THE RECTOR’S RAMBLINGS
The changeover to our summer schedule also brings with it a conversion to the use of Rite II for our Sunday morning worship.

Rite II consists of more than a change on language from the stately prose of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer (1489 – 1556), principal designer of the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549, which is preserved in the language of the current Prayer Book’s Rite I services, to modern language usage.

Rite II has a more celebratory aspect to its expression of the worship of Almighty God. Rite I, which inherited much of its piety from the late Middle Ages’ penitential reverence for God as Supreme Judge, continues to retain much of that sense.

The Eucharistic services of Rite II also offer a wide variety of emphases in the four prayers which the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, contains. For example, Eucharistic Prayer B (page 367) emphasizes the incarnational aspects of our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming among us as one of us, while Eucharistic Prayer C is more penitential in its orientation. Prayer D contains elements of some of the oldest Christian eucharistic prayers, drawing from the Liturgy of St. Basil (3 rd century), and is very suitable for worship on high feast days (especially when chanted to the 10 th century Mozarabic Tone).

Prayer A (page 361), with which we will begin our summer worship schedule, has a more general sense to it.

Those who are familiar with the Book of Common Prayer, 1928, will recall that it contained one communion service. The 1979 edition, by contrast, offers two Rite I communion prayers, four Rite II prayers, two “Rite III” (as it’s often nicknamed) prayers (see pp. 402 – 405), and even a eucharistic prayer that consists of nothing more than an outline (see pp. 400 – 401). In sum, a wide variety of worship resources which are suitable for differing congregations and circumstances.

Variation in worship patterns allows for an appreciation of the wide array of worship resources which are available to support our worship of God, and it is my hope that this summer’s offering will prove to be an asset to you as you worship the Lord.

YOUTH LOCK-IN JUNE 13TH
A “Lock-in” for Mt. Vernon area Sr. High aged youth is set for Friday night, June 13 th. Location of the event, which is free to interested teens, is Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 1015 Conger Avenue.

Registration for the event begins at 6:00 PM. Slated to last overnight, youth will be released to parents at 8:30 AM Saturday morning. Games, a trip to a bowling alley, a showing of the first “Narnia” movie, and dinner are scheduled as part of the event’s activities.

Adult chaperones are still needed. If interested, please contact Fr. Tucker for more details. The Jefferson County Ministerial Association is a sponsoring entity of this offering, which is designed to give the city’s youth a constructive activity during the summer months.

JR. HIGH RETREAT “NEW BEGINNINGS” SET FOR AUGUST 15–17TH
Know a Junior High/Middle School student who’d benefit from a summer retreat experience? “New Beginnings” is a diocesan program which is geared toward this age group. This summer’s offering of “New Beginnings” will take place at a camp near Springfield, Illinois August 15th – 17th.

Scholarships are available to interested students, and Fr. Tucker, who serves as Spiritual Director for the retreat, can provide additional information.

RECYCLING BINS IN PLACE IN THE CHURCH & PARISH HALL
Blue recycling containers have been placed in the Church (in the Choir Room and in the Sacristy) and in the Parish Hall (next to the entrance into the kitchen). Items which can be placed there include: paper, cardboard, aluminum and tin cans, and plastic bottles.

JUNE PARISH PRAYER LIST
Ann, Grace; Barbara; Jim; Sharon; Bette; Mary Ellen; Kathy; Mike Mobley; Bill; Pam; Muriel; SSGT John Robert Lewis, USMC; Hope in Christ Shelter; Outreach programs for the needy in the community (especially for better programs to assist the homeless); Youth Lock-in June 13 th (sponsored in part by the Jefferson County Ministerial Association).

STANDING NOTICES
1. Pastoral care is a high priority for the Rector. Please see the written version of this newsletter for Fr. Tucker's contact information.
2. Sermon copies are available on the table at the rear of the church, in the Parish Hall bookrack (sermons for the previous four weeks), by request to the Rector, or at friartucksermons.blogspot.com.
3. The Rector makes a monthly report to the Vestry. A copy of this report is posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall for your information.
4. Financial reports and recent Vestry actions are posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall.
5. Reading material (including recent copies of the magazine The Living Church) is available for your information and for the taking on the rack just inside the Parish Hall doors.
6. Office hours for the Rector are: Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays: 10:00 AM – Noon, Wednesdays, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (or by appointment). The Rector’s personal sabbath day is Monday.

100TH ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE BEGINS WORK
The Committee that has been formed to plan the commemoration of Trinity’s 100th Anniversary of the dedication of our Church building began work with its initial meeting on Sunday, May 18th.

A two-day event is currently under consideration for Saturday and Sunday, January 3rd and 4th, 2009. Trinity Church’s first service in the Church was held on Sunday, January 3rd, 1909.

The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith, 10th Bishop of Springfield, has already indicated he will be present on this occasion.

The committee will continue its work in June, and interested persons may contact Mrs. Ann Campbell or Mrs. Esther Schelosky to learn more about the plans for this event, and to become a part of the planning process.

FIELD TRIP SET FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 7TH
A field trip is scheduled for Saturday, June 7th to the Seaman’s Institute in Paducah, Kentucky. The Institute was founded to minister to persons who work on the nation’s water-ways.

An annual tradition of the Sunday morning Bible Class, this year’s trip will depart the church’s parking lot at 8:30 AM. Participants will have an opportunity to try their skills piloting a barge down the river on a computer simulator, located at the Institute.

Following lunch at the Renaissance Inn, the group will return to Mt. Vernon sometime in the afternoon.

A sign-up sheet is located on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall.

OLD BOOKS NEEDED
Please consider donating your old books to Trinity to support our upcoming Book Sale. Books that are excess to your needs may be brought to the Parish Hall. Many thanks!

“THY KINGDOM COME” CONFERENCE SET FOR AUGUST 8TH & 9TH
A follow-on conference is planned for Friday/Saturday, August 8th & 9th at the Decatur (IL) Conference Center. Entitled “Thy Kingdom Come”, this event, which is sponsored by the Acts 29 Organization, is intended to pick up where the “Yes, These Bones Can Live” training course left off.

One need not have attended the previous event in order to attend this one.

A poster and sign-up brochures are posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall.

Costs (which cover the conference fee, Friday night lodging and Saturday lunch buffet) to attend this two day event are: $99.00/double occupancy and $137.00/single occupancy.

MUSIC FESTIVAL COMES TO TRINITY IN JUNE
The Southern Illinois Music Festival, now in its fourth year, brings concerts, arts events and related activities to communities throughout the region.

Trinity Church will serve as the venue for two offering of the Festival: Klassics for Kids is an informal presentation which is geared for children of all ages. Members of the Woodwind Quintet which will play on Friday evening, June 13th, at Trinity, will demonstrate their instruments at 4:00 PM in the Church. That evening, a public concert will take place in the church, beginning at 7:30 PM.

Admission to the 4:00 PM event is free, while admission to the evening concert is $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.

PARISH HALL STORAGE ROOM GETS A MAKEOVER
The storage room at the left rear of the Parish Hall (where the copier sits) got a makeover on Monday, May 19th. Two new shelving units were purchased by St. Anne’s Guild, and were erected along the south wall of the room.

Addition of these storage units enabled the books that are temporarily being stored in the room for the Guild’s Book Sale (sometime this fall) to be better stowed. The revamped arrangement will also allow the 100th Anniversary Committee to access the files in the room in order to review historical documents and photos.

A team of hardy workers was on hand to make the transformation a reality, including Muriel McConnell, Martha Newell, Don Welch and Jo Williams. Thanks!

SCHEDULE
EVERY SUNDAY
10:00 AM
Child care available
(Parish Hall classroom)
10:30 AM
Holy Communion
(Church)
12:00 Noon
Coffee Hour
(Parish Hall)

GUILD PLANS TO VISIT NEW HARMONY ON JUNE 13TH
St. Anne’s Guild cordially invites all women of the parish to be a part of their upcoming field trip to New Har-mony, Indiana, on Friday, June 13th.

The group will depart the church’s parking lot at 9:00 AM, and will return following lunch.

A sign-up sheet is posted in the Parish Hall to indicate you are coming.

ALTAR FLOWERS ENHANCE OUR WORSHIP
For all of the seasons of the Church Year except Lent, donations of flower arrange-ments which grace the Altar are needed and welcomed.

A sign-up roster hangs in the Parish Hall adjacent to the rear entrance to the kitchen, and serves to coordinate flower contributions. Mrs. Sheila Sahni directs the contributions of floral arrangements, and can ensure that flowers that are given in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone are noted in the Sunday leaflet.

SUMMER’S HERE!
Summer’s arrival, and the end of the academic year, brings with it changes in schedule until after Labor Day. Among the changes:

• Sunday Bible Class and Sunday School have ended, and will resume on Sunday, September 7th.
• Parish Dinners will also resume in September.
• St. Anne’s Guild will not meet in June or July, but will meet for its regular monthly meeting in August, on Tuesday, August 12th.
• No Sunday morning child care will be offered until Sunday, September 7th.
• Vestry will meet on an as-needed basis during the months of June, July, and August, resuming their normal meeting schedule on Sunday, September 21st.

SUNDAY SCHOOL CONCLUDES A SUCCESSFUL YEAR
Mrs. Tracy Adams, Trinity’s Sunday School Superintendent, presented students of the Sunday School with certificates during Sunday morning worship on May 18th, their last day of classes for this academic year.

Students who have been a part of the Sunday School for the 2008 – 2009 year include: Will Adams, Jacob Bruce, Asa Newell and Emma Newell.

Congratulations to the students, and thanks to their teacher!

MUSICIANS HAVE SERVED FAITHFULLY THIS SEASON
“Those who sing, pray twice!”, St. Augustine of Hippo is remembered for saying. His insight into the power of music to uplift, inspire and to glorify God has stood the test of time.

Trinity Church is blessed to have a dedicated musical team of keyboard musicians and singing musicians who support our worship and bring a dimension to our praise of the Lord which can not be experienced in any other way.

For the 2008 – 2009 season, choir members have included: Don Fletcher, Kitty Harmon, Fr. Robert Harmon, Tracy Harmon, Sally Lewis, Deborah Tucker, and Linda Welch. Keyboard musicians for this past year are: Gary Wagner, Nancy Wagner, Linda Welch, and Vanessa Welch.

Our deepest thanks go to each one!

ALTAR GUILD’S SUPPORT OF TRINITY’S WORSHIP
Often unseen, but vitally im-portant to the life of our parish is the work of the Altar Guild. Trinity’s excellent team of Altar Guild personnel cares for linens, sacred vessels, and related items throughout the year. They order supplies, prepare the elements for communion and set the Credence Table. They deal with mishaps that tend to occur once in awhile. Trinity’s common life is greatly enhanced by their diligence and by their devotion to the details which attend to liturgical worship.

Altar Guild members are: Ann Campbell, Mary Nelle Campbell, Tami Cralley, Florence Glass, Kathy Lewis, Muriel McConnell, Deborah Tucker, Nancy Wagner, and Jo Williams. Altar Guild Director is Joyce Bruce, and Past Director is Jule Ann Martin.

Your service brings honor to God and is a blessing to Trinity Church!

MAY OFFERING TOTALS
Recent offering totals have come to $135.00 for the Church Periodical Club offering which was taken on Sunday, May 4th, while $190.00 was received for the annual Whitsunday Offering, taken this year on Sunday, May 11th, in support of the endow-ment for the Diocese of Springfield.

Your support of each of these special offerings is deeply appreciated!

PHOTO GALLERY EXPANDED
The Rector’s photo was recently added to the gallery of Trinity’s past Rectors and Vicars.

Deep thanks are extended to Mrs. Amy Newell, of Amy Newell Photography, for the taking of the photograph, and to Mr. Gary Wagner, owner of The Mitered Corner, for the framing of the print.

Inspiration for June
“Grant, O Lord, that we who keep the feast of the holy martyrs of Blandina and her companions may be rooted and grounded in love of you, and may endure the sufferings of this life for the glory that shall be revealed in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen”

-Collect for the Feast of the Martyrs of Lyons, 177 AD (June 2 nd)