Trinity Tidings. Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 6. August :00 am Holy Communion

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1 Trinity Tidings Thursday 3. August 2017 Trinity welcomes all to a community in Christ; serving others, growing in faith, living in hope, and reaching out in love. Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 6. August :00 am Holy Communion Trinity Lutheran Church Old Georgetown Rd. North Bethesda, MD Phone office@trinityelca.org Web TrinityELCA.org Facebook facebook.com/trinityelca A Reconciling in Christ and a Stephen Ministry congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Free Concerts at Trinity Friday 4., 11., 18. August National Philharmonic String Institutes have been studying and rehearsing at Trinity during the week. You are invited to attend special evenings of music on Friday 4. August and 11. August at 7:30 pm (High School Orchestra) and 18. August at 7:30 pm (Middle School Orchestra). The concerts are free and open to the public. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Matthew 14:19b Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 6. August 2017 Assisting Us in the Liturgy This Sunday 10:00 am Next Week 10:00 am Acolytes Anusha A Assist. Ministers Miriam M Nancy N Children's Church Donna S David C Greeters Jane R & Eric S Peggy J Lectors Sarah G Nicholas C Ushers Steve & Donna S Patricia S & Robert P Coffee Hour Lynn & Bud B Jane R & Eric S Altar Custodian Carol B Carol B Bulletin Assembly Diana M Tellers Thor N & Julie N Dick & Peggy J Altar Flowers Given to the glory of God by Nancy & Thor N in celebration of their wedding anniversary

2 Stewardship Update as of 30. July 61 families have pledged $286,440 to our annual stewardship campaign. 65 families have pledged $481,440 to our 3 year mission appeal, and $293,627 has been contributed to BTAB! If you have returned your commitment cards, THANK YOU! If you have not returned your commitment cards for Grace Changes Everything and BIGGER than a Building!, please prayerfully consider the blessings God has given you and respond generously. The information for our annual stewardship program and our special mission appeal are on the Trinity web page under the Giving tab. Thank you and God bless you in your generosity! Summer Music 2017 Thanks to all who signed up for Summer Music. All Sundays through Labor Day are now filled! Living Lutheran magazine (August issue) is on the coffee table in the Lounge. Please take one to read, and return it if you wish. Second Quarter Giving Statements are in the back of the Social Hall. Pick yours up today. The Church Directory draft is on the table in the Social Hall. Everyone, please review i t a n d m a k e e d i t s / c o r r e c t i o n s o f telephone/ /cellphone information before 15. August. Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 6. August 2017 Isaiah 55:1-5 Psalm 145:8-9,14-21 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14:13-21 The Simplicity of Miracles When we think of a miracle, often what comes to mind is an amazing, unexplainable occurrence. Today the word miracle typically gets associated with events such as someone walking away from a terrible car accident without a scratch, or a cancerous-looking tumor turning out to be benign. But miracles don't have to be amazing and unexplainable in order to be, well, miraculous. The feeding of the thousands is one of the most well-known miracles of Jesus, and it must be important, because a version of this account appears in all four gospels. But the miracle in the story is not the amazing act of Jesus creating food for thousands of people. Notice that Jesus doesn't actually feed anyone, but tells the disciples, "You give them something to eat" (Matt. 14:16). After Jesus blesses their meager collection of bread and fish, it is the disciples, not Jesus, who give the food to the hungry people. And the miracle doesn't stop there. What is distributed is a feast bountiful enough to satisfy "about five thousand men, besides women and children" (Matt. 14:21)-with leftovers! Perhaps the real miracle here is not a large, unexplainable act, but a small, simple one, carried out by many people. Where have you seen God at work in the simple sharing of food? When have you experienced abundance in a situation that seemed to promise only disappointment? Where have you seen or participated in an activity, an event, or a movement that appeared to lack resources or broad support but that resulted in real progress or change? There are miracles all around us. And whether we are distributing, sharing, or receiving the bread Jesus gives, we are blessed. Reprinted from Words for Worship, 2016 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress. 2

3 Remember in Your Prayers... the church our synod & bishops Bishops Elizabeth Eaton and Richard Graham our missionaries Stephen Deal & Marta Giron, Central America our congregation Trinity Church... the nations Afghanistan, Central African Rep., Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Libya, Myanmar, Namibia, North Korea, Palestine, the Philippines, Russia, Somalia, South Korea, Sudan (Darfur), Syria, the United States, Yemen, and Zimbabwe... the sick and suffering nursing/rehabilitation center Margaret B, Ashleigh at Lansdowne Elaine D, Potomac Valley N. & W. Bruce S, Sunrise of McLean Philip T, Manor Care Potomac John W, Sunrise of Rockville home Fred K June L Susan K Craig O Rob W family and friends* Dana G, friend of Pamela B Timothea H, friend of Margo W Helen P, mother of M'Rique P Karen & Harry S, friends of Pamela B Nean T, sister of Bud B Gunvor Linnea T, mother of James T Andy W, friend of Pamela B *For the family and friends, prayer requests will be kept on the list for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, please complete another prayer card. Thank you. Birthdays 6 Aug John W 7 Joe G, Luis H, Kristina S 8 Kari-Elise C 9 Bud B, Wes O'B 10 Sydney R 11 Laura S, Soren S 12 Aidan L Anniversaries 9 Aug Ana & Daniel N 12 Barbara & Jeff B Baptismal Days 9 Aug Kevin M This Week at Trinity Ninth Sunday after Pentecost 6. August 2017 School Supplies Drive, Hunger Sunday 10:00 am Holy Communion Tues 11:15 am Staff Meeting Wed 1:00 pm Men s Group at Larry J s Fri 7:30 pm Nat l Phil. Sr. Strings Concert Next Sunday 13. August Tenth Sunday after Pentecost School Supplies Drive 10:00 am Holy Communion Looking Ahead at Trinity 15 Trinitarian Deadline 18 Nat l Phil. Jr. Strings Concert, 7:30pm 20 Katie Luther Live!, 10:00 am 26 6th-12th Grade Youth Lock-in, 10:00 am Trinity Supper Club The Trinity Supper Club will be starting up again this fall. We ll organize groups of about 8 people to gather for dinner each month. In the past, the groups met at a different house each time with the host providing a main dish and others contributing sides & drinks. Of course, each group can decide together on the schedule, rotation, and responsibilities that work best for those involved, so don t feel left out if you aren t in a position to host or the thought of cooking a big meal terrifies you! This is a chance to meet new people, deepen relationships, enjoy good food, and share whatever gifts you can bring to the table. If you are interested in learning more or have questions, suggestions, or special concerns to be considered, you can sign up here ( or look for the info sign-up sheet in the Social Hall on Sunday mornings. 3

4 Save the Date Sunday 20. August at 10:00 am for a visit from Katie Luther (as played by Cindy S). She will be presenting her story of life with the famous reformer during the service, and you will have a chance to ask her questions during a potluck lunch to follow at 11:30 am. See the story of Cindy s study of Katie Luther on page 5. Refugee Sponsorship Update On Monday, 19. June at 7:00 pm, the refugee co-sponsorship team met for an important planning meeting, including ways that you can help us get ready for a refugee family. A sign-up chart of needed (plus nice-to-have ) goods for their apartment is in the Social Hall. Many furniture pieces have already been d o n a t e d. P l e a s e c o n t a c t K a t h y T (kthrower24@gmail.com) or Nalini A (npranand@msn.com) with any questions. Due to storage concerns, please do not bring furniture donations to the church without checking with Kathy or Nalini first. Stephen Ministry: Never Outdated Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 Christian care is never outdated. God's command that we love one another is the same now as it was thousands of years ago. How are you showing God's love to others? Stephen Ministry is one way you can do that. Our Stephen Ministers have an impact on people's lives at times when they really need someone to care. A new training class for Stephen Ministers is starting Friday evening, 29. September and runs through March of We will meet twice a month and a few Saturdays during that time period. For more information, contact Pastor B at PrBerner@aol.com; Angela B at alynb1@verizon.net; or Miriam M at mamendenhall@verizon.net. Project Promise School Kits Beginning in July and continuing throughout the summer, Trinity will collect the school supplies listed below. On God's Work Our Hands Sunday, 10. September, Trinity will assemble the items into school kits during an Intergenerational Sunday School. Please place donations in the bins in the Social Hall. Here is the updated list of items needed to complete Trinity's goal of 120 kits: Number needed Item sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper approximately 8" X 10½"; no loose-leaf paper; centimeter rulers or rulers with centimeters on one side and inches on the other; 120 Pencil sharpeners; 90 Blunt scissors; 444 Unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; 368 Black or blue ballpoint pens; 66 Boxes of 16 or 24 crayons; 75 2½" erasers Please note: LWR asks that all kit items be new and have no religious symbols, messages, or patriotic or military symbols. Please contact Kathy T (kthrower24@gmail.com) with any questions. Note: Amazon, Office Depot and Staples are having great back-to-school sales now! 4

5 What Does This Luther Rose Mean and How Did It Lead to a Study of Katie Luther? Cindy S presentation of Katie Luther at Trinity Sunday 20. August 2017 at 10:00 am (continued from last two weeks) Finishing the Project I prayed hard for the Lord to lead me to someone to help me finish this project. I thought a member of church who owned a frame shop was the answer but she was unable to do the task. So I took the piece to Michael's at South Pointe. They recommended that I take it to a cleaners to have it stretched. When I brought it back to Michael's, our plan was to mount it on foam board then someone else would frame it. The manager, a Lutheran, suggested I get in touch with a company called Glass Edge. My eyes bugged out, as I knew the owner, Bob S, a long time member of Sheridan! Things were looking up! Michael's worked on the Rose for a month! They had all kinds of problems with it. It seems when you try to put 185,000 stitches into a small space; the work gets warped and misshapen. I left there sick to my stomach after the first attempt. I wouldn't have hung it in my closet! All those hours I had spent seemed like a nightmare. So I prayed for God to guide someone else's hands. The result was round, centered but not quite perfect. If you look closely, the gold ring is not even all the way around the circle. It is a reminder to me that life is not perfect but I should focus on the center, Christ's sacrifice and God's love for me, the living. Finally, it was ready for Bob Stamper's hands to get the Rose hanging. After many hours, craftsmanship, resourcefulness and prayers, Bob had me join him at his huge workshop at the Glass Edge. Surrounded by literally tons of mirrors, glass panes and heavy equipment, we worked side by side to create a finished piece. Thank You Even though I created this piece out of a dream, it took many people to bring it to completion. Thrivent, Kathy P, Michael's, Bob S, all were essential to this project. Did you notice how many times the number 500 came up in my story? Here's one more, 2017 is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing up the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Castle Church door. And this Rose will be hanging in the sanctuary of our church to commemorate that significant event. God truly does work in mysterious and marvelous ways! Thanks be to God. Written by Cindy S, Sheridan Lutheran Church's Faith Builders Class. Cindy will be sharing her Luther Rose and Katie Luther story with Trinity during the 10:00 a.m. service on 20. August A potluck luncheon will follow the service where we can all talk to Cindy about her Faith Builders Journey of studying Katie Luther and the Luther Rose. 5

6 Flat Martin Luther goes with Trinity Members This Summer In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Children and Youth Team is sponsoring Flat Martin Luther cut outs for members and friends to take with them on their travels this summer. Here are where he was recently spotted: With Matthew and Joshua B at Yellowstone......and at the Grand Tetons At Niagara Falls and at the Statue of Liberty with Natasha B With Margo W and her cousins at church in Greensboro, NC With Anita at Wolf Trap Flat Jesus on a Donkey at Philmont 6