The following article is an excerpt from my annual report to the congregation. It gives some clues and directions for our ministry in the coming year.
I want to share some of my hopes and dreams for the coming year. The two big themes that I will stress over and over in 2004 are spiritual gifts and teams.
Spiritual gifts are special abilities, aptitudes, or inclinations that God gives every one of us in order to share the love of Jesus Christ with others. When we serve and lead out of our giftedness, not only do we find fulfillment, but we can more effectively minister to others. I hope that by the end of the year, a large percentage of the congregation will have identified their spiritual gifts and be finding ways to put them into action.
Which leads to my second theme: teams. When Jesus sent his disciples into the world to minister in his name, he never sent them out alone. Why? Because none of us possesses a full complement of spiritual gifts and alone we tend to burn out. However, in a team, we can do things that we could never accomplish alone. Trinity already has a number of teams - our commissions, the Board of Deacons, the choirs, etc. But we have more gifts and passions for ministry than our commissions can organize and implement.
So throughout the year, we will form new teams. Some will exist only for a season (like the team that oversaw the Habitat build) and some will have a longer life. The Session will work hard this year to coordinate our various ministries and to keep you up to date on who is doing what.
Another growing ministry in 2004 will be our small groups. Over the past year, two small groups have been meeting - our pilot group and one that formed out of a Tuesday evening Bible study. The pilot group has completed their work and are now starting to give birth to new groups. The Tuesday evening group is continuing to meet. And at least two more groups are ready to start. Watch for details as we continue to provide ways for members to form meaningful relationships and grow spiritually.
A couple of weeks ago, a member asked me where I saw all this going - an emphasis on spiritual gifts, teams, and the other directions of our ministry. In one sense I cannot answer that question because I know and trust that God will lead us where God wants us to be. Ministries will emerge and flourish as we identify our spiritual gifts and form teams and grow spiritually. But I do carry this vision for our future: that Trinity will be a place where all are welcomed, nurtured spiritually, equipped for ministry and sent forth to share the love of Jesus Christ.
We will continue to be transformed so that we might go forth and transform the world. God has called the church into being so that we might change the world - and I believe that Trinity's calling is nothing less than this. How we do it changes as gifts are added to our community of faith; but sharing the love of God and inviting people into a relationship with Jesus Christ will be at the heart of ministry.
The annual Matthew 25 Offering will be collected on February 1, 2004. Participants can make donations during worship or can mail them to the church office in the envelope received in the mail. Half of the money we collect stays here at Trinity for the Winger Food Pantry and the other half is sent to the Presbytery to help with their Hunger Outreach. The Presbytery helps people in need with their electric, gas, heating and shelter bills.
On February 1, we will have a Souper Bowl Lunch at 11:30 in the dining room. Since the Rams are not in the Super Bowl, we will have to do our own celebrating. Two teams have been formed to compete. Team 1, coached by Kate Shoemaker,is the youth at Trinity. Team 2, coached by Harold Glad,is the adults. The winner of this peanut butter competition will be the team which brings the most peanut butter and can construct the best structure from its offerings. Constructing sites will be available in the dining room. Winners will be announced after lunch. Let's have some fun and support the Matthew 25 Fund and the Winger Food Pantry!
Rah, Rah - see you at the goal line.
Enjoy an elegant dinner by candlelight, excellent service, dessert auction, and your favorite music!
A Night Out for Adults Only- couples, singles, invite friends!
6:30PM seating, 7PM dinner, dessert auction & dancing until?
Cost for the evening (except the dessert auction) = $20
Reservations required - please call the church office or sign up on the list in the Dining Room
(If childcare is needed, contact Janet Mote)
Profits go to Mission Trip and Montreat - a great evening for a great cause!
Fiscal 2003 is closed and the promise of a new year is open. Trinity closed 2003 with a $$$ deficit. For comparison, FY2001 had a $$$ deficit, and FY2002 had an $$$ deficit. The main culprit in 2003 was an unexpected $$$ increase in building insurance and a shortfall in pledge income.
The 2003 budget contained no funds for major renovations and repairs or for replacement equipment. This year's budget includes $$$ for renovations and repairs, $$$ for maintenance and $$$ for replacement equipment. There is a 3.5% raise for personnel. Mission giving has increased and is 12.2% of the budget. Consequently the 2004 budget constitutes a 9.8% increase over the 2003 budget. We live in hope!
The total expense budget for 2004 is $$$. At Trinity we are very fortunate to have other sources to help support our budget, but pledges continue to be the mainstay of our financing. Pledging was increased this year - a true blessing. The number of pledging units increased from 106 in 2003 to 118 in 2004 with a total pledged to date of $$$ vs. $$$ pledged in 2003. Pledges were received from 28 new families, totaling $$$. 39 pledges were increased.
Still, pledges cover only 57% of the budget. Even with income from loose offerings, interest from investments, the contribution from the Endowment Fund, and building use fees, we are $$$ short. To cover this, Trinity is fortunate to have "money-in-the-bank" - approximately $$$ from the sale of the apartment building and previous gifts.
In the coming year Trinity must address some long-term goals to be effective stewards of our funds. Long-range plans for our financial resources are a top priority. Our building and organ have some needs. We must serve God and serve the people with the gifts we have. This will be a challenge for us, but we have the resources - financial, personnel, and congregational - to look to the future with confidence.
An old loom was placed in the chancel for everyone to weave the creation of a lifecloth representing Trinity's past, present, and future. The symbolism was instantly there - baby blankets, wire, baptism dresses, shoe strings, ties, shirts, lace, ribbon, and yarns of every color and texture, representing ourselvesour familiesour memoriesour love of one anotherand our love of this place, Trinity Church.
It is finished. Nearly 400 people participated! It is a mish-mash of color - some places tight and beautiful - some raggedy - some loose - yet all clinging, hanging onto one another, very much like our faith journeys. Now we'll admire it, find a place to display it and go on with "ordinary time." It's over, but hopefully not completely over.
I have searched for the "why" - why this project immediately took on a life of its own. It was visual, tactile, colorful - that's all good. But it was more than that. It seemed to give voice to the most human of needs - I AM SOMEBODY - KNOW ME - REMEMBER ME. I was filled with the memory of the Jewish tradition of placing a stone on the graves of those who have gone before. It says "I remember you."
How do you build an intimate Christ-centered community?
- Remember and honor
- Touch, share, and love one another
- Stand and say "Here I am Lord ready or not!"
By the way, my yarn is bright yellow. Even if you can't find it - remember me!
Thank you to the weaving team that made this project happen - Kathie Cahoon, Luise Hoffman, Janet Hoyne, Joanne Roman.
Trinity's sanctuary is becoming an increasingly popular space for local musical ensembles to perform. The intimate setting and warm acoustics are ideal for vocal and chamber music, and our location makes us accessible to concertgoers in the city and county. I am delighted to tell you about a number of concerts that will take place at Trinity in the coming months. Attend as many of these exciting events as you can and be sure to invite your friends. Thank you, as always, for your support of Trinity's music ministry!
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Sunday, February 8, 2004 at 3 p.m.
Silvian Iticovici, violin
Asoko Kuboki, violin Katie Mattis, viloa Melissa Brooks-Rubright, violoncello Paul Vasile, piano
Performing chamber works for piano and strings by Beethoven and Schumann.
Free and open to the public. |
Saturday, March 13, 2004 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 14, 2004 at 3 p.m.
Scott Schoonover, conductor
$15 for adults, $13 for seniors (60+), $10 for students. Call (314)
371-6700 to order tickets or for additional information about the
concert.
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Romantic Music for Vocal Quartet
Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 3 p.m.
Laura Brady, soprano
Donita Obermann, mezzo-soprana Bruce Carvell, tenor David Bowling, bass Paul Vasile, piano
Two of Trinity's soloists will sing in a performance of Schumann's Spanisches Liederspiel and In A Persian Garden, by the early 20th-century composer Liza Lehmann.
Free and open to the public. |
Good Friday Tenebrae Service /
The Seven Last Words of Christ Friday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Arianna String Quartet
Trinity Choir and Soloists
Haydn's poignant reflection on the Passion will be performed by the critically-acclaimed
Arianna String Quartet
and the Trinity Choir.
Free and open to the public. |
Preschool - "Sharing the Good News." Learning stories of the temple, Anna, Nicodemus, and Zacchaeus.
God's Creation (Pre K - 4th) - Finishing a unit on miracles. Starting a unit on the Great Commandment and the Lord's Prayer.
5th & 6th Grades - New Testament Survey - Review of Holy Week. Working with a cool computer software program "Life of Christ." About to move into the start of the early church.
Confirmation Class - Seasons and Senses of the Liturgical year. Stewardship. The western wall and forming their own prayer wall. Weaving 13 individual strands together as one to weave into the bigger tapestry. Developing relationships with their advocates. Visit their room and look at their walls - the walls tell a wonderful faith story!
Senior High - Start of the new monthly House Wor-ship service. Ask them about the movieDogma and who they think God is. Going to the musical RENT. Fundraising for Mission Trip.
Using a video series which explores the historical context of the 10 commandments and group discussions, this ten week series seeks to help participants learn more about why the Ten Commandments are so potent, how they get to issues of the heart, and how they affect the way we live. Topics include:
"Have No Other Gods but Me" Where did the commandments come from? What is their special link to the desert and mountain? What does it mean to have our bodies free but our hearts enslaved? Why was it more difficult to get the slavery out of Israel than to get Israel out of slavery? Discover how the first commandment is really more of a joy than a duty.
"Do Not Misuse My Name" See why this may be the most misunderstood commandment. Discover how this commandment in concerned with much more than just words and language. How is racism a form of blasphemy? Find out what's really in a name - God's name - your name. How does God address us by name, and what does that mean?
This course will be led by Suzanne Trotter.
This is a follow-up class for persons who took the spiritual gifts inventory. If you would like to discuss what your spiritual gifts inventory reveals, of if you would like to take the inventory, please plan to attend. Additional opportunities to discuss spiritual gifts will be offered in the winter.
This course will be led by Dan Anderson-Little.
In this class, participants will discuss Brian McLaren's marvelous book A New Kind of Christian. One reviewer described McLaren's novel this way: A New Kind of Christian's conversation between a pastor and his daughter's high school science teacher reveals that wisdom for life's most pressing spiritual questions can come from the most unlikely sources. This stirring fable captures a new spirit of Christianity - where personal, daily interaction with God is more important than institutional church structures, where faith is more about a way of life than a system of belief, where being authentically good is more important than being doctrinally "right," and where one's direction is more important than one's present location. Brian McLaren's delightful account offers a wise and wondrous approach for revitalizing Christian spiritual life and Christian congregations.You can obtain your own copy of the book from an on-line book source or you can pick up a copy in the church office on January 25 (we will have 4 copies available).
This course will be led by Diane O'Brien.
This class will be led by the newly formed Adult Education Planning Team. It will include readings and spiritual exercises. Please watch for further details.
The Kingshighway reported many developments in January and February of 1954, including:
There would now be adequate heat for the 9:30 service, because the conversion from coal to gas and oil had been completed.
Members were gathering for Friday "fun nights" of games for all ages. In fact, there were numerous articles about the importance of fellowship and friendship, as might be expected in a newly formed congregation.
Norma and John Vavra were among those down with the flu.
The congregation had pledged $64,486.48 toward a budget of $66,500, representing 536 pledges from 817 members.
The "Nursery Notes" introduced to parents Mrs. Roberta Middelkamp, who "has her B.S. in Nursing from Washington University School of Nursing and until she became the mother of two children, she was Head Nurse at St. Louis Children's Hospital."
C.T. Heumann, in his "Inventory '53," summed up the history of the previous momentous year which saw the memberships of The First United and the Kingshighway churches combined into one congregation:
Coming together was the beginning.
Meeting together was progress.
Working together is success.
The youth raised just over $900 in the Christmas dedication/greeting card fundraiser. The money will help them go to Montreat Youth Conference and also go to Juarez, Mexico for their Mission trip this summer.
Blank paper, blank
screen
The situation's
desperate.
I'm feeling rather
mean.
Nothing yet, the week
wanes.
My eyes are feeling
weary.
My head is feeling
pains.
Desperate? A bit hyperbolic, you say? Let me tell you desperate. I actually - and I am not making this up - found myself laboring long over a line that ended up: "What songs of thanksgiving do slugs sing?" If that line isn't enough to get you committed, what ever would? Granted, there were extenuating factors - a slug almost stepped upon and part of a verse from "The Ash Grove" stuck in my head: Let all things now-ow living / Their songs o-of tha-anks-giving / To God the-e Cre-e-ator / Triumphantly something. Over and over and over it rolled, spewing lilty shards and smushing lucid thought. But the clock ticks on
Wednesday fast
approaches.
Still there's nothing
there.
Perhaps pirouetting
roaches
or swallows in the
air.
A field of golden
daffodils
waving in the breeze?
Been used already?
Geez.
I know -- a snowy
wood
or some diverging
roads.
I could make them
interesting
by putting in some
toads.
Nothing under the sun
is new.
I know, I've heard
that too.
But then, surely,
nuance is
something we can do.
Besides, whoever said
that
Clearly never knew
Of those slugs
singing their hearts out
In the early morning
dew.