Trinity Times. Merry Christmas! Christmas Tree. Angels Among Us. Where two or three are gathered, there I am among them. Matthew 18:20.

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1 December 2017 Trinity Times Newsletter Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Experience God. Find Community. Merry Christmas! Christmas Tree We re all decorating the Christmas tree this year! You are invited to bring an angel ornament on December 9 th /10 th or 16 th /17 th to place on our Christmas tree in the sanctuary. It will be a beautiful tree filled with peace and the power of the angels. What a beautiful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Angels Among Us When life held troubled times And had me down on my knees There s always been someone To come along and comfort me A kind word from a stranger To lend a helping hand A phone call from a friend Just to say I understand Now ain t it kind of funny At the dark end of the road Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope. Oh, I believe there are Angels Among Us, Sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours To show us how to live To teach us how to give To guide us with a light of love. They wear so many faces, Show up in the strangest places And grace us with their mercies in our time of need. By Alabama All of the angels that came to people in the Christmas story always started with Do not be afraid. During this Advent season we will encounter these angels and the angels among us. Our worship services will be a special time to contemplate the stories of the angels and to feel the love and power they bring among us. You are invited to take a picture of yourself with the angel wings in the entry way or in the sanctuary. Send them to holytrinity@ holytrinityelgin.com and we will post pictures on our website and Facebook page. Where two or three are gathered, there I am among them. Matthew 18:20

2 2 Trinity Times Christmas Luncheon The Christmas Luncheon will be held on Saturday, December 9 th, at noon. Tickets are $25 per person. This is a Thrivent Action Team project. You are invited to bring winter hats, scarves, mittens and gloves for our outside give-away boxes. In addition to lunch, flower arrangements will be given away. Quilt Sale Quilts will be displayed in worship on December 2 nd & 3 rd and sold on December 9 th and 10 th at the Christmas Luncheon and also after worship both days. The quilts will be sold for $40. This year the quilters expect to have made 200 quilts for Lutheran World Relief plus 6 that went to neighbors in need and the 14 that are for sale! The batting is the biggest expense at $ in The quilters also donate $2.25 per quilt to Lutheran World Relief for shipping which totals $450. Donations are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks to our 15 quilters who work very hard to provide quilts to those in need around the world. St. Nicholas Visits Invite friends and family to our Visit from St. Nicholas on Sunday, December 10 th during the fellowship hour after worship. Cake and ice cream will be served! Gift Wrapping The youth group will wrap your gifts for you on December 3 rd & 10 th after worship! Bring your gifts and they will be carefully wrapped by our youth. Donations accepted! Bake Sale After you enjoy cake and ice cream and visit with St. Nicholas on December 10 th during the fellowship hour, you are invited to take home a treat or two from the bake sale the youth are holding. All donations will go towards the youth gathering next summer. Nativity Display You are invited to bring your nativity set to display on Sunday, December 17 th. We ll have tables in Lind Hall for you to set up on. Please bring a card with your name on it and a story about your nativity set. Then you can take your set home with you at the end of our fellowship hour. What a beautiful way to share the coming of Christ! Glory to God in the highest

3 Trinity Times 3 Elder Cafe Elder Cafe will be held on Wednesday, December 20 th, at noon. Come for worship, lunch, and Christmas fun. Sign up on the glass table in the sanctuary so we know how many to plan for. Please invite friends to come with you! Christmas Worship Christmas Eve services will be held on Sunday, December 24 th, at 2:00pm, 5:00pm (children s service) and 11:00pm. There will be communion and candle lighting at all services. Christmas Day worship will be held at 9:30am. Changes to Newsletter Mailing As we look at changing technology and the costs of mailing paper newsletters as well as the environmental costs of using resources like paper, we re going to try a hybrid system of delivering the newsletter. This will save money and hopefully still get everyone the newsletter in a way that works for you. The newsletter will be delivered in the following ways: 1. ed as a PDF that you can read on your computer or print out the entire newsletter or jest a select page (like the calendar to hang on your refrigerator). 2. Printed and available for pickup at the church when you attend on Saturday or Sunday. 3. Mailed to your home for people who are unable to attend but who want to continue to receive it. Remember that the most recent newsletter is always online at as well. Please let the office know which option that you would prefer. Giving Tree The Giving Tree has always been a part of Holy Trinity s Christmas tradition. This year Holy Trinity needs our help. We have needed to borrow $54,000 from our Thrivent Loan account. We would like to pay that back as quickly as possible so that we can move forward in Whatever gift you can give, large or small, will go directly to paying the principal of the loan. Enclosed with the newsletter is an envelope to use. Envelopes will also be available on the back table in the sanctuary. If you can give something at any time, please use one of these envelopes. Thank you for your support. Chapel Street Entrance As we become more security conscious after all of the recent incidents in the news, the Chapel Street entrance will remain closed on Sunday mornings so that we can better monitor who comes and goes. Please use the Division Street entrance.

4 4 Trinity Times PASTOR S COLUMN What do you think of when you hear the word Church? For many of us, the first thing that comes to mind is worship. We think of favorite hymns and favored times of the year in our weekly services. We remember years gone by and sitting with certain people who are no longer with us perhaps on Christmas or Easter. We even proudly recall moments in which we helped lead worship ourselves. Others of us may hear the word Church and think of activities we are, or have been, involved in. More than a few of us have great memories of Youth Group/ Luther League from our past. Many of us are currently involved in ministries such as the After-School Program, the Soup Kettle, the Card Ministry, or the Prayer Shawl Ministry just to name a few. We may even contemplate great Bible Study groups we participated in over the years. Naturally, some of us think of family when we hear the word Church because we are a family here at Holy Trinity, and many of our friends are people we met in this place. We also may come up with other words such as Faith or Discipleship or Servant as we think of our Church. In all these cases, we are exactly correct. Church means all of these things to us, and so much more. Thus, we are thankful to God for creating the Church in the world and calling us to gather as brothers and sisters for moments of common prayer, song, and sacred meal. As we begin our journey through Advent and enter the joy of Jesus birth, we the Church rejoice! Who we are today must always be celebrated! Holy Trinity - in this day and age - is a congregation that reaches out with God s Love to its neighbors and community with the upmost vitality and Grace. We are a living reflection of Christ in the eyes of our brothers and sisters. Many of our neighbors cannot even imagine life without us as we are now. Holy Trinity in this day and age is a beacon of light to our elders, providing programming, meals, and ministry opportunities to those who sometimes struggle with loneliness. The radio ministry even brings worship to the living rooms and hospital rooms of those who cannot be with us physically. Holy Trinity in this day and age is known for our compassion and welcome! Jesus himself labeled Love (of God and Neighbor) as the central focus of all the Commandments. Paul wrote of Love being the greatest of all spiritual gifts. The fact that Holy Trinity is known for our Love should be the thing that we who are here now are most thankful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Advent, and prepare to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord. I am excited to enter into Advent with all of you once again, and especially look forward to the joy and hope of Christmas Eve! May God s Peace, which surpasses all understanding, bless us now and always! Amen! Rev. Jeffrey G Mikyska

5 Trinity Times Offering Envelopes The 2018 offering envelopes are ready to be picked up. They are on the counter in the community center. Please do not start using them until Shop and Share News Thank you for all your donations. Our total thus far is $862.91, which surpasses last year. There could be one more check yet this year. This amount has already been split with the Ecker Center and goes directly to our budget. The dollar split has recently been changed from 50/50 to 60/40 so we can give more to the Ecker Center programs. Chocolate! The Festival Chocolate! will be held on Saturday, February 10 th! The donation tags for the chocolate ingredients will be by the Division Street entrance at the end of December. Please bring the ingredients to church by January 21 st. Paper Goods We need donations of paper towels and toilet paper. This is an ongoing need so bring some any time during the year. Thank you to:...christ the Lord Lutheran Church for the beautiful quilted Christmas stockings they made for every child in Elgin that is part of Kids Hope.... the volunteers who are Kids Hope mentors. You are a blessing and you make a real difference in the life of the child you mentor....everyone who has volunteered to take on extra duties in the church office and in worship so that Sandy can have time to rest and heal....everyone who volunteers in any way both here at church and in the community. Together we can all make a difference. Prayer for Peace Help us to know the Peace that Passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) which comes through prayer and believing that you are with us every moment, no matter what. Help us rest peacefully in your arms like a lamb being carried by you, the Good Shepherd as it says in Isaiah, He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; (Isaiah 40:11) And as we experience your amazing peace, help us to pass it on to those who need it the most this Christmas season. Amen

6 6 Trinity Times Loss Support Group The Loss Support Group is open to anyone who has suffered a loss. The group meets at The Big Skillet Restaurant, 90 Tyler Creek Plaza, on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00pm. Thank You Holy Trinity, Words cannot convey our sincere appreciation and thankfulness for all you have done during this difficult time. Thank you Pastor Jeff for your inspiring words and beautiful service afarewellnd so many others, who helped us in many ways. Thank you and God Bless, The family of Ruth Pflueger Prayers and Sympathy...to the family of Ruth Pflueger. Ruth passed away on November 14 th. She was a long time member of Holy Trinity. This sweet, fun loving lady will be missed....to the family of Bernice Staflin. Bernice passed away on November 6 th. She was Scott Kolakowski s grandmother....to Bill Fisher & family on the death of his father. Farewell to Mark Honeycutt Mark will be leaving Holy Trinity at the end of the year. We would like to thank him for his ministry here and wish him well. We will have a reception for Mark on Saturday, December 16 th after worship and on Sunday, December 17 th during the fellowship hour. Bible Study Begins Wednesday, January 6 th at 10:00 a.m. Ruth: Discovering Your Place. Color with Friends. Be Drawn into Scripture. Struck by tragedy. On the fringes of society. Seizing upon hope. Ruth didn t wait for hope to arrive. She sought it out and grabbed hold of it. Compelled by need, animated by faith, she dared to leave the only land she knew. Ruth s resilience and resourcefulness offer you a creative vision to navigate life s inevitable struggles, trust God, and hold fast to his irrevocable hope. We will gather around Scripture for coloring and conversation. Led by Deaconess Andrea Books are $8; payable to Holy Trinity Thank you Thank you for the beautiful quilt that many of you wrote messages on and signed. Thanks also for the many cards I continue to receive. I get my strength from feeling all your love and prayers. I continue to feel good and am able to be in the office every day. Thanks again for your support. Sandy

7 Trinity Times 7 Youth Group December Dine and Share place & date to be decided December 3 rd & 10 th Gift wrapping Sundays Saturday, December 9 th : Youth Group 5-10pm Before you see the new movie! Wrinkle in Time in March 2018, read the book! And come join the conversation with your friends of all ages at church! From back cover: A classic since 1962, Madeleine L Engle s A Wrinkle in Time is sophisticated in concept yet warm in tone, with mystery and love coursing through its pages. Meg s shattering yet ultimately freeing discovery that her father is not omnipotent provides a satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers will feel a sense of power as they travel with these three children, challenging concepts of time, space, and the power of good over evil. Timeline: Read (or reread) the book in December/January. We will gather together in February to have a book discussion (with treats!), then go see the movie together in March. All ages welcome! If you need a copy of book or have questions contact Deaconess Andrea. Saturday, January 13 th, 2018: Youth Group 5-9 pm Advocacy with a special guest. Youth from Christ the Lord and Zion Lutheran Church will be joining us. Saturday, February 3 rd : making subs at 6pm Sunday, February 4 th : Selling subs for Super Bowl Sunday, February 18 th : Chili Lunch Saturday, March 10 th : Youth Group 5-10pm March 25 th - 31 st : Spring Break activities Saturday, April 14 th : Youth Group 5-10pm Saturday, May 12 th : Youth Group 5-10pm June 27 th -July 1 st : National Youth Gathering 2018

8 8 Trinity Times Discerning God s Call This coming year will be an exciting one for Holy Trinity - as we will be embarking upon a journey of Renewal! This is not about some catchy mission statement or new outreach program. Instead, this is about our own growth as Disciples and learning to better understand what God dreams we can be. It is about our passion and energy as God s children with the greatest gift of all (Love) in our hands. Discerning our calling is an ongoing spiritual practice which must be a part of our daily life as individuals and as a community. None of us is the same person we were yesterday, and neither is Holy Trinity the same grouping of gifts and talents that it was even five years ago. Our hope is to make spiritual practices such as discernment, study, and community prayer as much a part of who we are as worship is. Renewal is all about us living every day as the passionate disciples God longs for. The concept is for us to place our energy into spiritual growth through Congregational Bible Studies, Retreats, Concerts, and Community Visioning. Our ultimate goal is to claim who we are today, and what God has in store for Holy Trinity in this day and age. We will have a KICK-OFF on Epiphany Sunday (Jan 6 th ), and then have a SUNDAY OF THANKSGIVING on January 13 th. The Sunday of Thanksgiving on January 13 th will be a celebration of our history and all those who have gone before us. Then, we get to work on who we are today. Holy Trinity is here because God has a dream for those of us who gather in this time and place. We would not be here if God didn t have a reason for us. Thus, we can be assured that we have been gathered together as one community and family at Holy Trinity in 2018 with a divine purpose. Exploring God s desires for Holy Trinity today is very powerful and spiritual work. I look forward to our Bible Studies, Retreats, and other activities together in the coming months and years, as we increase our focus upon our spiritual life and work!!! Peace, Pastor Jeff Council President: Jordan Wildermuth Vice-President/Worship: Jackie Kutina Secretary: Heather Friedel Scott Kolakowski Mary Cook Bob Jones Bruce Woerner Bob Langlois Worship Times Saturday: 5:00pm Sunday: 9:30am