Dear Friends in Christ:

Transcription

1 VOLUME SIX ˑ ISSUE TWELVE DECEMBER 2017 A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF TRINITY CHURCH WAUWATOSA Dear Friends in Christ: Slow down! Stop! Be quiet! This is Advent! Those words literally shouted at me from the page of a devo onal booklet given to me by a friend a number of years ago. I wrote them on an index card and carried them with me for the en rety of Advent that year. Given all that has transpired in our world, our na on, our parish community and our own lives over the past few months, these direc ves are par cularly mely for this Advent season. Slowing down affords us, at the very least, an opportunity to pay a en on to the gi s of our families and friends the rela onships that sustain us through the joys and challenges of life. Could we slow down long enough to write a note (with real ink on real paper in our own handwri ng!) of apprecia on to someone we love? Stopping our hyperac ve busy-ness, provides us with an important reminder that human beings weren t intended to live on adrenaline alone! Could we simply cease our ac vity for a minute or two each day, become aware of our own pulse, feel the gi of life that courses through us, and offer a quick prayer of thanksgiving? (A simple, Thank you, God! will do nicely, I think.) Being quiet, unplugging ourselves from our electronic gadgetry brings us to the awareness that much of what passes for communica on and entertainment drives us further and further away from our own spiritual center. Could we risk being quiet with our own thoughts for three minutes a day? How long has it been since we listened to our own souls? This is Advent the season of prepara on. We are preparing to welcome the Gi of God s Own Self, clothed in human flesh. We are preparing to celebrate the mystery of Emmanuel God with us. Our holy labor of hopeful prepara on can only begin when we slow down, stop and get quiet. Advent blessings to you all! The Rev'd Gary B. Manning, Rector inside: Family Fellowship...2 Marque e Carol Service...2 SCRIP Drop-in/Drop-by Trini-Tree The Gathering Our Faith Our Future Update..3 End of Year Tips Advent/Christmas Schedule.4 Cookbook..5 Advent/Christmas Decora ons.5 Gi to Hai Project...5 A word from the Sr. Warden...6 EYC...6 1

2 Family Fellowship First Friday Family Fellowship will meet on Friday, December 1 in the Parish Hall at 6 p.m. for a meal and fellowship. Please bring a dish to pass and RSVP to Liz at liz.paulsen@yahoo.com or by Wednesday, November 29. Marque e Advent Carol Service Join the Marquette University Liturgical Choir in an Advent Lessons and Carols Service on Friday December 1, 7:30 pm at the Church of the Gesu, 1145 West Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. Choral selections by Roc O Connor, SJ, Rachmaninoff, Proulx, Berger, Scarlatti and Olatunji combine with congregational carols and readings of hope and promise to welcome the Advent Season. Non-perishable food items will be gratefully accepted for the Gesu Food Pantry. Admission is free. Donations for our MU Music Ministry will be graciously accepted. Free parking is located at Lot F on Wells and 12 th St. For more information contact thomas.koester@mu.edu or (414) SCRIP There is one remaining date in 2017 to order SCRIP cards. The date is: December 3 SCRIP lower denomination cards are available and make great stocking stuffers and benefit Trinity's Outreach Programs. The list is available with the larger order form for SCRIP on the pillar outside the library. Drop-In/Drop-By Drop-by/Drop-in Hours will resume after January 1. If you would like to see the Rector this month, please call Barb Neils in the parish office at and she will make an appointment for you or you may call Gary directly on his cell phone

3 TRINI-TREE 2017 Hospitality Center - Give a Gift of Love Our Trini-tree project this Christmas season is for gifts to those who come to the Hospitality Center. a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The Hospitality Center provides a safe place for all who are alone, lonely, homeless, near homeless and mentally ill to drop-in for rest, refreshments, and relationship. Help our parish fill up the Red Door Clothes tote bags. The following is a list of items that you can give. Bring them to church between November 25th and December 10 th. Many of these items can be purchased from the Dollar Store, or similar discount retailers. Bath towel Washcloth Deodorant Toothpaste Toothbrush Shampoo Conditioner Lotion Gloves A Li le Time, A BIG Difference Trinity Church has volunteered to provide 130 bagged lunches that will be handed out to The Gathering guests, as they exit the Saturday lunch meal site. Please join us in the Fellowship Hall on December 15 at 10 am to make these lunches. (You will be helping someone out and it really is an enjoyable way to spend an hour.) Note, we are making the lunches during the day, this month. We also need someone to just drop the bagged lunches off at Our Next Genera on meal site on Saturday morning December 16. Please see the sign-up board in the Narthex or contact Jenice Carolan for addi onal informa on. There are ways to help with this program even if you can't a end on December 15. Note regarding: Our Faith Our Future from Beth Vogel, Treasurer Thanks to all who have started making their payments based on their pledges towards the capital campaign. If possible, please write a separate check since we deposit those dona ons into the Capital Improvements Fund and not the Opera ng Fund. Write Capital Campaign on the memo line. You can drop the check into the offering plate on Sundays or mail it to Beth Vogel s a en on at Trinity Church. I will be adding a line to the bo om of the contribu on statements which will show your Our Faith Our Future pledge and what has been paid to date. That will be in addi on to the yearly pledge line. Confirma on le ers were sent to all pledging units in the summer and fall but if you have any ques on about your pledge feel free to leave a message for me with the church office or me at treasurer@trinitywauwatosa.org 3

4 Tips regarding 2017 year end contribu ons from Beth Vogel, Treasurer *If possible, please pay your remaining 2017 pledge before year end. Any contribu- on received on or before December 31, 2017 will be reported on your 2017 Contribu on Statement, and, therefore, can be used as a 2017 tax deduc on Contribu on Statements will be sent out the last week in January. *To be sure any year-end contribu ons are credited for 2017 tax purposes, the contribu on must be at the church no later than Sunday, December 31, If no one is in the office, just drop the contribu on through the mail slot. The mail slot is located east of the parking lot doors. If you drop it in the mail, it needs to be postmarked on or before December 31 st. *Please indicate on your check to what account the contribu on should be credited (i.e. prepaid 2018 pledge, 2017 pledge, Christmas flowers, Christmas offering, memorials, weekly flowers, rector s discre onary account, etc.) If you have any ques ons, contact the church office and leave a message for Barbara Thompson, Financial Secretary, or Beth Vogel, Treasurer. To be sure any year-end contribu ons are credited for 2017 tax purposes, the contribu on must be at the church no later than Sunday, December 31, Christmas Eve Day Sunday, December 24 Advent 4, Rite I Christmas Eve Liturgies Sunday, December 24 4:00 pm Christmas Pageant and Family Eucharist 10:00 pm Fes val Holy Eucharist Christmas Day Liturgy Monday, December 25 10:00 am Liturgy of the Na vity, Rite II 4

5 HO HO HO - HERE WE GO! The Cookbook Commi ee has something to say... A Taste of Trinity is on the way! Stockings will be hung by the Welcome Center with care... In hopes that the Elves will find lots of Recipes there! There is no limit as to how many recipes you may submit... We love our Cookbooks, we must admit! Please Call or Text either one of us with any ques ons or if you are interested in being a part of our Commi ee. We would love to have you join us! A Taste of Trinity, the Red Door Cookbook, expected distribu on in the Fall of Recipes may also be submi ed via . Merry Merry Commi ee Co-Chairs - Sandi Long / sandralong@aol.com Krislyn Holaday-Wondrachek krislyn@holadaylaw.com The decora ng commi ee will begin "greening" Trinity Church for the Advent and Christmas season. Since this is not a budgeted item, the commi ee needs to know how many greens and flowers to purchase. You can help them by comple ng this form and returning it to the parish office or drop it into the Sunday offering plate. Thank you! Your name(s) Phone/ Suggested dona on $30 In Thanksgiving for: In Memory of: A Gi to the Hai Project Give the gi of educa on, school lunch and access to basic health care through a dona on at any level to the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Hai Project. Gi cards will be mailed to you to give at Christmas or mailed directly to your loved ones. Please make an online dona on at hai project.org/donate/ or mail a check to: The Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee Hai Project, 804 E. Juneau Ave, Milwaukee, WI Please indicate how many gi cards you would like and if they are to be mailed to you or directly to your loved one. Ques ons? Heidi Ropa at info@hai project.org. 5

6 And Now..A Word From The Senior Warden By Jill Paradowski Trinity had just completed a wonderfully successful Capital Campaign and s ll in two hours at the Awesome Auc on for Outreach raised $10,000. You are all amazing and so generous. Soon the Outreach Commi&ee will have the pleasure of picking the programs to share in these proceeds. This event does not happen without your dona ons and your support. We had over 100 adults with 30 children a&end this year. There was a bidding "war" over two round trip airline ckets which led off our live auc on. We had some new items open for bid this year for example: a glamorous cocktail party and a gigan c cupcake made by a 7 year old parishioner. The gi' card pull sold out in 10 minutes and the wine pull was not far behind. The auc on commi&ee thanks all of you for making this year's auc on a success. We will be choosing a new theme for next year so any ideas are always welcome. Send them to Jill Paradowski at jill.paradowski@gmail.com. If you would like to join the commi&ee and help with the planning for next year's event let me know. Blessings to all of you. EYC Great Cooks in the Kitchen The Iron Chef Compe11on November 19, 2017! 6

7 8 w w w. t r i n i t y w a u w a t o s a. o r g TIDINGS Trinity Church 1717 Church Street Wauwatosa, WI December 2017 ADVENT 4 & CHRISTMAS 2017 Christmas Eve Day Sunday, December 24 Advent 4, Rite I Christmas Eve Worship Sunday, December 24 4:00 pm Christmas Pageant and Family Eucharist 10:00 pm Fes val Holy Eucharist Christmas Day Worship Monday, December 25 10:00 am Liturgy of the Na vity, Rite II

8 December 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 3 1 Advent SCRIP 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship & Christian Formation 11:30 am Outreach Committee Mtg Advent 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship and Christian Formation 17 3 Advent 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship and Christian Formation 11:45 am Vestry Mtg Advent/ Christmas Eve 4:00 pm Pageant & Family Eucharist 10:00 pm Festival Holy Eucharist 4 7:00 pm Men's Spirituality Group 5 6 9:00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Bible Study :00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Bible Study :00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Bible Study 25 Christmas Day 10:00 am Liturgy of the Nativity :00 am Holy Eucharist 9:45 am Bible Study 7 7:00 pm Parish Choir 1 6:00 pm Family Fellowship :00 pm Parish Choir 10:00 am Sandwich's for the Gathering Christmas 9:30 am Holy Eucharist 10:45 am Fellowship