Last Sunday for Episcowars!

This is the third and final Sunday we will be discussing different aspects of the conflict that seems to be on-going in the Episcopal Church.  This week’s focus will be on the debate over issues of human sexuality that have been rattling not only our Church here in America, but the worldwide Anglican Communion as well.  So, if this seems like a topic you would be interested in hearing more about, come on up and join us at 9:00 a. m.

For the next two weeks we will have individual topics: one on the state of the economy in America and the impact it has on our lives as Christians and another on the power of prayer and how it effects change in our world.  After that it will be Advent if you can believe it!  For the Advent season we have purchased a four-week study pack that will take us through the lectionary readings, paying particular attention to how the Christmas story was seen through the eyes of different characters who watched and waited for their Lord to come.  It should be the perfect way to prepare for Christmas and all that comes with it and I look forward to embarking on this journey together!

Another thing to remember is that our social event for November is coming up soon — November 15th!  So, go to the calendar page for more info and be on the lookout for an announcement in this week’s Sunday bulletin!

Blessings,

Morgan

@ The Journey’s End

Well, it’s hard to believe that we are one week shy of the end of Via Media, the eight-week adult education series we have been sponsoring since September.  Though it has been a rewarding experience, I think we are all ready to take a break and reclaim our Sunday evenings!  I believe the program has been a tremendous success and has shown us that we are more than capable of providing meaningful ministry opportunities to those in our parish.  I think we’ve done Trinity good, ya’ll!:o)

This Sunday, November 2nd, Via Media will look a bit different because after 8 weeks of exploring and questioning we will finally get to ask the most important question of all: SO WHAT?!?  So what does it REALLY mean to be an Anglican Christian in 21st century America?  What has all of this theological pondering done for us as individuals?  Where and how would we like to go deeper with any part of this material?  We’ll gather together as always at 5:00 p.m. to have a simple supper, but this time we won’t be sitting in small groups!  There will be two video sessions broken up by a large group discussion and then comes the real treat: a closing eucharist designed especially for all who have attended!  Vinnie will be joining us this week to celebrate and we welcome her into our hearty group!

Thank you to all who have participated in this ministry and don’t forget to come out for the very special last session!

Blessings,

Morgan

Change of Pace

Thank you to all who participated in our three-week series on faith and politics!  I hope that our time on Sunday morning proved to be useful to you as we approach the elections on November 4th!

This week, we will be moving on to another topic–the history of our church.  Sound boring?  Then you must not know much about how we came to be!  From scandals involving Henry the 8th, fights over Prayer Book editions, the ordination of women and issues of human sexuality, our Church has always had the courage to face the controversial.  We’ll begin by glancing over a brief history of this conflict and talk about whether or not the conflict in our day has grown more divisive than issues of the past.  Are we really “better off” without the churches that have chosen to leave our Communion?  Are the issues that plagued us in our early history to blame for the passion behind issues that confront us now?  Will we ALWAYS have something to argue about?!?  Come join the conversation…you may even be surprised about what you learn!

Also, a big thank you to all who made it out for our movie night.  Ya’ll were great rolling with the punches of the movie change and I think a good time was had by all!  We’ll be advertising our November social event real soon, so keep checking this site and your Sunday bulletin for more information!

Blessings,

Morgan

Meatloaf

T3’s October social event is right around the corner!!!  Come on out and join us Saturday, October 18th @ 7:00 p.m. as we watch Leap of Faith, a comedy released in 1992 about a fraudulent faith healer named Jonas who is taking the nation by storm!  We will meet in the Gray House to view the movie, which lasts a bit under 2 hours and then we will journey up the street to Manassas Tavern for some drinks and late night apps as we discuss what we have seen.  You won’t want to miss out on this entertaining flick that demonstrates how faith can change us in ways unexpected!  Besides, who would pass up a film featuring both Steve Martin AND Meatloaf?!? So take a night off from work, the kids, the stresses of everyday life and join us for some fun!  No need to bring anything but yourselves!  We’d love to see you there!

Questions? Contact Morgan at mmacintire@trinityepiscopalchurch.org!

Blessings,

Morgan

P.S.  Don’t forget to join us this Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the Welcome Room for our last discussion in our series on faith & politics!

Politics at Church?

Most Christians agree the church should not tell its members which particular candidate to choose in a political election. But the separation between church and state does not preclude applying religiously grounded judgments as to which political positions most nearly embody the search for human well-being.

Have Christians always participated in elections? What are the most helpful ways our faith can inform our voting behaviors? For the next three weeks (Oct. 5, 12 &19), T3 will examine these things and reflect on some criteria to use when considering any political candidate running for public office.

If this is a topic that has been on your mind, please come join us Sunday mornings at 9:00 upstairs!  All perspectives are welcome….you enrich our conversation by your presence!

I also wanted to say a quick “thank you” to all who participated in our cookout redo!  It was a great success with lots of yummy food.  Kids and adults alike had a blast!  We should be deciding about the date and content of our October social event soon, so look for updates/specifics on the website and in Sunday’s bulletin.

Blessings,

Morgan

Don’t forget!!

Our Cookout/Pool Party Redo is happening this Saturday, September 27th from 4-7 p.m. at the home of Jason and Jennifer Smith!  There is rain in the forecast, but not hurricane rain, so we are going to tough it out and hope the meterologists are wrong!  As advertised before, this is an event for the entire family.  The Smith’s have a great backyard with a playground and a huge, heated pool for all of us to enjoy.  We’ll be providing hotdogs and hamburgers with all of the fixin’s, but we ask that you bring a side dish to share!

And the next thing you want to remember is that this Sunday during the morning discussion hour we will be taking some time out of our schedules to talk about simplicity as a spiritual discipline.  If you feel like you need some refreshment for your body, mind and soul after a long week, come join us!  We’ll either be in my office (the obnoxiously yellow room) or the Welcome Room upstairs.  Grab a doughnut and a cup of coffee and come on up!  We’d love to see you!

 

Blessings,

Morgan

Keep It Simple

In today’s hurry-up, get-it-done, and move-on-to-the-next-thing society, busy is the norm. Our attention is as much on being busy as it is on what we are doing, whether it’s work, family, home life, church, or leisure activity. Crazy-busy is the term being used to describe our twenty-first-century lifestyle. Most people can relate: our lives and schedules are out of control. Simplicity appears to be the answer.

We are in no short supply of books, articles, and experts touting a variety of ways to simplify our lives. However, most miss a crucial point. Simplicity is a natural response to loving God. Simplicity is both a mindset and a spiritual discipline because it is rooted in purposefulness toward God and the practical day-to-day lived experience of requiring nothing more than we need.

Do these thoughts resonate with your day-to-day experience of life?  If so, come join us Sunday, September 28th as we explore simplicity as an attitude toward God and as a way of life. We will look at how busy our lives are and then identify what simplicity is and the advantages of living life with singleness of purpose. Plan to sit and talk with us at 9:00 a.m. upstairs in the Welcome Room.  Let’s help each other come to a greater understanding of ways we as Christians can live healthy, balanced lives.

Want to engage in another meaningful topic before then?  Come join us same place, same time this Sunday, September 21st as we wrap up our three week discussion on Christian responses to war.  Hope to see you there!

 

Blessings,

Morgan

T3 Cookout Re-scheduled!!

Since Tropical Storm Hanna decided to rain on our parade, we have re-scheduled the T3 cookout/pool party.  Here is the new information:

When? Saturday, Sept. 27th from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Where? Jason & Jennifer Smith’s House

What? A cookout/pool party!

Details: We will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers, swimming, playing games and hanging out for the afternoon to celebrate the last few days of summer and kick off the new school year.  This event is perfect for the ENTIRE family, so bring your kids and some friends if you’d like.  We’ll have the mainstays provided (meat, buns, fixins, drinks, chips, potato salad, mac n cheese, dessert), but we ask that you bring your favorite side dish to share with the rest of the group!  This is not a class or an exclusive get together, it’s just a time for all of us to have some fun and connect with one another.  We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions or need directions to the Smith’s house, please contact Morgan at mmacintire@trinityepiscopalchurch.org. 

Blessings,

Morgan

Ministry Fair

Inevitably, churches single out one day on the calendar to advertise all of their programming for the year in an attempt to lure people in to signing up for classes, outreach opportunities and the like.  Some call it a Rally Day, others a Ministry Fair, and the list goes on and on!  I have always liked the chaos of ministry fair Sunday and I think it gives people who are new to the church or people who are looking for new ways to plug in to the church a way to connect.  Besides, most of the booths have free candy!:o)  Each booth represents a different group, class or outreach opportunity available to you at Trinity in the coming year.  The Ministry Fair creates a time and a place for people to ask questions about the different ways in which they can be involved in the life of the church.  It’s definitely worth checking out!

This Sunday, September 7th is Trinity’s Ministry Fair!  All of the booths will be set up in the Parish Hall for your perusal from 9:45-10:45 a.m.  T3 will have two booths this year: one advertising our Young Adults group and the other advertising Via Media.  Please feel free to stop by and ask any of our T3 members questions you might have about our educational offerings as well as our social gatherings and outreach ministries.  We would love to talk with you!

On another note, this Sunday will be the first of the year for our seminarians.  For those of you who don’t know quite what a seminarian is, allow me to explain!:o)  We in the Epsicopal Church attend three years at an accredited seminary before we are ordained.  This is basically grad school for priest wannabes and at the end of seminary, you are awarded a Masters in Divinity.  We have a great seminary very close to Manassas called Virginia Theological Seminary.  As part of their seminary experience, students are assigned to intern at particular parishes all around the D.C. metro area.  Trinity has had a seminarian help out every year since its doors were opened, so the people are very used to being a learning environment for priest hopefuls.  We will be blessed to have not one, but TWO seminarians from VTS this year, Meredith and Corrie.  They will be formally introduced during services, but please do take time outside of church to introduce yourselves to them and let them know they are welcomed!

Blessings,

Morgan

P.S.  Don’t forget our first T3 social gathering is THIS SATURDAY, September 6th from 4-7 at the Smith’s House!  It’s happening rain or shine, so come on out!:o)

Feeling Social?

Well, we are too!!  That’s why in a few weeks T3 will be sponsoring its first social gathering of the year.  Here’s what you need to know:

When? Saturday, Sept. 6th from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Where? Jason & Jennifer Smith’s House

What? A cookout/pool party!

Details: We will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers, swimming, playing games and hanging out for the afternoon to celebrate the last few days of summer and kick off the new school year.  This event is perfect for the ENTIRE family, so bring your kids and some friends if you’d like.  We’ll have the mainstays provided (meat, buns, fixins, drinks, chips, potato salad, mac n cheese, dessert), but we ask that you bring your favorite side dish to share with the rest of the group!  This is not a class or an exclusive get together, it’s just a time for all of us to have some fun and connect with one another.  We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions or need directions to the Smith’s house, please contact Morgan at mmacintire@trinityepiscopalchurch.org. 

Blessings,

Morgan