Cathedral Connections

JANUARY 2021

PREACHING SCHEDULE Isaiah writes, I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. In January, we’ll respond to the prophet’s words by giving thanks for the light and then turning towards the world, the nations. We will then welcome preachers and advocates for peace and justice, whose message carries a tangible message of hope into the world.

This movement from the manger to the world is what the Epiphany season is all about. If Advent is the season where we anticipate the gift of peace, and Christmas the moment where we receive it, Epiphany is the season where we share it.

Indeed, everything we do can reflect God’s love for us, and share the Spirit with the world. This is the very heart of the feast day of the Epiphany, an ancient celebration dating back to the earliest days of the Christian church (predating even the celebration of Christmas itself).

The Epiphany (Wednesday, January 6 at 5:30 p.m., trinitycleveland.com) is one of the principal feasts of the Christian year, and is

properly celebrated with a service of Holy Eucharist. We will mark this day with an online celebration of Holy Eucharist with our companions at the Church of the Epiphany, Euclid. I’ll join with Epiphany’s rector, the Rev. Rosalind Hughes, in leading a service that begins a season of miracle and wonder by marking the presence of light amid the darkest time of the year.

We will continue, throughout the season of Epiphany, to celebrate the light of Christ as we carry it into the world. One way we’ll do that is by welcoming guests to the Trinity Forum whose work and ministry have helped to make Christ manifest in a broken world. Our preacher for Martin Luther King Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, will join me in early January for a Trinity Forum to discuss how we can overcome a renewed sense of tribalism in our public life. Later

in the month I’ll speak with Dr. Emily Welty, a scholar of religion and member of the Nobel-laureate International Committee to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, about the 50-nation disarmament treaty that goes into effect in late January.

Beloveds, we have been given as a light to the nations. Let’s celebrate that in worship together, and then carry that into a world that is so much in need of light. I hope you’ll join us in the holy work of carrying this message of peace to the nation, and I invite you to begin it all in shared celebration on January 6th.

Blessings,

- The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens

FROM THE DEANJanuary 10- The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens

January 17- The Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle

January 24- The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens

January 31- The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens

A MESSAGE FROM THE VESTRYWith COVID-19 cases rising throughout the area, the diocese is currently not permitting in-person worship services. In addition, Cuyahoga County’s stay at home advisory has been extended until January 15, 2021.

Vestry has discussed allowing memorial services with 10 or fewer attendees, as long as there is strict adherence to our required safety protocols.

Treasurer Paul Herrgesell shared the 2021 budget overview and the draft budget. Due to the generosity of the congregation and our donors, the reduction of

expenses and the award of a coronavirus relief bill PPP grant, we were able to offset substantial income losses from the Commons. Expenses were reduced wherever possible, allowing us to reduce our 2020 endowment operations draw from the planned 6.7% to 5.5%.

Vestry minutes are available at trinitycleveland.org/about/governance/vestry-minutes. Our next meeting is January 19, 2021 at 5:30 pm. At the time of this writing, we are planning to conduct this meeting via Zoom.

As always, if you have any concerns, you may send them to the Wardens at: yourvestry@trinitycleveland.org or contact any member of vestry on the right.

VESTRY MEMBERSGary Benjamin Elizabeth BillingsKim DeNero-AckroydMartin HermesPaul Herrgesell, TreasurerDiane HexterJanet Lechleitner, Junior Warden Linda LeeDave MianoCynthia RiesPatricia Roberts, Senior Warden

Special Guests – Trinity Forums Trinity will welcome two very special guests in January. Dean Owens will interview both as part of the Trinity Forum.

Our first guest is the Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, President and Director of Ministry Programs and Professor of African American Religious Studies at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. McMickle also currently serves as Interim Pastor at Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland. He holds numerous degrees including a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy from Case Western Reserve University. He wrote a dissertation on “The Film Portrayal

of the Black Preacher Since 1925.”

The Rev. Dr. McMickle will be our preacher for Martin Luther King Sunday, January 17, at both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services. On the celebration of Martin Luther King Day

on Monday, January 18, Dean Owens and the Rev. Dr. McMickle will talk about Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and how we build the beloved community in America today despite a renewed tribalism in our culture.

The following Sunday, January 24, the Trinity Forum will feature Dr. Emily

Welty, an academic, ecumenist and artist living and working in New York City. She is the Director of Peace and Justice Studies at Pace University where she teaches classes focusing on nonviolence, humanitarianism, reconciliation and transitional justice.

Emily is part of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International

Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) where she works on faith-based engagement in nuclear disarmament. ICAN also promotes adherence to the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty, which goes into effect in January 2021.

Be sure to tune in to both of these thought-

provoking Trinity Forum guests at trinitycleveland.org and facebook.com/trinitycleve.

The Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle

Dr. Emily Welty

Cathedral Connections

Youth and Children’s Ministries

Trinity’s youth and children had a busy holiday season. Many families welcomed a six foot tall plush Jesus to their homes. Those families have told of their adventures with Jesus on his visits and have shared them during our Zoom Sunday school and youth group classes.

We also told the Christmas pageant story in a different way this year. The story was played out on video as part of our ‘Dough Holy Night’ project. Families were invited to bake cookies alongside our youth and children’s ministers Shannon Smoot and Delaney Ryan.

While the cookies were in the oven, children from the west side of Cleveland acted out the first half of the Christmas

From left to right: Godwin, Nelson and Olivia work on their Advent wreath accompanied by plush Jesus.

Angel Tree Ministry

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our Angel Tree Ministry, sponsored by Prison Fellowship, this holiday season. Each of the children with a parent in prison received a WalMart gift card, a card from their imprisoned parent and a certificate for their very own Bible. We were able to provide these gifts to 102 children in 2020!

story on video while east siders told the second half. The Dough Holy Night video is available on our YouTube channel in case you missed it: bit.ly/DoughHolyNite.

We look forward to exciting projects in the new year including making scarves and hats out of fleece to share with our guests from A Place at the Table.

Trinity’s Wall of Love

Trinity’s Wall of Love and A Place at the Table ministries were beneficiaries of a holiday donation of 250 pairs of Bombas socks. At this point, it is unknown where the socks came from, so a big thank you goes out to our “secret Santa.” Some of these socks were placed on the Wall of Love. At A Place at a

Table on December 20 and 27, guests were given a bag with a bar of soap, washcloth, toothbrush/toothpaste, dis-posable masks and the Bombas socks in addition to their lunch-to-go. The socks will continue to be given out until they are all gone.

New Chancel Organ is on the Way!Trinity Cathedral’s “new” renovated and restored 1949 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ is close to becoming a reality. The preparatory work for the organ is being completed as of this writing (mid-December) with only the final inspections remaining. This has involved work on the main organ chamber that opens into the east side of the chancel, as well as the smaller west organ chamber, located between the chancel and chapel.

The accompanying photos show the most visually noticeable aspects of this work: the substantial new wall which now separates the main organ chamber from the choir rehearsal room, and the beautiful stone arches

and wooden grilles on the east side of the chancel, now opened for the first time in over 20 years. Other aspects of this work have involved reconfiguring HVAC, installing new electrical and fire-suppression equipment, and extensive painting and sealing of walls.

The organ itself will be installed beginning in mid-January, with completion sometime in April. Look for photos of this fascinating process in upcoming issues of Cathedral Connections, along with videos on the Trinity website!

CongratulationsJudith Eckelmeyer

Cathedral Choir member Judith Eckelmeyer had her original composition, the Trinity

“Hodie” Service for solo mezzo-soprano, choir and organ, broadcast Wednesday, December 16. It was part of the musical Advent calendar from Amplify Female Composers, a group encouraging the performance of sacred music by female composers and arrangers. You can hear her composition at bit.ly/HodieService.

Hats off to Judith for her wonderful composition, her dedication to Trinity and the Cathedral Choir!

Zoom Evensong Sunday, January 10 at

4:00 p.m.

After two successful Zoom evensong services in late 2020, we’re looking forward to the next one on January 10. You are encouraged to be part of the congregation by “attending.” Please check trinitycleveland.org where a link will be posted by no later than 3:30 p.m. on January 10 to participate.

These archways in Trinity’s choir rehearsal room have been closed off from the sound reflective chamber behind them, which will contain most of the restored 1949 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ.

The arches in the east chancel (left side of the chancel when facing the altar) have been opened for the first time in more than two decades in preparation for pipe installation for the Aeolian-Skinner organ project.

Did you miss the Diocese of Ohio’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, hosted by Trinity Cathedral? How about the annual service of lessons and carols on the first Sunday after Christmas? You can find them all on Trinity’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/trinityclevelandl.

All of Trinity’s Advent services are there along

with a four week series of Advent meditations from Trinity congregants. You’ll also find a special holiday Trinity Forum with Dean Owens and historic preservationist Polly Bloom.

The content isn’t just limited to the holidays. You’ll find lots of interesting, thought-provoking videos from 2020 and beyond.

The national chapter of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is seeking to extend its hands to all God’s children and to give access to the opportunities to live into their dreams and capabilities. EPF will be heavily focused on this call for reparations for a period of six months, beginning in Lent.

EPF’s plans and curriculum are still in progress, and if you wish to be a part of our leadership on this project, we welcome your interest, energy and vision. Email Melanie Atha, EPF Executive Director at epfactnow@gmail.com to volunteer or receive updates.

EPF 2021 Focus

On February 27th, 2020, more than 50 individuals from Trinity Cathedral attended a Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) action with 1,000 other people of faith at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. We called on the county executive, county council, the prosecutor and the courts to implement a 24/7 mental health crisis center. The problem we were trying to solve is what to do with people who are picked up by the police with mental health concerns and end up in the Cuyahoga County jail rather than where they need to be – in treatment.

Our mission as Christians is sometimes fulfilled with community

action for the common good through organizations like GCC. Many at Trinity, along with

others from member congregations,

identified a

need three years ago for the mental health crisis center for police to access before they make arrests with people showing signs of being in a mental health crisis. Now, after years of behind the scenes effort, the center is to be opened – hopefully in the Spring of 2021.

Over those years, GCC had several

actions to advocate for funds to open that clinic. The county executive, Armond Budish, announced a $9.2 million dollar deal to operate a center with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (ADAMHS Board) and Oriana House. It is called a “diversion” center because people brought there will be

diverted from going to jail and having a record when what they really need is a helping hand. The funding came,

appropriately, from the opioid case settlement. This will spare those with mental illness from un-therapeutic jail time, lessen the number of inmates in the jail and allow the jail to operate more safely. A recent article in The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com gives more details: bit.ly/GCCArticle.

Relive the Holidays on YouTube

GCC Wins Battle for Mental Health Center

by Gary Benjamin

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDCleveland, OHPermit #4418

Email: trinity@trinitycleveland.orgWeb: trinitycleveland.org Facebook: @trinitycleve Instagram: @trinitycleveTwitter: @trinitycleveYouTube: youtube.com/trinitycleveland

Pastoral Emergencies: 216-644-8423 Prayer Requests: Doreen Hughes, 216-774-0415 or dhughes@trinitycleveland.orgDonations: trinitycleveland.org/supportSpace Rentals: trinitycleveland.org/about/space-rental-inquiryCathedral Connections: Submit your news items by sending to sblanchard@trinitycleveland.org

Trinity Cathedral2230 Euclid AvenueCleveland, Ohio 44115Telephone 216-771-3630The Very Rev. Bernard Owens, Dean

Cathedral Connections

CONTACT US

January SundaySchedule9:00 A.M.A SERVICE OF WORD & PRAYER

This new 9:00 a.m. intimate and interactive Service of Word and Prayer is organized by the Rev. Adrienne Koch and designed by Trinity and Diocesan young adults. All are welcome and you don’t need to be a young adult to join in by Zoom:zoom.us/j/91964122120, passcode 138020

10:00 A.M.EDUCATION HOUR

Virtual Coffee Hour – bit.ly/CoffeeHourTrinity – Passcode 2SRkqj Bible Study – The Book of Isaiah (Jan. 10, 17, 31) To register: bit.ly/TrinityIsaiahStudyTrinity Forum – Jan. 18 (Monday) the Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickletrinitycleveland.org and facebook.com/trinitycleveJan. 24 – Dr. Emily West

trinitycleveland.org and facebook.com/trinitycleve

11:00 A.M.HOLY EUCHARIST

trinitycleveland.org and facebook.com/trinitycleve

Epiphany Service with Church of the Epiphany, Euclid

Wednesday, January 6 at 5:30 p.m.The Rev. Rosalind Hughes, preachingThe Very Rev. BJ Owens, celebratingtrinitycleveland.org and facebook.com/trinitycleve