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Apalachicola, Florida
August 2, 2024
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I am blessed to have three friends from high school who I still communicate with almost daily. We were in a garage band and still play music when we get together every couple of years. We have been to each other’s weddings, attended family funerals, celebrated our children’s births and supported each other through thick and thin. I give thanks daily for these close friends. But this story is about one of them and an act of hospitality that challenges me decades later.
In the late 1990s I was traveling through town, and I stopped to visit one of the friends. He absolutely insisted we stay the night: he had a huge sofa bed for guests, with all the amenities we could possibly need. It would save us money for a hotel, and we could slip out in the morning for our flight.
He lived in an efficiency apartment near our childhood homes in New Orleans. We arrived a little late, but no matter: a dinner was waiting that was great and filling. He didn’t eat, saying he usually didn’t eat dinner. Being a fabulous artist, he showed us some of his more recent projects. It was a wonderful evening of catching up. We visited for a good while, and then he bid us goodnight as he headed to his bedroom.
At some point in the middle of the night, nature called. And as I was walking back to the sofa bed, down the hallway I saw the streetlight shining into his bedroom. Easels, paints, and artwork were strewn about. And in the middle of the floor was my dear friend, sleeping on his back. No blanket, no pillow, with the same clothes and shoes still on. He had given us his bed without concern for his own comfort or well-being. And though I have never confirmed this, I’m pretty sure the food was provided in the same spirit.
His life is meaningful, rewarding, and fulsome. He works the same job and lives in that same apartment to this day. He has friends, and he is close to family. He is quiet and kind, and I don’t believe I’ve ever heard him speak ill of anyone or complain about anything.
When I think of all the people in my life, he just might have the greatest riches of all by living simply, being kind in all things, giving thanks for what he has, and living into each moment. He exhibits a life overflowing with a hospitality of the heart, a life Jesus wants for each of us. His friendship is a gift, one for which I gave thanks every day.
Who in your life exhibits the power of kindness and generosity
through who they are? Give thanks to God for them. Pray for them.
If they are still alive, maybe tell them how you feel. But above all,
try to embody that power in your life.
Love Big and Be Well,
Stephen +
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James F. (Jimmy) Waddell, Jr.
February 10, 1940 - July 19, 2024
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James F. (Jimmy) Waddell, Jr. was born in Marianna, Florida on February 10, 1940, to James F. Waddell, Sr. (Jim) and Beatrice R. Waddell. He passed away peacefully in the Center for Compassionate Care at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (Big Bend Hospice) on July 19, 2024.
Services for Jimmy Waddell will be held at 11 am on August 3, 2024, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola. A reception in Benedict Hall will follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made in memory of Jimmy to Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32308 or give
online at https://bigbendhospice.org
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Trinity Memorial Garden Update. We have recently located a new brick engraver so we can, once again, place bricks in the Memorial Garden pathway to honor friends and loved ones by having their name, birth year, and year of death inscribed into the brick. If you would like to purchase a brick ($100 each), forms will be in the office. This pathway of saints is a very visual way to remember those who have gone before us. | |
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As we explore creative ideas to expand our Memorial Garden to accommodate more ashes, it would be helpful to know how many Trinity members are interested in being interred in this serene location. This will not likely be in a niche but will be something that will contain markers. If you have any interest, please fill out your name and contact information in the office. Lastly, volunteers to serve on the Memorial Garden Committee are always welcome.
– Patti McCartney
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Fall Stewardship Campaign. Summer is in full swing and everything slows down just a little. We do not see everyone on Sunday because of summer travel, and some Trinity activities are on summer hiatus. When September comes, the pace quickly changes with the Stewardship campaign one of many things requiring our attention. Now is a good time to start thinking about making a pledge for Trinity when the campaign starts this fall. The theme for the Fall Stewardship campaign will be “Walk In Love”. We are reminded of that call with the offertory sentence, one of which comes from Ephesians 5:2: “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.” Please take some time during the summer to prayerfully consider what you will share with Trinity next year.
– Barry Lawson, Stewardship and Finance Committee
Wednesday Compline. If you love the Order for Compline from our Book of Common Prayer and want to participate from the comfort of your home, you are in luck! On Wednesdays at 8 pm Eastern, Trinity is pleased to host an online Compline via Facebook Live. And don’t forget that we have Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8:15 am.
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Our two Bonnies - Stewart & Lewis, welcoming worshippers with their usual warmth and charm. If you would like to join them as Sunday ushers, contact Ralph Wagoner at 605-366-8294 to learn more about this essential and rewarding ministry. | |
Amelia Wolferseder was honored to ring the Trinity bell, calling worshippers to a recent Sunday service. | |
Penny's Worth reopens on Tuesday, August 6
Shop for bargains & treasures on Tuesdays & Saturdays,
10 am - 3 pm. Join the volunteer team that keeps
our thrift shop humming, especially on Saturdays!
Contact Dot Hill or the church office for details.
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You Can Help Franklin County Students | |
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Volunteer Readers. According to principal Danielle Rosson, reading to children is the most important thing Trinity does for Franklin County School. Ms. Rosson began the Volunteer Reader Program in 2023; Trinity was an original participant.
For 2024-2025, Outreach hopes to place eight regular readers and several substitutes in second grade classes to read once or twice a month. Currently, seven veteran readers and one substitute are committed: won’t you join us? Classroom reading will begin October 1 and end April 30. There will be an orientation in September.
For anyone interested in one-on-one or small group tutoring for reading,
there is opportunity for that service at Franklin County School, too.
Sign up for volunteer reading or tutoring in Benedict Hall or
contact Jo Branch (heyhobranch@hotmail.com)
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Backpacks for Students. Please join the Trinity Outreach Committee in support of our Franklin County School students by donating a backpack (or more). Collection boxes are located throughout the County and in our church office, or leave your donation(s) in Benedict Hall in the basket marked backpacks.
-- Questions? Contact Jo Branch, 863-698-8773
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Diocesan Cycle of Prayer. For churches and ministries: on August 4, pray for Grace Church and St. Thomas By-the-Sea, Panama City Beach; and on August 11 pray for St. Mark's, Troy and The Order of the Daughters of the King. For prisons: on August 4, pray for the prisoners, families, and staff of the Clarke County Jail, Grove Hill, AL; and on August 11 pray for the prisoners, families, and staff of the Pike County Jail, Troy, AL. | | |
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Cursillo Weekend Coming Up! Cursillo is a three-day retreat offered to persons who wish to deepen their faith and walk with Christ. Many in our Trinity family (including Stephen and Travis Pecot, Ina Margaret Meyer, Brooks Jones, Patti McCartney, among many others) have attended this fulfilling and life-changing program. It is offered through our diocese at Beckwith Conference Center in Fairhope, AL. | |
Cursillo is currently offered two weekends each year, and it is free to attendees. Cursillo #171 will be held September 12-15, 2024, and we already have four signed up! Only two slots remain. To learn about Cursillo, the diocese has a great website or talk to someone who has been. Check it out. Who wouldn’t want to be loved on and pampered for three days? You deserve it! De Colores! | |
CELEBRATING FAMILY & FRIENDS | |
Patti McCartney welcomed her grandson, Ben and his friend, Gabby when they visited recently from Alexandria, VA. | |
George Rudo celebrated his 80th Birthday during a party with Apalachicola friends. | |
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Watch our Sunday sermons online:
Generosity is a key component of our successful ministry: You can share your generosity easily and safely through our secure Electronic Giving platform.
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COMMUNITY EVENTS OF INTEREST | |
1st Lt. Frank Carson, Jr. (Kay Carson's dad), a B-17 pilot during WWII, is one of three officers with local connections featured in the exhibit. | |
Special Exhibit Honors the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force
Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum in Carrabelle features a special exhibit exploring the heroic history of the Eighth Air Force. Artifacts portray the bravery and sacrifice of the "Mighty Eighth", the greatest air armada in history, reaching peak strength of over 200,000 personnel by mid-1944.
This exhibit will be on display until Saturday, August 31.
The museum, at 1873 Highway 98 across from Carrabelle Beach, is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted.
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Trinity family - note August 28th performance; You might know "The Preacher" | |
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Your Bay View: Trinity's bi-weekly e-newsletter, the Bay View, reaches members and friends every other Friday, sharing news and inspiration for and about our parish. Please send information and announcements, as well as photographs, to info@trinityapalachicola.org or call the church office at 850-653-9550. The deadline for submission is noon on Wednesday of each publication week. (next deadline is August 14)
-- Kay Carson, Editor
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Worship Service at 10:30 am Sunday
Morning Prayer at 8:15 am Wednesday
Church address: 79 6th Street, Apalachicola, Florida 32320
Office address: 76 5th Street, Apalachicola, Florida 32320
Mailing address: PO Box 667, Apalachicola, Florida 32329
Phone number: (850) 653-9550
Email: info@trinityapalachicola.org
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