Volume 70, Number 8 Duluth, Minnesota September Pastor s Column - Jerome Evavold God s Work Our Hands Sunday---September 7th

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1 TRINITY Echo Volume 70, Number 8 Duluth, Minnesota September 2014 Pastor s Column - Jerome Evavold God s Work Our Hands Sunday---September 7th As it says in a publication of our national church, God s Work -- Our Hands Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) one church freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. On Sunday, September 7, 2014, the nearly 10,000 congregations of this church gather to serve communities in ways that share the love of God with all of God s people. The idea of this Sunday is this: ELCA members are called to put their faith into action by engaging in service activities in their neighborhood, surrounding community or designated area. We are invited to find service projects in our area. A couple of songs come to mind when I think of this ELCA theme which we will celebrate on Rally Sunday, September 7 th. These are songs we have song many times in our contemporary worship services. The first is Pass My Love Around by Ylvisaker which goes like this: I have no feet but your feet, do the loving deed; I have no hands but your hands, fill the need. You are my eyes to see their pain, you are my heart beat. Do it in my name, rememb ring who you are. Pass my love around! You re my hands, my eyes, I gave you ears to hear their cries. Pass my love around, you re an angel in disguise, for you can make it come alive, for you can make it come alive. And when you feel the heartache, do the loving deed; and when you see the suff ring, fill the need. You are my eyes to see their pain, you are my heart beat. Do it in my name, respond right from the start! Pass my love around Another song we sing is These Hands by Paul Frantsen with these words: These hands of love we offer now. These hands of mercy we give in love. Hands of love and mercy. We all know how to give a hand of mercy to someone, somehow in our world. God calls us to be the hands and feet of God in this world in which we live. We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 5:17, So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see everything has become new! AS WE GATHER FOR WORSHIP AND A POTLUCK ON SEPTEMBER 7, WE WILL HEAR AND SEE ALL KINDS OF WAYS WE ARE GOD S HANDS AND FEET IN THE WORLD! Worship schedule: September 7 th - God s Work Our Hands Sunday ---Rally Sunday One Service followed by Potluck downstairs. September 14th - Back to two worship services: 8:45 am traditional and 10:45 am contemporary September 17th - Wednesday at 6 p.m. at church- Annual Alive and Kicking Pizza Planning Meeting 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 God s Work, Our Hands Sunday Sept. 7, 10am Worship 11am Potluck and Service Projects 4:30pm Serving a Meal at CHUM Drop-In Center God s work, our hands Sunday is an ELCA Nationwide celebration, an opportunity to serve and love our neighbor. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. On Sunday, Sept. 7 let s join together as 4 million members, nearly 10,000 congregations, 65 synods and the churchwide expression for a dedicated day of service. Let s clean up neighborhoods, deliver meals, collect supplies for refugees overseas, visit our neighbors or help a child learn to read. You work every day to welcome your neighbors and make your community a better place. Now let s do it together as one body, using our hands to do God s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ s name throughout the world ELCA Churchwide Office Here at Trinity our worship service will celebrate God s work through the ELCA. We will recommit to doing God s work with our Hands and kick off the start of another year together as the Body of Christ. Following worship we will move downstairs for a potluck and opportunities for service. Service stations will be set up around the fellowship area, focused on providing small opportunities for doing God s work with our hands. Join us in tying blankets for LSS, filling distribution bags for the Food Shelf, making a meal for CHUM Drop in Center, creating cards for Camp Noah, and much more. Then everyone is asked to take the mission home. How will you make a special commitment to being the hands and feet of Christ in your neighborhood that afternoon? Throughout the week? The month? The year? **We will be making a meal Sunday morning to be served at the CHUM Drop-In Center Sunday night. We are looking for volunteers willing to help serve the meal. We will meet at the Drop-In Center at 4:30pm and serve the meal at 5:00pm. Please let Shivon know if you can help. Blessing of the Backpacks Sept. 7, 10am worship Children are invited to bring their backpacks to worship. During children s time we will pray for each child and their school year. Adult Forum Sunday Mornings, 10am Begins Sept. 14 Adult Forum is open to all adults, any Sunday they are able to attend. Join us as we learn and reflect together. First Wednesdays God Works in Moments: Make moments for God and others. October 1-6:00pm Dinner 6:30pm Programming As part of our theme this year, we will gather the first Wednesday of every month, intentionally providing an opportunity to make a moment for God and others. Join us around the tables for a meal together. Then at 6:30pm choose to be a part of small group, learning and discussing a new way to make time for God in our everyday. Mark your calendar for October. Trinity Directory Trinity will be doing a directory this Fall. Sign up for pictures will be in October. Picture taking will be scheduled for the first week in November. Pictures will be available for pick up mid- December. Expect a phone call in October from the directory committee and watch your bulletin and newsletters for more information. 2

3 Sunday School / Youth Train children in the right way, and when old they will not stray. Proverbs 22:6 Sunday School Schedule Preschool through Middle School Every Sunday at 10am beginning Sept. 14 Children and youth are encouraged to join us for Sunday School time each Sunday morning from 10am to 10:40am. Ages Preschool through Elementary begin as a large group for music and a movie clip focused on our Holy Moly Bible story of the day. We then divide into classrooms for our Faith 5 Sharing our highs and lows, hearing the story, responding to our story through a brief activity, praying for each other, and blessing one another. Middle School youth will gather as one group beginning at 10am. Each hour begins with a time of sharing, followed by a theme lesson from the Connect curriculum. Join us September 14 for registration. Sunday School Volunteers Needed: We are still looking for volunteers that would be willing to help teach/co-teach in a Sunday School classroom this Fall. Volunteers take a small group of children after our large group time together. In classrooms they lead the sharing of highs and lows. They then read the story from the Holy Moly Bible, lead a small paper based activity, and close in prayer and a time of blessing each other. Please contact Shivon if you would be willing to help. Confirmation Program: Youth and Parent Information Meeting, Sept. 24, 6:30pm Do you have a child in 7 th or 8 th Grade? Join us Sept. 24 to learn about confirmation at Trinity. Instead of a year round program, confirmation will be in four week, Wednesday night sessions, three times a year, for two years, in a small group setting. In addition there will be retreats, worship and service expectations, and youth group/congregational programming for the group to attend. The hope of the confirmation program is to support your family in helping your child learn and live into the life and faith of the church. The program integrates Bible and Lutheran learning, a space to experience and develop their relationship with God and Christ, group building and Christian fellowship, service and worship opportunities, and an open forum for youth to bring their questions and wonderings. It is our hope that each evening will begin at 6pm with a meal together, include a small group learning time, and end with a brief youth worship. Confirmation Wednesdays, October 8, 15, 22, 29, 6pm to 7:30pm Confirmation/Youth Retreat: Middle School Gathering: November 22-23, 2014 Cragun's Resort, Brainerd "FOREVER": Confirmation Theme: The Sacraments Registration Due October 19 The Middle School Gathering is for youth in grades 6-9 and their adult leaders. This event gathers young people to grow in their faith by focusing on common confirmation teachings presented in a unique way (see rotation below). The event includes large group assemblies with a keynote speaker and band, learning clusters (small 3

4 Sunday School / Youth Train children in the right way, and when old they will not stray. Proverbs 22:6 group learning), family time (time to meet with your church group), hotel life (fun activities including inflatable games, basketball, swimming pool Wii, board games and crafts, prayer room, dance music and more), and worship. Boo at the Zoo October 11, shifts from 9am to 4pm Trinity will once again have a station at Boo at the Zoo on Oct. 11. Volunteers of all ages, invite kids to play a short game (bean bag toss, spin the wheel, etc.) or hand out candy to participants. We are looking for youth, families, and individuals that would be willing to cover a shift at the station. Volunteers are encouraged to come in costume. Please let Shivon know if you would be willing to help. Mark your calendar and join us for an OctoberFest Meal Wednesday, October 1 Serving and Take Out from 5:30 pm-7 pm Grilled Brats and Kraut, potato salad, chips, and apple crisp - $9 a ticket Grilled Hot Dogs, chips, carrots and crisp - $6 a ticket Tickets available Sundays in the narthex and through the office. Limited tickets available at the door. Mom s Night There will not be a meeting in September. The next meeting will be Thursday, October 9th at 6 p.m. The location will be determined later. 4

5 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 Submitted by Kathy Johanson AUGUST CELEBRATE WITH CHUM On August 1 six families moved into housing! CHUM is very excited that six formerly homeless families are now in new homes! They invite us to help get them situated and to make this transition a smooth one. Please consider contributing one or more of the items listed. Household items needed: Bathroom towel sets, dining service for 6, pots and pans sets, dish towels and clothes, twin bed sheet sets (young and teen girls and boys), queen and full size sheet sets, dish soap, general cleaner, laundry detergent, window cleaner, bleach, paper towels and sponges. Furniture needs: Queen or full size beds with mattresses, couches, dining tables with chairs, a bunk bed, set of 3 stools floor lamps, and a twin trundle bed. Please bring any household items to CHUM, 102 W. 2nd St., between 9AM and 4PM. If you have furniture to contribute, please call CHUM thanks you for any help that you can give. This notice came out in August. You might want to check with CHUM to see if all of these things have already been collected. I doubt it though. On Tuesday, August 5, CHUM celebrated the CHUM National Night Out Picnic. It was held in the CHUM Food Shelf Parking Lot (120 N 1st Ave West) from 6 to 8 PM. The food was served from 6 to 7 PM. There was music by Jim Hall. Peg & Glenn Evavold and I served food again. Our church brought chips to add to all of the delicious food that was served. And Shivon, as a delegate, brought ice cream bars. We had a great time again this year! 5 CHUM is people of faith working together to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community. RENAISSANCE PARTNERS DINNER On August 10 the Renaissance Partners had dinner with the residents of Renaissance House. We tried subs this time for something new. We eat with the kids once every month. This groups (of which I am a member) has gone through training and a security check to be a part of the kids lives on a regular basis. UNITED WAY BOOK DRIVE The United Way held its annual book drive this last August from the 10th to the 17th. Many people dropped off gently used or new children's books at about 10 convenient locations. Thousands of books were gathered to fill the Big Red Bookshelves. These bookshelves are more important than ever now because the United Way has stopped holding the Power Of The Purse events. They can no longer afford to support the Imagination Library. So the bookshelves are their way of supplying free books to children who would otherwise not have any. You can bring any children's books that you wish to donate to all 3 Duluth Teacher's Credit Unions locations, Kenwood, downtown or Miller Hill Mall all year long! SEPTEMBER LSS AMBASSADORS MEETING I will attend the next LSS Ambassadors Meeting on Saturday, September 6th at Valentini's from 10AM to 1PM. The subject of this presentation is the LSS Center for Changing Lives in Duluth. Hopefully I will have many good things to share in October about this wonderful new center! Everyone is welcome to attend this meet

6 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 ing. So come and join us if you are interested in hearing about this first hand. According to LSS, about 46% of Minnesota's homeless population is under the age of 21! That is why places like Renaissance and this new center (that will hold an enlarged Renaissance) are so important! GOD'S WORK/OUR HANDS SUNDAY Join us downstairs on September 7th after the 10AM church service to do projects for others on this special Sunday. There are many needs in our community and we can help with some of them as a congregation. Talk to Shivon about the specific projects. LSS TAKE TIME FOR KIDS Don't forget to attend the LSS Take Time for Kids event on September 18th in the Greysolon Ballroom. The fun starts at 5:30! There is a silent auction, a live auction, speakers, music, and food. This event is the huge fundraiser for the LSS Crisis Nursery! The tickets are $35 ahead of time and $40 at the door. Sherry Rushing and I went last year and really loved it! See you there! HUNGER EVENT Peg & Glenn Evavold and I will be attending the ELCA Hunger Event on Saturday September 20th at Salem Lutheran Church in Deerwood, Minnesota. This event will run from 8:30AM to 3PM with lunch provided. They want to get others at Trinity involved in this. Youth and all ages of adults are welcome! Let us know if you are interested. THRIVENT PROJECT FOR RENAISSANCE HOUSE On September 30th from 5:30 to 8PM there will be a Thrivent fundraising event in the parking lot of the Thrivent offices in Stone Ridge Mall. Alice Skadsberg, Peg Evavold and I will be helping with this. Our part of the event will be an ice cream social to benefit Renaissance House. People can donate cash or a gift card to WalMart, Target or Penneys. The cash and gift cards will be used to purchase school clothes for the kids at Renaissance House. And all of the money collected will go to this because Thrivent is paying for the supplies! There will also be an opportunity to fill toiletry bags for Domiano Center items to donate would be deoderant, toothpaste, tooth brushes, socks, etc. If you cannot make it to this event but would like to donate to either of these, leave the money, gift cards, or toiletries at Trinity (clearly labeled) and we will get them there! CREATION CARE AUGUST How to Garden for Wildlife by the National Wildlife Federation Follow these five easy steps to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife to your own yard: 1. Grow plants that provide wildlife with a natural food source such as nuts, berries or nectar, or offer supplemental feeders. 2. Provide water for wildlife with a birdbath, small pond or shallow dish. 3. Offer protective cover for wildlife by providing a ground cover, a hollow log or rock piles, dense shrubs, or a roosting box. 6

7 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 4. Provide places for wildlife to raise young such as a water garden, a pond, or a nesting box. 5. Practice sustainable gardening such as mulching, composting and reducing your lawn area. SEPTEMBER How You Can Help Wildlife and Their Habitat by The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust 1. Encourage wildlife-friendly practices in your community. 2. Recycle yard waste. 3. Turn down the heat and put on a sweater--uses less energy and saves you money. 4. Reduce use of pesticides and fertilizers in your garden. 5. Don't encourage wildlife to trust humans--a fed bear is a dead bear. 6. Pick up trash during hikes. 7. Volunteer at your local nature centers and wildlife sanctuaries. (Have you ever been to Hartley Nature Center? It is wonderful!) 8. Use reusable water containers instead of buying water in plastic bottles. 7

8 Birthday Blessings Happy Belated Birthday August Birthdays Ray Aiken 2nd Jacob Ulvi 2nd Avery Overlie 5th Barb Lewis 6th Joann Narhi 7th Kathy Gilbertson 8th Logan Christiansen 11th Sandy Keyser 12th Amy Sowl 12th Abigail Skerik 13th Hannah Skerik 13th Courtney Erickson 15th Tammy Hanzlik 15th Ryan Stauber 16th Jim Thorsen 16th Alyce Coker 17th Joy Head 17th Betty Morris 17th Phoenix Thayer 19th Nola Motschenbacher 20th Marilyn Toscano 24th Karley Wentworth 24th Richard Carlson 25th Gail Kohlts 27th Jim Jensen 28th Bill Ulvi 29th Happy Birthday September Birthdays Barbara Wentworth 5th Ben Nygaard 6th Barry Maraciniak 10th Glenn Evavold 11th Larry Rushing 14th Shane Bowen 17th John Grassinger 17th Samuel Hinderliter 17th Kadyn Kimpling 18th Jean Bergum 19th Dorleen Kenney 19th Doug Runnoe 20th Matthew Runnoe 23rd Jean Hanson 24th Carly Johnson 25th Crystal Bowen 26th Thomas Johnson 30th We thank all the people who responded to our computer update requests, both by mail and by phone calls. We are making good progress on this project. If you have an August or September birthday that doesn t appear here, please let the office know at Thank you. 8

9 Witness Within And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, QUILTING WILL RESUME The Tuesday morning Trinity Quilters will resume meeting on Tuesday, September 9, at 9:00 am. Come join us or to see what goes on. No sewing experience is necessary--there will be on-the-job training for anyone interested in joining. We have coffee around 10:15 am. The In Stitches Quilters will resume on Thursday, September 4th at 5:30 p.m. RUMMAGE and BAKE SALE REMINDER Friday, October 10th - 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, October 11th - 9 a.m. to Noon Start looking through your house (and garage) for items for our rummage sale fundraiser. All items need to be clean and in working order. Remember, your surplus items could be someone else s treasure. We, however, cannot accept any electronic equipment because we have to pay to dispose of them if they do not sell. Sunday, September 21, 2014 Pine Hill Golf Course 3 p.m. Shot-Gun Start Refreshments following Sign-Up Sheet in Narthex We will also be needing volunteers to help bake items for sale and people to help set-up and clean-up following the sale. Please come and enjoy the fellowship of working together on this project. Rummage Sale Set-up starting on Monday October 6th at 9 a.m. Help needed, many hands make a lighter workload. Any questions call Faye Kerttula , Bea Wenck or Alyce Payment

10 Witness Beyond 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 TRINITY TRAVELERS Tuesday, September 23, 2014 will have lunch at 1 pm at the TAVERN ON THE HILL Woodland Ave - Duluth, MN YARN AVAILABLE Over the summer months, we have accumulated quite a supply of various types of yarn in the area between the sanctuary and the Sunday School entrance. Please stop by to see if there is something you could use for crafts or prayer shawls, mittens, etc. Thank you to the people who donated the yarn. EVERYONE IS INVITED TO JOIN US Alive and Kicking Group There will be a pizza and planning meeting Wednesday, September 17th, in the Lounge at Trinity. We hope to you will be able to join us to help make plans for the coming year. Trinity Website and Social Media: Seeking individuals with gifts in the area of web design and social media technologies Are you fluent in social media? Do you know how to create a webpage? Are you aware of social media policies? Are you active on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram? Would you like to see the church engage in ministry and congregational relationships through social media? We are seeking individuals that would be willing to share their gifts and serve on a social media committee helping Trinity to expand their social media ministry presence. Please contact Shivon if you would be interested in being a part of these conversations and this committee action group? 10

11 Property Management Through sloth the roof sinks in, through indolence the house leaks. Ecclesiastes 10:18 As I write this, the area schools begin tomorrow, please watch out for the little ones since they seem to be a lot more excited to play and run around than they do watching out for oncoming cars. We spent some time working on a short list at the Parsonage, the garbage disposal got clogged, so I went over to show one of the residents how to unclog it in the future. There was a family of hornets that decided to build a small nest in between the dining room windows. There were a lot more hornets than I thought there would be in that tiny nest...but there was no one harmed in the solution to this problem I cannot say the same for the hornets however. Then the gaskets were coming out of the storm door windows and screens. I had the two windows and one screen set up in early May this year, so I brought them back down to Burgraff s Ace Hardware, and the nice folks there, repaired them at no charge! We still are working on the garage door opener, and hopefully that will be complete very soon. I have been keeping an eye on a set of used wooden room dividers identical to those that separate the Lyngdal Lounge from the rest of the Chapel. I think the deal is almost done; I will let you know once it is complete. It will be good to have a spare set to use if the existing ones get damaged. The best part? They will come to Trinity for free!! A member of our Congregation has given funds for us to replace the green curtains for the closets in front of the Sanctuary, with a set of nice oak bifold doors. They have been ordered, and once they come in, they will be stained to match (as close as we can) and sealed, then installed. Stay tuned for them in the coming weeks. 11 We have been putting in a ton of time getting budgetary quotes and estimates for various projects on our list. We have been working with a small group to help determine what the priority of the various Capital, O&M, and staffing projects that are needed at Trinity. This group should be able to give our Council a sharper view of what is needed and how much, if anything, these things will cost. Our Custodian Andrew volunteered to do some added work around the Church over the past several weeks. He scraped, primed and painted the Parsonage garage door, and also will be painting the redwood fence that divides the Parsonage back -yard and the driveway. Please thank Andrew the next time you see him! We are in the process of ordering the replacement faucets for the kitchen. (For the sinks, and the sprayer for the dishwasher) If you will remember, we received financing from the Endowment fund for both of these items. Once they are received, we will be installing them as soon as time permits. Thank-you for all the help you have given the Property Board, as it is only through that help that we are able to do the things we do, and keep the Church building a welcoming place. Respectfully submitted, Eric Skadsberg Property Chair

12 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 Trinity Lutheran Church - Thank you so much for the gift of money to Myles and I. Your generous donations will be very helpful in getting some bills paid, paying for extra food costs when he is on steroids and constantly eating and will also go towards purchasing a new stroller with greater height and weight limits so he has a comfortable way to get around when he s not feeling well. Thank you all so much. Amy Gilbertson (mother of Myles Gilbertson). Trinity Staff Pastor Jerome Evavold jevavold@tlcduluth.org Minister of Congregational Life Shivon Miller shivon.miller@gmail.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 From the Finance Team Memorial gifts to the General Fund: In memory of our dear friend Dick McDonald from Greg and JoAnn Drickhamer. In memory of Robert Berquist from Claudine Hansen. A gift in memory of Reverend Don Fredine, the former minister of St. Matthews Lutheran Church, from Bea Wenck and Gail Hosking to the Kitchen Fund. Box Score: Budgeted giving through Aug $153, Actual giving through Aug , Shortfall $ 18, From Kathy Johanson: Trinity received the following thank you note from CHUM: August 13, 2014 The 2014 Rhubarb Festival was a great success bringing in more than $65,000 in support for CHUM and our neighbors who come to us seeking food, shelter and acceptance. Thank you for the part you played in this success. You are one of the reasons that this is truly a community event. Your Bucket Raffle contribution to the Festival was just one of the many items that brought in over $7,000. The "I love Duluth" Basket you contributed helped us raise more than we anticipated. I hope you will respond positively next year when we request your help again! Sincerely, Mary Schmitz Development 12

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15 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 September 7, One Combined Service at 10:00 am Starting September 14, Two Worship Services 8:45 am - Traditional and 10:45 am Contemporary Worship both followed by coffee fellowship 10:00 am - Sunday School and Adult Forum 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: Phone: (218)