- Stacy Shupe

- Ann Fischer

• The line up: the St. Louis Stompers (Dixieland; have delighted Trinity audiences in the past); John Higgins and Charlie Pfeiffer (bluegrass, folk and blues); Beth Tuttle and Sandy Weltman (folk, jazz, blues, world, et al); and Curt Carter.
• Cost: $10 / ticket. Can be obtained by calling Jim (781-0900, ext. 340) or at the door. Jim suggests being there by 7:00 if you want to get tickets at the door.
• Doors open at 6:30; the concert starts at 7:30 and will last approximately 2 hours. There will also be a silent auction to benefit Aidan before the concert.

- Stacy Shupe

- Stacy Shupe

Saturday 10:00 a.m. to Sunday, noon

How about risking a few mosquito bites for the chance to start a friendship or strengthen fellowship? Do you know every fellow Trinity worshipper? Or do you rely upon nametags to get through a Sunday morning with any poise? Either way, this retreat is for you.

The retreat promises to be:

• Fun (hiking, swimming, games, campfire and s'mores)
• Spiritual (outdoor worship service, beautiful natural setting on 370 acres, and s'mores)
• Relaxed (plenty of activities, but no strict schedule; separate cabins for those whose sociability stops short of being a bunkmate; and s'mores)
• Friendly (get-to-know-you games and activities)
• Quick (a mere 26 hours, much of it spent sleeping)
• Inexpensive (typical price for 4 meals and lodging will be $45 for individuals, $75 for a couple, and around $90 to $130 for families)
• Inconvenient (yes, it's either right after or right before your children start school or are getting married; yes, you have to drive 94.6 miles from Trinity to get there)
• Nutritious (lunches, breakfast, dinner, and s'mores)

And finally, our retreat promises to build upon your sense of connectedness to the people who are Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Bring your checkbook to church next Sunday. Kathie Cahoon, Christy Thompson or Suzanne Trotter will be happy to help you register. We will be easily located in the narthex after each service until the registration deadline: August 7th.

Any questions? Call us! Suzanne (361-0456), Christy (725-1564), and Kathie (991-6495)

- Keith Fischer, Chair, Corporate Affairs Commission

Circles - geometric figures that are endless, that surround us, that connect us - will be a major theme of Stewardship Season this year. No, we are not starting pledging in July, but we are keeping this important aspect of our church life before the congregation.

Do Kirk and Kim Merritt have taken on yet another responsibility at Trinity in providing the creative energy for this year's Stewardship season, which will kick off on October 16 at a luncheon at church. At that luncheon, congregation members will have a chance to review the budget before it is approved by the Session, ask questions, and put in their "two cents" worth. More importantly, we as a congregation will be reminded of those connections that hold us together as a family of God.

Two months ago I tried to summarize the financial status of Trinity in a letter to all active members. The feedback from that has been very positive, including a new pledge and two families increasing their pledges. People were, I think, relieved to know that our financial situation, though not "grave", had to be faced and changes made.

The 2005 budget contained a $72,000 deficit. At its June meeting, the Session on recommendation of the Corporate Affairs Commission gave unanimous support to reducing this deficit by at least $25,000, through a combination of decreased spending and increased pledges. Savings on insurance, personnel, and facility spending were targeted. Although a tentative budget has not been hammered out yet, it is clear that this goal will be met. It is, of course, a multi-year process to bring our spending and earnings into balance.

One aspect of circles I especially like is that there can be no dead ends with circles. They may shrink (the budget) but they still offer endless possibilities for mission and connection. Participate with us in our stewardship. Come to the luncheon on October 16. Stay informed. And pray for our church. Thank you.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

Don't let the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer keep you from making a gift towards the repair and restoration of Trinity's pipe organ! Wrapping up the first phase of our campaign, we are pleased to report that we have received over $59,840 in gifts and pledges toward our goal of $75,000. This is an amazing display of generosity and we are deeply grateful for the congregation's strong support of this vital project. However, we still need to raise an additional $15,000 and continue to welcome your gifts and pledges, which can be spread out until the end of 2006.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We are also pleased to announce that our Organ "Fun-Raiser" Concert has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 17 at 7 p.m. There will be something for everyone - musical theatre, jazz, rap, and more! A donation of $15 is suggested for adults; children will be admitted free of charge. We hope that you will plan to join us for a memorable evening of musical revelry! Look for more information in upcoming Trinity News and the bulletin!

- Amy Rahm

- John Roman

After months of preparation and planning, Trinity is ready for the start of the Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) Listening Campaign. Twenty-four members have agreed to be Listeners and have attended one of the MCU training sessions. They were commissioned at the July 10th service and are all set to go. The next step is the Listening Campaign itself, which starts now and will run to the 17th of September. During this time each Listener will contact seven to eight other members and arrange a time and place to conduct an interview lasting about 30 minutes. During this meeting the Listeners will be building a relationship and gaining information about the member and their interests and passions about both Trinity and the community. After the campaign, this information will be summarized for Trinity and taken forward to the Cluster.

Due to the number of Listeners, not all members can be interviewed during this first Listening Campaign. If you are contacted, please allow us to hear your story by setting up a meeting so you can be interviewed. If you are not contacted in this round, do know that we value your input about our congregation and the issues before us. Be assured that we will have more opportunities in the future to hear from everyone. The amount of time required is short, but the value is immense, both to Trinity and to the community. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Church Office or call me at 314-726-4592.

In-town Trinity Members have been sent a letter from Dan Anderson-Little with an overview of this process and more information about MCU. As background, MCU is an interdenominational, multiracial community organization of religious congregations in a local area and there are several other existing clusters in the St. Louis area. We are joining together with Samuel United Church of Christ, University United Methodist, First Presbyterian, Crossroads AME, Unity Christ Church UCC, and Christ Church UCC to create the Mid-County Cluster. For more information on MCU, visit their web page at http://www.mcustl.org.

- Do Kirk

Trinity Peacemakers Need Your Stuff!

• Stuffed Animals... Backpacks... School Supplies... Children's Underwear, all sizes, for children in abuse shelters, distributed by Children's Services.
• All old glasses - the gift of new eyes collected and distributed by the Lions Clubs of America
• Children's Shoes, sizes 3-13 - Trinity children are collecting shoes for children in Baghdad Iraq to be distributed by American Troops stationed in Baghdad

God loves a cheerful giver.

Contribution and Swap / Give-Away Spot

Shelves have been added in the church dining room for contributions and as a place to swap or give away books, games, puzzles. Here's how it works:

• Bring your paperbacks and put them on the shelves. Put your name and a comment about the book inside the cover (if you want).
• Help yourselves to other books, etc.
• No keeping track - no rules - just sharing and giving away.

Four confirmands joined Trinity on May 22. They are introduced here by their Elder Advocates.

Wyndham Ferris just finished 8th grade at John Burroughs School. He is the son of Diana Gray and Mark Ferris and little brother to Katie Ferris. He is honest, kind, and gentle. He has a brain that is out of this world; he's willing to share his knowledge in a way that does not put others down. He loves world history and learning.

Wyndham started out coming to class to please his mom... ended up coming on his own... He has been questioning, doubting, struggling with this thing called "faith," and willing to continue the journey. There things we have in common, things he probably doesn't even realize: We like to have fun. We like peanut butter. We are both accepting of others. We are fellow believers and fellow questioners. We both struggled with the question of membership right up to the 11th hour. This young man will change our world one day - Wow! And I taught him Sunday School. What an absolute blessing this has been.

- Kim Merritt

Branden Gary is a recent graduate from 8th grade at Wydown Middle School in Clayton. Branden likes a variety of sports, but especially football, baseball, tennis and golf. He also participates in a writing club through school (I'm told he's very good!) His participation in the Confirmation class has raised lots of questions and curiosities about faith and religion. Finally, since I work for the School District of Clayton, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about Branden away from Trinity by asking his teachers to tell me two or three words to describe him. Here's what they said: "A great sense of humor, intelligent, well mannered with adults, energetic, empathetic, playful, and highly developed social skills and intellect."

- David Hotaling

Jamie Schoeberlein has been "part and parcel" of our congregation for a very long time. She is the granddaughter of Rose Bodman, daughter of Nedra Schoeberlein and sister of Maggie, Ben and Tucker. Jamie is a soccer player and has been active at Brentwood Middle School as a cheerleader. She will be joining her sister Maggie this fall at Brentwood High School. Jamie is looking forward to being part of the Trinity Youth Group and participating in the mission trips. She will be going with the Youth Group to Montreat this summer. As I have gotten to know Jamie I have seen her interact with the others in the confirmation class with great kindness and friendship. I have also become aware of her deep love and caring for others, especially for her family.

- Diane O'Brien

Anna Swearingen is the daughter of Kirk and Jyl Swearingen and lives in Webster Groves with her parents and younger sister Nora. She goes to Hickson Middle School and does well there academically. Anna also is very talented and participates in school plays, takes piano and guitar lessons and also takes dance classes, specializing in modern, pointe ballet, and regular ballet. Anna aspires to a potential career in the creative arts. Anna is excited to be involved in church; she likes coming because it's fun, and she said that prayer to her means peace. Those are the same feelings I had when leaving her and the group. She is a sweet gentle soul who has much to offer all of us.

- Amy Rahm

- Nancy Wagoner

Most of our holidays, our church celebrations, and family events are about remembering. . . The older you get, the more your life is about remembering. Today [May 22] we both honor and remember. We remember two young men - Jimmy Scholin and Todd Weems - who left our Trinity family in the prime of their youth. The love and devotion of their parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and friends have enabled us to honor today a different generation of college students.

Body Jimmy and Todd called Trinity home. Their involvement in the youth group and on Mission Trips was legendary. Do Kirk has wonderful stories about both boys - their mischievousness, their work, and their faith. This faith and their life's journey, albeit short, was nurtured in this beloved community called Trinity.

After Jimmy's death in 1977, Ray and Ginny Scholin established the James E. Scholin Scholarship Fund. Additional memorials were added in Todd's memory after he was killed in 1982. Today over 300 awards to Trinity youth have been made by the Scholin/Weems Scholarship Fund, amounting to over $300,000. What a testament of love! It gives me great pleasure to announce the 2005 awards:

• Sarah Grant will attend the University of Vermont. She would like to support peace and justice through social action and music. She will be a music major.
• Claire Santoro will attend Brown University working with public policy, either environmental policy or education policy.
• Lindsay Peglar will go to Tulane University. She is interested in emergency medicine and trauma surgery. She hopes to become a doctor, a life-long dream.
• Katie Merritt attends the University of Tulsa and is an advertising major with a minor in Art.
• Porter Campbell attends the American University in Washington, DC, hoping to be influential in the international arena, attempting to connect people from all over the world.
• David Rand is an Environmental Studies major at St. Olaf College hoping to pursue a career as an environmental consultant.
• Kristen Grant will graduate from Dartmouth College next year and will spend one to two years with Doctors Without Borders before attending medical school.
• Shobha Philips attends the University of Minnesota and hopes to use her marketing and graphic design background to work in advertising.
• Shanthi Philips attends the University of Richmond. Her career goal is to be an actuary.
• Julienne Campbell will graduate from Texas Christian University with a nursing degree, hoping to work in pediatrics.

In honoring these young men and women, and in remembering Jimmy and Todd, let us be reminded of the tradition of those who survived the Holocaust. Placing a pebble on the graves of those lost, these survivors say "I remember, I remember."

- Do Kirk

Black foamcore walls, hanging cheesecloth, and dark blue curtains created the catacombs in the drama room for Trinity's children this summer. They were built by Daniel Anderson-Little, Willie Wysession, Peter Schmidt, and Jacob Anderson-Little - thank you boys!

To enter into the darkness, our lanterns light the way. Everyone stops to mark the sign of the fish in the sand, being sure to scatter the sand so none of the non-believers spy on us!

Each Sunday we tell the stories and mark the ways to remember on our walls. Christ said to us "remember and follow me." We remember!

Angels in our midst - Those we love - Ourselves and Families

- Betty Burnett

Elaine Pagels, the scholar who wrote The Gnostic Gospels twenty years ago, presents a well-reasoned look at the beginning of Christian theology in Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (Random House, 2005). We may not like the idea that politics and internecine rivalry played a part in the adoption of today's creeds and Christian litmus tests, but it seems logical. Why would Christian leaders in the years after Jesus' death be more prescient or holier ("more Christian") than today's leaders?

After discussing key points in early theology before it became codified and pointing out that millions of earnest nonorthodox Christians have been harassed, anathematized, and even murdered by an obdurate hierarchy, Pagels concludes:

Amen and amen.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Harper Collins), which won the 2004 National Book Critics Award, is a gentle store of theological and spiritual formation. A third-generation pastor who is dying writes a loving apologia to his young son, explaining the family dynamics and his own profound belief, borne out in his day-to-day life. It seemed to me that such a simple story could only be set in a small Midwestern town in the mid 1950s. It may be misguided to think Americans were ever so slow-paced, innocent, kindly, and committed to being good, but certainly today introspection and simple compassion are often drowned out by hype and electronic noise. They are not encouraged.

I especially loved what the narrator writes about defensiveness (one of my character traits):

- Corie Merker

- Connie Torretta