Welcome to Kids Camp! We hope that you enjoyed our day together yesterday.
For today you will need your coloring sheet (loaves and fish), your big idea puzzle pieces, and your bag of sharks. Your sea activity book will also come in handy as you watch and listen. Don’t forget to be decorating your door or a space in your home so that you can be a part of our Door Decorating Contest. And if you are able to snap a photo or video of your S.E.A. agents participating in Camp at home, we’d love to see those too! (Upload Camp Photos Here!)
Welcome to Kids Camp! We are SO excited to begin our week together.
For today you will need your sea activity book, your big idea seashells, and your Day 1 coloring page (Moses). You can find these printable materials here if you need an extra copy of anything.
Monday Supplies
We look forward to learning today’s Big Idea: People can help my faith grow.
A few weeks ago, we put out a call for some help with assorted projects around the church. The goal was two-fold—perhaps remove some boredom from COVID-19, and yes, we will admit to selfishly help out this old church building and its grounds.
The first person to reach out to us was one of our youth, Drew Thompson. Drew, who will be a rising senior at the Steward School, came by two mornings with his power washer.
Both days, Drew worked for four hours. He focused on the brick sidewalks, walls, and steps where Trinity Preschool parents drop off and pick up their children in front of the Welcome Center. It is amazing how water, pressure, and expertise from Drew can transform soiled brick. That area looks 100% better.
Many thanks Drew for your time, energy, and effort. We also thank his parents for raising such a nice, polite, and hardworking young man.
And finally, a note of thanks from the bricks and mortar. Drew, they said to tell you they feel less dingy now, and they can actually see better with all that grime gone.
“Behold, I am making all things new…” Revelation 21:5a
The Annual Conference Protocols which determine our Covid safety measures have been updated in keeping with CDC guidelines. This is very good news! Please note that these updates make some of the information published in the May Window newsletter obsolete.
The following changes are now in effect.
For Outdoor Worship
Fully vaccinated persons are no longer required to wear facemasks except when they are singing. Those persons who are not fully vaccinated still need to remain masked at all times.
For Indoor Worship
Limited live singing is allowed. Everyone must remain masked at all times, but the congregation may sing two hymns and up to four vocalists may offer special music. Indoor worship returns Sunday, June 6 at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary at Trinity. More details to come.
All other safety Protocols remain in effect. Remembering Christ’s call to love our neighbors we strive to protect our congregation and prevent spread in the community. While we do not know any schedule or timetable, we do expect more changes and easing of restrictions will be taking place. A little more than half of the adults in Henrico County are fully vaccinated. We encourage you to talk to your physician about getting vaccinated, and please encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.
Pastor’s Corner: May 2021 (updated)
What a joy it has been since Easter Sunday, seeing so many of you in our outside services! I didn’t really recognize how much I have missed it until I experienced it again! Praise God!
Allow me to share with you upcoming changes that we anticipate. (I use the word “anticipate” to mean this is what we are planning but the rate of change is determined by the Conference Protocols which is very closely aligned with the Governor’s Office and the CDC.):
Our Livestream Services will continue at 11:00am indefinitely.
Beginning Sunday, June 6 we will also offer two in-person services.
At 9:00 AM we will offer a Modern Service, Outside.
Our families with young children report that they love the relaxed outdoor experience.
On rainy days we will hold the service in Trinity Hall (with prerecorded music).
Fully vaccinated persons are no longer required to wear facemasks except when they are singing.
Those persons who are not fully vaccinated still need to remain masked at all times.
At 11:00 AM we will offer a Traditional Service in the Sanctuary.
Seating capacity with be approximately 100.
Limited live singing is allowed.
Everyone must remain masked at all times, but the congregation may sing two hymns and up to four vocalists may offer special music.
A few things to bear in mind. All of our current COVID restrictions (preregistration, facemasks worn over mouth and nose, 6 ft. social distancing, no indoor singing, etc.) will be in effect. We are hopeful that some of these restrictions will be adjusted but we have no knowledge as to a timeline for such adjustments.
“What can I do to help?” you ask?
Volunteer! We will need a strong team to set up, check-in, usher, and clean up after each service.
Get vaccinated as soon as you can! Herd immunity is the strategy to get all this behind us.
Please be patient. We are all covid weary, but both the Conference and Trinity are being responsible and striving to love our neighbors and protect the community.
Keep the faith. God has gotten us this way and God will lead us forward! Our witness and discipleship is not tested in good and easy times, but in times of challenge.
Finally, on a personal note, thank you for being such a great Church Family.
How would you like to be seen and (kind of) heard in this year’s Christmas Eve service?
Dr. Staples will be working on 2 virtual hymns this year: Joy to the World and O Come All Ye Faithful. We will take these videos and combine them for a congregational version of a couple of verses of these 2 hymns.
Don’t worry if you’re not a singer, you won’t be heard individually. Your voice (es) will be combined with everyone else’s and we invite individuals and families to join.
You’ll need 2 devices (a cellphone and computer, 2 cellphones, etc) and a willing spirit. It’s not like really being together, but for now, it might just make us feel a little closer!
How to Participate
In order to participate in the Christmas Eve Congregational Hymn, you need to do 3 things.
First, use the Download button below to download the music and accompaniment file.
Then, record yourself singing the hymn verses with your computer, tablet, or phone.
Them use the Upload button to drop your video file into the folder so that Dr. Staples can create our congregational hymns.
Curious about how to participate and make all the technology work? Take a look at this video and Dr. Staples walks you through step by step.
You may remember that we joined our voices together at Easter to sing “Because He Lives” in a similar manner. We are excited to once again come together, virtually, to sing this Christmas Eve.
On Monday, morning May 18, Tropical Storm Arthur was sending light waves of rain north into Richmond.
Ronnie Johnson, our head custodian, at Trinity helped me load almost 70 bags of food to deliver to Feed More. With the van loaded, I drove into the city.
If you’ve never been to Feed More it is a series of buildings on Rhoadmiller Street. And if you are at times directionally challenged like me, then that might explain why it took me a few extra minutes to find the drop spot for our donations. As I was getting ready to start unloading, I saw a gentleman coming out of one of the Feed More buildings. Like me, he was wearing a mask, so it took a few seconds to recognize Trinity member, Dan Nichols.
Dan had just finished a morning shift as a volunteer for Feed More. For many years, Dan has been one of those consistent volunteers for Feed More. Every week he is present helping out.
Today, Dan’s timing could not have been better. He asked if I needed help. And before I could answer yes, Dan had bags in hand heading toward the pod.
Many thanks to Dan for his gracious assist, and many thanks to everyone who donated food on Friday. By the time we finished unloading the Trinity van, the three large bins inside the pod were overflowing.