Where is Jesus being Revealed in our ministries?
As we begin our planning for next year, catch a glimpse of how our Lord Jesus Christ is at work in some of our parish’s ministries.
Each ministry leader was asked, “Where have you seen Jesus?”
Jesus Revealed — Through Youth Ministry: MaryRachel and William Boyd
Firstly, thank you for entrusting us with the youth of the church. This is a special group of young men and women who are a blessing to be around. We feel our own lives enriched by their presence and are so thankful to be directly involved with this part of the Holy Trinity family. We see the Lord at work in a multitude of ways, but will touch on just a few things. As you read, it will help to recall the flow of how your youth spend each Sunday evening from 5-7pm: they 1) play games, 2) split into small groups, and 3) close with Compline.
Perhaps the most apparent way we have seen Jesus revealed through the youth ministry is the dedication the youth show to each other. These are students who live very different lives. Some go to public school, others are privately educated, and a large portion are homeschooled. As you can imagine, daily life looks very different for each of these groups. Instead of forming cliques based on differences, they strive for unity and relationship. They share a mutual love for laughter, yummy food, and play, regardless of whether they have intense dietary restrictions, can dunk a basketball, slay at four-square, or are just happy to be chatting and playing with chalk off to the side. Being loud, silly, and... well... youthful TOGETHER has been so much fun. They recognize it too, saying things like: "We really do just have such a good group. I mean...just wow."
As much as our youth really love to have fun and be loud, they also share an exceptional capacity for appreciating and honoring quieter moments. We have been so touched by students' intentional interactions with one another in our guys' and girls' small group time each week. As the atmosphere shifts from high-energy to contemplative, they are attentive listeners, offer thoughtful responses to each other's stories and opinions, and ensure each person gets a chance to speak. They strive to sense where the Lord is at work in their lives, which is evident in how they talk about their latest challenging and uplifting moments.
Conversation in small groups is bitter-sweetly cut short as the group migrates back together for Compline. We dim the lights and make space for silence as we begin. Everyone participates. You feel calmness settling in the rhythmic articulation of the prayer so familiar to some in the group, brand new to others. No matter what kind of week these students have had, they find rest in the stillness of a few minutes spent in Scripture and prayer at the end of the day, surrounded by peers and adults who truly care about them. Parents pick them up, and they return home to start a new week.
We adore your students. We are so encouraged by the growth we've seen this year, and look forward to sharing life together in the year to come.
jESUS REVEALED — THROUGH unc Ministry: By the Reverend Andrew Borror
Over the past few years, the Lord has brought dozens of new college students to our parish. Christ has been revealed through their investment in the life of our Church, and also through the Church’s generosity toward them.
The joy of Christ is tangible at our undergraduate Sunday lunches. Every-other-week, we gather for a time of fellowship and a free meal—one of the best ways to show love to college students! It’s been fun to see students invite their friends, and for newcomers to have an easy way to get connected.
Our students have expressed appreciation for the fact that Holy Trinity does not have a dedicated college ministry, but instead seeks to incorporate students into the life of the Church. Christ has been revealed through students catching onto this vision, and many of them have become more invested in the weekly rhythms of our parish. We have students participating in small groups, serving in the atrium, helping with the youth ministry, and offering each other rides.
We have also seen Christ at work through bringing new students to faith. One of the most profound stories of God’s faithfulness this year came from the testimony of Erik Hanson, which is available on the website. Erik came to faith while in college at UNC. He was baptized this fall at Holy Trinity, and he is diving all-in with Jesus. Christ has grabbed hold of his life and it is inspiring to see him discovering what it means to live out his faith while in college. If you haven’t read his story, I highly encourage you to do so.
In addition to Sunday morning worship, Holy Trinity has been hosting a mid-week communion service on campus at the North Carolina Study Center on Wednesdays. Students who regularly attend Holy Trinity have been coming faithfully, and they have mentioned how thankful they are for an opportunity to receive the sacrament on campus. It helps them frame their daily studies with worship and prayer, and provides a respite amidst the business of the semester. Additional students and campus ministers who are not members at Holy Trinity have been served through this ministry as well. It has been a great way to extend the sacramental ministry of Holy Trinity to all believers at UNC and to build unity across denominational lines.
Looking ahead, we hope to continue offering generous hospitality to students through meals and care packages. We also hope to foster connections between students and older members of our congregation. We trust that God will continue to strengthen the faith of our college students and the health of our parish through this ministry. God be praised for the mighty works he has already done!
Jesus revealed — Through the Nursery: By Anne Hammond
Holy Trinity’s approach to care of littles -- babies and toddlers in particular – reveals the heart of the church, and therefore the heart of her Bridegroom. Jesus cared a great deal about children in his earthly ministry (Matthew 19:14) and said that us adults are meant to be like them. In my time at Holy Trinity, what I have noticed is the posture with which we approach children: The implicit question is often “what can I learn from this child?” and “how can we grow in relationship with children as irreplaceable members of the Body of Christ?” As we serve children at Holy Trinity, we become little Christs to them. They become little Christs to us.
There are a few practical ways I see this dynamic played out. We hire childcare workers that we feel confident and happy about serving in the nursery, as well as abiding by the diocesan Child Protection Policy. We are prioritizing safe spaces for our children, and that requires time, money, and patience with the clearance and training process. Far too often, the vulnerability of children in church spaces has been seen as inconvenient, if not insulting, to adults. At Holy Trinity, we join in the heart of Jesus for children: that they be honored, protected, and cherished in their inherent vulnerability as one iteration of the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40).
Secondly, childcare is seen as necessary, not secondary to the life of the church. Because parents often struggle to keep small children in services, providing childcare frees mothers and fathers alike to engage in a way they may not have been able to. While Holy Trinity does provide a hospitable safe for all children, including crying babies or fussy four-year-olds, the option of safe, convenient childcare means parents can have set aside time to listen to God’s Word, to talk to a friend, or to pray in the quiet. Young parents rarely have this time during the week. How does this reveal the heart of Jesus? He cares about the spiritual life of our families. Exhausted, disoriented parents (including exhausted, disoriented marriages) will ultimately lose heart in following the way of Jesus as a family. Children suffer when parents have not or cannot find refreshment in the presence of God and others.
By valuing both care of children and discipleship of parents we invest in the present and future life of Christ’s church.
Jesus Revealed — Through the Atrium: By The Reverend Nancy Robinson
Jesus and the child encounter one another in our Atrium. Back in 1954, a Biblical scholar and a Montessorian began a long, collaborative work of experimentation and careful observation as they developed this model for Christian formation according to the needs of the child at each developmental stage.
In our Atrium, a four-year-old boy excitedly shared with his mom a connection he made between the light of Christ at the resurrection outside of the walls of Jerusalem and the light of the Paschal (or Christ) candle at baptism. A nine-year-old girl, reading the gospel narrative and working with figures of the Last Supper, looked at the timeline hanging on the Atrium wall, and exclaimed, “It really happened! All this time, I thought it was a story in a book. But it really happened!” An eleven-year-old made a beautiful timeline scroll, on which he identified Jesus in a crowd as a “human among humans,” and drew a gold crown on his head. When talking about the Plan of God and asked what the aim of God for which we wait is, a group of children in unison proclaimed “Parousia!” which means the return of Jesus. They delightedly described how there would be no more tears, war, or death. At the prayer table, children praise God, share prayer requests, and intercede for one another. These encounters between God and the child are happening!
The parish reveals Jesus to families by praying that each child would never know a day apart from him. Working toward that end, the church remains committed to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), which some call “the gold standard of children’s Christian formation.” Through this beautiful method, the ministry of the Atrium reveals Jesus to the child in our parish (and the adult who visits the Atrium even if only for a short time).
Our devoted catechists (Bob Boder, Brittany Sailor, Elizabeth Snoeyink, and Nancy Robinson) faithfully
proclaim Jesus by praying for each child by name, taking seriously the capacity of the child, spending tens (or even hundreds!) of hours in adult formation courses, making materials, studying continually, and serving nearly every Sunday. Some compare the role of the catechist to that of a matchmaker, responding to the child’s silent plea to “help me fall in love with God by myself.”
The volunteer who serves as an assistant or substitute reveals Jesus by their humble willingness, with the catechist, to assume their proper “post” as “the useless servant” (Luke 17:10). The volunteer respects the child, observing their work carefully, and reading Scripture aloud.
The beautiful prepared environment called the “ Atrium” reveals Jesus to the child in a most particular way. It is a place of prayer, in which the only Teacher is Christ, and where spontaneous work becomes contemplation of God. Both the child and the adult place themselves in a listening stance before his Word and the mystery of liturgical celebration. The Atrium fosters concentration, silence, and contemplation in both the child and adult. (Please come downstairs to take a quiet peek anytime!)
Jesus revealed — Through the Giving Garden and Left Hand Food Box: By Kevin and Beth higgins
“If you can’t feed 100 people, then feed one.” Mother Theresa
Both the Giving Garden and the Left Hand Food Box are ministries grounded in Matthew 25, specifically in Jesus’ words “I was hungry and you gave me food”. We see Jesus as we engage in the work He has given us to do with humility and thanksgiving, without expectation of recognition or reward. We engage knowing that food was first provided by God as a gift to mankind (Gen 1:29) and while most of us have never experienced true hunger, many in our community are currently struggling.
The Left Hand Food Box ministry has really taken off during the last year while heeding Jesus’ call to provide easily available food to the hungry. The walk-up nature of the box adds a level of dignity to those in need. Holy Trinity folks continue to give so generously week to week to keep the box well stocked. Father Josh has been able to develop relationships with some of the folks stopping by the church for food. We have now added information packets, prayer request cards, and a drop-box for the prayer requests. Our growing ministry has recently expanded to a team of six people and continues to look for ways to make food a blessing to others.
In the Giving Garden, we held our first workday on May 6. Jesus was quickly revealed as a multigenerational group of twenty-eight Holy Trinity people joined together to build garden beds, spread compost and plant seeds and seedlings. Six weeks later we had our first harvest and delivery of fresh produce to local food banks. All in all, we had 14 workdays, involving 46 different volunteers, contributing 290 volunteer work-hours to this project. These hours do not include the daily care on site, nor the support, oversight, teaching, meal planning, and organizing provided by Anne and Josh.
To date we’ve harvested 1,381 lbs of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, bush beans, pole beans, okra and sweet potatoes. A fall crop of cabbage and collards is currently in the ground. Food distribution has been equally split between the Interfaith Council in Orange County and the CORA food bank in Chatham County where all deliveries are consistently met with an abundance of gratitude.
We see the eternal power and divine nature of Jesus revealed and clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Rom 1:20). He is present in the soil life - seen and unseen, in the produce, in the surrounding nature, and in the Body of Christ as we join in community to do the work He has given us to do and to celebrate in our time spent together. And while it is rare that we see the actual recipients of the fruits of the Giving Garden or the donations of the Left Hand Food Box, everything is covered in prayer knowing in faith that God will touch each life in accordance with His rich love.
More to come in 2024! It’s been a privilege and honor to serve together with so many others in these ministries.
Jesus revealed — Through justice and Reconciliation: by Dianne Martin
Throughout His ministry, Jesus instructed His followers to focus on the least of these, the poor and the marginalized in society. We are told to walk humbly and do justice in service to God’s kingdom. The vision of the Justice and Reconciliation Ministry has been to follow God’s command to walk humbly and do justice within the context of our local community. We walk humbly by listening to and learning from local history and by lamenting past wrongs. We do justice by seeking to identify areas of need where we can use our voices, time and resources to walk beside the marginalized in society. We are committed to love in action.
The Justice and Reconciliation Ministry at Holy Trinity started in 2020 when two book studies about race and reconciliation were presented. Since that time the ministry has undertaken activities to deepen our understanding of the needs in this area and to determine how Holy Trinity might serve the local community. Below are some activities where Jesus has been revealed to Holy Trinity and to our local community in profound ways.
By Study and Prayer: Led by Rev. Hank Tarlton the group spent six months learning about the racial history of the local area. We realized that we needed to inform, transform and humble ourselves before we could begin any restorative work. We truly felt we were walking with Jesus when we visited the segregated Chapel Hill Cemetery with overgrown plots where former enslaved people are buried and the highly manicured side of the cemetery where white people are buried.
Through Outreach to the Community: When Holy Trinity hosted two events focusing on the Civil Rights Movement, we began a process of honoring and connecting with the local community. Each of these events was a profound experience for the church and community members.
March, 2022: Holy Trinity hosted a performance by Sulmane Maigadi and Stephen Horst of Tunnel of Hope, a dramatization of the MLK, Jr letter from the Birmingham Jail followed by Q&A with the actors.
March, 2023: Holy Trinity hosted a screening of the movie Light In Us Dark Ones at Lumina Theater; followed by Q&A with the film producer and the subjects of the film.
Through the NC Civil Rights Trail Marker: After discovering that the current site of the church was the site of the former Watts Restaurant and Motel (the last restaurant in Chapel Hill to desegregate in 1964), the J&R Ministry Team spent the summer of 2022 doing the research and working with local civil rights leaders to complete an application for a NC Civil Rights Trail Marker. The dedication ceremony for the civil rights marker held on September 23, 2023, brought together both black and white community leaders, as well as former protesters, to honor the courageous students and professors who suffered beatings and abuse during peaceful sit-ins at the restaurant. It was a profound moment of remembrance and connection with those events. The presence of Jesus was felt as we shared a meal together and heard personal stories from protesters, their families, and community members. With God’s help we have transformed a profane site into a sacred site by honoring the past and establishing trust for our future work in justice and reconciliation.