TRINITY CHURCH
ANNUAL REPORT - 2024
WORSHIP MINISTRIES
The Worship Team comprises lay and ordained people at Trinity and assists the Rector in planning, organizing, and implementing parish worship.
In the Episcopal Church, the Rector has sole responsibility for leading and shaping worship in the congregation. However, liturgy cannot happen by the work of the Rector alone. It takes a large group of dedicated individuals to offer a meaningful liturgy that lifts up the presence of Jesus among us. This team seeks to work together so that the worship of Trinity Church is edifying to all.
We meet four times a year to assist the Rector with planning. The team comes together to review and coordinate upcoming services and critique past services for any new learning and help cast a vision for worship at Trinity.
The worship team is an important part of paying attention to the core aspect of a Christian community–praising God. The team is invaluable to the Rector as the Rector is charged with oversight of worship.
Respectively submitted
Scott White
Music Ministry
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This year has been one of transition for Music Ministry, with Sharon Carleton Boone’s retirement in July, and the beginning of Kevin Seal’s tenure in early August. In the Fall of 2024, we have 7 children in our k-2 Cherub Choir, a total of 38 adults registered for Chancel Choir (including 7 new singers since Dr. Seal began his ministry here) , and 9 in the handbell choir. We are in the process of creating a new Youth Choir to serve our Youth aged 3rd grade through high school, and the ensemble will make its debut at Christmas services in December.
At our 8:00 AM service, we continue to have a soloist to help lead music each week. At our 5:30 PM service, we continue to have an instrumentalist and soloist each week. Our Chancel Choir section leaders are Pam Miller, Nana Hosmer Griffin, Robert Thorpe, and Andrew Davis, with occasional substitution by Joanna Agnew and Elizabeth Seal. Ken Wilson continues to serve as bass section leader, and continues to forgo his stipend. Our substitutes in the past few months include Steve Bennett, Organ, and Andrew Davis, Piano.
2024 highlights:
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Music Revue in February
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Evensong service sung by Pastyme on Palm Sunday
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Easter Vigil music lead by a vocal quartet
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Easter services at 9:00 and 11:00 with choir and brass
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Chancel Choir’s Lenten Evensong in February
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Chancel Choir retreat at Lake Logan in October
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Chancel Choir’s All Saints Evensong in November
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2024 Music for Advent series on Wednesdays at noon, followed by lunch. Musicians include Kyle Ritter from All Souls on the 4th, the Pan Harmonia Flute and Harp duo of Kate Steinbeck and Jessica Schaeffer on the 11th, and local jazz pianist and UNCA Director of Jazz Studies Bill Bares on the 18th
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Lessons and Carols with choir and brass on December 15th, 2024
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The debut of both the cherub and youth choirs at the Christmas Eve family service
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Extended Christmas Eve prelude for the 5:30 and 11:00 PM services
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Kevin M. Seal
Director of Music and Organist
EVENSONG - NOVEMBER 3
Altar Guild​
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The Altar Guild continues to be the “quiet ministry” at Trinity. What we do is behind the scenes and our main role is to prepare all things necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist, Sacraments and Offices of the Church.
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In 2024, St. Hilda’s Altar Guild has 15 active members. In order to keep up with three Sunday services as well as weddings, funerals, baptisms and the additional Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Easter services, we now have three co-directors.
We continue to recruit and retain members and did welcome one new member this year.
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We are so grateful that our attendance has increased at all three Sunday services but that also brings the challenge of being fiscally responsible. The supplies essential to our ministry continue to be: wine, communion wafers, wax candles, liquid wax and cleaning supplies. Along with rising vendor costs and increased shipping charges, our budget has been strained. Of course we need all these pieces in order to have services.​
Although overall the impact might be minimal on our inventory, we are helping host the All Souls congregants during this time of their displacement. We are happy to be of service to them.
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As a group, we continue to be dedicated to serving God by preparing the Sanctuary, Altar, hangings, vessels and elements for service and worship.
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Respectfully Submitted,
Jane Exner
Ada Jo Foley
Bill Brackney
Linen Guild​
The Linen Guild is the part of St. Hilda’s Altar Guild that launders, maintains and cares for the Eucharistic linens used in all our services. These beautiful sacred linens include: purificators, corporals, credence table covers, baptismal towels, altar cloths and fair linens. These sacred pieces are made from white linen and embroidered with a Christian symbol in white thread.
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The Linen Guild is responsible for laundering and caring for the fair linens and altar cloths used on the four altars and the Healing Station altar. These altars are used for various weekly services. We also launder and maintain all the small linens used regularly during the Eucharist, weddings, funerals and other services.​​
Membership in the Linen Guild is not exclusive to members of the St. Hilda’s Altar Guild. Anyone who has an interest and will care for the linens in a reverent, careful manner is welcome. Linen Guild members currently serve on a rotating schedule of two weeks twice a year. Members take the used linens home after the Eucharist to launder and iron them, returning them to the church the following week. The linens are stored and supplied from the Working Sacristy. Due to the recent remodeling of the Sacristy, organization and storage of the linens have greatly improved.
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The Linen Guild is also responsible for ordering replacements of the altar cloths and small linen pieces when needed. We are looking forward to receiving our order of two new free standing altar cloths in December.
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We are grateful to those who serve in this ministry and we welcome anyone who would like to be a part of this dedicated group. If you have time to do a little extra laundry, perhaps the Linen Guild would be a ministry you would like to join. Being part of this ministry is a labor of love. Linen Guild members, through their service, deepen their faith and their knowledge of the church and the Sacraments.
Respectfully submitted
Nancy Whisenhunt
Chairperson
Acolytes
​Trinity’s Acolyte Ministry is the largest, most active group of youth in the church. We have 41 youth and children who serve on a regular basis, at least once a month, but sometimes more. The goal of the acolyte ministry is to serve God and his church, and to enhance the worship service for all involved. Acolytes don’t do or say a lot during the service, but imagine how different our service would be without the cross, candles, or banners!
Each Sunday requires a minimum of 5 acolytes- one for 8:00 service and 4 for 10:45. The average number of acolytes scheduled for 10:45 service is 4 per Sunday. Brad Wilson, Lee McAuliffe Rambo, and William Jones serve as the acolytes for the 8:00 service.
The majority of our acolytes are in 3rd-12th grades. We do have some adults who acolyte occasionally, when it is not appropriate to use youth, primarily for funerals, the 11:00 pm Christmas Eve service and 6:00 am Great Vigil of Easter.
Our acolytes also serve at funerals and special services at Trinity.
Monies from the acolyte ministry budget are used for maintenance of vestments, purchase of new gloves as needed, and to purchase and engrave crosses for our acolytes.
We had one senior acolyte, Henry Holland, who helped with the acolytes and helped the Acolyte Master. Beginning in August, we have a new senior acolyte, Frida Vassallo.
We have two adult volunteers who help with the acolytes and the Acolyte Master: Elizabeth Boulter and Anna Whisnant.
We have two training sessions, one in August and one in January.
Respectfully,
Debbie Cox
Trinity Flower Guild
The Flower Guild ensures that the altar is adorned with beautiful arrangements each Sunday, always in honor of or as a memorial to loved ones and friends. Our guild currently has thirty members. This is an enthusiastic, talented, and dedicated group: when the schedule is sent via MSP every two months, every slot is filled within days.
The Flower Guild also works with the Altar Guild to decorate the Church for the High Holy Holidays, Christmas, and Easter.
Thank you to Barbara Fotinos who chaired Easter decorating in March. With her beautiful design and the help of over 25 parishioners, the beauty of the sanctuary enhanced the celebration of the Resurrection.
In the fall, the Flower Guild hosts an annual luncheon for its members, Altar and Linen Guilds, and the Flower Delivery Team. This meeting provides time to share information from each team, including how we can work more efficiently together. Social time is equally important as we reconnect and get to know one another better. Unfortunately, the Annual Luncheon scheduled for mid-October was canceled due to the ongoing challenges from Hurricane Helene.
It has been our tradition to reveal the design for Christmas decorating at the Annual Luncheon. With the extended need for Hurricane Recovery, Erwin Gunnells and Tina McGuire offered to create a design as well as coordinate the efforts of decorating for Christmas. Thank you to both for assuring a beautiful Advent and Christmas celebration.
If you feel called to beautify the sanctuary to the Glory of God and would like to join this dedicated group, please get in touch with me. We would love to have you!
Chris Dismukes
Flower Guild Chair
Usher Ministry Team
The purpose of the Usher Ministry is to help create a spirit of worship, and friendliness in and about the church during services. Visitors receive their first impression of the church from the greeters and ushers and this first impression may be the deciding factor in a visitor becoming a regular worshiper.
The Usher Ministry for 2024 consisted of 39 men and women across 6 teams who served dutifully at all regular and special services. Each Usher serves an average of 10 times per year during the 10:45 AM service.
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In the upcoming year, The Usher Ministry will continue to work with members of the Vestry and the Buildings and Grounds Committee to support the safety and security of our campus so all visitors continue to feel safe, secure and welcome.
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We are always looking for volunteers to be a part of the Usher Ministry! If you would like to learn more about being an Usher, please contact Jeff Imes: imesjf@gmail.com ; (828) 273-7300.
Respectfully submitted,
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Jeff Imes, Head Usher
Congregational Development
The Congregational Development Ministry Team’s mission is to:
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Extend Trinity’s ministry beyond our walls and out to the wider community
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Make the experience of a newcomer as welcoming as it can be
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Fully incorporate newcomers and help them move beyond membership to participation
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Encourage current members into participation
This past year we have specifically done the following:
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Provided Welcome Ministers at our main Sunday morning service
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Provided updates to our Pictorial Directory
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Made weekly calls to everyone submitting a Welcome Card
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Continued our Stocking Ministry to regularly restock pew card holders
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Held one Newcomer event
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Held five Trinity Connect Sunday School classes
The coffee hour in our courtyard continues to provide a wonderful place to get to know one another. Our dreams for the future are to continue to incorporate both old comers and newcomers into becoming more engaged at Trinity.
Team Members: Ed Bleynat, Jim Deuel, Kathie Owings, Tim Owings, Carlyn Pheil, Cheri Taylor, Lorrie Weeks, Scott White and Bob Zito.
Respectfully submitted,
Carlyn Pheil, Convener​