January - Trinity Lutheran Church

Blessings
Trinity Lutheran Church
What’s
Inside
Message from Pastor
Can Do
Youth Group Goings On
Tidings...
Giving & Council Notes
The Free Market
Serving Calendar
January 2014
Worship Times
Dear Friends in Christ,
Fellowship
Sunday Morning
10:00 am—Following Sunday
School
Services
10:30 am—Traditional
Sunday Evening
7:30 pm—Contemplative
Education
Wednesday Morning
9:45 am—Bible Study
Sunday Morning
9:00 am—PreK—5th Grade &
Adult
If you remember back in June I wrote in my newsletter that I was using this year as a year of discernment of my call to the pastoral ministry at Trinity. As we begin January 2014 I feel that I am half way
through this procedure, and want to take this time to give you an update of where I am in the process. A part of this discernment process
hinges on my ability to offer new things to you that will enrich the
church and our faith journey. In order to accomplish this I must have
the opportunity to learn new things so that I can offer new things to
the church. It just so happens that there is an opportunity to learn
new things, but it requires a little bit of work on both our parts.
Through its religion grant making, Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolisbased, private philanthropic foundation, seeks to deepen and enrich
the lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes. To this end, National and Indiana Clergy
Renewal Programs provide an opportunity for pastors to step away
briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection. Renewal periods are not
vacations but times for intentional exploration and reflection, for drink-
Continued...
ing again from God's life-giving waters, for regaining enthusiasm and creativity for ministry. What this means
is that we can apply for a grant of up to $50,000.00 to help us renew the ministry of this church in fresh and
exciting ways. The grant money will pay for an interim pastor while I am away, for new equipment if we decide we need something, and for my rest and learning experiences.
Here are my thoughts on why I have been questioning this call. One of the things that you expressed in our
most recent survey on the life of the church is that you desire more music in our worship experience. Unfortunately, music is one of my many weaknesses and I find it difficult to fulfill or understand some of the possibilities that could help me fulfill your desires. Having a choir has helped and I find it refreshing and fun, but since
I cannot lead a choir we still struggle a bit. So here is how I think we can solve this issue in a way that will
benefit all of us.
For my part, I will take the 4 months of leave offered in the grant to refresh and renew my spirit while taking
the time to learn the musical history of the Lutheran tradition as expressed in Liturgy, Taize, Celtic and Iona
prayer, and Gregorian chant. I will take voice lessons to improve my singing ability and musical leadership. I
will find someone to teach me how to lead a choir so that we can enhance our musical programs. I will petition the Synod to find us an interim pastor that will help us grow musically while I am away.
For your part, you will put together a team of 5 individuals that will write the congregation’s part of the grant.
Decide on how you want to progress musically in this church, such as Bell Choir, Pipe Organ, Youth Choir,
Brass Ensemble, etc. Put together an equipment list if that is needed, such as bells for a Bell Choir. Figure
out a way to reconfigure our worship space to accommodate new equipment. Support and meet with the interim Pastor on a regular basis to implement new musical strategies so that upon my return we can transition
them to my newly learned abilities.
This is an opportunity for us to grow together and to do new things together. I hope and pray that you will embrace this next step in our journey together.
Peace,
Pastor Scott
CAN DO
One of the simplest ministries of this church is the Can-Do ministry. All it involves is drinking
your favorite beverage and bringing the empty can to church. Simplicity at its finest. Please
continue to drink your favorite beverage in aluminum cans and bring those cans to the church
to be transformed into ministry. To close out the year we have taken in 336 pounds of cans that
has turned into $161.00 worth of ministry dollars. Thank you.
THANK YOU
Sherry and I would like to thank all of you for all of the cards and gifts we have received this year. We are
once again overwhelmed by your generosity and the outpouring of love you show for us. We look forward to
being a part of this church family in 2014 and cannot wait to see what will unfold for us in the year to come.
We are truly blessed to know you and to share our lives with you. The words thank you can never express
the totality of our love and appreciation for all that you give to us. We both pray that this year will bring faith,
love, hope, and peace to all of our families.
Scott and Sherry
Tidings….
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
01/13
01/14
01/14
01/15
01/22
01/24
01/24
01/27
01/28
01/30
Julie Biddle
Laura Wiberg
Abbey Thomas
Dorothy Chambers
Mike Aughe
Sandy Voyak
Jeff Thomas
Bob Hatfield
Dave Wallace
Tina Stenberg
If your birthday or anniversary isn’t listed, then
we don’t have it recorded in our
database. Please contact Laura K. in the office
and we will add it.
Tidings...
TIME & TALENT FORMS
2014 is upon us and the church council is planning for the New Year. It takes a village for Trinity to run smoothly and this is where your help is needed. Please complete the Time & Talent forms to let us know where you
can serve next year. The forms are available to be picked up on the podium, with the worship service bulletins,
every Sunday.
THE GIFT OF GENEROSITY
We thank everyone who has supported Trinity Lutheran Church this past year with their time, talent and financial contributions and look forward to support from all of our members in the year ahead. If you need a convenient way to make regular offerings or if you plan to make an additional gift before the end of the year, we encourage you to look into our electronic giving options. As the pace of life speeds up, especially around the holidays,
you may find electronic giving a most welcome way to make contributions. Information can be found on the hallway bulletin board or see Steve Thomas for more details.
RAISE FUNDS FOR CHERUB BY SHOPPING AT KROGER
Yes, it’s true! You can shop at Kroger and raise money for our CHERUB group at the same time!
How can one do this, you ask? It’s so E-A-S-Y!
1.) $25 Kroger cards are available for purchase in the church office. (cash or check made payable to CHERUB)
2.) Shop to your heart’s content!
3.) Be sure to reload your card before the initial $25 has been spent. You can then continue to reload and
use this card as much as you’d like.
So far this year we have received over $225 from the Kroger Community Rewards program!
BUILDING RESERVATIONS
One of our perks of being a member of Trinity is that we can use the church for various activities at no cost. In
order to keep our calendar and records up-to-date, we ask that an Event Scheduling Form be completed and
returned to the office. (The forms are available from the church office and will soon be available on the church
website.) Party on!
CHOIR
The choir has come to new life at Trinity. We are a small but dedicated group that enjoys praising God through
our rich Lutheran musical heritage. The choir will try to sing once per month at various worship services and
with a variety of musical accompaniments, including a new computer program that we have purchased called
Noteworthy Composer. Practices will be varied to go along with the varied worship services they will perform in.
If there are songs you would like to sing we would love to try them. If you love to sing or just make a joyful noise
to the Lord we would love to have you join us. Practices take place every Thursday evening at 7pm.
Week Of
Current Expenses
Run-Through
Special Projects
Sunday School
Total Deposit
Weekly
Goal
12/1
12/8
$3,021.00 $2,636.86
12/15
12/22
12/29
$1,535.00
$1,501.05
$2,576.00
$14.50
$30.00
$10.00
$10.00
$260.00
$130.00
$0.00
$270.00
$470.00
$222.00
$16.54
$13.00
$7.27
$0.00
$0.00
$3,182.04
$1,907.00
$2,944.13
$1,981.05 $3,058.00
$2,224 to meet expenses; $2,708 to fully fund the budget
The Giving Report
Please ask about giving electronically.
THE COUNCIL NOTES
- Review Secretary's Report,
Treasurer's Report, and
Financial Secretary's Report
- Review paper recycling bin request
- Review building use requests
The Free Market...
I now have the lowest guaranteed prices on some great vacations. These are too low to be advertised and
they can be accessed by going to my website www.TravelPleaser.com. Enjoy a 4 & 5 star vacation at a 2
& 3 star price. In the middle of my home page click on YTBVACATIONS.com, you will then be able to register to gain access to see the pricing. We have All-Inclusive, Vacation Getaways, Cruise Deals, European
Tours and more. Coming Wednesday, You will be able to book hotel stays using my Low Cost Beds link. I
can do that for you now if you just ask. There are 70,000 plus properties participating in this that offer the
lowest pricing.
Thank you, Barbara Belcher
January Usher Team: Sheri Reigel, Gary Smock, John Hancock
February Usher Team: Laura Aughe, Steve Thomas, Eric Wiberg
Serving
1/05
1/12
1/19
Hammerle
2/02
Fellowship
Coulter
Peters
Greeters
Hatfield
Hammerle
Jensen
Mezger
Ottinger
Acolyte
John P
Emma B
Sarah H
James H
Willow P
Lector
Communion
Assistant
Altar Guild
Nursery &
Children’s Church
Counting
Team
Brenda B
Biddle
1/26
Campbell
Laura A
Vivian B
Tom C
Gary M
Tom C
Sherry M
Laura A
X
Tim P
Joyce W
Joyce W
Laura W
Laura W
Amy H
Cheri T
Andrew T
Megan H
Alexes A
Laura A
Doris K
Gary S
Julie B
Dave W
Laura K
Mike A
Marilyn S
Charlie F
Joyce E
Nick B