From the Pastor s Study NOVEMBER 2018

Transcription

1 Trinity Tidings Trinity Lutheran Church, 108 East King Street, East Flat Rock, NC Mailing: P.O. Box 497, East Flat Rock, N From the Pastor s Study NOVEMBER 2018 Like many Christians, my wife and I give thanks to God before we eat a meal. At home it is a private and personal moment of shared joy. But something that happened recently in a restaurant made me aware that the thanksgiving that we take for granted is not practiced by everyone. We were out to dinner recently, chatting as we awaited our food. When our meals arrived, we followed our custom when in public: quietly held hands, closed our eyes, and bowed our heads as I spoke a blessing aloud. Nothing ostentatious; just a simple act of faith. But when I opened my eyes I glimpsed a young child in a nearby booth: staring at me with his mouth agape. As I watched he turned to his mother and whispered something. I assumed he was asking about our prayer because she glanced over at me, then whispered back to the boy while she shook her head. I may never know what she said, but my impression was that for that household giving thanks to God seemed to be a foreign concept. It made me think. When did we as a nation stop thanking the Lord for his bounty to us? It wasn t always that way. Back in 1621 our forebears declared a day of thanksgiving. 102 Pilgrims had come ashore from the Mayflower the year before; 42 of them now lay in graves visible from the small village. But still they gave thanks, grateful that God had blessed them with a harvest to stave off the previous winter s hunger and horror. In 1863 our nation was in the midst of the bloodiest conflict in its history, a Civil War that tore the country apart leaving tens of thousands of dead and wounded in places named Antietam, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg and others. Yet, in the midst of the war and privation, President Lincoln proclaimed a day be set aside for thanksgiving: the last Thursday of November to be a day to give thanks for the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. The tradition of a Thanksgiving holiday continues to this day. Across our nation this month, people will gather together. There will be a turkey or ham or some sort of tofu-turkey for those who prefer such things. And as the aroma of the feast hangs in the air, perhaps someone will timidly say, Should we pray? And in many homes the once-a-year event of giving thanks to God for his bounty will occur. But, how much better it would be if prayers of thanksgiving were a part of every home, every day. There is a tendency these days to expect our government to solve our social ills. Lack of education, poverty, high crime rates, injustice the trend is to abdicate personal or familial responsibility for preventing our social ills and expect our elected leaders to solve it all for us. But, it cannot work that way. As our late First Lady Barbara Bush once said in a speech, our success as a society depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house. Peace and justice are fruits of God s righteousness. When prayer is part of our daily lives, peace and justice follow. How much better off we would be, it seems, if giving thanks to God was not something that happened once a year on a Thursday in November, but rather occurred in our homes on

2 every day. For when a nation turns to Him, it is blessed. And his amazing grace to us deserves thanksgiving: in homes, in restaurants, and throughout our lives. Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving, Pastor Mike MEN UNDER GOD S SOVEREIGNTY BREAKFAST Our monthly men s breakfast will be held on Friday, November 30th at the Mills River Restaurant. The meal will begin at 9:00 AM, followed by brief devotions and prayer. ***T.W.I.G.S. AND M.U.G.S TO COMBINE FOR DECEMBER LUNCHEON*** On Saturday, December 8 th the ladies and men of the congregation will get together for our annual Christmas Luncheon. Again, this year we will meet at Post 25, located at 2155 Hendersonville Rd, Arden, NC at 11:30 am. Please watch for more information in the December newsletter. MONTHLY COMMUNITY LOVE MEAL NOVEMBER 27 TH Our monthly free community meal for the East Flat Rock area will be served on Tuesday, November 27 th at 12 noon. Volunteers are welcome, and should come to the church kitchen by 11:30 AM that day. ANNUAL THANKSGIVING PIE SOCIAL NOVEMBER 18 TH Food! Fun! Fellowship of Thanksgiving! Plan now to be with us for our Annual Thanksgiving Pie Social on Sunday, November 18 th following morning worship. Sign up on the bulletin board to bring a pie with you to church that morning. Leave the pie in the kitchen before worship, then after the service gather in the Fellowship Hall to feast on the pies. This is a great opportunity to introduce others to our congregation. Invite your friends and neighbors!

3 HANGING OF THE GREENS NOVEMBER 25 TH We will decorate our church and grounds for the Advent and Christmas seasons on Sunday, November 25 th following morning worship. Worshippers are encouraged to dress casually on this Sunday. Teams will decorate both indoors and out, including erecting and decorating our new pre-lit Christmas tree in the chancel (being pre-lit should save a lot of time!). A light luncheon will follow the decorating. NOMINATE FAVORITE HYMNS Do you have a favorite hymn that you would like to be used in our worship? Then nominate a hymn using the sign-up sheet on the church bulletin board. **CHRISTMAS TREE ANGELS** Trinity will be participating with THE STORE HOUSE again this year providing gifts to children in the Hendersonville area. Sam Goetz has agreed to be our liaison with The Store House A sincere, thankful thank you to our church family for all of your cards, thoughts, prayers and concern during this time of Russ s (Duff s) passing. A heartfelt thank you to Pastor Mike for meeting us at the hospital in the middle of the night for his care and prayers and helping us get through all of it there and for his continuing care. A special thank you to Jennifer and Luis as well for attending to so many details in their caring way. Also, it is truly an honor that the steeple fund for Trinity is named in Russ s memory. I know he would have appreciated it, and he may be ringing that bell one day! My family and I were just overwhelmed at the Celebration of Life service for Russ with all of the food, help for parking, set up and care you provided for the service, it was so meaningful for us and will not be forgotten. You all have been such a comfort and blessing to us. God s Blessings and love to all of you. Bonnie

4 ***BOOKS FOR GOOD*** Bring your used books to church!!!! TLC has joined BOOKS FOR GOOD. Please place your gently used books in the wooden crate located in the office. For more information, please contact Dorothy. Books for Good, located in Fletcher at 50 Heritage Park Drive is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit that sells books, CDs, and DVDs on behalf of any IRS-recognized charity selected by the donor. All proceeds after operating expenses and applicable sales taxes will go to the designated charity since Books for Good has no paid employees. Books for Good will distribute proceeds quarterly to charities with balances of at least $50 or annually to charities whose balances have not reached $50. *****CHURCH WORK DAY**** A work day has been planned for Saturday, November 17 th at 11:00 am. With the Advent season fast approaching a light general cleaning is needed for the fellowship hall, kitchen, and sanctuary. A light lunch of soup/bread will be served. Please add your name to the signup sheet located on the bulletin board located in the back of the church. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 Monthly Love Luncheon Bulletin Preparation (staple & fold) Basic Housekeeping (vacuum, sweep, & bathroom duty) Worship Assistants ****KITCHEN NEEDS NOVEMBER**** Bathroom Tissue PAPER TOWELS FORKS ELEVATOR REPAIRS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED Repairs to our elevator were completed October 31 st. The lift is now operational and ready to use.

5 Happy Birthday 12 Sam Goetz 26 Ron Lab 27 Jody Rasmussen Happy Anniversary 12 Luis & Jennifer Duran