Imagine what it's like for clients of our food pantry to receive fresh bread and bagels from the Bread Co., along with their staple items. We have the opportunity to offer them fresh, high quality items left over from the Delmar Bread Co. two times a month if we partner with Grace & Peace Fellowship Church on Delmar near the Central West End to take leftovers off of the Bread Co.'s hands weekly.
G&P Fellowship is cutting back on it's pantry and can no longer accept the Bread Co.'s weekly donations, so they would like us to accept them the weeks they are closed. We have been receiving the church's weekly donations for the last two Augusts and know how much our clients look forward to the bread. Here is what we need from Trinity members:
With a commitment of once or twice a month by you, we can increase our Food Pantry offerings at no cost to us. Please let me or Stacey Carman know if you are interested.
Thanks to George Van Hare for the DVD player donation. We can use one more to meet our spiritual growth curriculum needs this year. Let Liz know if you can help. Thank you! (tpcucity@swbell.net).
...starting the week of September 14, meeting weekly through November16. Join one and grow together in study, faith and service. Contact Julie March at 825-3550, juliammc@sbcglobal.net, or talk to any member of the Equipping Ministry Team: Dave Nelson, Rick Jeter and John Merker.
For the past three years, Trinity has had a connection with the God's Child project in Guatemala. Come on Saturday Sept. 26 at 5 pm to hear God's Child founder Patrick Atkinson share his story about this amazing mission project. A light dinner will follow. Join us for a time of informal worship, rich fellowship, and the story of God's love in action in the world.
The Stewardship Campaign for 2010 kicks off in Worship on Sunday, September 13. We hope you join us in service to celebrate the life of our church, and look forward to the new opportunities we can realize by answering God's call. After worship, come down to the Dining Room for a fellowship hour and displays from some of our congregation's many wonderful mission projects.
Once again, the Trinity Choir has resumed singing in Sunday morning worship services for another season. We are a mixed choir of all voice types, ages, and abilities. If you like to sing and want to lend your voice to leading worship by singing with the choir, please consider joining us for rehearsals on Thursday evenings from 7:15 - 9:15 and Sunday mornings at 9:40. We sing a variety of musical styles-there is something for everyone to love! This year we also have several special projects planned, beginning in mid-October with a performance of Trinity member Jim Shoemaker's cantata "Promises of God" which we will perform with the choir from Zion United Church of Christ (Florissant, MO). We have also invited other choir members in the area to join us and will hold some special rehearsals on several Sunday afternoons this fall. If you are unable to commit to singing with the Trinity Choir on a regular basis, but would like to join in this concert, please call the church office to contact one of your Ministers of Music, Vicki Carmichael (vcarmichael44@gmail.com) or Bill Wade (drwewade@gmail.com).
Seriously...I know wearing nametags is not everyone's "thing," but in our efforts to be a welcoming church, it makes a huge difference to visitors and especially to newer members who want to connect names with faces.
With Liz Nelson's help, we've tried to update the nametags stored on boards in the Narthex, kids as well as adults. If yours is missing, please let Liz know and she'll be happy to make you a new one. Membership is NOT required...we're happy to make nametags for regular visitors too!
Is Trinity a Centripetal or Centrifugal Church?
It has been said that change is the only constant. I agree. Some of us embrace change as an opportunity and new horizon; others view change as a threat to that which has become dependable, sacred, and comfortable. Neither is good nor bad, right nor wrong. In my reading about art and worship within the context of the contemporary church I have realized the dangers we face when change is a source of fear or perceived as a threat to be avoided. To be sure, "change brings upheaval.
What Toynbee says of nations is equally true of churches: "A young nation is confronted with a challenge for which it finds a successful response. It then grows and prospers. But as time passes, the nature of the challenge changes. And if a nation continues to make the same, once-successful response to the new challenge, it inevitably suffers a decline and eventual failure." (Art and Worship: A Vital Connection by Janet R. Walton, 1991, p. 47.)
I believe that as the mission and ministry of the church grows, if we are to remain relevant to the community beyond our doors, our vision must evolve from a centripetal focus (tending or directed toward centralization) into a centrifugal ministry. Think about what tremendous effect a far-reaching, outward flinging force of a centrifugal congregation could have! It is an exciting time to be at Trinity and the opportunities for growth, outreach, mission, and (dare I say) evangelism has never been greater. It won't happen if we continue to do the same, once-successful response to new challenges. We can no longer be centripetally focused on just one or two people or traditions. We must be willing to unleash the enormous power of our centrifugal congregation and be prepared to work harder and smarter than ever before. Please step forward and participate in this exciting future! Dare to share. The invitation is extended to each person to participate, collaborate, construct, write, walk, march, sing, ring, speak, teach, paint, play, weave, knit, organize, and even evangelize! The ministry of art and music isn't complete without YOU !
I want to help Mom get a home where she can raise her children, encourage them to invite their friends to come and play, or work on school projects, I can do this, thanks to Trinity and Habitat for Humanity. We are building that home with five other Presbyterian churches.
In early August we reached our financial goal of $5,000 to contribute toward the cost of the house. The contribution has been made. Thanks to all who gave so generously. You know who you are, and God knows and loves you. The house has a finished roof, drywall installed but not yet "taped," siding almost finished, and exterior paint on the front porch beams, pillars, the doors, and the trim at the four corners. Coming soon will be a porch railing and steps, interior priming and painting. Later will come floors, interior trim and doors, cabinets, landscaping, and a final finishing of details.
The August Trinity News has pictures of some Trinity people working on the house (http://www.trinityucity.org/PicPages/Habitat2009.html). I hope to have pictures of Sharonda Tate, the home buyer, in her house for the October edition.
On July 24, Meleia and I were legally married in Davenport, Iowa, by Pastor Rich Hendricks. We were in a local park amongst the trees on a beautiful sunny afternoon. When the ceremony concluded, our kids broke out bubbles and started celebrating. While the ceremony was very special and even profound for me, I think the impact of it actually continues to grow. Meleia and I have been in a committed relationship for almost 19 years, and we had long known that we were the equivalent of a married couple emotionally, and in the way we created a home for ourselves and our children. In fact, I was even initially somewhat resistant to the idea of marriage in Iowa: "What will it mean," I asked? But it means a great deal. No, it didn't come with any legal rights, privileges or even responsibilities in Missouri or according to the federal government, but legal marriage is universally recognized as the ultimate tangible expression of love, devotion and commitment that one person can provide to another.
For heterosexuals, making the decision to marry is complex and intense, but worrying about the legality of it is a non-issue. For Meleia and me, we didn't attend so much to the particular details of the ceremony, but had to focus on the legal documents and arranging to travel out of state. This isn't the first time we have had to "jump through hurdles" to achieve equality that is guaranteed to heterosexuals. Adopting our children required a lot of "underground" legal work to identify a county that would legally recognize our parental rights.
But all of the legal effort faded away as I held Meleia's hands (something we don't usually do in public), looked into her eyes, and recited my vow to love, honor and stand by her through sickness and in health. I could not keep the smile off my face as our children gave our rings to the pastor, who blessed them and us, and we stated the traditional "with this ring I thee wed". I was overjoyed to have our children there, especially to have them so engaged in this joyous event. They are proud that we are married and to all of us, yes, it means a great deal.
During our season of discernment we have prayed, thought, talked, wondered, worried and dreamed. It was numbers that brought us to embark on discernment: declining membership and lower pledge income. And we wondered what this might mean for our future; that is, how would we remain faithful and viable.
I believe that there have been quiet, steady background voices all through this discernment, calling us to the true answer to our question: What does it mean to be the church?
These are the voices: "Live outside ourselves, and do more in service" (from roundtable discussion). "Increase mission giving" (from the Session). "What are you anxious about? Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." (from a sermon by Dan Anderson-Little). "Let's match our in-house bonding with service to others" (from B&B small group planners). "Come build another house." (Pat Gibbons and Bob and Nancy Wagoner). "We want stewardship to be a year-round commitment" (from the new Stewardship Team). "Come help feed the hungry" (from Stacey Carman).
And so our answer is not a "solution," or even an answer at all: it is the Call of Christ. We are called, after all, not to fill our pews and our purses-rather, we are called to empty ourselves-to pour ourselves out, to give and serve in Christ's name, and to live out St. Francis' prayer: consoling, pardoning, loving, understanding.
I want us-Trinity Presbyterian Church-to call ourselves to a new re-formation: not just an increased hope we'll do more in mission, or increased awareness. I want us to lift up service to our brothers and sisters, and to make it our first and constant priority: I want us to be Christ's Servant Church anew.
I believe we are called to live in gratitude in this day, the one we have now; and these are the truths and challenges of today:
We will covenant with those in need to share more with them. The Session will guide this increased service with a new Commission: the Servants Commission, and will coordinate with Stewardship and other outreach endeavors.
I believe we can make these decisions and changes and commitments with courage and joy. And the increase will be the numbers of people who are fed, who are housed, who are nurtured, who are lifted up.
We are committed to grow, and we will, because we have the invitation of Christ-it is the invitation to live fully in Him-in His Grace, His Love, and His Service.
After a year of prayer and discussion about our spiritual future, it is time for our congregation to plan for next year's financial future. If you've been reading this column over the last few months, you know that the Stewardship Committee has been encouraging you to consider pledging and giving as a form of spiritual Discipleship. Now is the time to practice this spiritual discipline as we begin the Stewardship Campaign for the 2010 budgetary year.
Our campaign begins during worship with a fun and lively Kickoff Celebration on Sunday September 13. The service will celebrate the life of our church and the way that our faithful stewardship has enabled a year of growth and mission. Join us after worship for fellowship and a chance to see displays from many of the great projects conducted by Trinity members last year.
The next three weeks of the campaign will be highlighted by a short course during the Adult Education hour. (See page 1.) These fun, discussion-based classes will gives us a chance to discuss our feelings about church giving, and the ways our lives can be enriched by generosity. Class 1 (September 20) will focus on Stewardship as Trinity's Foundation. Class 2 (September 27) deals with Stewardship as Trinity's Sanctuary. We wrap up the series with Stewardship as Trinity's Bell
Our campaign concludes with Commitment Sunday on October 18. Plan to attend worship that morning to offer your pledge cards and practice the discipline of giving. We hope you will be spiritually enriched by the campaign this fall-we know that our congregation will be blessed by your response and commitment to our future.
The 2009 St. Louis Metro Crop walk is coming up soon, on Sunday, October 25. Hundreds of caring people will meet and walk in Forest Park that afternoon to show their support for Church World Service and Operation Food Search. Together the Trinity Team will raise awareness and money for the hungry of St. Louis, the USA and the world. Everyone is welcome...young, old, individuals, families and groups...as we walk together to show that we can make a difference in hundreds of lives. Last year we not only reached, but surpassed our goal by raising over $13,000! Are you interested? Contact Rev. Julie March (juliammc@sbcglobal.net) for more information.
Plans are moving ahead quickly for our new small group sessions which will begin the week of September 14, meeting weekly through December 16. All Trinity members and friends are invited to join a Bonding and Bridging (B&B) group. B&B's are small groups, gathering in members' homes or at Trinity, where group members grow together in study, faith and service. The service project for the fall sessions will be the CROP Walk.
Would you like to join a small group or learn more about B&B's? Contact Julie March (juliammc@sbcglobal.net), or talk to members of the Equipping Ministry Team, Dave Nelson, Rick Jeter and John Merker.
In recent months, leaders at Trinity have talked a lot about building a congregation that is vital and sustainable. We use those words because, while Trinity is currently vital for many of its members, it is not attracting new members at a rate that results in growth. So a vital future is one that is vital for both our current membership and for those who are not now a part of our congregation. We use the word sustainable because our current ministry is not sustainable. We rely on a sizeable endowment contribution and deficit spending each year to maintain our current ministry-a ministry that is not growing. We also use the words vital and sustainable because they are God's hope for the church: that we be at the vital intersection of individuals' and the community's life and draw more and more people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and into Christian service.
While we talk a lot about building this vital and sustainable future, we have not spent a lot of time discussing what that future might look like. This will be a first in a series of articles that attempts to paint a picture of what such a future might look like. These articles come with a major caveat: none of us know the future that God is calling us to-it can only be discovered and lived out as we follow God's leading (thus, our discerning conversations this spring). But pictures of the future are important because they help us to see possibilities. So, here is a picture of what I see:
Multiplication through Addition - In my mind's eye, Trinity is a church with 450 worshippers each week-about three times our current number. Trinity will multiply in membership as we add new worship services that speak to different populations and needs. Trinity's current Sunday morning service is a beautiful, thoughtful and meaningful service. I foresee that that service will continue to be a cornerstone of our worship life for decades to come-it's a part of our DNA and it meets the needs of worshippers who grew up in a traditional church. But like all expressions, it doesn't speak to all people. So we will need to add more expressions of worship. We have already started this with The Commons@The Loop, our Saturday evening service. This service, like the Sunday morning service, is well-done and meets particular needs. And like the Sunday service, it does not meet all needs. So we will need to add more services-probably another service on Sunday morning and another at a different time of the week. These services may speak to our current members, but must speak to the many others who are not currently drawn to Trinity.
The Ties that Bind - A church with multiple services raises a thorny question: can we be one congregation if we worship at different times, in different styles, and therefore don't know each other? For a church like Trinity that has had one service, in one style, at one time, this can seem like an insurmountable problem. For us being church means being all together. And being all together is a wonderful feeling. However, many churches around the country have multiple services, in different styles, at different times, and they are one congregation-it's just a different way of being church-not better or worse, just different. So what holds these multi-celled congregations together? The things that bind Trinity together right now: the love and grace of Jesus Christ and a commitment to creative expression, a radical welcome to all people, and a commitment to justice and peacemaking. Worship styles change over the years as tastes change. But the deep values of Trinity are not about a worship style-they are grounded in the person of Jesus and his call to witness to his love and justice in the world. So multi-celled congregations are bound together by those commitments and through working together to share God's love in Jesus Christ with the world. And even as we become multi-celled, we will continue to create opportunities for those who attend different services to serve together, fellowship together, and be in small groups together.
An Equipping Church - For the past four years, Trinity has been working on becoming an equipping church. An equipping church is a church where the ministry of the church is carried out by the members-members who have been called by God to serve, equipped by the church for that service, and then deployed to serve. An equipping church seeks to have every member involved in meaningful service. Trinity of the future will continue to emphasize equipping because Jesus has called each one of us, not just into membership, but into meaningful service.
Dreaming Big - Many members of Trinity have heard me ask with a sly smile, "Have you ever heard about my plan for an atrium in the front of the building?" This typically is met with a roll of the eyes and the question, "Do you know how expensive that would be?" Here is the plan: the front end of Trinity is highly problematic for a number of reasons. The front steps are in rough shape; the entrance is imposing for people who don't have a background in the church; and we have no good fellowship space in the front of our building. My atrium plan would remove the front stairs and attach a glass atrium to the front of the building. Staircases from the narthex to the ground floor and maybe an elevator(!) would provide access. This space could serve as a gathering space for fellowship, a concert space, maybe even space for the offices. It would turn a building that isn't particularly welcoming into a space that is inviting and interesting. And yes, it would cost a lot-more than we could afford right now. But as we move into the future, we need big plans, plans that stretch not only our resources, but our imaginations. I don't know if we will ever build such an addition to the building, but we need plans that big if we are going to move into our vital and sustainable future. As with all of our potential building projects, we need to look beyond the immediate and imagine how we can prepare our space to be a vital 21st century church. "Did I tell you about my plan for an atrium...?"
Getting from Here to There - The first task in building a congregation that is vital and sustainable is living within our financial means. For more than five years, the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Endowment Board, the Stewardship Team, and the Session have been working hard at reducing the deficit. That work, though difficult, continues. The other engine that will help us arrive at a vital and sustainable future is growth. I will write more about how that can happen next month.
Are you in your 20's or early 30's and looking for an opportunity to connect and get to know other Trinity members in a similar life stage? Contact Dawn Fleishman at 24.dawn@gmail.com if you would like to be part of a casual dinner this fall with conversation and good food.