Stewardship Minutes

6/6/2010 - Linda Hossfeld

Hi, I am Linda Hossfeld.   About five years ago, I began going into St. 
Stephen’s, our sister church in South Boston.  I was following in the 
footsteps of many other parishioners who had helped to create a 
relationship of mutual support for our two parishes.  

My ministry has been to participate in the B‐Safe Afterschool 
Program for elementary, middle and high school children.  I offer 
homework help and teach music classes weekly.  I also help Lee 
Daniels serve a week’s worth of lunches to the children at St. 
Stephen’s B‐Safe Summer Program in August.  The role Trinity plays 
in this vital program to keep inner city children safe and off the 
streets after school and during the summer is extraordinary.   

Trinity commits a percentage of our annual budget, money that 
comes from your pledges, to support all kinds of outreach.  That 
means that when summer comes around and it is time to cook 
lunches for the 160 children attending The B‐Safe Program, not only 
are there over 50 Trinity volunteers of all ages to prepare and serve 
the meals, not only are there staff members like Anne, Nancy, Susan 
and Ted to help us get organized and out the door, but there is 
money in the social ministry budget to pay for food and field trip 
buses and there are extra funds to support the year round B‐Safe 
Afterschool Program.   

Trinity has been there for over 10 years helping this program grow.  
When I see the children at B‐Safe become Counselors and high 
school graduates and go on to college, I know St. Stephen’s and 
Trinity Concord are making a real difference in their lives.   You are 
making a differerence with your pledge.   Thank you.

4/25/2010 – Buck Grace

Good morning.  I am Buck Grace.

I’m here to speak about the Caring Connection Bereavement Support Group.

This ministry was initiated in 2006 by Sally Sanford, and has continued with one or two groups each year, co-chaired in recent years by Anne Lynch and myself.

These groups help the bereaved to understand the pain of grief they feel and to learn how to cope with it.  It helps them move from grief to mourning by sharing their feelings, and then how to begin to reconcile their loss and move toward healing. 

This ministry is meaningful to me because I become part of the sharing, where deepest feelings may safely be expressed, and where love and caring support help the healing process.  Being a faith-based activity, it allows me to engage my belief in prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit to comfort those in need.

Trinity’s operating budget supports this activity by providing supplies, candles, journals, reading materials, food, a meeting place requiring light and heat, use of the copy machine and paper, and the services of paid staff for generating publicity.
And, the budget covers Anne Lynch, the parish Pastoral Care Coordinator, and co-facilitator for these sessions. 

All these things cost money, so on behalf of all those who have participated in our Bereavement Support Groups, including people in each group drawn to Trinity from outside the parish, we thank you, the congregation, for your support.

4/18/2010 - Janine Penfield

1.    I’m Janine Penfield of the Newcomer Committee.

2.    Our role is to welcome newcomers and visitors, plan welcoming activities, support other groups that welcome, and review church guidelines for membership.

3.    Growing up in a faith community that didn’t focus on fellowship, this manifestation of Christ’s message was a revelation to me.  I am challenged by the current version of the Newcomers to be more visible and more organized so, for instance, brunches occur on a regular basis.  The ongoing challenge is having everyone in the parish realize they are de facto members of the newcomer committee. 

4.    The Newcomers rely heavily upon the human resources of the parish. Our relationships with Anne, Susan and Nancy in the office and Ted as sexton are essential.  We rely on church school staff to help us identify and welcome new families.  We use office resources to print nametags, invitations, directories and other materials. 

5.    Thank you for generously supporting the operating budget of the parish, and for your feedback and support of the Welcome Table. 

4/11/2010 - Chuck Niessen

Good Morning.  I am Chuck Niessen.  [I am here to tell you about some of my activities at Trinity, why I do them, & how resources provided by stewardship funding supports me.]

What do I do?  I organize the Ushers: recruit, train, and schedule them for Services.  In the Fellowship Commission I organize events like the progressive dinner and Epiphany dinner.

I do these things because I want to give back to my church family a return for what I receive from others.  My organizational skill is what I bring to this Calling.  I find it fulfilling to see people enjoying the company of each other during these events; it makes us a stronger family.

But I can’t do it without support from helpers and Trinity infrastructure.  Places to meet require heating oil, electricity, & maintenance.  Communicating arrangements for events requires the Window, the Bulletins, and support from the staff that create them.  So I thank you for providing the funding for what I do for our life together in Christ.