The members of Holy Trinity serve the church, each other, and the world by participating in the many ministries and programs sponsored by the church, including the following:

Acolytes

Altar guild

Building and Grounds

Cursillo

ECW

Lay Eucharistic Ministers

Lydia Prayer Group

Music Program

Outreach

Accomack Interfaith Crisis Council

Camp Wakonda

Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Eastern Shore Habitat for Humanity

Flower Ministry

Gleaning Network

Operation Christmas Child

United Thank Offering

Ushers

Vestry

If you wish to join or support any of these programs or ministries, please contact Father Johnson.

The Acolyte Corps provides the opportunity for youth and adults to take an active leadership role in worship of the congregation. Their traditional service involves leading processions, helping to prepare the altar for Holy Communion, and generally helping the services run smoothly. Preparation to serve as an acolyte involves training and practice in specific tasks. While most commonly the acolyte corps is comprised of youth from 3^rd grade through high school, adults and college students serve in this ministry. Acolytes are expected to develop a greater understanding of the structure of worship services, demonstrate proficiency in a variety of tasks, and regularly serve during worship.

The Altar Guild works behind the scenes, truly a servant ministry.  It is a ministry of housekeeping and beautification for the sanctuary and all items associated with worship. The Guild members not only prepare the altar for communion but also prepare the sanctuary to support and enhance our worship. This includes laundering the linens, polishing the brass, arranging flowers, and providing for all other decorations in the Church. They prepare the church for baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations, and all regular and special services. Members are divided into teams and each team is volunteers for a particular month. Members support one another in preparation for special Feast Days such as Christmas and Easter.

Breakfast is offered each Sunday morning after the first worship service by a corps of women (and a few men assisting) in the parish. This is an informal gathering around the kitchen table consisting of delicious breakfast treats, coffee, and juice. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another and hear of God’s action in lives and the community. All are invited. Come as you are. Reservations not needed.

Building and Grounds fall under the authority of the Junior Warden, and the chairs of the House and Grounds Committees.  Many opportunities exist to serve the church by assisting with the upkeep of the church and parish hall, and with the maintenance of the church and rectory grounds and gardens.

Cursillo Ultreya Meetings take place on the second Monday of each month in the parish hall at 6:00 p.m., with a potluck following the meeting.  For more information regarding Cursillo in the Diocese of Southern Virginia, click here.

The Episcopal Church Women’s (ECW) purpose is to be religious and benevolent in serving others through the congregation. ECW members are focused on a future of continued service and reaching out in love to each other in our Christian community, to the greater community, and to the world. The Annual Bake Sale is their major fund raiser each year. Funds are gathered for benevolences to a variety of organizations including the United Thank Offering, a ministry of ECW for over 200 years, that provides assistance of over three million dollars each year around the world. The ECW meets the first Tuesday of each month at noon. Meetings include spiritual formation, business meeting, occasional program, and refreshments. All women in the parish are invited to attend.

Lay Eucharistic Ministers ( LEMs) provide a sacramental ministry in the context of our worship by administering the wine at Holy Communion. They also assist in worship by reading the lessons, leading the Prayers of the People. Lay Eucharistic Ministers represent the congregation when they take Holy Communion to homebound members. LEM requires training and licensing by the Bishop of the Diocese.

The Lydia Prayer Group is an intercessory prayer group that is international in scope.  It is made up of small groups of women of various denominations who meet in a regular basis to pray for concerns of every kind - from personal to world wide situations.  At Holy Trinity we have been meeting weekly since the mid-seventies.  Once or twice a year we join with our prayer sisters here on the Eastern Shore and also across the Bay for a day of encouragement and prayer.  We meet each Monday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Music is an integral part of our 11:00 a.m. service.  We have a beautiful organ, and a wonderful organist/choirmaster, Jill Hammersla Cathey, who supports the liturgy through music and encourages the talent we have in our choir.  Additional members are needed for the choir, and anyone who enjoys singing is welcome to join.      

Outreach is an integral part of our mission. Serving others within the community and in the world at large is one of the ways Holy Trinity strives to extend Christ’s message of service and love.  Substantial financial support is given to local, state, national and international organizations that benefit those in need.  Some specific ways in which we reach out to others include the following:

Accomack Interfaith Crisis Council (AICC) is a partnership of individuals, churches and civic organizations which act in concert to assist the needy in Accomack County.  Holy Trinity is an active member, and supports AICC by donating funds, sponsoring fundraisers, publicizing AICC-related events, and assisting with administrative tasks related to the organization.

Camp Wakonda is a project of the Norfolk Urban Outreach Ministry of the Diocese of Southern Virginia.  The one-week camp is offered free of charge to children who are suffering from, or have a family member who suffers from AIDS/HIV.  Each year, the campers come across the Bay to visit Kiptopeke State Park.  On that day, the members of Holy Trinity join with members of other Episcopal churches on the Shore to provide supervision for the children, and to host a cook-out for the more than 100 campers.

The Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ESCADV) is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. It was established in May, 1983 to help address the problem of domestic violence on the Shore. The ESCADV is a two-county coalition of community organizations, groups and individuals who are deeply concerned about the serious problem of family violence. It provides crisis intervention, emergency shelter, court advocacy, support groups, and counseling to victims of domestic violence.  Holy Trinity supports ESCADV financially, and with donations of food, clothing, baby items, furniture and supplies.  The parish also adopts one family each year which has left the Shelter to establish a new home, and provides money and gifts for the family at Christmas, together with other support during the year. 

Eastern Shore of Virginia Habitat for Humanity has been committed to its mission of providing safe, efficient home ownership for those citizens in substandard housing on the Eastern Shore. Since its incorporation in 1988, Habitat has complete and dedicated more than twenty homes in Northampton and Accomac counties. They are now occupied by families who are working and able to make a small monthly mortgage payment, which is interest-free. Each family is partnered with a support person who works with them on financial management, nutrition, health and parenting issues. A system of workshops in coordination with the Virginia Extension Service helps educate the families about home maintenance and financial planning. These are given each year.  Twice each year, in March and August, the members of Holy Trinity house, feed and assist students from Boston College who visit the Shore to work with Habitat.  For more information about Eastern Shore of Virginia Habitat for Humanity, click here.

Our next visit from the students from Boston College will be in March, 2010.  For more information regarding the visit, or if you wish to assist with this important mission of the parish, please call Father Johnson at 787-4430.

Flowers donated for the altar are delivered each Monday following Sunday services to shut-ins and others in need of support and caring.

Gleaning is the traditional Biblical practice of gathering crops that would otherwise be left in the fields to rot or be plowed under after harvest. The Gleaning Network is a project of the Society of St. Andrew that coordinates volunteers, growers, and distribution agencies to glean and thereby salvage food for the needy. Each year some 30,000 people go gleaning to pick up more than 15 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food for their hungry neighbors.  Holy Trinity supports the Gleaning Network by hosting a lunch for a group of 100+ gleaners, and by taking up a special offering for the gleaners in connection with their visit.  For more information regarding the Gleaning Network, click here.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, a registered charity, dedicated to relieving the suffering of children in the U.S. and abroad who are homeless, live in orphanages or are without family support, or whose lives have been blighted by poverty, ill-health, natural disaster, conflict or war. The parish takes part in this annual project, contributing by filling shoe boxes with gifts for children.

The mission of the United Thank Offering (UTO) is to expand the circle of thankful people. To achieve this mission, we encourage daily prayers, offerings and awareness of the abundance of God's blessings. To assist with the fulfillment of this mission, we sponsor two ingatherings, or collections, in the spring and the fall. The funds collected are forwarded to the United Thank Offering Office, which provides grants throughout the world. In 2006, UTO awarded 112 grants for a total of $2,419,628.54. For more information regarding UTO, click here.

Ushers welcome those attending worship services and assist in preparing for and participating in worship. This corps forms the front line of hospitality at each worship service with a sincere greeting and distribution of bulletins. These volunteers are representatives from the congregation who present our gifts of thanksgiving.