Trinity Bells
June 2009
My Dear Trinitarians,
I hope you have a blessed and wonderful summer. As we go into this sometimes quieter season, a
few words about balance. You often hear the wisdom, “all things in moderation”, and that is
valuable advice. However, a Christian perspective on balance is slightly different. We are called to
balance our love of God, self and neighbor, and the second two (our love of self and neighbor) are
meant to flow out of our love of God. This can be very challenging in several ways.
First, it is easy with the pressures to succeed and the busyness of our lives to fall prey to the idea
that we are indispensable and everything depends on us. This is simply not the case. God is
indispensable and we play a part in carrying out God’s work in the world. The more we can really
internalize this idea, the happier and more relaxed we can be.
Second, after our relationship with God, nothing should take higher precedence than ourselves
and our families. We naturally return to this way of being in the summer months; as we do that,
let us remember that this is how we are meant to live the whole year round.
Third, everything else that God calls each of us to do or to be, he also calls us to balance against
this primary call of loving God, ourselves and others. If we lose sight of that we substitute our
insecurity and need to be needed for God’s all embracing love. Again, as we slow down this
summer, don’t neglect your relationship with God (including coming to church when you can) and
take some time to reflect on how your care for yourself and your family can lead you to new and
better ways of loving others in the ways that God would have us love.
With love to you in Christ,
God Willing and the General Convention consenting,
The Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano will be ordained
Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Long Island
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Tilles Center at 11:00 am.
Stay tuned for ticket information and possibilities for participating.
CONFIRMATION
AT THE CATHEDRAL
On Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at the Cathedral of
the Incarnation, the Rt. Rev. Orris G. Walker, Jr.,
presided over the confirmation of over 30
people. This included two of our own teenagers,
Kaia deBruin and Jonathan Galati. It was a
lovely service on an unseasonably warm weekend
and the cathedral was looking particularly
beautiful since the renovations have been
completed. Even more wonderful was the
inspirational sermon delivered by our own Rev.
Margo!
Congratulations to Kaia and Jonathan!
ST. EXERTIOUS DAY
On Sat., April 4, 2009 a hardy band of 9
members of Trinity Episcopal Church spent 3
hours sprucing up the outside of the church in
preparation for Palm Sunday & Easter. It was the
reinstitution of St. Exertious Day which, in times
past, was held on a Sunday after the service.
The chores involved removing the sand from the
parking areas that had accumulated over the
winter, weeding the flower/plant beds, and
planting day lilies, Sedum “Autumn Joy” and
Hosta of unknown varieties. The plants were
donated by a “friend” of Trinity at no cost. She
needed to divide her perennials.
Many thanks (in alphabetical order) to Rennie
Archibald, Bob de Bruin, Mike Evans, Isabel
Glomb, Barbara Holzkamp, Laura Kavanagh,
Sheila Platt and Dawn Weill. Your hard work is
most appreciated. As the saying goes, “Many
hands make light work”.
Sarane Ross
!
As a side note, Sarane has devised a chart of the
church’s grounds where people can be in charge
of a small “plot” of land and commit to taking
care of & weeding this plot. A lovely idea is to
do this In Honor of or In Memory of a loved
one. Please check the chart in the church office
and pick a plot of your choosing! If you have
any questions, please call Sarane at 516-626-1854.
!
HEALTH CARE REFORM
PANEL DISCUSSION
Tues., June 30, 7:00-8:30 pm
Health Care is moving to the forefront of our
national agenda. Here is an opportunity to
inform yourself about the issues and our options,
and share in the discussion, which will be held at
Trinity Church (Penson Hall).
Dr. Peter Kurzweil, who practices internal and
geriatric medicine in Glen Cove, will lead a panel
of health care providers and consumers.
Please come and lend your voice! Health Care
Reform needs you! Sponsored by the Long
Island Citizens Concerned for Health Care
Reform.
For more information, call 516-676-2678.
TRINITY MEMBER
LEADS A FOOD DRIVE
In April Jeanne Millspaugh led a food drive for
Island Harvest at her office (NS-LIJ
Ophthalmology). She and her fellow coworkers
collected 8 boxes of food and 3 boxes of
toiletries for this important non- profit
organization. Congratulations Jeanne!
BURNING BOOKS
Our next meeting is on July 2nd at 7:30 pm at the
home of Jean & Bob Henning to discuss "The
Book Thief," the heart-warming, best-selling
novel by Markus Zusak. It’s a story about a
young German girl who is taken in by foster
parents in a town near Munich in the late 1930s,
as the Nazi regime increasingly asserts itself in
everyday life.
The summer selection for Burning Books is "The
Killer Angels," the Pulitzer prize-winning
historical novel by Michael Shaara, which
dramatically and accurately recounts the four
days of the Battle of Gettysburg. The date (in
September) and location of the meeting have not
been set at this time. However, that information
will be available through the church office by
mid-July. As always, we welcome anyone who
would like to join us, for a single meeting or on
an ongoing basis.
John Platt
Save the Date!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6th
5:30-7:30 PM
(rain or shine)
Trinity’s Mid-Summer’s Eve
BBQ
Details to follow soon…
ARTHRITIS WALK UPDATE
On May 16th, Ariann Forella and Kathy Mendall
along with Ariann’s husband Jason and friends,
participated in the Arthritis Walk 2009 sponsored
by the Long Island Arthritis Foundation. The
walk was held at the Belmont Lake State Park.
‘Team Marvel’ raised $1,401 to help the
foundation raise awareness and funds to fight
arthritis. Thanks to everyone at Trinity who
donated!
NURSERY SCHOOL DIRECTOR
NEEDED AT
ST. PAUL’S, GLEN COVE
St. Paul’s seeks PT Director (25 hrs per week).
School in Glen Cove currently enrolls 33
children between the ages of 2-4, with a staff of
seven. Responsible for curriculum, enrollment,
compliance with State and County requirements,
administrative duties and liaison with parents &
community. Requires 2+ yrs teaching preschool
experience, NY Permanent Teaching Certificate
N-6, prefer BS or MS in Early Childhood
Education & strong computer skills.
Salary $25 – 29K.
Email resume: office@stpaulsgc.com.
(EOE/M/F/D/V)
St. Paul’s Nursery School – Glen Cove
GOD TALK
By Wesley J. Wildman and Stephen
Chapin Garner
One of our liberal-evangelical heroes, J. B.
Phillips, once wrote a book with a title that we
love: Your God Is Too Small . Phillips's message
was right on target, for his context and also for
ours. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how
good you are, or how attractive you are. It
doesn't matter how much you read the Bible,
how much you pray, or how much you give to
church and charity. It doesn't matter what your
culture is, what your gender is, what your skin
color is. It doesn't matter who your relatives are
or who you know, where you went to school, or
where you live. Your God is too small.
Like many difficult truths, the people who
cannot easily accept this fact of human life are
also the people who need to hear it most
urgently. Some people make God so small that
God actually vanishes from their lives. These
people assume that, since it seems unlikely
anything conclusive could ever be known about
God, if God even exists, it is best not to bother
trying to get to know God at all. In Christian
circles, it is more common to encounter people
making God too small through believing that
they fully understand God and God's motives.
They create or absorb an image of God that is
probably related to the Bible and reflective of
their local community's culture of Christian
belief. But then they allow this image to take the
place of the actual God, relating to the image
exclusively rather than using the image to relate
to a God who breaks all images. Worst of all,
they often speak proudly about who God is and
what God wants, as if they were the one speaking
from the eye of the storm. And they sometimes
speak in a way that is desperately limited by
superficial understanding of the Bible and very
limited self-awareness.
The Bible's striking images of God collectively
express a persistent refusal that God can be
captured in a consistent set of human concepts.
They also affirm the spiritual practice of
imaginatively engaging God through diverse
images—sometimes
heartwarming
and
sometimes disturbing.
God is likened to various parts of nature such as
a whirlwind, a cloud, and a pillar of fire and to
such animals as a hen, an eagle, and a lion. God
is pictured as a tower, a shield, and a garment.
God is described using social roles and activities
including creator, potter, shepherd, father,
birthing mother, and bridegroom. God is
assigned human qualities and responses such as
intelligence, will, memory, anger, and forgiveness.
God is spoken of as possessing human form,
with eyes, arms, and hands, as walking around,
and speaking with a voice.
We are drawn to particular images at certain
times and for certain reasons. There is an
important difference between rigid attachment to
particular God images and the changing
psychological realities of the developing human
life. When we are young we need concrete
images of God to make the divine reality
tangible; that is quite appropriate. Throughout
our lives we rely on images to articulate and
nurture our relationship with God. Such
limitations are not a problem in themselves.
Picturing God in such a way that we can relate to
God is what makes religious life important. God
is a loving father or mother, in that we believe we
can trust ourselves to God completely. God is a
friend or confidant in that we believe God knows
our thoughts and needs before we utter them,
and it is safe to share our deepest longings with
God in prayer. God is judge and avenger, in that
we believe that the sin and injustice of the world
will encounter a divine reckoning. Our working
images of God are tailored to our particular
needs for God and to our creative, yet limited,
ability to imagine that which we believe but
cannot fully conceive. Thus, it is developmentally
appropriate and psychologically intelligible to use
God images to engage the incomprehensible and
image-breaking divine reality.
The problem arises when we begin to think that
our favorite image of God is the only one or the
best one. We lose track of the contrast between
God's infinity and our finite humanity. This
tendency may be part of the human condition,
but it is a trap that mature Christians in every
generation learn to avoid. Unfortunately, the
history of Christianity is filled with examples of
people, sometimes very influential people, who
have not reached this level of maturity. Liberals,
evangelicals, conservatives, biblical literalists,
fundamentalists—all of us—tend to assume we
have the inside track in a race to understand
God. The Jehovah's Witnesses are certain they
are right. The Southern Baptist Convention
believes it has the truth well in hand. Bishop
Spong knows he is right. The Jesus Seminar
thinks it is right. David Koresh believed he was
right.
It is a common failing of liberals to feel so
socially and educationally superior that any
conservative who derives his or her faith
principally from some external authority must be
a simpleton who refuses to accept reality.
Likewise, conservative evangelicals commonly
regard those who disagree with their favorite
image of God as spiritually defective and morally
impure. We all run the risk of reducing God to a
size that fits comfortably into our small lives.
Liberal-evangelical theology combines humility
and passion. We believe in God, and we also
believe there is more to God than we could ever
know. We follow Christ trusting that discipleship
helps us by grace to craft lives that are pleasing to
the God who is both known and unknown to us,
and in fact is known partly as unknown. Our
images of God are not the same as the reality
that the images help us to engage. Liberal
evangelicals speak passionately and openly about
God, all the while actively listening and watching
for how the God who surpasses all
understanding does not fit our precious ideas.
Liberal evangelicals treasure their God images,
but they also know their images of God are too
small, and they believe that God is big enough to
forgive all limitations.
It is important to acknowledge that we often hurt
others with our small images of God. Christians
have often pictured God as a man, which has
reinforced sexual stereotypes and greatly retarded
cultural recognition of the true equality of
spiritual dignity between men and women. In
fact, Christian churches needed to be rescued
from this great sin by a secular liberation
movement—clear evidence for Christians that
the Holy Spirit works outside as well as within
the churches. Similarly, white Christians have
typically pictured God as white, which helped
them rationalize their enslavement of black
Africans. Slavery was often seen as a divinely
mandated elevation of the supposedly
"subhuman" estate of native Africans. It is
impossible to believe that white Christians could
have reasoned this way had they pictured God as
black.
The fact that our small images of God are so
socially potent is one of the sources of great evil
in the history of human civilization. It is one of
the reasons why idolatry is not merely a matter of
poor judgment or spiritual immaturity or
theological insecurity. A lot can ride on culturally
embedded idolatrous God images. Liberalevangelical Christianity is primed by its humble
expectation that God surpasses all images to be
alert to the terrible side effects of idolatrous
attachment to any images of God.
______________________________________
Adapted from Found in the Middle! Theology and
Ethics for Christians Who Are Both Liberal and
Evangelical by Wesley J. Wildman and Stephen
Chapin Garner, copyright © 2009 by the Alban
Institute. All rights reserved.
Alban Weekly, 2009-06-01
Number 253
(Reprinted by permission from the Alban
Institute – Kristy Pullen)
THANK YOU FROM JOAN ERNST
To my Trinity Family;
Thank you for the lovely arrangement of flowers
you sent me after my cochlear-implant surgery. I
am well and enjoying improved hearing and
speech discrimination. Your prayers and
thoughtfulness mean so much to me!
God Bless you all!
In love,
Joan Sheldon Ernst
EASTER AT TRINITY, APRIL 12, 2009
MAUNDY THURSDAY SUPPER
MOTHER’S DAY, MAY 10
TRINITY CHOIR, MAY 17
BONGORTS ON KENNY’S B’DAY (MAY)
~MUSICAL NOTES~
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE!
From the King James translation of 1611, "Make
a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve
the Lord with gladness: and come before his
presence with singing", to the wild and
wonderful The Message (2005), “On your feet
now - applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing
yourselves into His presence", we find Psalm 100
inspiring us to worship through our words and
music. As we strive to live these words in our
liturgy, we continue to explore various types of
musical expression. The Summer Solstice Sing
for Peace music on June 21st was a great
corporate experience. It was inspiring to have the
congregation "singing into His presence" as they
entered the church to Ken and James strumming
guitars and all of us lifting our voices to the
strains of Blowing' in the Wind, If I Had a
Hammer, Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,
Where Have All the Flowers Gone, and We Shall
Overcome. On June 28th, Kathy's solo selection
of contemporary Christian music (Lord of All to
Me) represented another type of worship
expression, and summer will bring other
interesting surprises. Plans are afoot for an
exciting and enriching fall, so stay tuned! We are
so fortunate to be able to maintain the glorious
musical traditions of our rich Episcopal heritage
while exploring the broad range of musical
expression available today.
Some great news on the Choir front! Even as we
fondly and sadly bid farewell to our wonderful
tenor, Michael Fries, a delightful replacement
has sung his way into our program. Andrew
Cordero, who will be a junior at Post in the fall,
will be joining the Choir in September. A warm
welcome to Andrew!
Martha Regelmann
C.W. POST FILLS THE RAFTERS
AT TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
On Sunday, May 26th Trinity Episcopal Church
showcased the C.W. Post Long Island University
Chamber Singers and Chorus for their end of
semester concert. The ensembles, which had
recently sung at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln
Center in Manhattan, performed a concert that
was an eclectic mix of both secular and nonsecular music spanning across almost 150 years.
Conducted by Dr. Mark Shapiro, the University
Chamber Singers brought an international feel to
the stage with the Baladilla de los Tres Rios from
Spanish cultures to traditional Asian folksongs
like Pungyo, Ting! and Pokpok Alimpako, among
other works that were performed.
The University Chorus added to the performance
with the opening chorus, O Vergine Confide from
the Mascagni opera in which they performed in
New York entitled Il Piccolo Marat. The men of
the Chorus performed Biebl’s Ave Maria made
famous by the well-known male choir
Chanticleer, while the women graced the
audience with a set of six classic Russian Folk
Songs by Liadov. The men and women of the
Chorus then came together again for two
beautiful American songs, Shenandoah and the
spiritual, Great Day, one of them conducted by
the chorus’ Graduate Assistant and Assistant
Conductor, Ms. Shekinah MacMillan. The
combination of talent and tone matched with the
church’s ringing acoustics, made for a simply
heavenly performance.
The C.W. Post Department of Music would like
to thank Trinity Episcopal Church for the
opportunity to perform in their beautiful
sanctuary and all the Trinity staff who gave their
time and assistance in making the concert the
success that it was.
Andrew Cordero, C.W. Post Music Major
TRINITY SUNDAY &
RECOGNITION BRUNCH
The first annual Trinity Sunday and Recognition
Brunch was held on June 7. Margo and John
Platt thanked Trinity parishioners who had
contributed to the life of the parish in various
ministries throughout the past year. These
unsung heroes perform tasks on a regular basis
with little or no public recognition. Some of
these jobs include ushering, working on the altar
guild, volunteering as coffee hour hosts,
organizing a breakfast/lunch or dinner, or
something as simple as weeding! Following the
service was a lovely brunch and a presentation by
Margo of special awards for outstanding service
to Roger Gerber, Barbara Holzkamp, Karl
Hansen, Mike Callahan and Don Krug.
Anna Cammisa & family at Carnegie Hall
On Sunday, June 3 Anna performed at Carnegie
Hall. She played the piccolo for Rossini's Barber
of Seville Overture, the Saint-Saens Violin
Concerto and the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
in F Minor as part of The Children's Orchestra
Society's 15th Annual Discovery Gala. Also
appearing that night as a surprise guest was cellist
Yo-Yo Ma who joined his sister, Dr. YeouCheng Ma Executive Director of COS and an
outstanding violinist herself, in an arrangement
of a love song from the Philippines with Music
Director & Conductor Michael Dadap on guitar.
It was quite an evening!
The COS Young Symphonic Ensemble is made
up of students 12 -18 years old and they rehearse
at Christ Episcopal Church in Manhasset on
Saturdays. Anna has been taking flute lessons
there since 2004, as well as playing in chamber
groups. Anyone looking for an outstanding
music program for their children should consider
it, and we hope Tommy will audition and join the
orchestra soon! Harry deserves special mention
for attending the concert and behaving so well!
It should also be noted that Martha had students
performing as well, and she has played a huge
role in developing Anna's potential as a musician.
Betty Cammisa
TAG SALE- A SUCCESS STORY
Our sale on June 13, 2009 brought in thousands of items, from CDs to desks. With a bunch of willing
helpers we made over $2000, which will be used by the Outreach Committee. The things that were left over
went to St. Christopher's in Sea Cliff and the Lupus Foundation. Thanks to all for donating, setting up,
selling, and cleaning up.
RECESSION RECREATION SALE CONTINUES
Back in November we started selling books, which quickly grew into including DVDs and CDs. We invited
the public to participate one Saturday, and people rushed to purchase items at greatly-reduced prices…talk
about low-cost entertainment! That corner of the Children's Chapel has proven very popular with our
parishioners and others who use our buildings. An honor system basket remains there for people who want
to buy something. Come check out the recent additions and the low, low prices.
ACTIVITIES FILE DEVELOPING
We have been working on maintaining files in the office for each special activity that occurs during the year.
If you have been in charge of such an activity, please put the basics of how that works to make it easier for
the next person who does it. These activities include, Food Pantry Delivery, Advent Preparation, Seaman's
Church Institute Christmas Collection, brunches, dinners, Mardi Gras, and Trinity Sunday. Please add to the
files if you are in charge of an activity.
Barbara Holzkamp
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516-676-8469 or email: info@glenpainting.com
A PARABLE IN THE KEY OF ‘F’
Feeling footloose and frisky, a foolish fellow forced his father to fork over his fourth of the family farthings
and flew far to a foreign field where he fast frittered his father’s fortune feasting foolishly with faithless friends.
Fleeced by his fellows and folly, and facing famine he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farm. Flushed and
fairly famished he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from farm fodder.
“My father’s flunkies fair far finer.” The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled. Frustrated and filled with
foreboding, he fled forthwith to his father. Falling to his father’s feet he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I have
flunked and frugalessly forfeited family favor.” The fugitive’s fault-finding brother frowned on fickle
forgiveness, but the faithful father figure filled with fidelity, cried, “The fugitive is found. What forbids further
festivities? Let the flags unfurl and the fanfares flare.” Father flagged a flunky who fetched a fatling from the
flock and fixed a feast.
The moral of the story is: The father’s forgiveness formed a foundation for the fugitive’s future fortitude.
Author unknown.
The Mission Statement of Trinity Episcopal Church
Trinity Church is a community where all are welcome. We seek to love God, to learn and practice Jesus' teachings,
and to answer the call of those in need.
Sunday Services
10:00 Eucharist with Choir every Sunday
8:00 & 10:00 Eucharist- 1st Sunday of month
The Rev. Margaret A. Peckham Clark,
Rector
(516) 621-7925
www.trinityroslyn.org
Joan Murphy, Administrative Assistant
Martha Regelmann, Organist and Choir Director
Michael Callahan, Sexton
Wardens
Barbara Holzkamp
John Platt
Vestry
Maryellen Hansen
Robert Alexander
Roger Gerber
Michael Callahan
Michael Rodriguez
Dawn Weill
Ruth Hinrichs
Donald Kavanagh
Ariann Forella
Trinity Episcopal Church
1579 Northern Boulevard
Roslyn, NY 11576
Please pray for the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church
July 8-17, Anaheim, CA