Trinity Episcopal Church, Mineral Point, Wisconsin

    We have a new Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Steven A. Miller! He was consecrated on October 18th and Trinity was well represented at this very special event. Fred Bowden and Kathy Madigan sang in the choir, Jim & Barbara Ballard and Robert & Jean-Margaret Merrill-Beech in the congregation and I was in the procession. All were impressed by the ceremony and by the graciousness of our new Bishop.

    Bishop Miller brings many gifts and a history of "success" in every place he has been. He builds consensus, but is firm in his vision and understands his gifts well. It seems to me that his ability to build consensus through conversation and sensitivity will serve us well in a stressful time in the life of the Church.

    He also has a passion, as well as gifts, for church growth, with special connections to a national organization known as the Congregational Development Institute (CDI). He promises to bring this organization and its leadership training component to our Diocese. I expect this to impact our congregation directly in the coming years.

    We will get to know our Bishop better when he visits on December 21st, but I suspect that we will get to know him very well, indeed, in the years ahead, as he provides leadership to the Diocese and to our congregation. I assure you, we are blessed by his presence among us!

A THREE HOUR CRUISE THROUGH EPISCOPAL WATERS

On Saturday, December 13th (9 a.m.-noon) you are all invited to a workshop about the Anglican and Episcopal Church. This is for newcomers and "old timers." For newcomers, it can be the "lock" through to Confirmation on the 21st of December and for old timers, it's a refresher course that will remind you of the depth of our Faith and our history. There will be a sign-up sheet, so that adequate materials may be provided. If you want more information, see Father Fliess. If you know you wish to be confirmed or received on December 21st, please talk to Father Fliess as soon as possible!

THE JOY OF TRINITY
October 2003
I like to share with you the things I see and hear and feel that bring me joy at Trinity. You may do the same whenever you wish. Fall at Trinity is beautiful We have trees and shrubs that are unsurpassed in Mineral Point!..see www.mineralpoint.com. The harpsichord brings me joy and I am so grateful that Dorothy provided it and plays it for us from time to time! Visitors, in bunches, as we had one Sunday this month are a great treat. It was wonderful to see Carol Jean and Bernie Brown again, and to have several other visitors, all talking about our beautiful church and friendly congregation!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

    I have spent a lot of time recently thinking about my own spiritual growth as well as our church's spiritual growth. Through prayer and conversation with my church family and friends, I have come to this conclusion: If we want to see spiritual growth and movement within the church, we each must first look within ourselves.

    We can spend time studying the Bible, praying, going to church, learning about the Anglican community and learning about the Book of Common Prayer, all of which are noble and good efforts. However, I believe we need to act upon what we have learned and experienced by sharing God's love before we can truly achieve personal spiritual growth.

    Individually, we need to open our hearts to all possibilities. Let the spirit touch your heart until you are ready to burst with joy and love. Then open your heart to someone, sharing that loving spirit that is exploding within you. That is how spiritual growth and awareness happens, from one heart to another.

    How do we accomplish this? The spiritual touch on your heart can come from anywhere and most often from unexpected directions:

    - Listening to a solo sung at the prelude by a loving, gentle, giving spirit.
    - Watching love blossom between two people you care about.
    - Celebrating the joys and triumphs of your children.
    - Hearing a sermon that totally comes from the heart.
    - Sharing a Morning Prayer service led by a gentle loving voice.
    - Sharing and receiving God's peace with true love in your heart.
    - Finding something new to think about in a prayer that you have repeated every Sunday for as long as you can remember.
    - Joining voices in song, letting the words and music flow through your heart.
    - Being the Usher on Sunday morning and having the opportunity to greet every person that walks into the church.
    - Being sensitive to peoples' feelings, showing you care about them as individuals.
    - Learning from your mistakes.
    - Taking the time to visit with church family and friends outside of church.
    - Putting away anger and trusting that there is a reason for everything.

    I could easily list many more examples from my life. Can you take some time to make your own list of ways that the spirit has or can touch your life? Then think about how you can lovingly share that spirit with someone else.

    Only through a loving and open heart can we reach out to people and help them along their path to God. Ultimately, our reason for being on this earth is to live and celebrate God's love and the incredible sacrifice He made for us.

    I believe if we practice individual spiritual growth, there is no limit to the good we can do for God, our selves, our church, our community and beyond.

                Lovingly,
                Laurie Rossing