Trinity Together Trinity Lutheran Church 357 West Main Street Kutztown, Pennsylvania 19530

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1 Trinity Together Trinity Lutheran Church 357 West Main Street Kutztown, Pennsylvania July/August 2018 Interim Pastor: The Rev. David Strobel Director of Youth & Family Ministry: Seth Noggle Editor/Administrative Assistant: Lisa Finke Director of Music: Bruce Rohrbach Financial Secretary: Kenny Kunkel Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 AM 2:00 PM Website: Our Mission Statement Telling others of God s unconditional love through worship; Empowering discipleship through education; Leading others to this family of Faith as baptized believers; Calling all to follow Jesus example of servanthood Church Council Members Kurt Rohrbach Dan Raudenbush Allen McSparron Dennis Angelisanti Tina Billig Jeff Collier Randy Heffner Catherine Holm Marsha Hoyer Richard Miller April Rakowiecki Elizabeth Shrawder President/Personnel Committee & Endowment Committee Vice President/Witness & Communications Secretary/Mission Team & Mutual Ministry Property Committee Finance Committee & Nominating Committee Mission Team Property Committee Worship Life Committee Worship Life Committee Stewardship Committee Fellowship Committee Personnel Committee 1

2 From the Pastor Scrapings and Parings I prefer to call it a discipline rather than a habit. It happens every day: my morning begins with 45 minutes of devotions as I drink my first cup of coffee. For the last 45 years, I ve used the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, the five services used by monastics and other religious as they are called to worship in the different parts of the day morning, mid-day, evening, night and - for the office of readings - as the community gathers for their mealtime. Hymns, prayers, psalms, scripture and canticles related to the church-year calendar: I squeeze all five into the first half-hour of my day. The next fifteen minutes are occupied with the daily devotions compiled by Oremus, an Anglican website that provides an abundance of wonderful spiritual resources. (Try it out if you re interested at Again, I am invited to enter into the prayers, scripture, hymns and psalms related to the day in the Anglican church-year calendar. Now, I must confess: having done this every day for so long, having gone through the church-year for almost 50 years, having encountered it all before, sometimes it does become habit rather than discipline. My determination is always to pay close attention to my devotions. Some mornings I am more successful than others. Often my attention is drawn to these rich spiritual resources when they speak to what s happening in my life and to the current events happening around me. Sunday morning, June 24 th, my devotions were more discipline than habit. The offices were related to the Birth of John the Baptist, which is celebrated every year on this day. (If you were at worship on the 24 th, you will have heard my Jeopardy-based sermon on this rare, unusual and very special holy day!) What particularly caught my spiritual attention that early morning was a wonderful prayer included in the Oremus daily office. It was composed by William Temple, a notable Anglican theologian and bishop, who practiced his ministry in the first half of the last century. From 1942 until 1944, he served as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Here it is: Blessed are you, O God of love, you give us love, love in our thinking, love in our speaking, love in our doing, and love in the hidden places of our souls; love of those with whom we find it hard to bear, and love of those who find it hard to bear with us; love of those with whom we work, and love of those with whom we take our ease; so that at length we may be worthy to dwell with you, who are Eternal Love. Amen. What particularly caught my attention were those two lines in the middle: love of those with those (continued) 2

3 with whom we find it hard to bear, and love of those who find it hard to bear with us. Why? I am increasingly concerned that the civil, political and moral issues that divide us as a society are becoming unbridgeable. Our disagreements are imprisoning us in camps, in tribes: we are comfortable with those who think like us; we dismiss those who don t. The fault lines are legion: abortion, guns, immigration, terrorism, taxes, regulations, racial and religious pluralism, economic inequality, global warming, our President and his policies, etc., etc. What an inspiration, then, that Archbishop Temple led me to pray that God s gift of love in me would bridge the chasm that separates me from those with whom I find it hard to bear, and that that same gift of love would inspire those who find it hard to bear with me to reach out to me with kindness, patience and understanding. How powerfully appropriate is this prayer in our season of political bitterness and division, in our world riven by hatred, prejudice, rancor, resentment and despair. How desperately we need to pray for God s gift of love so that at length we may be worthy to dwell with Him, who is Eternal love. Amen! Pastor David Strobel USHERS: July 1 9:00 AM Tom Kulp & Volunteer July 8 10:30 AM Folk Festival Service - Bob Hobaugh & Melanie Wessner July 15 9:00 AM Trevor & Tracey Greenawalt July 22 9:00 AM Liz Shrawder & Shana Rose July 29 9:00 AM David & Joyce Esser Schedule & Volunteers LAY READERS: July 1 9:00 AM Tom Kulp July 8 10:30 AM Folk Festival Service July 15 9:00 AM Joe Piscitelli July 22 9:00 AM Louise DeVall July 29 9:00 AM Carl Ziegler ACOLYTES: July 1 9:00 AM Rachel Hoffman & Alyssa Heffelfinger July 8 10:30 AM Folk Festival Service July 15 9:00 AM Elena Graff & Colin Pape July 22 9:00 AM Jarrett Noecker July 29 9:00 AM Kendall DeVall MONEY COUNTERS: Alan & Rita Robertson and Donna Keglovits ALTAR COMMITTEE: Marsha Hoyer FLOWER CHAIRPERSON: Darlene Dietrich COMMUNION USHERS: July 1 9:00 AM Jeff Collier July 8 10:30 AM Folk Festival Service July 15 9:00 AM Kurt Rohrbach July 22 9:00 AM No Communion July 29 9:00 AM No Communion BIBLE STUDY: Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM IMPORTANT DATES: July 4 Independence Day July 8 Folk Festival Service 3

4 From the Secretary Schedule & Volunteers LAY READERS: Aug 5 9:00 AM Nancy Plushanski Aug 12 9:00 AM Michele Zimmerman Aug 19 9:00 AM Melanie Wessner Aug 26 10:00 AM Service in the Park Sue Mangold ACOLYTES: Aug 5 9:00 AM Rachel Hoffman & Justin Diehl Aug 12 9:00 AM Kendall DeVall & Will DeVall Aug 19 9:00 AM Elena Graff & Colin Pape Aug 26 10:00 AM Service in the Park USHERS: Aug 5 9:00 AM Jean Ziegler & Michele Dugan Aug 12 9:00 AM Becki Prevoznik & Kathy Hertzog Aug 19 9:00 AM Linda Geiring & Michele Zimmerman Aug 26 10:00 AM Service in the Park Erma Bond & Leonard Dietrich ALTAR COMMITTEE: Melanie Wessner FLOWER CHAIRPERSON: Nancy Plushanski MONEY COUNTERS: Michele Zimmerman & Linda Geiring COMMUNION USHERS: Aug 5 9:00 AM Randy Heffner Aug 12 9:00 AM No Communion Aug 19 9:00 AM Marsha Hoyer Aug 26 10:00 AM Service in the Park No Communion BIBLE STUDY: Every Wednesday at 10:00 AM IMPORTANT DATES: Aug 26 Service & Picnic in the Park 4 The church office will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 th in observance of the Fourth of July Holiday. Upcoming Events Service in the Park Our annual Worship in the Park will take place on Sunday, August 26 th at Bowers Park. The time of the service will be 10:00 AM and a picnic will follow the service. All are welcome! We will provide the pizza, drinks and paper products. Please bring your lawn chairs and a dish to share. We will also do the annual duck race and there will be a piñata for the kids! It is a great day of worship, food, and fellowship. A sign-up sheet will be on the office door soon. We hope you can join us! Vacation Bible School This year s Vacation Bible School, Shipwrecked! will be held once again in conjunction with St. Paul s UCC and will be here at Trinity. The dates this year are August 5 th through August 9 th. If you would like to help out with VBS contact Seth Noggle at Registration forms are included in this newsletter and are available at the back of the sanctuary. Just a Reminder Please make sure when leaving the church that all lights and fans have been turned off, all windows closed, and that all doors have been closed and latched. Thank you for taking time to do this.

5 How you can help Hope s Table Trinity will be organizing several meals at Hope Lutheran Church in Reading. The dates for the next two meals are July 24 th and August 28 th, and we would like your help to serve food at these meals. The time involved would be approximately 4:15 PM to 7 PM that night. If you would like to help out please speak with the church office. Student Food Pantry at KU Thank you to everyone who has contributed time, groceries, and cash donations to this ministry. Even though the pantry will not be open over the summer months we are still collecting so they are ready for the fall. If you would like to contribute food items please see the list below Peanut Butter Juice Miscellaneous Snacks Crackers Knorr Side Dish Packets Cereal Instant Potato Packets Breakfast Bars Toiletries Mac n Cheese Soup Tuna Canned Fruits & Veggies Pasta Sponsors needed Altar Flowers There are a few Sundays in 2018 that do not have altar flower sponsors. The following dates are still available September 2 September 16 September 23 If you are interested in sponsoring the flowers for any of these dates please contact Darlene Dietrich at or the church office at Bulletins The bulletin sponsor chart for 2018 is up on the bulletin board across from the Parlor. Cost to sponsor the bulletins is $20 per week. If you are interested please list your name beside the date(s) you would like and what you would like printed in the bulletin. If you have any questions, please contact the church office. There is a box outside of the Parlor for the items you are donating. If you have any questions about this program, please contact the church office. VBS Hoagie Sale We will be participating in some hoagie fundraisers with St. Paul s UCC to help offset the costs of VBS. An order form is included in this newsletter. Please return the order form with the money to the church office by July 1st. If you are unable to help out this time there will be another sale in the beginning of August. A great way to help out and have lunch or dinner already planned for you! 5

6 Youth News Elementary Youth Group & Youth Group Schedules for July and August July 1 st No Youth Group ELCA Youth Gathering Please keep our youth and leaders in your prayers as they travel to Houston. July 8 th Elementary Youth Group (4:00-5:30 PM) Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) July 15 th Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) July 22 nd Elementary Youth Group (4:00-5:30 PM) Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) Community Events Kutztown Folk Festival If you were planning on attending worship services at the Folk Festival coupons for admission for congregation members are included below and are also available at the back of the sanctuary and in the weekly newsletters. The Lutheran worship service will be held on Sunday, July 8 th at 10:30 AM on the Main Stage. Worshippers can enter through the main gate at 9:00 AM with the coupon. Choir and musicians can enter through the vendor s gate beginning at 7:00 AM. Also, there will be a collection of non-perishable food items for the local food pantries, Friend and Manna, that day. Items can be dropped off at the Main Gate when you enter for worship. This is not required, but an opportunity to help others in need. If you have any questions please contact the church office. July 29 th Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) August 5 th No Youth Group Vacation Bible School August 12 th Messy Sunday (Elementary Youth Group & Youth Group) Time & Location TBD. August 19 th Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) August 26 th Elementary Youth Group (4:00-5:30 PM) Youth Group (6:00-8:00 PM) 6

7 Thank you Dear Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Thank you for choosing me to be the recipient of the Stephen Walter award. I am grateful to receive this award which will assist me in my nursing studies at Temple. This scholarship will help me in pursuing my dream of helping others. Thanks, Madison Sheetz *********************** Dear Trinity Lutheran Church, Thank you so much for choosing me to receive the Stephen Walter Memorial Scholarship! I am extremely appreciative of your generous award and it will help me with the expenses I will encounter continuing my education studying nursing at Bloomsburg University! Thank you so much! Sydney Sanders ************************* Dear Mrs. Robertson and members of Trinity Church, Thank you very much for sending me the box of goodies during finals week. It helped me very much during my late night studying hours. A few of my friends were able to enjoy it with me and are also very thankful. It is always nice being thought of back home during such a stressful time. I am forever grateful for this kind gesture. Thank you so much, Emma Weaknecht Mark Your Calendars Rally Sunday On Sunday, September 9 th we welcome back all the Sunday School children at 9:00 AM for another fun adventure! The Adult Sunday School and Discussion/Growth Group will also be starting up that Sunday at 9:00 AM. In addition we will return to the regular worship schedule with two services one at 8:00 AM and one at 10:15 AM. We hope to see you there! Scholarship Recipients Congratulations to the following recipients of our two scholarships Stephen Walter Memorial Scholarship Emily Bubbenmoyer Sydney Sanders Madison Sheetz Schellenberger Education Scholarship Julia Mace We wish them the best of luck in their future plans! A refreshing gift Oh, how beautiful is the summer night, which is not night, but a sunless, yet unclouded, day, descending upon earth with dews and shadows and refreshing coolness! How beautiful the long mild twilight, which, like a silver clasp, unites today with yesterday! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 7

8 Honoring Our Graduates At services on May 6 th and June 17 th we honored our members who have graduated from high school, trade school, or college this past year - Emily Grace Bubbenmoyer will graduate from Kutztown Area High School. She is planning on attending Slippery Rock University to obtain a doctorate in Physical Therapy. Julia Mace will graduate from Kutztown Area High School this June. She is wrapping up her high school experience with a trip to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals with her team in May. Julia plans to attend college in the fall and study mathematics and chemistry. Stephanie Billig graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware with a degree in Exercise Science. She will be attending Shenandoah University to obtain a doctorate in Physical Therapy. Zachary Owen is graduating from MIT in June with his PhD in Operations Research. He's continuing to work on technology development at Armoire, a Seattle based start-up that provides an online rental subscription service for business clothing for busy professional women. Kaherdin Charles will be graduating from Kutztown University. Yvette Ramos will be graduating from Kutztown University. Jennifer Rohrbach will be graduating summa cum laude from Widener University; Chester PA on May 19, 2018, as co-salutatorian with advanced honors in general education. She is an English/Creative Writing double major, and Editor-in-Chief for the school media, Blue & Gold. Jennifer will be attending graduate school at Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts Patrick Herbert will be graduating from Alvernia University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Communications. He is currently looking for employment following graduation. Trevor Shurr will be graduating from Kutztown Area High School and will be attending Lehigh Carbon Community College in the fall for Music and Sound Production. He is involved in FFA, indoor and outdoor track and has just received his Eagle Scout award. Sydney Sanders will be graduating from Kutztown Area High School. She will be attending Bloomsburg University for nursing. Jordan Noecker will be graduating from Kutztown Area High School. She is planning on taking a gap year. Following that year she will be going to RACC to take her general education classes and then transferring to Shippensburg for a dual major in business marketing and management. Emma Kyle will be graduating from Kutztown Area High School. She plans on attending Penn State University at University Park. She has not yet declared a major but is considering business, communications, and marketing. Jansen Kelchner Jordan Loeb will be graduating from DeSales University with a degree in Psychology. He will be joining the Air Force following graduation. Congratulations to all the graduates! We wish you the best as you start a new chapter in your lives! 8

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