could even include some that remain at

a distance. Families are quirky, peculiar,

interesting, exciting, emotional, and

messy; however, families are insepara-

ble.

Churches are much like families. There

are some members who are nurturing

and loving and some who are different

and challenging, but all in all, a family of

faith is really no different than a

’normal’ family, and just as messy.

We are ALL children of God. And, if

we are all children of God, then we are

ALL part of God’s ONE family; “ONE

family under God.” We are ALL broth-

ers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Regard-

(Continued on page 4)

Why “One Family Under God?”

Have you ever stopped to think about

how much church is like a family? I’m not

talking the Norman Rockwell – Leave it

to Beaver ideal image of a family, and I’m

not talking about the fact that some refer

to the priest as ‘father’ or ‘mother. I am

referring more to a ‘normal’ family with

all the brokenness and dysfunction that

exists. It’s like the family with a crazy Un-

cle Joe, who you only see at Thanksgiv-

ing. You know, he’s the one who wears

the different color socks and plaid pants.

Or it could be more like an Aunt Ruthie

who knitted you the sweater that you’ve

worn once and stuck in the back of your

closet. It’s full of family members that we

love and some that we just tolerate, and

Rector’s Ramblings — The Rev. Kenneth H. Saunders III, Rector

You are invited to a Homecoming

Celebration! Sunday, September 11 at

Trinity Episcopal Church.

Gather with us to remember, give

thanks, celebrate our roots and renew

your connection with the Trinity

Church family.

Because we are One Family Under

God, we will have ONE Worship

Service at 10 a.m., followed by

Brunch at 11 a.m. Bring your friends.

RSVPs encouraged – We expect a full

church. Call Marla at 410.823.3588 or

E-mail us at Trinityoffice@comcast.net.

Trinity Episcopal Church

September 2016

Volume 2, Issue 6

Trin i ty Times

Inside this issue:

Parish Life News 2

Prayer Requests 3

Surprise Shop Notes 4

ACTC News 5

Pleasant Plains Thanks 6

Make a Joyful Noise 6

WorkShip Recap 7

Surprise Shop Happen-

ings 8

Preschool News 8

September Birthdays, anni-

versaries & calendar

Trinity News — One Family Under God

Posters needed for Homecoming Sunday

This year, we will begin the new program year

with a Trinity Homecoming Sunday. We hope

that many former parishioners will worship with

us at the ONE SERVICE at 10 a.m. and see what

is new at Trinity.

At the 2nd Sunday brunch, after the service on

September 11, we will display posters to show

all the work people in your area of ministry do

– and give others who want to be more in-

volved a chance to learn about ministries in

which they can best use their gifts and talents.

Please contact Kathleen Capcara if you would

like to update the poster you made last year.

J2A Youth Group Studies City Life

Beginning on Sunday, September 18, Trinity’s

J2A group will be learning about the part of

God’s Family who live in our major cities. They

will consider the differences among the diverse

groups of people living under various conditions,

explore what makes a “good city,” and discover

what Jesus had to say about being neighbors to

one another.

This unit of study will culminate at the end of

September in a 3 day “Urban Adventure.” We

are planning an amazing trip to the Youth Initia-

tive at Broad Street Ministries (BSM) in Phila-

delphia. In addition to volunteering in the city

under the guidance of the youth leaders at

BSM, our high school students will learn to nav-

igate in Philadelphia using various means of

transportation. Using their orienteering skills,

the youth will engage in a “scavenger hunt,”

locating a list of historic sites and other places

of interest.

Sunday School Begins September 18!

Age Divisions will be as follows: Preschool &

Kindergarten, Grades 1-4, and Grades 5-7. J2A

is grades 8-12.

We will be learning stories about famous fami-

lies from the Bible.

To emphasize our theme of “One Family Under

God,” Preschool – 6th grade will begin togeth-

er each Sunday at 10 o’clock by gathering

around a table in the partitioned room of Me-

morial Hall. We will do fun icebreaker activities

and share a snack as we get to know one an-

other better. One Sunday each month, we will

celebrate all of our students who have a birth-

day in that month. On September 18, we will

light candles for Julianna Lathrop, Emma Jones,

Madeline Grable and Maddie & Cole Weihs.

Children’s Sabbath

The Children’s Sabbath was initiated by Marian

Wright Edelman and The Children’s Defense

Fund. It is a weekend that unites places of

worship of all faiths across the nation in shared (Continued on page 3)

Parish Life News — Kathleen Capcara, Lay Associate for Parish Life

Page 2 Trin i ty Times

Known as the “City of Murals,” each mu-

ral in Philly tells us a story of community

and hope .

Prayer Requests

Ann Jackson

John Kentch

Kate Leakfeldt

Tom Maykrantz

John Marks

Holly Metcalf

Rick Pairo

Maddison Payton

Frank Peterson

Chris Price

Margaret Quarshie

Sandy Rupp

Pam Sloane

Emma Stockmeier

Don Stegner

Gloria Stromwell

Win Taylor

Dan Venedam

Beatrice Amoah

Dan & Lois Boston

Das Cole

Patrice Cromwell

Corey Dreiger

Ken Eder

Steve Einig

Mini Gillett

Linda Hall

Page 3 Volume 2 , Is sue 6

Please notify the church office (office@trinitychurchtowson.org or 410-823-3588) of any changes to the prayer list.

Parish Life News—continued from page 2.

Joe Webb

Walt Weise

Karole White

Dick Yates

from 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. in Memorial Hall. After

introducing our One Family Under God theme on

September 18th and 25th, we will begin a four-

week series called Aging With a Plan.

All of us are aging, and many of us will be called on

to aid aging relatives in the years ahead. Topics

will include:

Power of Attorney, Advance Directives, & Wills

Autonomy, Interdependence & Interrelationship

Supporting the Caregiver

Role of the Spiritual Community in Care

Hospice Care

We hope you will find this series informative and

helpful. The series dates are October 16, 23 & 30

and November 6. Watch this space for more de-

tails

concern for children and common commitment to

improving children’s lives and working for justice on

their behalf. It is bigger, more powerful and more

inspiring than the efforts of any one congregation on

its own. On the Children’s Sabbath, places of wor-

ship have a strong sense of participating in a larger

movement for children.

This year on October 23, the 25th celebration of

The Children’s Sabbath, Trinity’s youth will design

and lead the 9 o’clock service. Grades 5 & 6 will

take the lead, under the guidance of Stephanie Foy

and Carol Krisanda. Since we will have only a few

weeks to prepare for this special service, we re-

quest that you bring your children to Sunday school

as regularly as possible in the months of September

and October.

Adult Forums: Aging

With A Plan

At Trinity, the Sunday morning Adult Forum meets

Page 4 Trin i ty Times

We want our Trinity family to grow in spiritual

health and vitality. So this program year, we are

focusing on how Trinity is “ONE family under

God.” Our teaching from September to May

will focus on the relationship aspects of family

and community and how we are ALL called as

Christians to be our brother/sister’s keeper in

this world.

To kick off the season, we are calling everyone

to show up to the Trinity Family Reunion on

Homecoming Sunday – September 11, 2016 at

10 a.m. where we will worship together in ONE

service followed by brunch. Let us know you

will be there so that we know how much food

to prepare! To RSVP, Text HOME to

443.743.3999 or e-mail:

office@TrinityChurchTowson.org

Be Blessed!

Ken+

Rector’s Ramblings — Continued from page 1.

less of how different and challenging we may

be, we are related in our baptism and are

part of the ONE family. With that relation-

ship, no one and nothing can separate us

from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

(Romans 8:38-39)

The unity in our church family is what holds

us together in times of stress and challenge. It

is God’s love that causes us, in our broken-

ness, to hold one another up in prayer and

support, like we would in a family. Families

celebrate together as well as cry together.

Families sometimes squabble and sometimes

agree. It’s never a full time delight, but can

often be delightful. The key is that we stick

together and be there for one another.

That’s how families work. That’s how the

church works. It’s not always a feel good res-

pite of joy and glee. It can often be a chal-

lenge and require some extra work, but most

of all, it requires us to show up. The only way

we can learn and be nurtured by a communi-

ty or a family is to be an active participant.

Showing up is half the task. The other half is

that once you’re here, you let yourself be

formed, informed, and transformed by the

experience so that you want to share it with

others and make them part of the family. To

go out proclaiming the Gospel and reaching

out to the world, teaching them, and baptiz-

ing them in the name of the Father, Son, and

Holy Spirit and bringing them into the family.

(Matthew 28:19-20)

Surprise Shop Acknowledgements

We would like to express our condolences to

Betty Denison and her family. Bob Denison was a

wonderful organizer of our lovely landscapes and

we are blessed to have Betty as one of our Volun-

teers.

Diane Jones and her husband Ron, and the Shop

thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Ron’s

surgery was a success and we hope and pray that

his next few years of follow up are cancer free.

Page 5

Volume 2 , Is sue 6

Trinity Reaches Out:

October 2nd Animal

Blessing and Pet Fair

One of Trinity’s well known

and cherished services is

our annual Blessing of the

Animals at 9 o’clock on the

Sunday closest to St. Francis

Day. We bring our furry

friends to Memorial Hall for a brief service with

prayers and song. Each animal also receives an indi-

vidual blessing. This year, the service will be held on

Sunday, October 2. After the brief service , we will

host a simple “Pet Fair” featuring a display by the

SPCA with animals for adoption, an area where you

can learn about animals who visit the sick and

homebound, a raffle of baskets for cats and dogs,

and more. This is an excellent occasion to invite

your animal-loving neighbors, co-workers, and

friends.

ACTC News

Parish Life News—continued from page 3

A fundraiser for ACTC, Bags, Baskets

and Bites Bingo, will be held at First Lu-

theran Church Towson on Saturday, Octo-

ber 22nd at 7:00 p.m. For $25.00, guests will have

the chance to play 20 bingo games to win beautiful

baskets and bags filled with good things! There will

also be raffle items, door prizes and food and

drink for sale. Enjoy an evening of fellowship with

your friends while raising money to help reduce

hunger in our community. Tickets are available at

the ACTC, 120 W. Pennsylvania Avenue.

Food Bank Donations

This month, Trinity has been asked to collect:

Canned soup

Canned tomatoes—any style

Volunteers Needed! One of the ways you can

support the Center in the outreach to our Com-

munity is to be part of our Corps of Volunteers

who are willing to serve at least one or two days

a month in one of the areas of our food ministry.

If you are willing to work more, we can always

use you as a sub in areas we are short workers.

Of course, we are always in need of extra help

during the Holiday Season when food donations

peak.

Adequate volunteer support in this area is very

important to the health of the Center for many

reasons. It insures that the Center will always

be stocked and ready to meet the needs of our

clients. It allows the paid staff to concentrate on

issues such as Center operations, volunteer

training, program development and coordination,

recruitment, fundraising and outreach. Many of

these jobs can be done outside the hours that

the Center is open which opens up volunteer

opportunities to those who can’t serve between

10 am and 3pm. It also opens a possibility for

Saturday service once a month.

Please open this invitation to serve our Commu-

nity to friends and neighbors who are looking for

volunteer opportunities. Our goal is to build a

large corps of willing volunteers to support the

work of the Center and to insure that we will

not only be able to continue this important out-

reach at our current level but to expand it.

Page 6

Trin i ty Times

The teachers and staff at Pleasant Plains Elemen-

tary School would like to thank you for the gen-

erous donation of school supplies and 75 back-

packs for the students at Pleasant Plains Elemen-

tary School. We truly appreciate the time you

spent collecting the numerous supplies, organiz-

ing them, as well as coordinating the WorkShip

service in order to prepare the backpacks. My

family and I were honored to be able to be a part

of this wonderful service as well as prepare the

backpacks along with the church.

The students returned to school this week and

many families were unable to purchase the sup-

plies for their child. I wish you could see the

smile on the face of the child as well as the sense

of relief of the parent when we handed them a

fully supplied backpack. Your hard work and

dedication to our partnership has touched each

child and family in our school in the most positive

way.

Thank you again to the Outreach Committee for

making this possible for our students in need.

Thank you again to all of the members of the

church and community who donated their time

and the numerous school supplies for Pleasant

Plains Elementary School.

Sincerely,

Trish Voegtlin

School Counselor

Calling All Singers! - You are invited to sing

for our "One Family Under God" Homecoming

Sunday on September 11th.

Please join us in the Guild Room at 9:15 a.m.

to learn selected music. There will be a 10:00

service followed by brunch. See you there!

Music Team - Music Team Rehearsals will

begin Tuesday September 13th. Rehearsals are

weekly on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Guild

Room, and warm-up on Sunday mornings 8:30-

8:45. All are welcome! For more info email

Doris Yousfi, doris.glenmusic@gmail.com

Donation - Music Team needs drums for do-

nation/ loan to be used in the 9:00 service! If

you can help please email Doris Yousfi, do-

ris.glenmusic@gmail.com

The Trinity Choir resumes serving at the

Sunday 11 a.m. Holy Eucharist on September

18th. Rehearsals are held Sunday mornings at

9:15 a.m. in the Guild Room. Anyone of reading

age and older who enjoys singing is encouraged

to contact RLee following Holy Eucharist, stop

by and sit in on a rehearsal, join us in the loft,

or email rleeadams2@gmail.com for more in-

formation. You may also talk and partner up

with one of our current choir members to

learn more about the Trinity Choir.Trinity

Thank You from Pleasant Plains Elementary School

Make a Joyful Noise!

Volume 2 , Is sue 6 Page 7

WorkShip — School Supplies for Pleasant Plains Elementary School

On August 21, nearly sixty parishioners began wor-

ship as usual, but after the Liturgy of the Word,

they processed to Memorial Hall with empty back-

packs to fill with school supplies donated by parish-

ioners. We call this “WorkShip.”

WorkShip combines worship and ac-

tion. It brings together our faith in

Christ and our desire to serve the

world in Christ’s name. It enacts our

love of our neighbor, which Jesus gave

us as the second great commandment:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Seventy-five backpacks for Pleasant Plains Elemen-

tary containing notebooks, pencils, glue sticks, mark-

ers and so forth have been delivered to the school.

Children, who otherwise would start school with-

out the things they need, will now have

the tools to be successful.

We also prayed for the children who re-

ceived the backpacks and for all children

to experience God’s blessing: “In your

goodness, O God, bless all children.”

tune and easy to play. Now it’s time to start re-

hearsals for the 2016-17 program year. We prac-

tice Tuesday evenings at 7 PM in the Guild Room

for about an hour. We have a core group of about

eight people so far, but welcome new members.

Anyone from about age 10 on up (who can count

to four or maybe six) is eligible.

Please join us and make beautiful music to the glory

of God. Any questions? Call Nancy Nicholson 410-

428-5976 or email nancy.nicholson225@gmail.com.

Handbells — Want to have a terrific time once a

week? Want to learn new things and make new

friends? Want to make beautiful music (even if you,

like me, don’t have the best voice)? Got stress?

Join the hand bell choir! It’s the best therapy around.

You don’t need to read music or sing on key. All you

need to do is mark your note, count to four and ring

your bell when it’s your turn.

Our hand bells were refurbished last year, thanks to

all the parishioners who adopted a bell. They are in

Make a Joyful Noise! —continued from page 6

120 Allegheny Avenue

Towson, MD 21204

Phone: 410-823-3588

Fax: 410-583-3589

www.TrinityChurchTowson.org

Trinity Episcopal Church

The Surprise Shop’s summer sales were a success

despite the heatwave! The Shop closed for the first

two weeks of August for cleaning and restocking.

and re-opened on August 15th with all NEW fall

Merchandise.

Ongoing outreach will continue this fall with Janet's

Drawers, a giveaway of new underwear and socks

to those who are in need. The Buck For Breakfast

will resume in September with Erin and Diane serv-

ing a light yet healthy start to the day for the men

and women of Prologue. Donations for both of

these ministries are always appreciated.

Surprise Shop Happenings

Trinity Episcopal Church

Faith Community Action

Share the Trinity community

with a friend!

Trinity Preschool News

www.TrinityPreschoolTowson.org

We had a wonderful camp this summer with

great themes and attendance! The Preschool

opened for the new school year on August

22, 2016 with a great first week! We would

like to welcome our new teachers, Ms. Tressa

(Pre-K), Ms. Megan (Pre-K) and Ms. Anni

(Younger Twos). We are also thrilled to be

adding art, French and a dance class to our

rotation of specials this Fall! We have limited

spaces still available for the Fall. Please con-

tact the Director, Lisa McMurtrie,

lmcmurtrie@tecckids.org if you would like a

tour of the school!”

The Surprise Shop of Trinity Church

122 Allegheny Avenue, Towson

410-828-9343

www.SurpriseShop.org

Non-Profit Org.

US Postage

PAID

Baltimore, MD

Permit No. 351