Liz Nelson, Church Administrator

• 80 - hand towels (approximately
• 16" x 28", no fingertip or bath towels)
• 60 - washcloths
• 60 - wide-tooth combs
• 80 - nail clippers (no metal files or emery boards)
• 10 - bars of soap (bath size in wrapper)
• 50 - toothbrushes (in original packaging)
• about 300? - Band-Aids® or other adhesive bandage strips
• 60+ -- 1-gallon ziplock bags with zipper closure

And if you cannot get out to shop, we will accept cash and checks and do the shopping for you!

REMEMBER:

"Tailgate" with Trinity! Before the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 7^th, please plan to stay after worship for a chili and soup lunch and a time of fellowship as we assemble your donated items into hygiene kits for PC (USA)'s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program. The funds from a freewill donation for the lunch will cover shipping costs, with the remainder to be sent directly for Haiti relief.

If you want to help with the meal or the project on Feb. 7th please send me an email (and thanks to those who have already volunteered!).

"Tailgate" with Trinity! Before the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 7^th, please plan to stay after worship for a chili and soup lunch and a time of fellowship as we assemble your donated items into hygiene kits for PC (USA)'s Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program. The funds from a freewill donation for the lunch will cover shipping costs, with the remainder to be sent directly for Haiti relief.

As we have done for years with our Advent Bags, please sign up In the Narthex (or via email) to bring a certain amount of the following items. Our goal is to assemble 100 bags, but we donated over 2,000 cookies recently - who knows WHAT we can do for our brothers and sisters in Haiti!:

Hygiene Kit

• 1 - hand towel (approximately
• 16" x 28", no fingertip or bath towels)
• 1 - washcloth
• 1 - wide-tooth comb
• 1 - nail clipper (no metal files or emery boards)
• 1 - bar of soap (bath size in wrapper)
• 1 - toothbrush (in original packaging)
• 6 - Band-Aids or other adhesive bandage strips
• 1 - one - gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure

Please do not add toothpaste. Toothpaste which has an extended expiration date will be added to Hygiene Kit shipments by PDA just prior to shipment. Seal all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure.

What You Can Do:

• Sign up and bring items on the list between now and Sunday, Feb. 7^th (before church)
• Leave the items on the designated table in the Dining Room
• Or write a check to Trinity Presbyterian Church with "Haiti kits" in the memo line and send or bring it to church by Wednesday Feb. 3^rd so items can be purchased by Sunday the 7^th. Funds for shipping costs of the kits can come in as last as Sunday the 7^th
• Bring your appetite for a chili and soup lunch. A freewill offering will be taken
• Bring the whole family! Invite friends!

Questions: Lynn Reid (lmtreid@sbcglobal.net), Liz Nelson (tpcucity@swbell.net)

We will be hosting 5 months of meetings for Bounce Back St. Louis (Feb - June) on the Third Wednesday of each month, 9-11am. This is a networking gathering and presentation series to help those in job transition. Free. Invite anyone who might be interested. For more information: www.bouncebackstl.net.

Please join us in the Chapel following Worship next Sunday, Jan. 31^st., for an extended Fellowship Hour and art sale.We will honor our own Tom Wilhite who is offering his own paintings for sale to benefit our Chancel Flower Fund. There will be bountiful refreshments to enjoy while you peruse and purchase his paintings. Perhaps you have noticed that, during Worship, the Communion Table often is without the blessing of God's colorful flowers. It is the Green Team's and Worship and Music's hope that we will be able to purchase new silk seasonal floral arrangements for the Chancel. All proceeds from the art sale will be used for this purpose. Checks can be made payable to Trinity Presbyterian Church. This is an opportunity to help beautify our Chancel during future worship, to have an extended time of fellowship with friends and acquaintances, augment your own art collection, and/or perhaps obtain a lovely gift for that special Valentine.

Plan to stay after worship for a congregational meeting to receive the Annual Report, the Pastor's Terms of Call and to concur with the Session's decision to have a capital campaign to fund a new elevator.

- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

THANK YOU for your generous gifts of compassion. As of Thursday, January 14, 2010, $109,000 had been received in donations for Haiti. Your generosity has enabled Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to increase the amount of funds sent to Haiti response to $209,000. PDA has committed to providing at least $500,000 towards the response.

Funds are being used to help with basic humanitarian relief efforts of providing temporary shelter, food and health assistance. Funds are also being used to provide water and sanitation engineers, and equipment to construct water purification systems. Resources for building latrines are also being provided, as the sanitation situation is critical. PDA will be supporting communities in the long struggle to rebuild from this disaster - the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in 200 years.

As God's people, we are called to stand in the "GAP"-Give, Act, Pray.

Give - Financial support for relief efforts can be designated to DR000064. Gifts can be made online, by phone at (800) 872-3283, or by check. Gifts by check may be given through your local Presbyterian congregation or mailed to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburg, PA 15264-3700. Please include the designated giving account number on your check.

Act - Make Gift of the Heart kits. Congregations and individuals can assembly hygiene kits and baby kits. Instructions are on the PDA Web site. Advocate for Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. Information can be found on the Presbyterian Washington Office Web site. Stay informed. Visit the PDA Web site for answers to frequently asked questions and for resources to aid in discussions.

A reproducible bulletin insert is available for download [pdf] to help in your interpretation and PDA also encourages you to use the hymn "In Haiti, There is Anguish," written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.

Pray - You can join with others in lifting up the people of Haiti and those seeking to provide aid in this critical time.

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

This past year as we discerned what is most important to us as a congregation, one response was heard over and over: "Mission, mission, mission." As we dug deeper to understand what this actually meant, we learned that members of Trinity don't just want our church to support mission with our dollars, but members want to be directly involved in making a difference in people's lives. There are four mission opportunities that I would like to lift up for members to be involved in 2010.

Winger Food Pantry - The Trinity Food Pantry has been a dynamic ministry for more than 30 years. Each week we provide for dozens of people who live near our church. This year we gave away nearly 100 Thanksgiving turkeys. The Food Pantry is in constant need of Trinity members to help out. We need baggers, shoppers, people to distribute food on Wednesdays. If you want to get involved, please contact Stacey Carman at: carmans@swbell.net. Additionally, your generous donations of food and cash to the Pantry help keep it well-stocked.

God's Child - 2010 will be the fourth year that a mission team from Trinity will go to Guatemala to work build a home with the God's Child project. Bob and Nancy Wagoner, Pat Courtney, and Dayna Early are already signed up to go on a trip that will leave on February 23 and return on March 4. If you are interested in going, please contact Bob at STLWags@aol.com. If you are interested in going and need financial aid in order to go, please speak with me. I have a vision that over the next couple of years that dozens of Trinity will be able to participate in this life-changing ministry (life-changing for both the participants and for the family that receives the new house). If you are interested in going to Guatemala with God's Child at a later date, please let Bob or me know so we can start a roster of interested members.

Presbyterian Children's Services (PCS)- In December, a group of interested members met with a representative of PCS. At that meeting, we learned that PCS has both a broad ministry (adoption and foster services, residential care for troubled youth, mentoring, tutoring, and on and on) and needs a wide array of gifts and talents to support them. It is my feeling that Trinity and PCS are a great match as mission partners. We are currently forming a liaison team to work with PCS to plan ways for Trinity to be involved with children in need in our area. If you are interested in working with PCS, please let me know.

Interfaith Ministry to Support University City Schools - The Rev. Bill Lorenz is hard at work putting together an ecumenical coalition of churches and synagogues to help support U. City Schools. Once this project is up and running, we will need a wide variety of tutors, mentors, and monitors to help out in local schools. It is Bill's vision to have strong representation from the Protestant, Catholic, African American and Jewish communities in U. City. If you are interested in knowing more about this emerging project and how you can be involved, please contact Bill.

One of the ongoing themes of 2010 at Trinity will be "Mission, mission, mission." There are many exciting ways to get involved in sharing God's love with our community and with the wider world.

- Liz Nelson, with information from Pat Gibbons, Elder and SHED Volunteer

Trinity Church is a founding member of SHED (Safe Homes for the Elderly and Disabled), a cooperative venture of several churches in the central area of Greater St. Louis. SHED's mission is to help elderly and disabled persons to live safely, comfortably and independently by providing home maintenance services. Volunteers can perform minor building repairs, house cleaning, yard work and other jobs that do not require special tools or skills. Charter members of SHED, which form the Founding Council, are: Us, Baptist Church of the Holy Communion, Christ the King Catholic Parish, First Presbyterian Church, Mt. Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, St. James Lutheran Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and University United Methodist Church. A group from Trinity ventured out last month to provide mowing, raking, hedge trimming, and some gutter cleaning for a grateful elderly lady on Purdue in University City. Pat Gibbons, a representative from Trinity, will alert the congregation of future opportunities to get out into the neighborhood and help a few hours at a time. Check out SHED's website at: www.shedvolunteers.org and contact Pat with questions: pcg@wuphys.wustl.edu.

-Dr. Bill Wade, Minister of Music, Organist, CAGO

You are invited to the St. Louis Handbell Festival on Sunday evening, January 31, 2010, at 7:00 PM at Manchester United Methodist Church. The church is located at 129 Woods Mill Rd. Manchester, MO 63011 ( Web Address: http://www.manchesterumc.org). This concert will be presented by the combined efforts of:

Trinity Presbyterian Handbell Choir (Bill Wade, conducting)

Vesper Bell Choir of Manchester United Methodist Church (Sherry Boland, conducting)

Handbell Choir of Kirkwood United Methodist (Dolan Bayless, conducting)

St. Louis Archdiocesan Handbell Choir (Karen Romeri and Max Tenny, conducting)

Gateway Ringers (Charles Peery, conducting)

Handbell Ensemble of St. John's Lutheran Church, Arnold, MO (Burnell Hackman, conducting)

Music will include combined choir selections with organ, percussion, and brass and each choir will also present a solo selection. There will be a reception following the concert. This will be the first time the Trinity Handbell Choir has participated in a mass ringing event and would love to have the support encouragement of your attendance at the concert. Please, come support your dedicated choir members for this concert of resounding joy! Please contact Bill Wade (drwewade@gmail.com) or Vicki Carmichael (VCarmichael44@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Plan to stay after worship on Sunday, January 24th for a quick congregational meeting for the purpose of receiving the Annual Report and approving the pastors' terms of call.

-Liz Nelson & Group Members

- Liz Nelson , Church Administrator & Building Manager

The decision was recently made by the Session and Personnel to cut back on some staff work hours as we tackle our budget deficit. Our Building and Grounds Caretaker, Birty Hodgson, will move from 5 days to 4 days starting in January and will be working Mondays through Thursdays. This will allow him to accomplish the cleaning and maintenance duties core to his position and will allow congregation and staff to step up and take care of details on Sunday mornings.

The good news is that we have proven ourselves flexible and generous in our response to this need when he was injured for 3 months last year and have been more personally responsible for set ups, clean ups and sanctuary tidying for a few years now. It will take some time, and surely a few mishaps, as we tweak our Sunday morning routines, so we ask for your feedback, but also your patience. I will present opportunities for you to offer different kinds of help shortly and I am creating a binder of "how to" and "where are" information and for our various Sunday needs.

- Rev. Julie March, Associate Minister of Equipping

New B&B small groups for fellowship, study and service will begin again soon in 2010. B&B's for spiritual growth through faith and service are small groups dedicated to bonding and bridging Trinity members and friends as they grow in faith together, and provides a sanctuary where we go to be sustained and refreshed for our travels and work in the world.

The B&B Charter declares, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). B&B's connect people to God, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey, and to one another through the study of Scripture, prayer and shared work. Through B&B's, spiritual growth becomes a reality.

All are invited to join B&B's, where you will:

• Study, learn and pray together
• Find the joy of meaningful service together
• Increase your connection to church and community
• Find personal fellowship and spiritual growth

Two desires repeatedly expressed by the congregation are for more meaningful connections with each other, and opportunities of spiritual growth. The B&B's provide these opportunities within the familiar format of a small group ministry. Through B&B's you will:

• Form deep relationships with fellow B&B members
• Have a better understanding of Scripture that enriches spiritual growth and participation in worship
• Experience the joy of meaningful service in the name of Christ
• Increase your connection to church and community
• Increase spiritual self-awareness

Are you interested in learning more or joining a B&B at Trinity? Speak to any member of the Equipping Ministry Team (Dave Nelson, Rick Jeter or John Merker), or contact Julie March, Associate Pastor of Equipping Ministry.

Join us as we love and serve the Lord through B&B's Small Group Ministry!

- Liz Nelson - Church Administrator

Trinity Parents of Young and Old (and those who think they are so old),

Happy New year! This is such a nice long list of parents at Trinity. We are a growing group with many needs (and gifts, of course). As you set your priorities for 2010, I wanted to make sure you all knew that this fall we started a parent's group on Sunday mornings at 9:30am (during the spiritual growth/education hour), where a handful of us get together (different grouping each time, it seems!) to commiserate, unload and laugh about the ups and downs of parenting. If that sounds valuable to you, please plan to join us when you can! It's a great way to get to know each other better.

Typically, it would start up again Jan. 10, when adult ed starts, but because Harry Potter is the theme of the 4-part series that fellow parent (and teacher) Rick Hasler is going to teach January 10-31, we're going to hold off on re-starting the parent class until Feb. 7th so interested parents can attend the HP class (with their kids in grades 3+). Of course, if there are parents who are gung-ho to meet instead of going to the HP series, please let me or Dan know.

Have you seen the outline for Rick's class? Here it is:

• Jan. 10 - Who is Harry? (Kids and Adults) This class will look at the character traits of many of the main Harry Potter characters - the good, the bad, and the ugly...
• Jan. 17 - What is Magic? (Kids and Adults) What is the difference between magic and faith?
• Jan. 24 - Good vs. Evil (Kids and Adults) Is Harry Potter a story about "Good vs. Evil"? Is the bible a story of "Good vs. Evil"? What do these books have in common and how are they different?
• Jan. 31 - Should I really be letting my child read these books? (Adults only) At what age will my child be ready to read these stories? At what age will I be ready to let my child read these stories? This class will outline the major plot structures of the books and we will have a discussion of how the series changes in intensity and depth over time. We will also address the differences between the movies and the books.
  

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

At its November meeting, the Session discussed the Christmas Coffee. The Christmas Coffee is an annual fellowship event at Trinity. Over the years, various groups and committees have sponsored the event. In recent years, the event has not had a regular home. The Session discussion started out with us trying to answer the question "Who can best take this on?" As our conversation progressed, Elder Karen Coletti posed a different question: "What should this event be about?" Karen noted that while fellowship can greatly improve congregational life, what we say we really care about is mission. She then proposed a new wrinkle on this traditional event: "What if we make this a cookie give-away for others rather than a cookie social just for us?" And from that proposal, new energy emerged. Elders Stacy Shupe and Sharon Christopher jumped in and said they would help lead the effort. A buzz started to grow, not only amongst the Session, but in the congregation. On December 20 over 2,000 cookies were donated by Trinity members. We still had our cookie social, but now it was a cookie social with a purpose--to share our love and abundance not only with each other but also with those who can feel forgotten at Christmas. While we ate cookies, we also placed cookies in gift bags. The gift bags were boxed up and members delivered our abundance of cookies to the Independence Center, the VA, Gateway Homeless Services, Meals on Wheels and homebound members of the church.

Here is what I especially love about this event:
Members of the church got excited about a mission project and launched it
Other members of the church caught the vision and joined in
It was a profound merger of fellowship and mission
It was intergenerational--members of all ages baked cookies and members of all ages bagged and delivered cookies
It took an important tradition of the church and fashioned it to meet new passions
It was fun!

Consider your gifts, talents, passion and schedule. Where would you like to serve at Trinity to help it respond to God's calling in 2010? Our commissions and teams are looking for new members in the new year--Worship & Music? Evangelism? The Green Team (flowers)? Facilities? Equipping? A new Environmental Stewardship Team? Personnel? Stewardship? Corporate Affairs? Local Mission Funding? Spiritual Growth for all ages? Trinity is your church--help it flourish this year!