Each month during our season of discerning, the Session will provide specific and concrete questions that each of you can think about and pray about for the month. On the last Sunday of the month, we will have a lunch after worship to share what we are learning and discerning. If you cannot attend the lunch, you are encouraged to write down your responses and drop them off at church, mail them to the church, or send them in via email. Your input will help the Session as it leads the congregation into the future.
Some Christians have a natural gift for praying-prayer comes easily and naturally. But for many of us, prayer is struggle. Each month we will offer some guidance on different ways to pray. This month, you can find guidance for a variety of styles of prayer in the Lenten Spirituality Center in God's Creation.
Breath Prayer
Get into a comfortable position (one suggestion: sit in a straight backed prayer, place your feet flat on the ground, and place your hands palms up on your thighs). Take three breaths-in through you nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe in, picture that your breath carries the Holy Spirit into your being. As you breathe out, let your breath carry your worries and anxieties away from you. After three breaths, sit calmly and ask God to be present to you. If extraneous thoughts pop into your head ("Did I turn off the lights in my closet?" "I must remember to pick up some milk", etc.), gently breathe them out so your mind and spirit can be clear and focused. In the silence allow God to speak to you. What is God saying? What images is God placing in your mind?
Discerning is a process that gives us a clear picture of the future that God is leading us to. We discern by looking back (not only at our own history, but in scripture as well) and seeing how God has been faithful to God's promises. We also discern by noticing how God is active in our midst right now. As spring and new growth is in the air, lots of new things are blooming at Trinity these days.
Stewardship Team
In response to the financial challenge that we as a church are experiencing, a new Stewardship Team has been formed. The members of this team responded to an invitation at the Annual Meeting to help the church develop a more intentional and wide-reaching stewardship emphasis. This team will help Trinity develop a year round stewardship emphasis. They will have regular articles in the Trinity News, work with Dan to have occasional testimonies in worship that will be paired with sermons, oversee the annual pledge campaign and will make sure that all of our special offerings are coordinated. Brian Muegge is chairing this team. Other members of the team are Jenn Clodi, Evan Reid, and Larry Pontious. If you would like to join the team, please speak with Brian.
Rummage Sale
This actually isn't new as Trinity used to have rummage sales in the past. But we haven't had a rummage sale in the last seven or eight years. This year's rummage sale is being spearheaded by Elder Cheryl Evans. Cheryl was motivated to coordinate this effort as a way to raise money to keep our paid section leaders in the choir. The rummage sale will be held at Trinity on Saturday, April 18. We need people to donate items, to help set-up and price items, and work at the sale on April 18. Please speak with Cheryl if you can help us raise money to help maintain a strong and vital music ministry.
Joint Ministry Conversations with First Presbyterian Church
Trinity Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church have, for nearly a century, sat less than a mile away from each other. In that time the two congregations have engaged in little joint ministry. As both congregations are now discerning their futures, we have entered into a discussion with First Church exploring the possibility of joint ministry. Joint ministry could range from doing mission projects together to sharing staff to merging the two congregations into one. At this point, we don't know where this conversation will lead (more discerning is needed!), but it is exciting to explore how God is calling both churches to be a vital and effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in University City.
Mark your calendars for a lunch & time of group discerning after worship on Sunday, April 26. Your bulletin insert asks 3 discerning questions to pray on during the month of March as we move forward together as a church. We will gather for lunch and conversation about these questions on Sunday, March 29th after worship. This will be a potluck meal. We will repeat this process monthly until our congregational discerning update meeting on June 14th.
For the first month, the meal assignments are:
O Lord, Hear Our Prayer
A Service of Wholeness and Healing
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6:30-7:30 PM
In the Sanctuary of
Trinity Presbyterian Church
6800 Washington Avenue
University City, Missouri
The spiritual practices of lighting prayer candles, laying on of hands and anointing with oil will be offered.
The members of Trinity Presbyterian Church welcome all neighbors and friends in our community who seek a quiet, meditative time.
Save your Stuff for our rummage sale on Saturday, April 18th, with proceeds going towards covering soloist/section leader costs so we can keep them past May. Start saving hangers and setting aside items to donate as you do your own spring cleaning or downsizing (bring items starting Sunday March 29th). Contact Cheryl Evans or Liz if you want to help-we'll need many hands to make this work! Sign up in the Narthex.
Quakers from our Interfaith Partnership connection invite us to a dialogue Thursday, March 19th from 7-8:30pm, led by coordinators of the African Great Lakes Initiative,
a Quaker organization supporting grassroots peacemaking activities in Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda & Uganda.
Quaker Meetinghouse
1001 Park Ave
St. Louis, MO 63104.
RSVP: 623-6550 (Blair Forlaw).
A handout with more information is in the Narthex.
Have a house full of Girl Scout cookies? Feeling guilty for gazing at them longingly from across the kitchen? Want that heart-warming feeling of donating to a good cause, rather than that heartburn feeling of eating too many?
Bring any "extra" boxes of GS cookies to church this Sunday and we will use them for treats after worship. Reduce, reuse, recycle! Please email Liz if you are able to donate so Evangelism/Welcoming can plan accordingly. Donations to the fellowship treat supply are always welcome in our kitchen freezer.
Please set aside some time on Saturday, March 21st between 9 and noon for our 2nd Trinity WORK DAY. Come for any or all of it and help complete cleaning and organizing projects.
The 15 people who came last month got a lot done, had a chance to chat and ate some donuts. (See pictures from the February Work Day.)
Sounds like a satisfying Saturday morning and you get to see immediate results. Also a great idea for kids who have service hours to complete!
"Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31
During the season of Lent, Christians around the world often gather to pray for healing and wholeness. Knowing so well that Jesus underwent great suffering during this time preceding the crucifixion, and looking forward to the victory of the resurrection, we will come together in a Service of Healing and Wholeness on Thursday, March 19, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. It is open to all Trinity members, friends and neighbors in our community. The healing and wholeness service will include quiet music, silent and spoken prayer, and an opportunity for anointing and laying on of hands for healing for anyone who desires wholeness of body, mind and spirit. God knows our needs before we ask, but in times of trouble and pain we can be strengthened by asking God for healing and strength so that we and our loved ones may be restored to wholeness and health. Come at 6:30 p.m. on March 19 for a service of prayer, song, and meditation.
3/1 and 3/8 - Ten Commandments: Continuing series led by John Bracke, Professor of Bibilical Studies, Eden Theological Seminary. The Ten Commandments occupy an important place not only for people of faith but in Western culture. This class will examine the Ten Commandments by giving attention to both their context in ancient Israel and the ways they might continue to address church and society.
3/15 through 4/5 - Life transitions: Led by Dale Kuhn, Executive Director, Care & Counseling. This class looks at life changes that are forced, that are developmental and that are chosen. It will examine issues of grief, growth, anxiety, energy and the role of faith in the process of transition.
"Praise the Lord! . . .Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals . . . !" (Psalm 150: 1, 3-5 ) What a wonderful variety of sounds and instruments is called for by the psalmist! At Trinity we also praise God with choral, solo, small ensemble and congregational singing. We praise him in worship services, in masterwork concerts and in "fun-raisers." The psalmist evokes for me a God who loves music, movement, beauty and meaning.
To help bring into Trinity's worship experiences movement, beauty and meaning through music we rely on the generous support of the members of Trinity's congregation. Your "Psalm 150 Fund" contributions help pay for the professional musicians who lead, accompany and enhance the efforts our volunteer musicians. This year we need your help to also fund the section-leaders who support our faithful choir. After this choir season, their positions will no longer be supported by the general church budget.
As Trinity moves into a time of "discernment and experimentation" led by our session members and pastoral staff, the music ministry will also be called to experiment with different types of musical experiences. As faithful children of our loving God, we seek to do this with our whole hearts, minds and souls. Your resources can help us to grow and play under God's steady direction to learn the myriad ways in which we can make "joyful noise" together.
The music ministry will be campaigning soon for the "Psalm 150 Fund" and I want to encourage you to bring our campaign into your heart and your prayers. If you feel you have a particular passion or energy to help with this campaign, please speak with me, Bill Wade or Bob Wagoner. We'll be meeting soon to discuss the direction and tactics of our campaign. email: vcarmichael44@gmail.com.
"Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150: 6)
Over the past number of weeks, the Session at Trinity has been talking about our present financial situation and how we will be addressing it in the weeks and months to come. What follows is a Question and Answer session with myself to address some of the issues that are before us.
Q: How big is the deficit for 2009?
A: The Session voted to begin the year with a $74,000 deficit. This amount assumed that we would receive $300,000 in pledges. Because additional pledges have come in, as of Feb. 18, our deficit now stands at $67,000. I anticipate it will continue to shrink as more pledges come in. Every Trinity member can help reduce that deficit through additional giving.
Q: How long can Trinity run such deficits?
A: Not long. We began this year with church savings a little higher than $420,000. These savings can help us weather difficult times, but every time we spend from our savings, the money is gone. Additionally, our goal should be to preserve as much of our savings as possible so they can be used to help expand our ministry and grow the church.
Q: Are you worried about this financial time?
A: I would say that I am concerned, but not worried. I am concerned because we must act wisely to make sure that we get Trinity on a sustainable path. This will call forth wisdom and flexibility from all of us. And we know we don't have endless time to address our financial challenges. But I am not worried because God is always faithful. God has richly blessed this congregation first with faithful, talented, and caring people. Even if we had no cash reserves, I wouldn't worry because God always provides what we need to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. But we do have substantial cash reserves; this is due to the faithfulness of our forbearers. The generosity of previous generations can help us create a ministry that will endure for generations to come.
Q: So how will we decide what we should do to arrive at this sustainable future? How will we know what to cut, what to keep, and what to add? That seems like an almost impossible task.
A: It is an almost impossible task-but it's not impossible. We will do what the church has done for thousands of years; we will enter into a time of discernment.
Q: You use that term "discernment" a lot. What exactly is discernment?
A: Discernment is a discipline that enables us to begin to understand God's will for us, for our church and for the world. Discernment is really a way of listening as God speaks. We discern in a variety of ways: through prayer, which is not only speaking our needs to God, but listening for God as God speaks to us. We discern as we listen to the hopes and dreams of our fellow members and as we listen to the hurts and needs of the world. We discern as we read and study scripture together, as we hear of God's love for creation and humanity. So discerning is a matter of listening; it is also a matter of sharing - of sharing what we are hearing and trusting that the Holy Spirit will bring us to a place of understanding. We will make choices based on that understanding.
Q: Where does discernment happen?
A: Discernment happens every time we make an important decision in our own lives. It happens at Trinity every time we gather as God's people - in worship, in education, in fellowship, in service. The Session will provide a variety of venues in the coming weeks and months so that all members of the congregation can listen together and share what the Holy Spirit is revealing to them.
Q: This sounds a bit fuzzy - like there is no real plan. Is that the case?
A: Discernment is a very powerful way for the church to receive guidance; but we enter into the process without a guaranteed outcome. It is my experience that if we are faithful to the discipline of discernment, then God will be faithful in revealing God's will to us with a clarity sufficient to act.
Q: What else is going on that calls for discerning?
A: There are two important conversations that call forth our most faithful discernment. One is a new conversation that has started with First Presbyterian Church, just a half a mile to the west of Trinity on Delmar. First Pres is going through some similar challenges to Trinity, and the two Sessions have started a conversation exploring joint ministry. In the weeks and months to come, we will be discerning whether or not God is calling these two congregation to a common ministry. These conversations could lead to a serious discussion about a merger between the two congregations (a process that would result in one new congregation with leadership and location to be determined); it could lead to sharing mission and ministry in our community; or we may discern that God is not calling us to a specific relationship with First Pres. We can only know what to do through discernment.
Q: You said there were two conversations - what is the second?
A: The second conversation has to do with replacing the elevator. Our current elevator is obsolete - we anticipate that in the next couple of years it will either break down and not be able to be fixed, or the state will not let us use it because it will be out of code compliance. If Trinity is going to be true to its calling to be a welcoming and inclusive church, it is essential to have an elevator in our building. But this begs the question: given the high ongoing cost of maintaining the building, the enormous carbon footprint of the building, and the high cost of a new elevator, is God calling us to stay in this building or do we need to explore other issues?
Q: And what do you think we should we do?
A: I don't know the answer to that. What I do know is that these questions can't be solved through simple analysis. Yes, we need the best information we can gather, and the Session and its commissions are hard at work doing that, but in the end, the path we must take will only be known through discernment.
Q: Do you really think that will work?
A: Absolutely. It's why the church has not only survived but thrived through depressions and recessions, through persecutions and dark days. God is speaking to us - we only need to listen.
In coming weeks, you will be given opportunities for further conversation about the issues raised at the annual meeting and in today's insert. Stay tuned and be a part of our moving forward together.
Lent is a time mirroring Jesus' forty days praying and fasting in the wilderness. It is a time during the church year that we are invited into personal prayer, reflection, and meditation, as Jesus did. Come to Trinity's space and time of quiet listening during Lent: A Place Apart.
On Thursday evenings during Lent (2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2), we will open a spirituality center for all ages at Trinity from 7-8:30 p.m. (note this is a corrected time from the last newsletter). We will have several different "stations":
Stay for 15 minutes or the entire time. Parents are encouraged to bring children, who often crave quiet in their lives and do not always find it among all their planned activities. At 6:45 p.m each week, Dawn and I will be leading a short workshop for families to learn how they can use the time for prayer in ways that are meaningful for both kids and parents. If you have any questions about our Place Apart, please contact Dawn Fleischman (24dawn@gmail.com) or me (s00.sshupe@wittenberg.edu).
We all seem to know instinctively that friendship is vital to human beings. We were created to be in relationship with God and one another. The Church has been described as "a spiritual community of people on a journey to God," and here at Trinity many seem to realize that we can work harder and go deeper in meaningful fellowship with others. The Equipping Ministry Team is planning a Small Groups Ministry of Faith, Growth and Service. Beginning in April the Team will propose a plan for Trinity members to become part of small groups that meet regularly, study and fellowship together, pray for one another and engage together in service both in and outside of the church. More information will be coming soon in Trinity communications, so watch this space!
We have had a lot of conversation about Trinity's current financial concerns recently. The economic downturn, the moving of some past pledgers, and the decline in Sunday attendance have all reduced the number of pledging units. The Session is working to make cuts, find ways to grow, and discern God's plan for our future. The Session decided to run a $74,000 deficit so as to limit the impact of cuts on our ministry. But the Session is keenly aware that we, as a church, cannot run these deficits for very long. Here are ways you can help ensure that Trinity has a brighter future:
Some members would like to host a weekly T'ai Chi class at Trinity after we enjoyed a free intro lesson in February. Interested in learning more? Contact Liz in the office or Luise Hoffman. Which days/times work best for you? The cost will probably be around $60 for eight sessions. T'ai Chi is a slow Chinese martial art often practiced for health, relaxation and meditative reasons.
Trinity's small group, Wild With Words, welcomes new members at any time. Every other Sunday evening we meet to share in fellowship, writing and discussion! We will meet March 8 and March 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m., in the Trinity Chapel. ALL are welcome! For more information, contact Julie March.
Save your Stuff! Cheryl Evans will be helping organize a rummage sale for Saturday, April 18th, with proceeds going towards covering choir soloist/section leader costs so we can keep them past May.
Contact Cheryl or Liz Nelson if you want to help - we'll need many hands to make this work! There will also be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex.
Some ways to help...
Thanks to all who have signed up so far! This will be open to the community & highly advertised. Please tell friends and neighbors to donate items and to come shop! Let Cheryl Evans know if you can help, email me in the office, or sign up on a purple sheet in the Narthex or Dining Room.
Contact Dawn Fleishman for details or to sign up (24.dawn@gmail.com).
Parents, remember to pick up the monthly ParentLink newsletter in the Narthex. Reminders of upcoming kid events and tips on how to talk to your kids about faith and life.
No, it isn't time again for the CROP Walk! That will come in October, but please look now at our beautiful certificate from Church World Service, posted outside the office, thanking members of Trinity for raising $1, 971 for the 2008 St. Louis Metro CROP Hunger Walk. This is a substantial donation and I thank God for God's generosity and love for us and our generosity to those in need.
Hola! And greetings from Guatemala! We are all having a wonderful time and working very hard. We unpacked all our extra suitcases yesterday...the beanie babies, yarn, school supplies and meds were all put away and were much appreciated by the God's Child Project. We all worked VERY HARD today! We dug the house foundation, mixed concrete, and laid the 3 layers of cement blocks. It was a busy but successful day. We have divided the people into 2 teams, so half from Trinity and half from Webster are working together, and we are forming wonderful new friendships. Also the children around the work sites want to help...and we don't turn them down! They are delightful and we all should have lots to share when we return home. Thank you all for your prayers...we send our greetings to all!
- Pat, Shanthi, Alice, Dayna, Bob and Nancy