One Phone Call at a Time

Dear Trinity Church and friends,

 

One phone call at a time the Trinity Church community is meeting the challenge of staying connected in real and vibrant ways. Starting in mid-April, sixty-nine Comfort Callers reached out to 1100 parish households. The purpose? To joyfully encounter other members of our congregation; to find out how we are all doing during these strange times; and to identify anyone who might be in need. With a script in hand and spreadsheets to collect information, volunteers called an average of eighteen households each. The project, for both callers and recipients, has been a soul-stirring success, and we write today to reassure everyone that the Trinity Church community remains strong and connected!  For those who were unable to pick up, voice mails were left and follow-up emails were sent, and if you did not receive a call – please let us know! 

As part of the journey, callers learned quite a few things.  For example, one family’s dog participates in the services, and every time he sees members of our music staff, he starts to bark! We have one parishioner who is quarantined in Lusanne, Switzerland. Another person who is feeling re-connected to Trinity after joining recent online services. We have several physicians in the parish, all still working and pleased that they are seeing progress in the response to this pandemic. We have four expectant mothers and have had one birth during this time. And one caller was invited to the parishioner’s pew when all this is over.

 

The virus is affecting each parishioner in different ways. People were frank in their responses to callers. Many of us are currently challenged by working from home – one remarked that they even miss riding the T to the office! Parents are having to homeschool for the first time and deal with a lack of childcare. Teachers are missing the classroom and their students. Several families have students graduating this year and are disappointed by cancelled graduation ceremonies.

 

Everyone uniformly misses the opportunity to attend church in person, but are enjoying worshiping from home, attending Formation and Compline, and hearing the choir. Our cooking class was a hit, and many hope to join events like these in the future.

 

We as a community are keeping busy. People described cooking up a storm, gardening, reading, Zooming with family and friends, and it appears there is a huge demand for jigsaw puzzles!  We are also stepping up to support others. One teacher is making comfort calls to her students. Several recipients of phone calls offered their services to help others in need.

 

A number of parishioners want to stay in touch. The callers themselves were so appreciative of being given the opportunity to connect with others; they have shared how much making the calls meant to them. We want to thank everyone involved in this effort – callers and called, alike! - and to name that we look forward to talking with you again very soon.

With blessings on behalf of the Comfort Calling Committee,

 

Donna Stenwall

Manager, Visitor Services

 

Cynthia Staples

Supervisor, Visitor Services