Our Activities
Listed below are the news articles for the month of July.
July 10, 2009
Announcing our New Rector
On behalf of the Vestry it is with great joy that we announce to you the call of the Reverend Matthew Dutton-Gillett as Trinity's 17th rector. Fr. Matthew, his wife Kate, and their children will join our parish family in August, in time for Madeline (14) to enroll as a freshman at Menlo-Atherton and Max (5) to start kindergarten at Encinal School.
The Vestry was particularly moved by Fr. Matthew's engaging preaching, his embrace of diverse worship styles, his vision for cradle to grave Christian faith formation, and his ability to articulate what it means to be a twenty-first century Christian in an accessible and compelling manner. For his part, Fr. Matthew is thrilled with the opportunity to continue his ministry journey - and Matthew and Kate seek to raise their family - in a place characterized by the sense of loving inclusiveness of all of God's children, for which our diocese is so well known.
Please join us in thanking the members of the New Rector Search Committee: Sara Bostock, Janis Wilcox Christiansen, Jay Dean (co-chair), Elaine Hammond, Ward Johnson, Kent Smith, Margie Stehle, Larry Sweeney (co-chair), and Nancy Walsworth. Our parish has been blessed by their year of intensive and faithful service and their work should pay dividends for many, many years to come.
Now comes the next stage of transition, as we begin our journey together. We are eager to extend Trinity's "radical welcoming" embrace to Fr. Matthew and his family, to begin the process of getting to know the Dutton-Gilletts, and to support them through the coming year as they adapt to their new lives. You can stay current on upcoming welcoming events - and ways to get involved - by reading the Sunday bulletin and the weekly e-newsletter. We hope you will feel as blessed as we do and ask you to add Fr. Matthew and his family to your prayers.
Faithfully in Christ,
Howard P. Smith Linda Hubbard Gulker
Senior Warden Junior Warden
July 12, 2009
More about Father Mathew
"As with all of us, my spiritual journey began in my childhood. In my case, it began as a preacher's kid. My father was and is ordained in the United Church of Christ, and served in parish ministry until my Junior year in high school. As a result of my upbringing, the reality of God was always a part of my life, and what was impressed upon me in my formative years was that the Christian life was very much about the pursuit of justice and care for the less fortunate, living out the commandment of
Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves. I was very active in the church until I went to college, but I never once entertained the idea that I might be ordained.
"In college, I continued to attend church, but found it to be rather soul-less. At some point, friends of mine attended the local Episcopal church, and upon returning, announced that they didn't really like it because "there was too much chanting."Matthew Dutton Gillett preaching Intrigued by this, I made the long walk to All Saints' Church the next Sunday, and experienced the liturgy for the first time. I immediately experienced a sense of homecoming, a sense that this was where I belonged. I discovered that I really
do have a liturgical soul, and realized that this was why our Communion services when I was growing up (which we had only five times a year) had meant so much to me. My discovery of The Episcopal Church began a period of intense spiritual growth. While I still appreciated the outward aspects of the Christian journey - pursuing justice and helping those in need - I began to appreciate the inward aspects of the
Christian life: prayer and sacrament. I was able to see, for the first time, the connection between worship and ministry, between the contemplative and the active.
"As I continued my journey into The Episcopal Church, I also continued on my path toward a career in international relations. I spent a summer in Russia and another summer doing an internship at the State Department in Washington. As a result of my internship experience in particular, I began to question whether my imagined career trajectory was really what I was meant to do. It was at this point that I was surprised by the thought that I should become a priest. My attempts to dismiss the thought could not entirely get rid of it. And then, quite unexpectedly, I was approached by three different
people who asked me if I had ever considered going into the ordained ministry. The Episcopal chaplain at Michigan State University encouraged me to be open to the idea, and the rector of All Saints' also encouraged me. Eventually, I became convinced that God was indeed calling me into the priesthood, and the good folks at All Saints' affirmed what I myself sensed.
"All of that history seems very long ago now, though I have been ordained for only 17 years. Over that time, through experiences in three different congregations, my own sense of ministry, theology and spirituality have shifted in ways that I am continuing to explore. Initially, I think my sense of priesthood was rooted very much in leading the celebration of the sacraments. While that is still true, I have come to appreciate that all of life is sacramental. That is, all of life has the potential for revealing the sacred, for revealing the presence of God, if we are able to have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. One of my favorite quotes that points to this reality comes from Rabbi Heschel, who said, "In every moment, something sacred is at stake." As a priest, I believe I
am being called now to help people discover that "something sacred", and increasingly, I see every aspect of my ministry - liturgical, homiletical, pastoral, educational - as being about that discovery of the sacred.
"I also believe that this is where our church as a whole is being called. While we lament what seems to be a decline in participation across our denominational life, I am convinced that there is a deep spiritual hunger within our society. Consistently, studies point to a sustained interest in and hunger for faith and spirituality among Americans. However, I don't believe that this hunger is satisfied by debates about doctrine and belief. I think that people want to know God, to experience God, to have a sense of
the sacred in their lives. The question we all must answer is whether the church is able to provide this, to point to it, to help people uncover it. There are vast numbers of people who are not being served by the mega-churches or the evangelical forms of Christianity. Indeed, there are people who have been profoundly injured by these traditions, and are looking for an authentic spirituality that will lead them to
God without judging their lives or quashing their questions. I believe increasingly that am being called to find ways to reach these people, and I think that The Episcopal Church is able to meet the needs of this community of people. Doing so, I think, is key to the continued growth and vitality of our congregations.
"Part of what captures all of this for me is the term, "contemplative action." It is certainly not a term original to me, and it points to the idea that we might best be served as human beings by acting in the world out of a contemplative center, out of a deeper appreciation of ourselves in connection and communion with God. Increasingly, I believe that I and we are being called to help people discover their own depth, to help people find that place within where they meet God. The personal healing and peace
that are the fruits of that discovery help lead us to the discovery of that "something sacred" in everymoment, and also lead us to act in the world with greater wisdom and greater compassion."
July 20, 2009
Meet the Dutton-Gillett Family
In advance of the arrival of our new rector and his family in August, here's more information about the Dutton-Gilletts (pronounced "dut-tun-jill-it") that should help you get to know them better and provide a warm welcome to Trinity.
The Reverend Matthew Dutton-Gillett
(First from Fr. Matthew's personal statement)
I believe that the Gospel is about transformation: personally, within our communities and in our relationship with God. I bring 17 years of parish experience in different ministry settings, and have particular passion around preaching and teaching, liturgy
and spiritual growth.
I seek to serve a community whose life is rooted in and nourished by the spiritual riches of the Anglican tradition; who desire to be theologically engaged with the issues of our day seeking to interpret the Christian faith to a modern world; who take seriously the imperatives of our Baptismal Covenant; who desire to live the Christian life in a way that is both rooted in tradition and open to the movement of the Spirit; who desire to reach out to the larger world; and who welcome the variety of God's people.
(Now, for the inside scoop) When I'm not doing my priest thing, I love to read (though I have to admit it's mostly spiritual stuff!), and I really enjoy cooking. The Food Network is often on in our house. I enjoy writing (someday I'm determined to write a book), and I love to travel with Kate when we have the chance. One of my favorite places in the world is Florence, Italy - Kate and I were last there in 2005.
My favorite color is purple (okay, no jokes about me aspiring to be a bishop!), my
Kate and Matthew favorite cake is carrot cake, and my favorite ice cream is any flavor of gelato, especially if eaten on an Italian street. And I love my coffee! Oh, and I am a huge Harry Potter fan. We all are - Madeline, Kate and I have attended two midnight book releases.
Kate Dutton-Gillett
Hi, my name is Kate Dutton-Gillett, wife of Matthew and mother to Madeline and Max. I am a ceramic artist, with a Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art. I have maintained an art studio in my home since shortly after I was married, complete with a wheel, kiln, slab roller - the works. One of the things that I am most excited about in coming to Menlo Park is getting introduced to and involved in the art world in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It might interest people to know that I've been an Episcopalian longer than Matthew. I was baptized at the Episcopal Church in Centerville, Iowa, when I was 10 years old, so, unlike many people, I can remember my baptism - which is kind of cool. Here's a piece of trivia: The Episcopal Church in which I was baptized was a former Jewish synagogue, complete with Stars of David in the stained glass windows.
In addition to my art work, I love art history, and I have a passion for genealogy. I love to travel (Florence, Italy, is one my favorite places - I converted Matthew to it in 2005!), and my family traveled all over the United States while I was growing up; my Dad was a college professor, so we had a month in the summers. I love to read, especially novels with vampires, stories about things not having to do at all with real life (totally escapist!!). I also love to sing, knit and arrange flowers. I love the bassoon - although I don't have one of my own to play.
I was attracted to the idea of the Labyrinth when I heard about it years ago when we lived in St. Louis; I sought out and read Lauren Artress's book. One of the highlights of our "official visit" to Menlo Park was the opportunity to walk the Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral. The organist was practicing while I was walking, and when I got to the center, he started playing Ode to Joy. Now, that's a sign if there ever was one! I think that that was one of those life moments that I will never forget.
Madeline (age 14)
Hi, I'm Madeline. I'm excited to meet you all, but until then, here are a few things about myself.
I love to dance ballet, and I'm about to go on Pointe. Just because I dance ballet does not mean I'm a girly girl. I do my ballet to rock music. I enjoy singing, and I act a bit (just a few school plays, nothing big). When I grow up, I want to be a choreographer and start my own dance company.
I'm going to be a Freshman at Menlo-Atherton High in August. Again, I'm eager to meet you all, and I hope you feel the same about me. See you soon!
Max (age 5 - information supplied by Dad)
Max is all boy, with the energy of five kids (at least it seems like that some days). Max Dutton-Gillett
He is especially passionate about "heavy equipment," which includes any construction-related vehicles as well as semi trucks and emergency vehicles.
Max is fanatical about Transformers and is also a lover of Bakugans.
Max's favorite movie at this point is Wall-E. His favorite TV shows are Word Girl and Cyberchase on PBS. And his favorite food is anything with a sufficient amount of sugar!