rest of the Church Year, we
sense a kind of pull toward the life that
loves God and neighbor more fully. But in
this creative time we must be cautious not to
confuse the pull of the Spirit with the push
we offer in response.
Here's a sketch for some comparison of the
Spirit's generative pull to our faithful,
responsive push:
Spirit's Pulling
- breath that gives life
- hunger for community
- seeing and serving the poor
- trusting the other
- knowing that in God "all will be well"
(from
- dreaming of Shalom in God
Human Pushing
- planning near time & long range for
mission
- clear identity and "brand" consistency
- developing programs to "meet needs."
- ordering our common life through holy
practices (Sabbath-keeping, daily prayer,
hospitality, testimony, tithing and
alms-giving)
- organizing our common work as purposeful
stewards bound by time and space
- inviting our neighbor to worship, pray,
serve and learn with us
Clearly, we need to continue to be faithful
pushers even as we experience the Spirit's
pull in our lives. Yet I hope that we might
know the difference and not confuse these
two, creating another type of fantasy.
Sometimes they will collide and we'll have to
choose between allowing ourselves to be
pulled in new ways and keeping on with our
pushing. The decision is not easy; but we are
called to be faithful, not perfect!
Like O'Donovan's "double aspect of the moral
life," we have a double aspect of the
faithful congregation. By God's grace we will
keep pushing, but always as a response to the
constant, creative pull of the Spirit that
leads us to Christ where we will know all
that is true and good and holy and wise and
just and honorable and life-giving.
Your rector and friend,
Richard A. Burnett
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BREAD Nehemiah Action Assembly
B.R.E.A.D. is a faith-based organization of
some 50 congregations working to address
justice issues in Central Ohio. The
organization's name is based on the call in
Micah 6:8 to do justice and uses an acronym
for building responsibility, equality, and
dignity. Trinity joined the B.R.E.A.D.
organization within the last year. Annually
B.R.E.A.D. selects justice issues on which it
focuses its efforts to identify workable
solutions, bring these issues into sharper
focus for the community, and secure the
commitment of public officials to ensure that
effective action will be taken. B.R.E.A.D.'s
largest annual event is the Nehemiah Action
Assembly which is scheduled this year for May
5, 2008. This year the focus addresses Payday
Lending, Poverty & Education, and Crime & Drugs.
The Nehemiah action gathers a large number of
people to show their support for the need to
address the identified justice issues. By
gathering a large number of persons to show
their support for implementation of workable
solutions to specific justice issues,
B.R.E.A.D. directly shows public officials
both the importance of the issues and the
breadth of support for implementation of
specific workable solutions. The goal of the
May 5, 2008 assembly is to obtain the
commitment of the invited public officials to
implement the identified solutions.
In the past 11 years, B.R.E.A.D. has
addressed specific issues of transportation,
affordable housing, access to health care,
and truancy in the Columbus Public Schools,
to name just a few. Currently, B.R.E.A.D. is
working with state legislators to pass laws
regulating pay-day lending in the State of
Ohio. In addition, this year B.R.E.A.D. is
also continuing to address poverty and
education through focus on the expansion of
the Early Learning Initiative (ELI). Finally
in its newest proposal for action, B.R.E.A.D.
is addressing crime and drugs through a focus
on expanding the drug court program in
Franklin County. Over 60% of the 10,000
cases handled by the Franklin County
Prosecutor are for drug-related crimes. The
drug court concept involves non-violent
offenders in a community-based, court
supervised, treatment and rehabilitation
program. These programs nationally have a
dramatic difference in reducing repeat
offenses. The current drug court program is
both under-funded and underutilized.
Further information about B.R.E.A.D. and the
May 5 Nehemiah Action Assembly is available
from Suzan Waller and Peggy Malone. Please
mark your calendars so that you will be able
attend. In preparation for the assembly
there will be informational gatherings in the
chapel after both services on April 20 and
27, 2008.
Free tickets are necessary and are available
from Peggy Malone, Dale Dubler and Suzan
Waller. Parking at Vets will be free,
provided by B.R.E.A.D.
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In the Garden
A significant part of my calling in ministry
is to be of service to those among us who are
homeless. The experience of being assigned
to a wonderful downtown church is, to me,
further confirmation of the work I want to do.
I am here in a place that serves the homeless
in so many ways - a place that, through its
people, lives the scripture from Matthew
which says: "I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I
was sick and you took care of me, I was in
prison and you visited me."
I see this at Trinity Church every day. The
Columbus Coalition for the Homeless regularly
recognizes Trinity for its good work, and the
ECSF showed its faith by rewarding Trinity
with a grant to serve those who have either
lost or had their ID stolen. Every Sunday,
caring parishioners bring donations of food
and clothing to the altar, to be given out to
those in need.
A wonderful, eye-opening experience took
place one morning while I was leading Morning
Prayer. A member of that morning's
congregation, who was homeless, came forward
to read the scripture. Others joined in
prayers, and still others gave testimony to
God, and asked for prayers for their friends.
As a Holy Week ministry, my wife, Carol,
joined me in preparing a breakfast meal, and
after Morning Prayer, Carrie Stowers and I
served the food and talked with all of the
homeless individuals in church.
As I read the scripture from John's Gospel,
which tells us that before He was sentenced
to be crucified, Jesus taught His disciples
to "love one another as I have loved you," I
took time to reflect on this and whether we
had more to do.
It came to me that those homeless people who
prayed with me were telling me they were a
church. A church is not a building, but
people, and these people are a church. We
can be a part of their church, just as they
are a part of ours.
Ecclesia Ministries has a model for homeless
ministry which is followed, with local
variations, by St. John's Columbus, Church of
Our Savior in Cincinnati, and churches in
about 45 other U.S. cities, as well as
London, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro.
Trinity Church will offer ministry to the
homeless with "In the Garden."
The first gathering of "In the Garden" took
place on Sunday, March 30th at 2:00 p.m., and
continues every Sunday thereafter, in the
garden in front of Trinity Church. "In the
Garden" begins with a hymn, followed by
prayers, including intercessory prayer, and
an opportunity for testimony. Then the
congregation is served a simple lunch. The
Rev. Dr. Debbie Little Wyman, Episcopal
priest and founder of Ecclesia Ministries,
has sent us an initial supply of 25 Ecclesia
crosses to give out to the people.
As a ministry of Trinity Church, there are
several ways in which we can individually
answer the call to serve "In the Garden." We
can join in community with its members
whenever possible. We can offer to take a
turn preparing and serving lunch, or offer
financial support to purchase food for lunch.
Of course, help is always needed in the form
of clothing donations. We can also invite the
participation of other churches of all
denominations.
Please keep the ministry "In the Garden" in
your prayers as we organize, and see or call
or email
me anytime for more details or to volunteer
your assistance.
- Joe Mazza
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From the Deacon's Bench...
Wasn't Holy Week just wondrous? The rector's
blessing of hands for ministry (in lieu of
the footwashing ritual, which is harder to
understand in our modern context) at the
Maundy Thursday service, was a simple,
touching gift. The journey around Capitol
Square for Stations of the Cross, with
Scripture read, and prayers for modern
suffering, was a powerful experience.
Trinity Lutheran Seminary President Mark
Ramseth's offering of Pablo Cassals' Birds
was a hauntingly beautiful gift in honor of
all who suffer. President Ramseth told us
that as a teenager and aspriring celllist, he
had been privileged to sit at the feet of
Pablo Cassals, and that Cassals always
performed Birds at the conclusion of any
concert he did, to honor those who suffer
around the world. Bishop Price, Ken Beittel,
and our rector gave moving and poignant
meditations.
The Vigil Saturday evening was one of the
most wonderful services I have ever attended
(and only my second vigil). Bringing the
Paschal candle into the dark and empty church
was a thrill for this deacon! Kevin Wines'
chanting of the Exsultet was beyond compare.
The Spirit was surely present as the ancient
stories were told again, and as we moved into
the light midway into the service. What a
wonderful time for baptisms! The four babies
baptized made beautiful music during the
service, too, in honor of the event! Kevin
led us in beautiful music, as he did
throughout the week. I particularly loved
the Offertories this week.
And wasn't Sunday morning glorious? That
garden Jim Bliek and Pat Rugola planted in
the entryway is stunning. The church was
transformed, thanks to the Altar Guild, as we
are transformed by the experience of Easter!
I love seeing all the C & E (Christmas and
Easter) folks, too! They are a part of us.
The joy of it is, too, that we celebrate
Easter every single Sunday of the year! Let
us give thanks and praise to God that He is
risen, He is risen indeed! ALLELUIA!
The brunch was especially delicious, too!
How nice we could feast together for our day
of celebration!
As we move beyond Easter, I invite you to
consider how the celebration of new life in
our midst might be calling you to new
ministry! As our rector's sermon invited us,
we are to allow our deepest gratitude to be
converted to generosity (how can we do
anything else?), and we, the church, are
called to high-impact work for our world. The
Holy Spirit is leading us to new and exciting
ventures, including Deacon School Student Joe
Mazza's care for worship amongst those of us
who live on the street.
May God bless you and keep lively within you
the Spirit of the Resurrection, of Easter!
Thank you all for your hospitality to me
these past three months, and for your
patience with me trying to remember all the
names! I look forward to continuing our
journey together!
Peace and blessings of Easter to you all
-
Joan Grant
Deacon
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From Deacon School Student Joe Mazza
I want to report this time not only on my
Deacon's School weekend, but also on my work
serving here at Trinity Church.
First of all, I am happy to say that the
discussions I had with some of the other
students has, so far, resulted in my taking
better charge of the way I schedule my time.
I have set priorities and haven't over- or
double-booked myself in at least the last month.
I also want to thank everyone who commented
on my suggested reading of Psalm 34.
Part of our weekend Deacon's School
experience included discussion of the Gospels.
We watched a stirring video of Alec Whitten
on stage in a New York theater narrating
John's Gospel. I hope to acquire my own copy
to study and also to make available to others
who are interested.
One evening, we watched the C-Span video
coverage of a speaking engagement by Bishop
Gene Robinson titled "Gays in the Clergy."
It brought to mind the moment I spent with
Bishop Robinson, at the last General
Convention, and thanking him for his faith
and his courage. I have a copy of this
video, and would be happy to loan it out or
show it in a group.
Considerable time was devoted to informal
discussions about our desires and choices of
church assignments for the next year. While
we are in school, field assignments are from
September through June, with the summer off.
Of course, graduating students who will be
ordained in June are placed in permanent
assignments as parish deacons.
March and April are generally when Canon
Mycoff works with us in discussing several
factors including our calling in ministry,
compatibility issues, personal choices, needs
of the diocese and desires of the bishop.
Canon Mycoff is extremely diligent and
careful in his responsibility to this
process. Ultimately, as Deacon's School
students and as deacons, we serve at the
direction of the bishop.
I am very happy to let you know that in my
case, the choice was very easy for me, and
unanimously agreed upon by both of our
Bishops, Canon Mycoff, and our Rector, Dick
Burnett: I will spend my second year of field
study staying right here at Trinity Church.
I want to mention that I really enjoyed, and
learned a great deal from, our two-a-day
Tuesday Bible study. Notably, I learned that
7:30 AM is not a good time for people to come
to Bible study!
After coming to my senses, I am happy to say
that we will continue with Bible study
through Easter Season, but at 7:00 PM on
Tuesday evenings in the church library.
Watch for the announcements - we will look at
lessons from The Acts of the Apostles.
I am excited to be a part of Trinity Church
for at least another year, and hope to be
active in several new ministries as time goes
on. Once again let me say, I am in a good place.
By the way, now that baseball season has
arrived, everyone will have to put up with my
cry of GO YANKEES!
-Joe
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Thanks for reading The Chimes!
Thanks for taking the time to read the Trinity
Chimes. We hope you have been delighted,
informed
and challenged by what you have read here.
If you
are new to Trinity, we encourage you to join
us at
any of our special events or worship
services. If
you are already a member of the Trinity
community,
please consider forwarding this newsletter to a
friend who might be interested in learning more
about us.
If you have any comments, or ideas for future
issues, please contact Kevin Wines at k-wines@trinitycolumbus.org.
Frances Bennekamper will continue to
coordinate the
popular "News from the Pews" feature. Please
share
any news items that you would like to have
included
in this column (births, graduations, or any
significant life event that you would like to
share
with your parish family) with Frances, or email
news@trinitycolumbus.org.
Have a blessed Easter Season, and
see you next month!
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