Serving and Ministering to the Community Since 1873

Transcription

1 VOLUME 22 ISSUE 7 September 2017 September Newsletter The September newsletter is in honor of our grandson, Ian Thomas birthday by Frank and Carole Nacci. Serving and Ministering to the Community Since 1873 Trinity Tidings is a monthly publication printed on the premises of Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church (Hospital Code: 244) Robin McCloud, Office Secretary, robin.holytrinity@verizon.net HOLY TRINITY MEMORIAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 604 Fourth Street Catasauqua, Pa Phone: Fax: Website: holytrinity604@verizon.net DEADLINE for October newsletter is Wednesday, September 20th Core purpose statement: Gratefully sharing God s love through faith and service IF HOSPITALIZED, BE SURE TO SIGN A RELEASE CARD AND USE OUR HOSPITAL CODE #244. WE ARE A HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE FACILITY.

2 I am so happy to report that our Congregation has voted to accept Brian Reidy as our next Pastor. Brian led our Worship service on August 20 and the vote was unanimous! Though he is a recent seminary graduate (this will be his first call), it is his second career and he will bring to our congregation a wealth of experience and strong dedication to serve Christ and lead our Congregation into the future. I am grateful to God that the process has been relatively smooth and quick. We have been blessed to have had two wonderful interim Pastors who injected a sense of joy and energy into our Congregation. I am thankful for those who served on our Call Committee: Rick Martson (chair), Jerry Charvala, Stephanie Chimics, Diane Czar, Paige Miller, and Alex Suter. These brothers and sisters in Christ spend a great deal of time seeking out the best ways to market our Congregation to prospective candidates and ensure, through discussion, interviews, and visitation to other churches (to hear Brian preach), that they present the best candidate to Church Council for Call consideration. Please take time to thank each of them for their dedication and service. I also want to thank all of you, who have kept the Call Team and Church Council in your prayers. Perhaps one of the most beautiful aspects of our Congregation is the prayer and support we offer each other. We truly are a very large family in Christ. As we move forward, there are some very important dates to keep in mind. First, September 3 will be Pr. Jimmy Lee s last service. We will have a short reception after the service to thank him for his leadership and guidance over the past several months. Second, September 10 will be Pastor Brian s first Sunday of worship. That Sunday is the first day of Sunday School and we will be back in the sanctuary for regular service (10:30 AM). We will also have our regular fellowship hour after the 10:30 service to officially welcome Brian and his family. Please watch your mail and for more detailed information on the upcoming events. I have always believed that God will take care of our Congregation and is leading us into taking a more focused role in service to our local community. Please continue to keep our Congregation in your prayers and ask for guidance on how you fit in as we Gratefully share God s love through faith and service God s peace be with you, Barb Fister Church Council President

3 Church Council Members Term Ending Dec Terms Ending Dec Term Ending Dec Cheryl Kneiss: Mark Fried: Rick Martson: Barb Fister: RuthAnn Reinsmith: Joe Schwindenhammer: Open Carol Cunningham: Open Open Carole Nacci: Youth Rep.: Emily Thomas President: Barbara Fister Secretary: (Rotating) OFFICERS Vice President: Mark Fried Treasurer: John Marakovits $ FINANCIAL UP-DATE $ The church s budget deficit at the end of July was ($20,703.11). The budget surplus at the end of July of 2016 (last year) was $4, All of our bills are paid current at the present time including our monthly benevolence commitment to the Synod which is paid through August and is next owing for September. The following special gifts were received in July: $ Pastor s Discretionary Fund $ Wish List $ Building Fund $ Benevolence $ Debt $ Parish Ed. Building Rental (Funeral Reception) $ Over-the-Top Campaign) (Current total is: $2,079.37) $ Summer and Vacation $ Yard Sale (From: Clothes for Kids Sake, Inc.) $ V.B.S. Offering (To: Catasauqua Food Bank) Thank you to everyone who contributed toward these special causes. As the summer slowly winds down, we will return to a more normal routine as Sunday services will return to the church sanctuary and Sunday School classes will resume. See you in church. John Marakovits, Treasurer

4 HOLY TRINITY NEWS Have you remembered Holy Trinity in your Will? By now, you should have received your offering envelopes for September in the mail. If you do not receive them, please contact Robin in the church office. ( ) At any time, you can give donations to the Pastor s Discretionary Fund. This fund is used to give temporary financial assistance to people of our congregation and community when a sudden need arises. You may send contributions to the church or place them in the offering plate on Sunday mornings. Please mark your checks or envelopes Pastor s Discretionary Fund. Begins.. Sunday, September 10th Holy Trinity is a member of the Blood Bank Program. If you give blood, you may designate it as Holy Trinity. Also, if you ever need blood, tell them you re a church member. 8am Spoken Communion 9am Sunday School 9am Choir Rehearsal 10:30am Holy Communion 11:30 Fellowship and Refreshments 2017 VBS Thank you to everyone who helped make this year s VBS a success! We had 19 children registered for VBS - 6 from Holy Trinity (thank you Jason and Jax Coffin, Stella and Lucas Strickland, Brianna Walker and Ian Thomas) and 13 from outside our congregation. We had an attendance of 15 each day. The children had fun learning about Jesus through lessons, crafts, games, music and refreshments. Of course we sang the Sheep song and threw water balloons! Our community project this year was collecting non perishable food for the Catty Food Bank. All money collected from our offerings was also contributed to the food bank. Our staff this year was Rick Minnich, Carol Cunningham, Ben Becker, Barbara Fister, Susan Marakovits, Ruthann Reinsmith, Emily Suter, Alex Suter, Alyson Godusky, Steph Chimics, and Emily Thomas. Also a big thank you to Steph Chimics for once again decorating for us. - Cheryl Kneiss

5 The SCS year will begin on September 10. Our staff includes: Grades K-2: Sherry Creyer, Danielle Coffin Grades 3-6: Becky Dragovits, Sam Wetzel Confirmation: Diane Czar Crafts: Stephanie Chimcs Coordinator: Open Best wishes to Jack Wetzel as he continues his academic career at the University of Pittsburgh. We have been blessed as Jack has helped to teach our elementary students for the past three years. We will begin to use the Whirl curriculum which brings a message of God's grace, forgiveness and love. We currently have 14 children on the roster but are always looking to add more. If you have any questions, please contact Rick Minnich at Remember or Honor Loved Ones Altar Flowers TO THE GLORY OF GOD: Sept. 3rd Sept. 10th Sept. 17th Sept. 24th Bulletins In loving memory of Henry Eberhart by Rita Medence. by Diane Jones TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND: Sept. 3rd Sept. 10th Sept. 17th In honor of our grandson Ian to celebrate his birthday by Mam Maw and Pop Pop Nacci. In honor of family birthdays by Sandi Smith. Open Open In memory and in honor of my mother s 100th birthday today by Karen Frankenfield. Sunday School begins each week at 9:00 and ends with a closing program at 10:00 in the Alice Storch room. See you then! Lester and Linda Ettl are pleased to announce the birth of their FIRST GRANDCHILD, Adelyn Mae Roman. She was born on Tuesday June 20, 2017 at 8:48 pm / 21 inches / 7 pounds 2 ounces. Lindsay and her husband Mark are so happy and will bring Adelyn to church to meet the Holy Trinity family soon! Congratulations Lindsay and Mark! We love you. Sept. 24th In honor of family birthdays by Sandi Smith. Trinity Tidings All dedications are taken for Thank you. Please Note: To reserve a flower date, fill in the Flower Chart in the narthex. If you do not call the office, the dedication will read To the glory of God by (your name). To dedicate a Sunday bulletin, call the church secretary ( ). Bulletins are $10, altar flowers are $35. Please pick up your flowers or have someone pick them up for you. Annual Fall Kitchen Housecleaning: We would like to have our kitchen spic and span for all of our upcoming activities here at Trinity. Please bring any cleaning supplies you would like to use. REMINDER: for anyone that signed up we would like to have everything done by September 13 th. There are still openings!!!

6 This summer's VBS staff included an enthusiastic group of youth helpers! Kudos to Alex Suter (and Ali), Emily Suter, and Emily Thomas for faithfully fulfilling their roles leading games, assisting with crafts, and teaching in the classroom. Thanks also go out to Sam and Jack Wetzel, who made the trek from Coopersburg one night to assemble the 2016 school supply collection into the 45 kits that were delivered to the Brethren Center in August. We topped off 2 evenings with some good times playing a round of mini-golf one night, and getting some great ice cream at King Kone the next night. Special thanks to Joe for letting us take the Mustang!!! Several of the youth also donated a lot of sweaty hours to a friend of Holy Trinity as they worked in her yard in July and August. Hats off to Caleb Staub, Alex Suter, and Jack and Sam Wetzel for giving up some summer hours to this continuing project, in spite of their busy schedule of sports and band. Not only is the yard going to become a place of beauty, but a beautiful relationship is also growing with our neighbor. Big thanks to everyone for your response to our ongoing collection of empty prescription pill bottles. We learned that the bottles must be washed before they can be shipped out to developing countries, so Alex, Ali, and I had a colossal pill -bottle-washing fest one night after VBS. This was followed up by a match-the-lid-to the bottle extravaganza during the meet-and-greet with the Riedy family in August. Surprisingly, this challenging activity drew a less-than-enthusiastic response from Emily S, Alex, Jack, and Sam...but it gave us a chance to get to know Alyssa Riedy, and give her a taste of the exciting times awaiting her with the youth. We matched up 3 LARGE grocery bags of pill bottles, which will be delivered to Through These Hands in Slatington by Nancy Miller - thanks, Nancy! Keep those pill bottles coming, everyone! Final update from our Junior Victorian Tea in June, which raised $741. The youth voted to designate enough of that money ($490) to bring the "Nohla" portion of our youth checking account to the level that will support our $38/month sponsorship commitment through December The balance will go toward future youth activities. So proud of the way our youth have continued in this commitment that started way back when Nohla was just 13. She is now 17-1/2. Be sure to browse the letters and photos in our "Nohla scrapbook" on the fair trade table in the back of the sanctuary. What to watch for this fall: an going out to families of confirmands/post-confirmands about upcoming opportunities for service and a bit of fun. the 2016 Wall of Fame of Sermon Evaluations on the door of our confirmation classroom, as well as the oldies but goodies that I just can't say goodbye to. opportunity to serve at the October 7th spaghetti dinner, sponsored by 5 Loaves & 2 Fish. We got lots of support for our own spaghetti dinner fundraiser last year - let's return the favor, youth! Check out the fresh photo posters in the Alice Storch Room, to keep up with our youth! A thought from Pastor Jimmy Lee's Thursday night BYOB discussion of Mike Slaughter's book, Renegade Gospel: The Rebel Jesus this summer: Our understanding of Jesus is a journey from the sweet Jesus of Sunday School to an increasingly deeper level. May those words guide us in 2018 through our confirmation lessons and our youth activities.

7 SCRIP NEWS The deadline for our next SCRIP card order is September 10th. With summer in our rearview mirror, it's time to start building up the SCRIP checking account for fall Sunday School curriculum expenses and next year's Paul Frantz scholarship! See Joe or Luther after worship any Sunday to explore the array of gift cards that are available for immediate purchase, or call or text Joe during the week ( ): AMC Applebee's Arby's Barnes & Noble Bed Bath & Beyond Best Buy Bob Evans Bon Ton Boscov Bravo Buffalo Wild Wings Burger King Cabela's Chili's Dunkin Gap Giant itunes J C Penney Kohl's Longhorn Steakhouse Old Navy Olive Garden On the Border Panera PetSmart Qdoba Red Lobster Ross Sheetz Speedway Staples Starbucks Subway Taco Bell Target TGI Fridays Wawa Weis Wendy's Featured card of the month is Speedway, which provides a 4% profit for Holy Trinity. Doesn't seem like a huge amount, but it adds up over time. Ya gotta gas up somewhere, and Speedway offers a competitive price as well as convenient locations in Whitehall, Allentown, and beyond. Plan ahead... think SCRIP! Since the program started at Holy Trinity in April 2014 to the present, over $5200 has been paid out of SCRIP profits for Christian Education expenses, including Paul Frantz Scholarships. This is our SCRIP mission statement in action! YOU made this possible with your orders and in-stock purchases! 16 families have placed orders in 2017; of those 16, 13 have placed orders more than once in 2017; one of those 13 individuals is not part of our congregation but places a standing monthly order; we average 7 participants a month. Imagine what we could accomplish if everyone in our Holy Trinity family used Scrip cards! Why not get into the habit of placing a monthly order, no matter how small? If you're a sporadic supporter of the SCRIP program, or have never placed an order, why not start by thinking about one area of spending that you could do using SCRIP cards? Are you a coffee drinker? We have Dunkin, Starbucks, Wawa and Sheetz cards. For grocery shopping, think Weis and Giant cards. Prescriptions? We can order CVS, Walgreen's, or Rite Aid. Feeding a pet? We can supply you with cards from PetSmart. Do you shop at Kohl's? Use your Kohl's charge to take advantage of all the discounts, then use SCRIP cards to make payments on your bill. Dining out or hitting the fast-food places? Restaurants provide some of the best profits that SCRIP has to offer, and the selection is impressive. Don't see what you want on the order form? Many other merchants, as well as other denominations of the listed cards are available - just ask Joe!

8 Please continue to take advantage of sale prices on school supplies as we work to fill school kits for distribution by Church World Service. The display will be moving to the back of the sanctuary when we return there for worship. Needed items: blunt scissors (rounded tip only) 70-count bound/spiral notebooks or any combination of notebooks totaling pages (no loose-leaf or filler paper), college- or wide-ruled 30-centimeter/12 rulers hand-held pencil sharpeners large erasers (no pencil cap erasers) unsharpened pencils with erasers boxes of 24 crayons (only 24) Thank you to those who are already participating in this annual collection! 45 kits were assembled and delivered to the Brethren Center warehouse in New Windsor, Maryland from last year's collection. Special thanks to Linda Wiland for sewing the bags for those kits!! We seem to be off to a slow start in August, with only a small handful of people bringing a generous amount of supplies. With YOUR help, we can meet or even beat last year's total! Don't forget to bring your plastic and paper grocery bags to the basket next to the Food Table in the back of the sanctuary. Along with your donations of non-perishable food, or cash in the "Meant to but forgot" container, the Food Bank uses the bags to share your giving with residents of Catty who are struggling to put meals on the table. With the approach of cooler weather, doesn't homemade bean soup sound delicious? Packages of dried beans, complete with recipe, have been assembled by Linda Wiland and are available next to the fair trade table in the back of the sanctuary. The $5 donation for each package of bean soup goes directly to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund, benefiting Holy Trinity neighbors in need. And check out the fair trade items and chocolate on the table in the back of the sanctuary. This is not a fundraiser...it's an opportunity to enjoy or give beautifully handcrafted items, greeting cards, and Divine chocolate that support small artisans in developing areas of the world. The items and chocolate are all pre-paid, so please leave payment in the basket on the table, or give it directly to Diane Czar. (Checks should be payable to Diane.) The table also has catalogs that can guide you in giving fairly-traded items or a monetary donation when you need that special gift for someone...or "just because". Here are some quotes from the book we have been discussing in Thursday night BYOB. The book is Renegade Gospel; The Rebel Jesus by Mike Slaughter: "Have I fallen into the spiritual poverty of wealth?...we have dumped down what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ...In John [6:66] we read that many of Jesus' disciples, after listening to Jesus' hard teachings, 'turned back and no longer followed him'...when we follow Jesus and serve God's purpose, life explodes with meaning."

9 Trinity Morning Glories We are a daytime women s group here at Holy Trinity. Our focus is on the spiritual and service to others. Along the way, we share food, work, laugh, chat and pray together! Please join us! Note: Our meetings will always be the 3 rd Monday at 10:00 (exception: June s time will be 11:30). On Monday, August 21, 2017, a very tasty Breakfast Buffet was served to 22 women. Karen Frankenfield s nature devotions centered around Unfailing Waters ; we each can water our souls by reaching out to others. She commented that zinnias make us smile and Joy is an eternal experience. The September 16 th Murder Mystery, X-Pired Filed has been sold out and we now have a waiting list. Final plans were made for the Murder Mystery. Two $25 Walmart gift cards will be given to Mary s Shelter; $150 will go to Northampton County Meals on Wheels, and a $50 gift certificate will go to a member in a nursing home. For the Salvation Army s Fall Backpack Program, 47 backpacks (we exceeded our goal of 30) and 21 bags of school supplied was collected. 50 acorn net wrapped and tied tray favors were done for Northampton County Meals on Wheels; Carol Hartranft headed up this project. A new feature is a Chuckle of the Day which was put with each tray favor. We thank Barb Fister and Kathy Nattress for the all the time they spent cutting 5 material squares for the Easton Area Lifestyle Campus Fidget Quilts. All the material has been delivered. Laughter abounded as we shared our Most Embarrassing Moments. Flyers were passed out for the Five Loaves and Two Fish Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, October 7; call Ruthann Reinsmith ( ) for tickets. Tickets at the door will be $9; advance tickets will be $8. Karen Frankenfield spoke about the Dahlia Road Trip scheduled for September 26. Since Sept. 2008, $28,211 has been donated to special causes; this does not include all the non-monetary donations that have been made over the past 9 years. Future Dates Saturday, September 16, 2017 X-Pired Files Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Monday, September 18, 2017: Devotions Linda Heiberger Pizza order in/rice Salad: Lois McAllister; Vegetable Salad: Suzanne Webb; Desserts: Cheryl Kneiss/Judy Connelly; Soda: Karen Frankenfield; Ice Tea: Lucy Lynn Northampton County Meals on Wheels Project Linda Wiland/Jackie Simoné Lehigh County Humane Society speaker: Mary Shafer Collection items for the Society: Wet & dry cat food (no red dye), Heavy Duty Laundry Detergent, Bleach, Household Brooms, Paper Towels, Kitten food, Cat toys, Dish Detergent, Wet Dog Food, Window Cleaner, Office paper, scissors, scotch tape rolls, letter-sized file folders, postage stamps, gauze, large bandages, Neosporin, Desenex, monetary donations. (NO DOG TREATS!) Bring in clean, used towels, blankets and sheets for shelters, also! Thank you to Jackie Simoné for doing the research for this project. Tuesday, Sept. 26, Dahlia Tour Karen Frankenfield organizing Monday, October 16, 2017: Devotions Nancy Miller Holiday Hope Chest Project Janis Charvala will get details in Sept. Betsy Easen will speak on the Bethlehem Winter Homeless Program Appetizers/Desserts/Drinks

10 Morning Glories continued Monday, November 20, 2017: Devotions Sandi Smith Sox 4 Seniors at Cedarbrook Karen Frankenfield goal: 300 pair sox Northampton County Meals on Wheels Karen Frankenfield/Lois McAllister Plan January Homeless Meal Linda Wiland Soup/Bread/Dessert/Drinks Monday, December 11, 2017: This is the 2 nd Monday! Devotions, Luncheon Buffet, Diapers (Size 3, 4, 5) for Mary s Shelter Shut-in Treats: Jackie Simoné & Diane Jones to coordinate Cookie Sale: Carol Hartranft to coordinate; $10 fun gift exchange Monday, January 15, 2018: Devotions Northampton County Meals on Wheels, White Sox for Homeless Men/Women PJ program: Janis Charvala will get info; Plan Feb thru July Homeless Dinner (date to be determined) Linda Wiland Hoagies/Dessert/Drinks Future 2 nd Sunday of the month Fellowship and Refreshments: 2017 Sept. 10 Pat & Mark Fried/Sue & John Marakovits Oct. 8 - Rick Minnich and Sunday School Families Nov. 12 Linda & Lester Ettl Dec. 10 Janis & Jerry Charvala/BJ & Rich Kunkel 2018 Monthly Fellowship and Refreshments January 14-Paige Miller, Joe and Sam Wetzel Feb.11-Cheryl Kneiss, Barb Fister and Sandy Svitana April 8 Diane Czar and Youth Want to host in 2018? Call Paige Miller ( ) Several months are taken already! See you after church on September 10 th!

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