Pastor Tracey’s sabbatical will include multiple opportunities with religious communities.  As mentioned in a prior newsletter, there will be time with a Bruderhof community in the UK.  A week will also be spent at
Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky.  Thomas Merton is this monastery’s most famous monk.  Trappist monks are cloistered Benedictines, meaning that they are strictly focused on prayer and work.  Each day they observe the seven prayer times – Vigils, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline.  The abbey is in a remote setting, very quiet and includes many trails through the forest.
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In May, Britt and I will spend a few days in Portland, Oregon seeing the sites.  It will be my first time in the
Pacific Northwest.  Then, Britt will return home and Tracey will drive to Great Vow Zen Buddhist monastery in Clatskanie, Oregon.  This monastery also follows a strict communal schedule with three one-hour meditation times each day.  Like Gethsemani, it is in a beautiful setting surrounded by walking trails.  At both
monasteries, nearly all of the day will be spent in silence.

Please join us for an after-worship “leave-taking” reception on Sunday, April 7, at 11:30.  Although Pastor Tracey’s sabbatical does not officially begin until April 25, the reception is being planned earlier in the month so as not to conflict with Holy Week and Easter.

While Tracey is gone, Trinity will have the opportunity to celebrate life together in community through two Story Suppers.  These will be led by Morris DuBose, our narrative consultant.  Through the story suppers, under Morris’ leadership, Trinity members and constituents will craft the story of Trinity through the decades from the 1950’s until now.  This congregational narrative will be shared and celebrated with Pastor Tracey when she returns from her sabbatical and will also become a resource for Trinity’s 200th anniversary celebration of our faith community in 2027.  The first story supper will be held on Sunday, June 2, immediately following worship and will include a light lunch.  The second will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at 6 p.m. and will include a light meal.  Select the date most convenient for you.  Whether you joined Trinity in the 1970’s or 2010’s, please come to share your perspective and experiences on our church family through the decades.  Please RSVP to the church office ([email protected]). Direct any questions to Morris DuBose ([email protected]).

The five UM churches in Lafayette (Christ, Grace, Brown St., Congress St. and Trinity) have received a grant to fund a cooperative youth ministry. This ministry will provide a full youth program experience for all students in 4th-12th grade, focusing on discipleship, missions and relationship building. Pastors Ryan Traeger (from Brown St.) and Kurt Freeman (from Christ) are the two lead pastoral mentors overseeing the cooperative youth ministry and providing assistance to the youth leaders. Aaron Osbourne (worship and youth director at Christ) and Trinity’s Director of Congregational Ministries, Melissa Kramer, have already started working together to co-lead the ministry and oversee volunteers. Each church participating in the cooperative youth ministry is being asked to provide one “lead” volunteer to be on the leadership team, assist in recruiting other adult volunteers from their church, promote the ministry, and be in communication with Melissa and Aaron.

The cooperative ministry, now called “The 167” (for the number of hours in a week spent outside of church), will meet weekly, from 5pm-8pm and will rotate meeting locations. To allow Melissa some more time and flexibility in her schedule, we will be asking volunteers to manage the church office on Wednesday mornings, from 9am until Noon. All that is required of office volunteers is a friendly face, answering calls and taking messages.

For anyone interested in participating or volunteering in The 167, please contact Melissa Kramer at [email protected].

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Assisting with a weekly meal
• Being Trinity’s Lead Volunteer
• Discipleship focus volunteers (typical youth group nights with worship and small groups)
• Missions volunteers (needed on mission-focused nights)
• Fellowship night volunteers
• Providing transportation

For the past several months, a small team of Trinity and community members led by Ruth Smith have been meeting to form a nonprofit to manage the historic preservation projects at Trinity. The purpose of forming a separate nonprofit is twofold: 1) to apply for grants that Trinity is currently ineligible for as a religious institution and 2) to charge rental fees for the use of our space. The team has named this new nonprofit Living Stones Historic Preservation. Through Living Stones, we strive to build a welcoming community by preserving the solid foundations of the past. The mission of Living Stones is to support preservation and encourage use of historic religious structures in Lafayette. More at www.livingstoneslafayette.org. 

In addition to determining the mission and vision, the Living Stones team has identified strategic options utilizing the strengths and opportunities at Trinity to address its weaknesses and threats. Some of these options include:

• Continue to offer “experiences” in our historic space, both cultural and religious, and opportunities for Millennials to “show up” by hosting young professional groups in the GREAT Room in exchange for a short presentation about Living Stones and the work we do at Trinity.
• Connect with historic organizations in town, economic development office, Friends of Downtown
• Emphasize re-use of structure, sense of community, and authentic experiences
• Develop communication and testimonial pieces that share stories of how the community uses Trinity and why its historic structure is unique in fostering relationships and connections.

Over the next year, Living Stones will focus on completing two historic preservation projects:
1. South Lawn Landscaping
2. Stained Glass Window Restoration.
Living Stones will apply for grants and in order to provide matching funds, Living Stones will enter a cooperative agreement with the Trustees to rent out building space owned by Trinity to individuals and organizations, raise private contributions (individual and corporate) and utilize Trinity’s Building Endowment funds as authorized by the Trinity Endowment Bylaws.

In addition to the two projects, the Living Stones team is also focusing on developing a strong board and operating plan. During this first year, Trinity will provide administrative support and the Living Stones team will write grants and recruit board members. Trinity does not currently have enough available resources to support the financial management of Living Stones. Until Living Stones can acquire the resources to maintain a financial administrator, Friends of Downtown has offered to provide fiscal support. Friends of Downtown is interested in seeing Living Stones succeed for the vitality of the downtown Lafayette area and is offering their support and services at no cost. This fiscal agent support is already offered to many local non-profits in Lafayette like Grow Local. By the end of 2019, Living Stones team will prepare a plan for rental management, accounting and grants management, and fundraising. The Living Stones team is excited to move forward with year one!