For the past two months, the Vestry has met to attend to parish business (it never ends) and to do whatever it could to make Fr. Robÿn’s transition as Trinity’s 31st rector as smooth as possible.

The Vestry is excited to work with Fr. Robÿn and is looking forward to Trinity’s ‚new beginning.

L. Stephanie Smith, Secretary to the Vestry

Over the summer, I listened with rapt attention to The Reverend Leslie Evans’ sermons. I even took notes, which is the second highest compliment that I can pay to anyone who has something interesting to say. The highest compliment, though, is to quote that person’s words to someone else, in the hopes that my audience gets as much out of the words as I have.

This past Sunday, Rev. Evans provided new insight to a familiar refrain:

'We’ve never done it that way before.'

Drawing on her own experience, Mark 7:6-9, and James 1:19-20, she explained that expression is not about what God wants us to do. It’s about the human precepts and traditions that we have learned. (Or, as I think of it, what’s more important: the gift or the wrapping paper?)

In one of her parishes, it took the congregation four years to stop using ‚we’ve never done it that way before?. Once they stopped, they felt free to try new things. They enjoyed trying new things. They moved mountains.

The sooner we stop using those words, the sooner we will begin to work together in Christian love to fulfill God’s will. We will become ‚...doers of the word, and not merely hearers.

So, how do we stop? It’s simple. We change our focus from what ‚we’ve never done to what we have that we can share with others.

How might Trinity be more effectively present in its neighborhood? What does Trinity have in abundance that it can share with its neighbors?

Trinity is poised to embark on a new journey. We have spent part of the past twenty-five months wrestling with change. We have had plenty of ‚we’ve never done it that way before?.

We need to ask ourselves whether or not we want to spend any more time arguing over precepts and traditions, or do we want to move on with the business of doing God’s will.

I would much rather devote my efforts to doing God’s will. How about you?

L. Stephanie Smith, Interim Editor

I would like personally to thank the members of the Discernment Committee and of the Vestry for all of the time and effort that they have put in towards the calling of Trinity Church, Oxford’s 31st rector, The Reverend Richard Robÿn. Every Monday night, for the last twenty-two months, either the Discernment Committee or the Vestry has met to discern and to make this call.

The willingness and the cooperation that we have shared from the beginning will be important in the future as we begin to discern with our rector what Trinity’s goals and dreams are. The bond that has been formed among those of us who have worked together over the past two years, will allow us to move forward with enthusiasm, honesty, and genuine caring for the future of this parish.

However, this task is not ours alone. The Discernment Committee began the discerning process; the Vestry brought the first phase to a close. Now, it is your turn to actively participate in discerning Trinity’s future.

We need everyone in the congregation to join with us in sharing their input and feelings. We must respect each other’s differences as we review and discuss our common future. Open, honest dialogue in the spirit of Christian love has been our constant guide thus far. It will continue to guide us as we move into our ‚new beginning.

I applaud and thank every member for their hard work, their commitment to meeting regularly, and their conversations at our meetings.

I thank the congregation for its support and concern for me and for its willingness always to lend a hand.

I pray that each of us will continue this genuine outpouring of care and concern as we move forward in our parish life and as we welcome The Reverend Richard Robÿn as the pastor of our fold.

Dotti Orr, Rector's Warden

The time has come to dismiss the Discernment Committee. Its goal was finally realized when Father Robÿn accepted the Vestry’s offer to become Rector. We first met with our consultant in October 2008 to learn about the process that lay ahead. Despite hopes that we could beat the typical eighteen-month timeline, an easy solution did not reveal itself like manna from heaven. Unlike the business world that relies upon fact-finding, calculations, and logic to reach a decision, our effort required soul searching, openness, and prayer. Meeting topics often touched on hopes people held dear about Trinity. As a result, it became apparent that committee members needed ample time to express their opinions. In the end, we submitted our recommendation to the Vestry at a joint meeting in April 2009—just two weeks past the average eighteen-month pe-riod to complete the process. We understood from the onset that, no matter who we referred to the Vestry, there would be parishioners who disagreed with our recommendation. Our mission was not to decide, but to discern, which is to come to understand God’s calling. We look forward to Father Robÿn’s arrival and we pray that the congregation will come together to rekindle the spirit that is Trinity, as we move toward a very promising future. I cannot say enough about the members that served on the Discernment Committee and their passion to achieve our mission. I am forever grateful for their dedication. Thank you, Jessica Annand, John Annand, Nellie Duddy, Phil Geliebter, Lorie Henry, Pam McCracken, Dottie Orr, Jeffrey Pyle, Kate Sampson and Paul Smith.

Mark Maile, Discernment Committee Chairman