The monthly newsletter for Trinity English Evangelical Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 April 2017 TRINITY TIDINGS The monthly newsletter for Trinity English Evangelical Lutheran Church Appleton, WI Worship in April Sundays at Tri-County Chapel 1592 Oneida St. Menasha, WI April 2 Worship at 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Breakfast at Trinity April 9: Palm Sunday Worship at 9:00 a.m. See Holy Week Schedule Palm Sunday: April 9 at 9:00 a.m. Worship begins with the waving of palms and the opportunity to process into worship. The Eco-Palms used in worship on Palm Sunday help harvesters escape the cycle of poverty, while using harvesting methods that protect the environment - and their future livelihoods. Maundy Thursday: April 13 at 6:30 p.m. Trinity and Grace faith communities gather for the solemn observance of Maundy Thursday at Grace. Worship includes Holy Communion. April 16: Easter Worship at 9:00 a.m. Good Friday: April 14 April 23 Worship at 9:00 a.m. Join others from Appleton area congregations for a community Good Friday worship. April 30 Worship at 9:00 a.m. Make it Simple Potluck Midweek Worship Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Joint ELCA Worship at 12:15 p.m. at First English, Drew St. Trinity and Grace Worship at 6:30 p.m. at Grace The events of Good Friday long ago, including Jesus death on the cross, are recaptured. Stripping of the altar and departing in silence conclude worship. Easter: April 16 at 9:00 a.m. Come rejoice and celebrate in Jesus resurrection! April 5: Lenten Worship April 12: No Wed. Worship April 19 & 26: Holden Evening Prayer returns at Grace Lutheran Church Feeding the Hungry... Serving the Community

2 Make it Simple our 2017 stewardship program will begin on April 23 rd. This year we are focusing on the themes of simplicity and generosity. Over the course of four weeks, we will examine these themes through the following topics: Following Jesus - April 23 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches the crowds and his disciples about their relationship with God and their discipleship in the world. In these verses, Jesus speaks about how God provides for our every need and how undue concern for our possessions can get in the way of our living as his disciples. Facing the Truth - April 30 Why is it so hard to MAKE IT SIMPLE? We face daily a complex world of our own making. We feel pushed and pulled by forces beyond our control. And when things feel like they are out of our control, we often feel afraid. We become like the disciples in the boat with Jesus. We are afraid that we are perishing, tossed about by the wind and the waves in our lives. Acting Together - May 7 In the upper room, at the Last Supper, Jesus gives this new commandment to his disciples, to love one another. We are to love one another as he has loved us. It is about witness to the world. It is how the world around us will see and know that we are disciples of Jesus. This commandment is about community. It is about the common good. It is about our living as disciples of Jesus. He commands that we follow him together. He commands us to love one another. Sharing Enough - May 14 What does contentment feel like? This is a difficult question in our current culture. When surveys have asked How much is enough? responses have consistently been Twenty percent more than I have now. If that is true, how do we break the endless circle that this leads us toward it is always twenty percent more. We are told over and over every day, You don t have enough What you have is fragile and could be gone at any moment You have to go get more! These messages come from a world focused on scarcity. Make it Simple Kick-off Potluck Sunday, April 23 after worship Bring a dish to pass of your choice. Remember that there is no stove at Tri-County Chapel and one refrigerator for cold items. Drinks and table service provided. 2

3 Word from the Council President Friends at Trinity March is a wild month! The weather is wild. The daylight is wild. The crocuses are wild. Even as I contemplate the events of Lent, my thoughts are wild. My head is spinning from the ideas we shared at the Council Retreat on 2/25. I am praying constantly to keep them in the forefront of everything I do. We focused on a leadership lesson from the book of Nehemiah. It s a relatively short book of the Bible and I encourage all of you to read it sometime soon. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall with all the people contributing with their talents and putting their hearts into their work. We will be working on rebuilding our spirituality and our congregation with as many people as we can, strengthening our relationships and building our community as we go. Just as Nehemiah knew he had a loving God that would be there for him through thick and thin, we will be sharing the good news of God s love with everyone, every time we meet. This month at council we have focused on our future with the discussion of Seeds for Growth transformational team members and focused on our past with continuing quotes for the small travertine altar storage. We still have one foot in the past and one foot in the future. Our time at Grace is going through a small transformation with the welcoming of their new pastor, Pastor Dan. He is a familiar face for some of us who have been working with the people at Fox Valley Lutheran Homes. His wife, Becky, is their Executive Director. As we look ahead to Easter, let s remember the hope and love of our risen Lord, as we step forward with God s constant love and His desire to be in a relationship with us. Peace, Sue Ruppel Council President Help for the Homeless Hygiene Drive Thank you for your generosity in giving to Help the Homeless. We received many products to help the local shelters. Items collected included 324 diapers plus many packages of wipes, 42 rolls of paper towel, 34 toothbrushes, 6 bottles of dish soap, 2 bottles of floor cleaner, 44 razors, and 7 jugs of laundry soap. Also donated were hand soaps, toothpaste, garbage bags, toilet paper, disinfecting wipes, shampoo, and feminine hygiene products. You have touched many lives with your faith and love. Thank you! 3

4 Newsletter Transformation (You ll want to read this... trust me.) Here is the big news: This is the last monthly Trinity Tidings your home will receive via bulk mail. The good news is: Monthly newsletters will still be produced! Most newsletters will be sent in a digital format via meaning recipients will get them in a more timely manner. Printed newsletters will be available for pick up at worship on Sundays or at the church office. Here is where we need YOUR help. To best serve you, Trinity needs addresses from your household. In some households, this will mean providing more than one address - - husband, wife, adult children in college, for example. Please Sarah Bultman in the church office at office@trinityappleton.com with addresses you would like added OR to verify the one already being used. Thank You for your cooperation!! Let Sarah know if you have any questions. A HUGE THANK YOU to the faithful women who have gathered each month to collate, stuff, seal and send the Trinity Tidings. They include Phyllis Bouchard, Char Dorow, Carla Knoke, Pearl Kunz, Janice Liebscher, and Lois Small. When these women gather to work, they also bring with them a sense of community, joy and purpose. You are a blessing and it is an honor to work with you! Seeds for Growth Special congregational meeting April 9, :00 a.m. Tri-County Chapel On April 9 th, immediately following our worship service, Trinity will hold a special congregational meeting to vote on whether or not Trinity should enter into our synod s Seeds for Growth process. The East Central Synod of Wisconsin has created a process to train leaders to facilitate Revitalization & Renewal in congregations. Their Transformational Ministry Team helps us: Prepare the soil of our congregation through a process of prayer, study, and exploration. Open ourselves to God s planting of new seeds for growth through new focus. Allow God to germinate those seeds of growth within us as we participate in spiritual renewal. The Cost to participating congregations is $75 per month for the month process. This cost is paid up front. Trinity has already approved $1,200 for Seeds for Growth in this year s budget. 4

5 Seeds for Growth Spring is here I am so happy! The snow is gone, the buds are popping and the grass is growing. Sounds great that is, if the melted snow didn t reveal a vole-damaged lawn. Look at this picture that s what happened to my front yard. Now what? Ignore it and have the lawn die out move and let the next owner deal with it or, reseed? Of course, we will reseed and try to figure out how to chase away those varmints. Vole Damage How to reseed - that is the question. What does the Bible say? In Mark s gospel, Jesus tells us that, the kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground. Ok, step one scatter seed. Jesus then says the sower that is, the person who scattered the seed would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow. So, let me get this straight my next step, after scattering the seed, is to go to bed! I must have read this wrong. There must be something else I can do how will the seeds grow? Jesus tells us that the sower does not know how the seed will grow. No, we just plant the seeds and wait for them to grow without needing to know or worry about the science of it. But this parable is really not about my front lawn no, it is about the kingdom of God. In our Lutheran theology, it is made very clear that our human efforts are not the key to the successful growth of the kingdom of God. But we do have a role to play. Martin Luther said, God may not need our good works but, our neighbors sure do. In the parable of the growing seed, it is important that the sower gets out of bed and puts effort into scattering seed on the ground the sower has faith that good seeds in good soil will bear fruit. The sower trusts that God will give the growth, until the time for the harvest comes. The sower partners with God. Our relationship with God is also one of partnership. We plant the seed and we till the soil but, it is the power of the Lord that makes the plant grow. And while we wait patiently for that growth to occur we do what we have always done. We love. We serve. We pray. And then we plant more seeds. Then we continue waiting, and loving, and serving, and praying. This is how the Seeds for Growth process begins. On April 9 th right after the worship service we will have a special congregational meeting to vote on our participation in Seeds for Growth. We have a team ready to go now we just need your support! Be a part of the reseeding of Trinity and see how the Holy Spirit grows in, with and through us. Pastor Brian 5

6 APPLETON DAY CAMP JUNE TH It s time to make plans for the SUMMER! Last year s Appleton Day Camp was wonderfully successful and well attended. Five children from Trinity and about 10 adults attended and volunteered their time and talents. Hopefully you can plan to attend for the first time or plan to attend again! All are welcome friends, cousins, neighbors, grandchildren. Day Camp includes children who have completed First grade through Sixth grade. Trinity will be one of the several ELCA churches helping to sponsor the Appleton Day Camp this summer. The Day Camp will be held again at Zion Lutheran Church on Oneida Street from Monday, June 26 th through Friday, June 30 th. It will start at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and a Friday schedule of 9 a.m. to noon. The Closing Worship will be held at 11:30 on Friday with parents, guardians and grandparents welcome to attend. See Sue Ruppel for registration forms. The $10 registration fee will be covered by the Webers Youth Trust for children that are Trinity members. Trinity is looking for a few volunteers to help with the Tuesday, June 27 th lunch and providing the snacks for that morning and afternoon. We re also looking for some adult and high school volunteers to help with the children as they go through the daily rotations. See Sue Ruppel (slruppel@new.rr.com or ), Women s Triennial Convention July 13-16, 2017 Minneapolis, MN Synod bus now available for only $90.00; deadline to sign up is May 22. See Wanda Fischer with questions. For more information about the Convention go to welcatg.org. Don t miss out! Breakfast at Trinity Just a reminder to stay after worship on April 2 for pancakes and porkies! GOLF OUTING Mark your calendars now to participate in Trinity s Annual Golf Outing on Sunday, July 23. More details will be available soon! Synod Assembly Collection Each year agencies are chosen to receive donations at the East Central Synod Assembly. This year the agencies are in the Shawano Conference: Homme Home for Youth and Safe Haven of Shawano. The Appleton Conference churches have been asked to donate the following items for collection for Safe Haven: Regular coffee Coffee creamer Coffee filters Granulated sugar Frosting Antacid Brown sugar Anti-diarrhea Plastic forks Paper towels Paper napkins Dog & cat food Non-perishable food items Gas Cards $10/$20 increments Collection begins April 23. 6

7 Crossways Annual Meeting & Church of the Year by Sue Barden Pastor Brian, Wanda Fischer and I attended the Crossways Camp annual meeting and wanted to bring back some information to everyone. For those of you who don t know, there are 3 Crossways camps in the state. Imago Dei in Clintonville; Pine Lake in Waupaca and Waypost in Hatley (near Wausau). Each camp has different things to offer. Camp is available for all ages - - babies, children, teens, adults and seniors. Their mission: Bringing people together in Christ so lives are changed and communities enhanced. The main thing they wanted for us is to get people to attend the camp, because without attendance, the camps would be nothing. There are many camps to choose from, such as 4-day or a week long camp. There are also some special camps that are offered including children on the Autism Spectrum, their parents, siblings or any family members. This is a one of a kind 4-day camp and will have trained staff and specialists on hand to make a safe and exciting experience for everyone. There is also a grandparent/child camp (see Wanda Fischer if interested, as I know she is attending this). Camp is all year round, but is especially busy during the summer months. There has been a lot of remodeling done in all of the camps, so everything is kept safe and up to date. For the past couple of years, Waypost did an outreach program for low-income youth from Manitowoc County. They are hoping to do some sort of thing this year also. There are 3 ways to get information: Call Administrative Office at ; info@crosswayscamp.org or visit the website at The application is very simple just go to website and print off the 1 page application or call the office to have one mailed. Prices and schedules are all listed. Also, mark your calendars for Saturday, November 4th. This will be the 2nd annual Gala held at Riverview Gardens, 1101 S. Oneida Street, Appleton. Tickets are $125/person; $200/2 people; or $1000 for table of 8. For more information regarding this, call the administrative office, Receiving the Crossways Church of the Year Award at the Annual Meeting. Habitat Interfaith Build 2017 The Appleton Conference ELCA Churches are teaming up this spring to help with the Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Build. Members of all Appleton Conference congregations are invited to join six other faith traditions in the Fox Valley to build a house on Meade Street. Our work together will make home ownership affordable for a local family. Your help is needed to work on the house, provide support for the workers, and/or provide a lunch for the workers. No building skills are necessary to help with the construction. Construction is scheduled to start on March 28th with completion of the home in early June. The Appleton Conference ELCA Churches has been assigned 8 days for helping with the Interfaith Build. Signing up is easy. Just go to the Sign-up Genius webpage at or contact Ron Jones at rjones5@new.rr.com or

8 Trinity Lutheran Church Appleton, WI April 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 10:00 a.m. Breakfast at Trinity 3 7pm Bible Study at Grace 4 6:30 pm Exec Meeting 5 9 am KiT 11:30 FVLH Lenten Worship 6:30 pm Lenten Worship (at Grace) 6 6:30 pm Singers Palm Sunday 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) Seeds for Growth Mtg. following worship 10 2 pm Worship at Heritage am KiT 13 6:30 pm Maundy Thursday Worship (at Grace) 14 12:15 pm Joint ELCA Good Friday Worship 6:30 pm Good Friday Worship (at Grace) Easter Sunday 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 17 News. Deadline 18 6:30 pm Council Mtg am KiT 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) 20 9:00 a.m. Newsletter Team pm Serve at Homeless Connections 23 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 30 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 24 2 pm Worship at Heritage 3:30 pm HHH Mtg am KiT 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) 27 11:30 am Red Ox Luncheon

9 WORSHIP TEAM SCHEDULE April 2017 April 2 April 16: Easter Greeter: Jeanne Beckley Altar Care: Lorna Dorn Acolyte: Levi Cornelius Ushers: 1. Jim Dorn Reader: Can you help? Communion Assistants: 1. Jeanne Beckley 2. Jen Cornelius Healing: 1. Can you help? Children s Time: Dena Krueger Fellowship: Jeanne Beckley Greeter: Joe & Chris VanderWielen Altar Care: Lorna Dorn Ushers: 1. Jim Dorn Acolyte: Mitchell VanderWielen Reader: Can you help? Communion Assistants: 1. Lorna Dorn 2. Sarah Bultman Children s Time: Dorothy Warren Fellowship: Jan Liebscher April 23 Greeter: Carla Fulcer Altar Care: Can you help? Acolyte: Josh Wincentsen Ushers: 1. Can you help? Reader: Leanne Meidam Wincentsen Communion Assistants: 1. Leanne Meidam Wincentsen Children s Time: Amy Kopischke Fellowship: Mary Bankert April 9: Palm Sunday Greeter: Jeanne Beckley / Carla Fulcer Altar Care: Lorna Dorn Acolyte: Josh Wincentsen Ushers: 1. Jim Dorn Reader: Leanne Meidam Wincentsen Communion Assistants: 1. Jeanne Beckley 2. Leanne Meidam Wincentsen Children s Time: Mary Bankert Fellowship: Jeanne Beckley April 30 Greeter: Chris VanderWielen Altar Care: Can you help? Ushers: 1. Can you help? Acolyte: Mitchell VanderWielen Reader: Wanda Fischer Communion Assistants: 1. Can you help? Children s Time: Jennifer Cornelius Fellowship: Can you help? 9

10 WEBERS YOUTH TRUST Update CAMPERSHIPS/GRANDPARENTS FEES Camperships are being awarded to Trinity youth interested in going to any of the Crossways Camps (Imago Dei, Pine Lake or Waypost) during the summer of There are a variety of weeks and length of times (full or half weeks) that the youth can choose from. See the website ( for general information on the weeks available, fees and registration forms. Although the Trustees cannot be specific about how much of the campers registration fees will be covered, please be assured that it will be the majority of the fees. Each year will be a little different, depending upon how many campers apply. Right now, Trinity is in a good position to award many camperships to our members. The Trustees for the Webers Youth Trust have met to discuss paying for a portion of the Grandparents registration fees for the Crossways Camp Grandparent/Kid Camp. They have decided to pay for half of the registration fee for the grandparents that are Trinity members. This will also be looked at on a yearly basis because the main purpose of the Webers Youth Trust is for education for youth, more specifically post-secondary education. If you are going to Grandparent/Kid Camp this summer, please send a copy of your receipt from Crossways to Sue Ruppel at slruppel@new.rr.com. POST-SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIPS With the expanded changes in the Trust to include any accredited post-secondary school and as our congregation grows, there will be more and more youth applying for the scholarships. Right now Trinity is in a very good position to award many scholarships to our youth. Applications are due in the church office by Monday, May 8 th. In order to apply for a Webers Trinity Youth Trust Scholarship, the student must: Be a member of Trinity Lutheran Church; and Presently attend or be preparing to attend an accredited post-secondary education facility as a full-time undergraduate student Applicants are expected to submit to the scholarship committee: An application form; A one-page personal statement describing their reasons for attending a post-secondary education facility and their plans beyond graduation; One letter of recommendation; A copy of their current transcript; A brief financial statement listing basic costs (tuition, room and board, books, other expenses) The awarding of scholarships, plus requirements for the same, is subject to the approval of the Trinity Lutheran Church Congregation Council. Scholarship recipients are eligible to reapply the following year, for up to four years total, provided they continue to meet the above requirements. APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE. They can be picked up in the office, mailed or ed to your home. 10

11 Bible Study Opportunities in April 2017 Opportunities at Trinity to Study God s Message for You Please consider joining a study of God s message with others at Trinity. It is a fun experience, with lots of good discussion. Here is a summary of the upcoming opportunities in April. Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. at Grace in the Kitchen The Wednesday morning Keep in Touch study group will use the Daily Discipleship for the month of April. It is based on the ELCA lectionary Gospel Lesson for the week. It is not the lesson that will be used in Trinity worship, but it is the lesson used by many congregations at this time of the year. Readings and studies for Wednesdays in April include: April 5 - Matthew 21:1-11 & Matthew 26:14 27:66 April 12 - Matthew 28:1-10 April 19 - John 20:19-31 April 26 - Luke 24:13-35 You are Welcome to Keep in Touch with God and with one another! Refreshments provided! Scriptures & Stories First Monday of the Month Bible Study!!! April 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Grace The Monday evening Bible Study will continue through May The study is based on a book by Wendy Blight called, "I Know His Name," subtitled "Discovering Power in the Names of God". So please join us on April 3rd for lots of exciting discoveries, a few laughs, refreshments, and lots of healthy discussions about how God transforms our lives every day! All are welcome! Please contact Mary Robertson with questions or suggestions for study at or ROBERTSON190@aol.com. Fellowship follows worship. April 2: Zacchaeus - Luke 18:31-19:10 Breakfast at Trinity follows worship. Palm Sunday, April 9: Triumphal Entry - Luke 19:29-44 Stay for the Seeds for Growth meeting following worship. Easter, April 16: Empty Tomb - Luke 24:1-12 April 23: Following Jesus - Matthew 6:13-35 Make it Simple Potluck follows worship. April 30: Facing the Truth - Psalm 51:10-12 & Mark 4:

12 Trinity English Evangelical Lutheran Church Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2364 Appleton, WI An ELCA congregation Congregation Council President... Sue Ruppel Vice Pres... Jeanne Beckley Secretary... Lynn Ann Clausing Rusch Treasurer... Chris Anderson-Kroiss Carla Fulcer Dena Krueger Judy Natz Mary Robertson Dorothy Warren Feel free to contact any of these individuals with your thoughts, needs or concerns for Trinity. Staff Pastor Brian Bankert Office Manager Sarah Bultman Accompanist Katie Mueller Pastoral Care: Please contact the church office at In case of emergency, you may contact Pastor Brian on his phone via voice or text Church Offices Grace Lutheran Church 900 N. Mason St. Appleton, WI Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. - Noon & 12:30-2:00 p.m. Feeding the Hungry... Serving the Community Trinity Lutheran Church believes we are all connected as one body in Jesus Christ. Through faith and work, we strive to share God s daily bread with all people until no one hungers in spirit or body. 12

13 APRIL 2017 NEWS Thank you! Once again Fox Valley Lutheran Homes is full! Thanks to all of you who helped spread the word; our apartments are all full again and we have a waiting list for our two-bedroom apartments. We would welcome some names on a waiting list for our one-bedroom apartments. The Fox Valley Lutheran Homes Board of Directors needs you! Due to some health problems, some people moving, and some natural terms coming to an end, we find ourselves with an unusually large number of openings! We have openings for a minimum of 3 or a maximum of 6 new people on our Board, which we need to elect at our Annual Meeting on April 29. One of these needs to be an Ordained Lutheran Pastor. If you haven t ever served on a board like this, please take this opportunity to prayerfully consider it. If you have served and would like to serve again, we need you! Please contact your connector, or contact me, Becky Luett, at I ll be happy to get you more information about serving on the Board of Directors, so you can make an informed decision. Our Annual Meeting is Saturday, April 29. Registration begins at 8:30 A.M., with the meeting starting at 9:00 A.M. It will be concluded before noon. If your congregation has not already elected your delegates and sent that information to Fox Valley Lutheran Homes, please do so as soon as possible. Each member congregation can send two delegates. Those with memberships exceeding 500 members can send one additional member for each additional 500 members. We will be sending out the Annual Reports to the delegates ahead of the meeting, so we do need all the names and addresses as soon as possible. The Connections that we can build with our member congregations help Fox Valley Lutheran Homes provide more resources for our tenants, as well as providing caring visitors with whom to build relationships. If your congregation is one of these who hasn t answered the call yet to get on board the Connections Program, please do so before the Annual Meeting on April 29. We d love to have all of our Connectors at the meeting with us! Our Connections Program is up and running strongly in many of our congregations! Thanks to all of our Connectors for the fine work they are doing to help get our information out into the hands of the members of all of the people who can benefit from it. We appreciate these wonderful volunteers! We will be hosting a Volunteer Luncheon on April 3 to recognize all of our many volunteers who help to make Fox Valley Lutheran Homes the healthy, happy and smoothly run independent Christian housing facility for seniors that it is today. We couldn t provide what we do without our volunteers! Thanks to all of you for what you do to support us and our ministry! Becky Luett, Deacon Executive Director Educational Programs at Fox Valley Lutheran April 10 th will be the last of a part three of a series on Dementia. This program called Enrich features understanding lifestyle changes which influence the onset and severity of Dementia. Dementia cannot be prevented but there are some skills and tasks which contribute to good brain health. This will take place on Monday, April 10 th at 10:30 AM in the Linwood Commons located at 425 N. Linwood, Appleton. Please call or ruth@fvlhomes.org to reserve your spot. April 24 th at 10:30 AM you have an opportunity to Chat With A Pharmacist. A local pharmacist will present information about the use of drugs and medication, especially in those chronologically gifted. They will cover both prescription medications as well as over the counter medications. There will be a time for question and answer after the presentation. All are welcome! Call or ruth@fvlhomes.org to reserve your spot and supply any educational materials made available. 13