As announced last Sunday, for 2010 the Session decided to dedicate half of the annual Endowment contribution of $80,000 to new mission initiatives (the other $40,000 will continue to support the annual budget). The Session has allocated the first $10,000 of this new mission money. The Session has decided to allocate $10,000 to God's Child, the organization in Guatemala that provides services for the poor, orphans and the homeless.
Our elevator has a serious mechanical problem and we do not anticipate that we will repair it. Our current plan is to replace the elevator later this year. If the lack of a functioning elevator has an impact on you or someone else that you are aware of at Trinity, please let Liz Nelson know w we can be aware of the issue and try to find a solution.
If you want to help with Easter breakfast preparations, please talk to Jim Person. There are opportunities to set up, clean up, plan the menu and serve on shifts between 8:30am and 11am Easter morning.
One of Trinity's own, Evelyn Patterson, is turning 100 on March 31. We'll celebrate this very special occasion on Sunday, March 28 at a party after church in the dining room. Please join us to wish Evelyn a Happy Birthday. A member of Trinity for 30 years, Evelyn organized Trinity's library and worked there on Tuesday afternoons for several years. Some of you may also know her from the U. City community. Over the course of her teaching career, she taught math, Latin and Spanish at three different U. City Schools: Ward Junior High, Hanley Junior High, and University City High. After retiring from U. City High School in 1972, she worked as a medical assistant to Dr. Hobbs and taught part-time at the English Language School. We are proud of her legacy to Trinity and the community and want to share our memories of good times together as we wish her a Happy 100th.
On Saturday morning, March 27, we will have a Trinity work day (Note the date change). We will clean out some closets, shine up the kitchen and take care of a few other items. There will be work for people of all ages and abilities. If you are able to come, please speak with Jim Person.
What is the chief end of man? Why do we believe in the one holy, catholic and apostolic church when we are Presbyterian? What do 16th-Century condemnations have to do with 21st-Century Christianity? Presbyterianism is a confessional faith: we draw on the wisdom and faith of previous generations who expressed their faith through formal creeds and confessions. Some of these creeds are well known like the Apostles' Creed. Others are largely forgotten; we rarely feature the Second Helvetic Confession in worship, for example. But whether we know them or not, our tradition asks that we take them seriously. So what do they mean for us? How do we read them and how do we use them in worship? What if we disagree with parts of them? For four weeks we will explore these fascinating documents and see what we think. Our creeds and confessions: do we believe them or not?
Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 17, and concludes with our service on Good Friday. Each week in the sermon, we will explore a different aspect of the good news that we live and proclaim as Christians:
In addition to our Sunday morning worship, we will also have special services on Maundy Thursday (April 1) and Good Friday (April 2). The Maundy Thursday service will include dinner and the celebration of the Last Supper. Good Friday will feature the reading of the Passion story and music presented by the Trinity Choir with trumpet and organ. You are invited and encouraged to experience each of these services as you travel through Lent, to the cross, and finally to the empty tomb Easter morning.
The application for the Scholin Weems College and Seminary Scholarship for the 2010-2011 school year is now available online.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 5.
Those awarded scholarships will be notified by the end of May and recognized in worship on Sunday, June 6.
All recipients are asked to be present for worship on June 6.
If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please contact Dawn Fleishman at the church office or 24.dawn@gmail.com. Applications can be found online at http://trinityequipping.wufoo.com/forms/201011-scholinweems-scholarship-application/.
"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do love me'? He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep'."
More than sixty years ago, in response to the devastation of World War II, a Saturday evening nationwide broadcast asked Americans to give generously the next morning in their churches. More than 75,000 churches responded and the One Great Hour of Sharing was born. The One Great Hour of Sharing still exists today and works with a wide variety of churches and religious groups to provide disaster relief and help alleviate suffering all over the world. Our own Presbyterian denomination was active from the beginning in OGHS, and now uses funds for the Self-Development of People, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Over 20 million dollars has been received from Presbyterian churches in the past 10 years, and in the first week of the Haiti earthquake disaster, OGHS gave $100,000 to the relief effort.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, through OGHS, works with displaced persons in Africa and the Middle East. ` The Presbyterian Hunger Program trains farmers in India in new food production techniques, and our Presbyterian Mission was part of the aid that reached tsunami victims in the Pacific. The One Great Hour of Sharing does not just give out aid, but works with churches and other aid groups to help people rebuild their lives.
Our Trinity One Great Hour of Sharing offering day will be on Palm Sunday, March 28. In this time of especially great need in the world, we who are Jesus' disciples are all called to give generously; as Jesus says to us, "Feed my sheep."
Join us March 21 from 12 -1 p.m. for the 2010 Care for Kids Program hosted by Trinity. Local organizations, including Children's Foundation of Mid-America, Gateway Homeless Shelter for Women and Children, Basket of Hope, and our own Winger Food Pantry will share their inspirational work and stories of hope as they serve children and families at risk. Learn about the many volunteer, donor and adoption/fostering opportunities available with these groups. Donated items are welcome at the event, including duffel bags, books for ages 5 and up, diapers (all sizes), children's socks (all sizes), and canned goods and other non-perishable food items. Monetary donations will support HAITI Children's Relief.
Julie offered these suggestions for prayer partners during Lent.
"A MAN PRAYED, AND AT FIRST HE THOUGHT THAT PRAYER WAS TALKING. BUT HE BECAME MORE AND MORE QUIET UNTIL IN THE END HE REALIZED THAT PRAYER IS LISTENING." Soren Kierkegaard
First, I think it is fair to say that it is not easy to pray. We all have the best intentions, but our lives interfere with the very qualities of quiet and peace that are so conducive to prayer. Faithful people have been struggling through the ages to remain faithful in prayer, and have left us good clues to prayer pathways. These are a few suggestions to lead you to prayer.
Close your prayer by thanking God for any gifts received in this time. You can return to this communion of presence whenever you choose to receive it.
While it is important to set aside time to pray, it is also important to remember that life constantly breaks in. We are easily distracted during this quiet time, but God will bless whatever offering we make from the heart with commitment and sincerity. Keep on praying.
This program is designed for teenagers who have an interest in the pipe organ. The POE is open to young people ages 13 through 18 who have early-intermediate piano skills, but who may or may not have studied organ previously. The POE Committee may choose to grant special consideration on an individual basis for admission of a potential registrant whose age or training is different than the guidelines.
Activities include:
Scholarship assistance is available through the American Guild of Organists. Students may apply for scholarship aid from January 15 through May 29. Please contact the POE Director for information. In addition, students are encouraged to contact their local AGO chapters and/or religious institutions if financial aid is needed.
Faculty members include: Michael Bauer, University of Kansas; Douglas Cleveland, University of Washington; Carla Edwards, DePauw University; Wilma Jensen, Concert Organist; and Christopher Marks, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The faculty will also include professional organists from the St. Louis area with extensive experience in church music teaching and organ performance.
The registration fee postmarked by April 30 is $395; postmarked after April 30 is $450. The registration deadline is May 15, 2010. This fee covers tuition, materials, room and meals from June 13 (Sunday evening) through June 18 (Friday morning), and a one-year student membership in The American Guild of Organists. A check for the entire amount must accompany your registration. After May 15, a $25 cancellation fee will be deducted from the refund. After May 30 there will be no tuition refund.
For more information, please contact me, or Vicki Carmichael, Trinity's Choir Director or go to http://agostlouis.org/pdf/StLouisPOEBrochure.pdf.
At the Congregational Meeting of January 23, the Trinity congregation concurred with the Session's decision to move ahead with a capital campaign to address a variety of building issues. At the meeting, the congregation asked many questions about priorities and plans involved in the campaign. Here are the components of the building campaign that were approved:
In addition to the building projects, the congregation also concurred with the Session's decision to include a mission project to assist a local organization with accessibility issues and to hire professional consultant for the capital campaign. The total cost for the project is estimated at $480,000. The campaign will officially kick-off on April 11, so be watching for more details.
Our Consultant
Trinity has hired Tony Booth to be our consultant to the capital campaign. Tony is employed by the Churchwide Financial Campaign Services, an organization within our denomination. The PC(U.S.A.) hires consultants like Tony and deploys them nationally to help churches like Trinity with capital campaigns.
Tony is a retired Boy Scout executive who did work for the Boy Scouts on both the regional and national levels. Tony has worked for CFCS for the past 11 years. He has worked with churches ranging from 70 members to 550 members and from Buford, Georgia, to Bozeman, Montana. Tony was in St. Louis on February 15 and 16 to meet with leaders at Trinity. He will make monthly trips to St. Louis to guide us and coach us as we launch our capital campaign. He and his wife Barbara make their home in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.
Getting Involved
A capital campaign, to be successful, needs a tremendous amount of support from a congregation-not only everyone's generous gifts, but everyone's time and talent as well. The capital campaign that we will undertake requires about a third of our congregation to be involved on one of its eight committees. From the following list of committees you can see that the campaign is in need of a wide range of gifts and interests.
These committees will be put together in the next six weeks so if you are interested in helping out, please speak with Dan, Julie, or Liz.
The good news is that Birty has started a new part time job after his Trinity hours, working for Tom Wilhite's property! The bad news is that he (and wife Digna) can no longer act as our door monitors. We have just hired Mr. Norman Bolden as our Security Guard Mondays through Wednesdays. He greets our community and member building users and monitors their comings and goings. He has a background in security and in building maintenance and feels blessed to be working with us.
Haiti relief: $530 + 203 hygiene bags full of donations
God's Child: $455 + donated items
Art Auction: just over $1000 (A note from coordinator, Luise Hoffman: Tom Wilhite, We can't thank you enough for sharing your lovely work with all of us, and for making it possible to acquire some beautiful permanent silk flower arrangements for the Chancel. Everyone involved, thank you for your help, and of course, a huge thank you to Dave Nelson who was our Kitchen Engineer. Fellowship was again a smashing success for those who came. And if you didn't know it, Dave made the scones from scratch !!!)
Three separate situations struck me this past month as reminders that God is moving among us here at Trinity and nudging us to respond to needs and opportunities. I am so blessed to be the Church Administrator and a member-quite often, I think I live and breathe this place and I am certainly privy to many of the behind-the-scenes workings that make our programs and services happen. I don't believe the periodic comments that there is a lack of energy at Trinity right now, and here's why:
1) Retired Men Offer Assistance: After Tom Wilhite and the 14 or so other retired Trinity men met for lunch in mid-February, they offered to step in on Sunday mornings and cover some of the duties that Birty did those mornings. It is a God Sighting that they offered this service without being asked, as they focus on building an even stronger men's ministry for all ages. So many people have come forward these past few months, showing our flexibility during times of transition.
2) "If We Can Do Cookies and Advent Bags..." We Can Help Haiti: Elder Lynn Reid was touched by the Haiti disaster, as we all were. Then she looked at Trinity's recent flurry of mission activity and felt confident we could rally to help Haitians with basic needs. To me, she is an example of the type of leadership that will help Trinity thrive into the future. She saw a need, fleshed out a plan with staff by sharing her vision and passion with us, and we provided some background support as she tapped into the congregation's natural desire to be the hands of Christ for the suffering. So, thanks to Lynn and thanks to you! 203 hygiene bags and cash donations are on their way to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
3) "The Snow Men Cometh": Every time there is a threat of snow and/or ice (and perhaps leaves in fall), a group of 8 men have agreed to be on call to come in early on Sunday and clear the way for the rest of us. This was one of the important-if occasional-duties that Birty covered, and it is gratifying to see this level of response to my single email request. It was quite fun to see five people shoveling the front stairs one Sunday last month. Birty was good, but never quite that fast. Of course, women and any other people who want to help are welcome to join the list!
OK-I have to just add one more from a choir member's perspective: my last God Sighting was on Sunday, Feb. 21 when we sang Karen Coletti's arrangement of the spiritual "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word." Aside from basking in the glow of her musical talent and Vicki's as soloist, I loved looking out into the congregation at your faces. I saw bliss, perhaps some sadness, breathlessness, and community-we were connected in a moment of communal religious experience. It was beautiful and part of the reason we have chosen to be here.
The March 7 topic in our sermon series What's So Good about Our Good News is God's abundance. We will reflect on the truth that God's desire for all of creation is abundance. After worship we will have a special mission lunch to celebrate God's abundance and to share it with others. Immediately following worship, you are invited down to the Dining Room for a very simple meal, warm fellowship, and a time of learning about two ministries that enable Trinity members to share the abundance that we receive every day--the Winger Food Pantry and One Great Hour of Sharing.
The meal next will consist of a simple bowl of rice--a powerful reminder that many people in our world do not currently share in God's abundance and a reminder of how much we are given every day. (We will also provide peanut butter, jelly, and bread so kids don't get cranky!). You are encouraged to do two engage in two acts of mission during the lunch:
You are not required to do either of these actions if you wish to attend the lunch, but they are offered as ways to participate in Trinity's mission and God's mission in the world. You do not need to make reservations--just show up with a cheerful heart!