Volume 71, Number 1 Duluth, Minnesota January Pastor s Column Jerome Evavold Happy New Year?

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1 TRINITY Volume 71, Number 1 Duluth, Minnesota January 2015 Pastor s Column Jerome Evavold Happy New Year? It s a bit confusing. The church year seems to begin in September when we have Rally Sunday to welcome everyone back who may have been on vacation etc. and Sunday School starts and confirmation begins soon. Then we begin the church year which begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving when we begin the Season of Advent. Finally, we gather after Christmas, in the beginning of January to celebrate the New Year which is another beginning of our budget year, etc. January 6 is what we call the beginning of the Epiphany season in the church. Like Isaiah (9) says, The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness----on them light has shined. (6) For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. You start to feel a little bit like Bill Murray in the movie, Ground Hog Day, who wakes up every morning and relives the day before. At the same time, we know everything is always changing and we have never lived this day before. Even though we have already celebrated the birth of Jesus before, it is still a new day and, in a sense, His birth means more to us today than it meant last year, because we are moving forward, and we could say, closer to seeing God face to face. As we begin this third beginning of the new (church) year, let us be reminded of how God will work in and through us as we gather for worship, as we share our blessings of time and resources, as we pray and support one another as God s people. Our church has gone through lots of changes over the last years with people we have lost, with budget concerns and, at the same time, welcoming some new faces into our congregation. Held in God s care, let us look forward to the New Year with excitement as we face the challenges ahead. We have seen the great light once again and, as the Gospel of John reminds us, In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. HAPPY NEW YEAR ONCE AGAIN! 1

2 Worship Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6 Worship Schedule January 4 10am Service January 11 January 18 January 25 11am Epiphany Party 8:45am Traditional Worship 10am Education Hour 10:45am Contemporary Worship 8:45am Traditional Worship 10am Education Hour 10:45am Contemporary Worship 10:00am Worship 11:00am Annual Meeting and Lunch Epiphany Sunday January 4 Following the 10am worship service this Sunday, all ages are invited to join us downstairs in the fellowship area to celebrate Epiphany. Trinity s Annual Meeting January 25 10:00am Worship Annual Meeting to follow immediately downstairs. Lunch and goodies provided. Directory Update: Lifetouch mailed the rough draft of our directory on December 17. It was proofed and returned for printing. Our directories should be available by the end of January. Anyone who had their picture taken or submitted will have their directory labeled and available for pick up in the narthex. If you did not have your picture in the directory but would like to receive a directory, these will be made available through the office. Trinity on Facebook Have you befriended Trinity Lutheran Church on Facebook? We d love to have you as our friend. Facebook is a great way to stay up to date with what is happening at the church, make prayer requests, and connect with other members and friends. Find us today. Our profile picture is a picture of the front of the church building. The Giving Tree Thank you to everyone for their generous gifts to the Giving Tree during the month of December. Together we bring our gifts and God is able to use them for ministry through Trinity. 2

3 Property Management Through sloth the roof sinks in, through indolence the house leaks. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Last month I mentioned a short reprieve from the cold well, we just got done with another one.would it be too dangerous to think that this might be an OK winter?? (Don t worry; I am knocking on wood as I write this) I reported that we are starting to buckle down on those that think that Trinity s parking lots are there for their own, free use. Well, I called the towing Company about a week ago and requested that two vehicles be towed. These were vehicles that were among the worst offenders. By the time the tow truck arrived, one of the vehicles had already left, but he towed the other one. We will continue to monitor the situation and act as we feel it is necessary to make sure that the members of our Congregation can use the lots, and that when the plow comes to clean up, there aren t a half dozen vehicles parked there, making a need for the plow to come back to clean up and therefore increasing our costs. Just yesterday, I talked with the Company who is installing the panic bar for the kitchen door, and the lock and window for the steel door downstairs. They are planning to come on Monday (Today is Friday) to take care of both projects. They will also be fixing the lock on the Avenue entrance since there is an issue with not being able to get your key back out once unlocked. 3 MANY thanks to Dean DeRosier for being the expert on installing bi-fold doors! After all the staining and sealing was completed, I arranged to meet Dean at Church and we spent almost an entire day getting the two doors installed in the Sanctuary. We had to work around parts missing from the order and once I measured, cut twice and still ended up too short a quick run up to Menards took care of that issue. After the project, I went back to Menards and picked up a couple of door knobs to be installed, as well as a roller that was missing. These will be installed as soon as possible so we can finally say the project is complete! I hope you like the way the doors turned out! Last month, we reported about the Avenue entrance door overhead light. Well, the light is still on our list, we are awaiting good weather, and our spare time to align so that we can take care of it as I said last month, it hasn t fallen off of our list I have spending most my other spare time working with the lighting contractor to determine the correct replacement lights for the Sanctuary. We think we are ready, and so we placed the order for new and energy efficient lights for all of the Sanctuary lighting. I don t think the new ones will be here before Christmas, but I am hoping that soon after, we will have new lights in the sanctuary, and be able to reduce our electric bill at the same time. These new lights will have a 10- year warrantee on them, so if they burn out during that time, we will be able to get free replacements! They also use just a fraction of the electricity, so the payback to install them is about a year and a half. You may have noticed a couple of lights where no light is coming from them. I noticed this the day that Dean and I were doing the bi-fold doors. With the new lights on their way, I thought it would be the best use of your money to not purchase replacement bulbs to light the fixtures only to turn around and replace them once the new types of lights come in. I hope the fact that it s a little dimmer in the Sanctuary isn t too much of a distraction! We are still in need of repairing the hole in the boy s washroom wall created by the heating system repair, as well as the tile removal and replacement for tiles on the floor in the washroom itself. If anyone needs a winter project, please let me know and we will arrange to get all the tools and materials necessary for you to get the job completed. I cannot tell you what a good feeling it is (continued on next page)

4 Property Management Through sloth the roof sinks in, through indolence the house leaks. Ecclesiastes 10:18 to accomplish something like that, let alone something like that for the Church! I would like to share that feeling with as many of you as are willing and able. You will remember the old Christmas story where all was quiet, not even a mouse? Well, although we hope that is still true, an expired mouse was found the other day inside the Church. We will be placing traps out again to see if there are any more of his, or her friends still making mouse noises in our Church. As always, I would like to thank each and every one of you for thinking of the Property Board and the Church building in your prayers and gifts! It is only through your thoughts, prayers and gifts that allow us to do the work that we do. I would also challenge each of you to decide to lend a hand on the various projects that we have going. If there are more folks pitching in, the work will get done much faster, and we would be able to get more things completed. Respectfully submitted, Eric Skadsberg Property Chair Witness Beyond/Creation Care Report Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40 WITNESS BEYOND/ CREATION CARE REPORT Submitted by Kathy Johanson WITNESS BEYOND God bless thy year! Thy rest, thy traveling about, The rough, the smooth, The bright, the drear, God bless thy year! RENAISSANCE HOUSE I purchased 3 family-sized pizzas, Lynn Gerlach Collard had a huge platter of delicious cookies, beverages were brought and we all ate and decorated at Renaissance House on December 3, It looks fabulous. They have a beautiful tree and decorations all over the place! What fun! Witness Beyond served dinner at Renaissance House on Sunday, December 7, We had sloppy joes, chips, ice cream bars, truffles, and beverages. We ate in the newly decorated residence and spoke about many things. I also turned in 14 gift cards for stocking stuffers for the kids. A huge THANK YOU to Hulda circle and the members of Witness Beyond for the cards! Gloria Dei did pizza gift cards and subway gift cards. First Lutheran had Renaissance House on their giving tree and they delivered gifts the week of Christmas. I attended the Christmas Concert of 2 of the Renaissance boys at OHCHS Gymnasium on December 23. Then I took 3 of the boys out for a late lunch/ early dinner after their school. It was great! CHUM Peg and Glenn Evavold and I attended the CHUM Christmas Concert at Hope United Methodist Church on St. Marie Street on Saturday, December 13, We delivered 5 dozen delicious cookies for the social after the concert. The concert was amazing and went for two and a half hours! It ended with Bill Bastian! They collected over $7000 dollars in donations at the concert. The director of CHUM also shared the good news that the Steve O'Neil Apartments are ready for the 44 families that will live in them. Some of them already moved in in December and they all will be in their apartments by March! These are families that have been homeless for at least a year or homeless for 3 or more times! There are far more children in the apartments then adults! I only wish that Steve were there to welcome these people! CREATION CARE Happy New Year and remember wear more clothes and lower that thermostat. 4

5 Sunday School / Youth Train children in the right way, and when old they will not stray. Proverbs 22:6 Sunday School Schedule January 4 No regular Sunday School Join us downstairs after the 10am worship for an Epiphany celebration. January 11 Large Group in the Gym: Baptism For the month of January, all grades will gather downstairs in the gym for Large Group Sunday School. We will open together and then break into small group rug groups around the gym. As Lutherans we say we are Baptized, Called, Equipped, and Sent. We will learn about these words and what they mean for our lives as God s people. D.A.S.H. Duluth Area Senior High Youth Group January 11, 6:30-8pm at TRINITY Senior High youth from around the area gather the second Sunday of every month. Every evening includes a time for check in and sharing of highs and lows, a study and reflection time on a section of scripture from the New Testaments letters, prayer and blessing time, and snacks and group games. We regularly gather at First Lutheran but this month we will be gathering at Trinity. Invite your friends to join us. January 18 No Sunday School due to the An- January 25 nual Meeting Large Group in the Gym: Called by God Confirmation Session 2 January 21 and 28 and February 4 and 11 Confirmation is open to 7 th and 8 th grade youth. Confirmation is a two year program, completed in four week, Wednesday night sessions. Session 2 begins January 21 and will focus on an overview of the Old Testament. Mom s Night Thursday, January 22, at 6:30pm at The Tavern on the Hill. All moms are invited to join us for a time of food and fellowship as we celebrate the blessing of our children and support each other in our call as moms. 6:00pm Dinner Schedule Jan. 21 Overlie Family Jan. 28 Fink Family Feb. 4 Thayer Family Feb. 11 Kimpling Family 6:30-7:30pm Small Group Learning on the Old Testament 5

6 Thank You! Give thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 Additional gifts were placed on the Giving Tree in memory of both Doris and Ray. A gift to the ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church from Greg and JoAnn Drickhamer in memory of Greg's dear friend, TYRONE BOESE Gifts in memory of DORIS JOHNSON: To the Sunday School from Greg and Jo- Ann Drickhamer To the Quilters and In Stitches groups from: Claudine Hansen Michael and Dawn Kregness Glenn and Peg Evavold Jerome and Mary Evavold Dick and Pat Christiansen Mae Klawitter Dick and Gloria Walkowiak Ken and Marion Sunnarborg Gene and Sandy Keyser Larry and Sherry Rushing Fritz and Faye Kerttula Joanne Morris Joanne Robson Donna Hagensen Gifts to the Elevator Fund in memory of RAY TILLI from: Claudine Hansen Fritz and Faye Kerttula Roy Juntunen A gift to the ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church in honor of JOHN CLARK on his birthday from his parents, John and Ann Clark Gifts in memory of JOYCE GOAR: To the Kitchen Fund from Kay Bergman and the Goar family To the Garden Fund from Glenn and Peg Evavold To the Endowment Fund from Jan Culliton To the Ministries of Trinity Lutheran Church from: Bea Wenck Fred and Amy Sowl Claudine Hansen and Jerry Ewer Ken and Marion Sunnarborg David and Mary Lundeen Fritz and Faye Kerttula Ray Aiken and Alyce Coker Steve and Barb Lewis Gene and Sandy Keyser Dick and Gloria Walkowiak Joanne Robson 6

7 The Alive and Kicking Group Chili and a Movie at 1:00 pm Sunday, January 11th in the Lounge ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE IN THE OFFICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN PREPARE THE REPORT NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015 FOLLOWING 10 AM COMBINED WORSHIP SERVICE Lunch and goodies provided following meeting. The 9 am Quilters will resume activities on Tuesday, January 13th. TRINITY TRAVELERS Trinity Staff Pastor Jerome Evavold jevavold@tlcduluth.org Minister of Congregational Life Shivon Miller shivon.miller@yahoo.com Visitation Pastor Ron Becklund Organist Judy Arnold Treasurer/Financial Secretary Kathy Gilbertson Secretary Aine Merrill trinity@tlcduluth.org Live-in Caretaker & Custodian Andrew Fleisch Building Use/Wedding Coordinator Naydean Ringdahl Publisher Eileen Nelson Will be meeting at 1 pm - Tuesday, January 27th at the Pickwick. Call the office or Claudine Hansen to sign up. We hope to see you there. 7

8 THE GIVING TREE We want to thank everyone for your generous response toward the finances of Trinity Lutheran Church. The current amounts are still being compiled and more offerings are still welcome. We will have a final report completed for the annual meeting. God bless you for your generosity. Carol Bakke Jan 1 Ayden DeRosier Jan 1 Laura Panichi Jan 5 Hunter Thayer Jan 5 Patricia Dahlgren Jan 6 Maxine Nelson Jan 7 Charlie Ostrofsky Jan 7 Sarah Motschenbacher Jan 10 Elaine Carlson Jan 11 Isabella Grochoski Jan 12 Lyle Bonnema Jan 13 Clark Anderson Jan 14 Mikah Zak Jan 15 Catherine Bergquist Jan 16 Gail Hosking Jan 18 Dawn Kregness Jan 20 Irene Tawyea Jan 20 Daniel Bergstrom Jan 22 Joe Cekalla Jan 22 Dorothy Peterson Jan 22 Lynn Berkelman Jan 23 Beatrice Hietala Jan 24 Naydean Ringdahl Jan 24 Amber Pietrusa Jan 25 Dean Vogtman Jan 26 Rebecca Oachs Jan 30 Wishing each of you a very happy and healthy birthday and a blessed new year. Once again, we apologize if we have missed anyone s birthday or have incorrect information in the computer. Please let the office know so we can update your information. 8

9 TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 1108 East Eighth Street Duluth, Minnesota Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Duluth, MN Permit No. 889 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Sunday Worship Schedule January 4, 2015 and January 25, :00 am - Combined Worship Service 11:00 am - Coffee Fellowship Sunday Worship Schedule January 11 and January 18, :45 am Traditional Worship Service 10:45 am Contemporary Worship Service Communion is served on the first and third Sundays. Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. trinity@tlcduluth.org Website: 9

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11 Time & Talent Volunteers - 10:00 a.m. January 4, :00 Greeters: Dick Carlson Ushers: Dick & Elaine Carlson Reader: Tim Bushnell Communion Asst: Theresa & Gundars Stumbris Comm. Basket Holder: Joann & Anna Salmela Coffee Host: Glenn & Peg Evavold January 11, :45 January 11, :45 Greeters: Jan Culliton Greeters: Doris Thorsen Ushers: Kathy Myers, Jan Culliton Ushers: Bret & Heidi Johnson Reader: Kathy Myers Reader: Bret Johnson Coffee Host: Nancy Bergson Coffee Host: Nancy Bergson January 18, :45 January 18, :45 Greeters: Faye Kerttula Greeters: Jack Salmela Ushers: Christine & Jordan Kimpling Ushers: Kathy Gilbertson, Jack Salmela Reader: Eileen Nelson Reader: JoAnn Salmela Heather Sweetland, Joanne Robson Communion Asst: Gail Hosking, Claudine Hansen Communion Asst: Comm. Basket Holder: Elaine Carlson, Kathy Myers Comm. Basket Holder: Kathy Johanson, Sherry Rushing Coffee Host: Brenda Bonnema, Ann Clark Coffee Host: Brenda Bonnema, Ann Clark Greeters: Ushers: Reader: Coffee Host: Counters (Mondays) Altar Guild: January 25, :00 Alyce Payment Don Stellmaker, Alyce Payment Nancy DeRosier Lunch Provided January 5th - Claudine Hansen January 12th - Faye & Fritz Kerttula January 19th - Jim & Bev McIntosh January 26th - Kathy Johanson Donna Shepard, Joanne Robson 10 11