MEET OUR NEW MINISTER OF MUSIC REV. JOSEPH M. MAYES

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1 January 2015 MEET OUR NEW MINISTER OF MUSIC REV. JOSEPH M. MAYES Trinity worshipers will see a new face and most certainly hear a new sound from our Chancel Choir in the New Year of A Finger Food gathering will be held prior to the Chancel Choir Rehearsal on Wednesday, January 14 th at 5:30pm. All our music folk as well as the musically curious are encouraged to welcome our new Music Minister that night. THE LIGHT STILL SHINES The light shines in the darkness...but the darkness has never overcome it. John 1:5 The Reverend Joseph M. Mayes, who was chosen by the Music Ministries Search Committee last November, will begin his first Sunday with us on January 11. As the new Minister of Music, Reverend Mayes will oversee special music for both the Contemporary and Traditional Worship Services. Joseph is newly arrived to Florida having wrapped up his ministry at College Place United Methodist Church in Brunswick, Georgia on December 21, Our church family will have an opportunity to welcome Joseph at a special Meet & Greet Coffee time following the Traditional Service in the narthex on January 25th, following the traditional service. Reverend Mayes is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC and was ordained to the Christian ministry in He holds a Master of Arts degree in Church Music. I love how we do Epiphany at Trinity Church. We ve had a tradition that we save the candles from our Christmas Eve Service and use them on the first Sunday of the New Year for an Epiphany Carolsing. Epiphany, you will recall, is that day on the Christian calendar in which we celebrate the infant Jesus being revealed to the Magi, or the Wise Men, who had followed the Star. The Magi recognized that this newborn king was worthy of both their worship and their gifts. Yet Epiphany is important for one other vital reason. We live in a broken world where evil seems to prevail in war, violence, and despair. But the darkness does not have the final word. Because the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome it we re told in John s gospel. Another faithful translation puts it this way: the darkness has never understood it. Christ s light will triumph over darkness. So join us for this special time January 4 th, Epiphany Sunday. We will gather at the Lord s Table to feast on the Bread and the Cup and to bask fully in the radiance of Him who is indeed the light of the world. (John 8:12) Trinity Presbyterian Church 4365 State Road 776 Venice Florida Phone: Fax: Worship 9 & 10:30 a.m.

2 What Makes A Great Church? Each New Year I have asked myself this question, What makes a great church and are we seeking to meet that greatness? My answer comes through three observations. FIRST, I have found that the Church is great NOT by soft seats and subdued light, but by wise and courageous leadership in the pulpit and the pew. SECOND, that she is great, NOT by sweet tones of the organ, but by gentle yet strong personalities that somehow reflect Christ; NOT by tall towers with their chimes and bells, but the vision of the tall-souled people who make the Church great. THIRD, the Church becomes great NOT by a big budget, but by big hearts in big people who love and serve; NOT by a large membership, but by God s presence and direction in their membership. Trinity Church as it journeys through 2015 exists for one purpose and only one; to do what Jesus Christ would do if He lived here in Venice, Florida. During 2015, let s continue to make this a great Church. Blessings Pastor Lewis Un-Hanging Of The Greens! A good segment of our Trinity members and friends were not with us this past summer when Pastor Chuck was in Scotland. Page 2 SCOTLAND REVISITED POTLUCK IS COMING! Trinity Church enjoyed a month long pulpit swap with the Macduff Parish Church and their pastor, the Reverend Calum Stark. Rev. Stark s parish is a Church of Scotland congregation and MacDuff is a fishing community on the northeast coast facing the North Sea. Pastors Chuck and Calum swapped homes as well as Sunday preaching duties from mid-july to mid-august. On this side of the Atlantic, the Starks delighted in the Disney experience in Orlando not to mention the Wiggins swimming pool! Meanwhile, Chuck and Kathi toured the Scottish highlands, the coastlands, and all the in between lands of that magical country. On Tuesday evening, February 10 th, you will have the opportunity to see and hear much of our pastor s experience of that summer on Tuesday evening, February 10 th at a special SCOTLAND REVISITED POTLUCK. The meal is at 5:30pm with the program to follow at 6:30pm. You ll have a bonnie-good time! As they say, What goes up, Must come down, eventually. It s time to take down the Christmas decorations and package them up nice and neatly for next year. This will take place on Monday, January 5 and Tuesday, January 6, beginning at 9AM. So save a little time in your busy schedules and lend us a hand. Thank you! Susan Struble, Coordinator

3 Page 3 Coming to Trinity on January 16 The Women of Trinity will be holding their annual White Elephant Sale on Saturday, March 7th from 8am-2pm. Please save your treasures and bring them to the Church after the January 15th. We do not take clothes, computers, or TV sets. If you are interested in helping with the sale please contact Florence Barker ( ). The Southern Gospel Group, The Triumphant Quartet will be in concert on Friday, January 16th at 7PM. If you enjoy southern gospel, you won t want to miss this one. To listen to a sample of their music, go to youtube and type in their name. This concert is sponsored by Bill Bailey. We hope you will join us. No tickets required, a donation of $10 at the door is requested and doors will open at 6pm. The Jim Brady Trio will also perform that Evening. Please plan to join us for an evening of Great Gospel entertainment. dinner for six WOMEN OF TRINITY LUNCHEON Dinner for Six is an opportunity to become better acquainted with other folks in the church through evenings of sharing good food with one another. On the following Fridays February 7th, March 7th, and April 4th, three couples (thus the name, Dinner for six) will gather at the home of a designated host. The host couple provides the entrée and vegetable. The second couple brings the salad and dessert. The third couple is responsible for an appetizer, bread and the wine or other beverage. Contact Jacki Gaydos for details or to participate in this fellowship group.. God Makes All Things New YOU RE INVITED TO: Church Women United Potluck Luncheon on January 9th at noon at the Christ United Methodist Church, 1475 Center Road. The featured speaker is Selah Freedom, talking about Human Trafficking in the Venice Area. Bring canned food for the Community Assistance Ministry. R.S.V.P. to Su Ulrich at Wednesday, January Noon at Boca Royale Country Club Please make your reservation cost is $15/pp. Diane Archer will be the guest speaker. Come and bring a friend for this fellowship event. For reservations contact Florence Barker at

4 Page 4 BABY BOOMERS & BEYOND New Members to be Received January 11, 2015 We are excited to be starting the New Year off by receiving in our latest class of new members on Sunday, January 11th at the traditional service. This is always a special time for us as a church, as we welcome them into our church family. This is also an opportunity for any of those who have attended the Trinquirers Class in the past but not have not joined the church as of yet. We invite you to consider church membership as we begin Should you have any questions regarding membership at Trinity, we would like the opportunity to speak with you. Please contact Pastor Chuck at the church office ( ) or call Colleen Lamberty at Perhaps God is speaking to you to take that next step as we begin Colleen Lamberty Membership Recruitment They are called Baby Boomers and are that generation that was born between 1945 and They were raised during the golden age of television and as kids lived through the years of IKE, JFK and the Cold War. Baby Boomers are arguably the largest segment of the population and are entering their retirement years at an unprecedented rate. And they are now coming to SW Florida to live. Baby Boomers will have more discretionary time and with increased longevity, they are searching for a way to make a meaningful impact. So what does this mean for the church? Pastor Chuck will be teaching a three week series this timely subject on the Thursday evenings of February 5, 12 and 19. Baby Boomers and Beyond is the theme of the series using the book by noted author Dr. Amy Hanson with the same title. Also, we are pleased to announce that Peace River Presbytery has brought Dr. Hanson in for three days of teaching in the presbytery and Trinity will be hosting a Soup & Salad meal on Friday evening, February 27 featuring the author as the speaker. Come and find out how you can be part of reaching this new generation for Jesus Christ! Small Group Fellowship As the Friends and Followers small group begins the new year, they will meet on Monday, January 5, at 6:30p at the home of Bill and Jacki Gaydos Bill has agreed to lead the group in a study of the book, Rumors of Another World by Philip Yancey. (This is the same study he will be leading on Sunday mornings at 9am, beginning January 11.) New members are always welcome. For information, please call Sandi McQuiston

5 MEET SANDI MC QUISTON On January 1, Sandi McQuiston will join the staff of TPC as Director of Volunteer Ministries. Sandi s background is in the event/ meeting planning area. She coordinated over 2000 volunteers in 2012 when she worked with Presbyterian Church USA to plan the General Assembly held in Pittsburgh that year. We don t need quite that many volunteers at TPC, but it does take a lot of people to do the work of the church. Sandi is a newly elected Deacon at Trinity and heads up one of our small groups, along with her husband, David. If you have questions about the volunteer needs of TPC or would like to volunteer, please contact Sandi at or by at slmplanner@comcast.net. Sandi and her husband, David moved to Englewood from Pittsburgh, PA two years ago and became a very active part of the Trinity Church Family shortly thereafter. A Meet and Greet will be held this Sunday, January 4th following the contemporary service. Come meet Sandi, get to know her, and welcome her on board! And when she calls you to help out around the church, say YES! Page 5 Christian Education Opportunities Winter Quarter Sunday Morning 9am This class will do a study of the book, Rumors of Another world, by Philip Yancey which wrestles with two questions: Rumors of Another World Is there another dimension to reality beyond this material world? And What rumors, or clues to this reality can we find in our world? Yancey is a fascinating writer who looks at a wide range of fields science, history, literature, psychology, for clues that point to another dimension of reality. A Kindle version of the book is available at Amazon.com for $5.95 or in paperback at $ Join, Rev. Bill Gaydos on Sunday mornings beginning January 11th at 9am. Two Mid-Week Studies to Begin in New Year Patricia Rule will lead a Kay Arthur Bible Study, Teach Me Your Ways, of the first five books of the Bible. The study will focus on where God establishes his ways. This 13 week study will begin on January 28th, and meet from 1-2:30pm. The study will focus on how to Discover God s Message for Your Life. Patricia Rule will facilitate this study. Second Millennium of Christianity This course will begin on January 11th and conclude the end of March. The course will begin with the Great Schism between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and include the beginning of the Crusades and the consequences that came out of them. It will also cover the conquest of Constantinople and the survival of the Orthodox Church as well as further schisms. More details will be made available soon. The first two sessions will be a recap of the 1st Millennium taught last spring, to allow those who missed the spring quarter to better understand this course. The class will be facilitated by Peter Tsolinas, Follow the Light links the first words God spoke in the Bible to the experiences of God s people and the teachings of Jesus. We ll take a fresh look at God s first recorded words. God said, Let there be light and there was light. (Gen. 1:3). This class will begin in February and led by Earlene Joslin.

6 Trinity Presbyterian Church 4365 State Road 776 Venice, Florida SESSION ACTION ON GENERAL ASSEMBLY/SYNOD PER CAPITA At their stated meeting on December 13, 2014, the Session took the following action regarding per capita giving from Trinity Church to General Assembly and Synod: That all 2015 per capita funds earmarked for General Assembly and Synod be rechanneled to Peace River Presbytery to be equally divided between office operations and PRP missions. Those wishing to continue to have their per capita funds directly paid to General Assembly and Synod may do so upon written request. For information: The 2015 Per Capita is: $8.57 per member (GA and Synod portions are, respectively $7.07 and$1.50). HUNGER hits closer to home than we may realize every day there are children in our community who face hunger. Through SOUPER BOWL OF CARING you will be united with other congregations and community organizations in the fight against hunger. On SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, February 1st we are encouraging you to bring a can of soup, vegetables, fruit, or other non perishable food item wrapped with dollars. These items will be donated to CAM Food Pantry. Baskets will be located outside the CLC and Sanctuary doors that day. Let s do our part to fight hunger in our community. Karin Barbito CAM Director THE MISSION of Trinity Church is to: INTRODUCE people to Jesus Christ, DEEPEN faith and make disciples, ENCOURAGE community, and PROVIDE opportunities to use our spiritual gifts both locally and throughout the world.