Trinity Tidings Trinity Lutheran Church Appleton, WI

Transcription

1 Trinity Tidings Trinity Lutheran Church Appleton, WI May 2018 April Snapshots Bible Blessings Easter Easter Egg Hunt More photos of these events inside as well as Faith Painting & Blanket Delivery p. 3 p. 4 p. 5 p. 6 p. 7 Inside the May Tidings How to be a Successful Farmer. Easter Egg Hunt Generosity Results Talk Story a new book club Golf Outing 2018 Webers Trinity Youth Trust Scholarships Feeding the Hungry... Serving the Community

2 Trinity Tidings - - May 2018 Worship in May Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Tri-County Chapel 1592 Oneida St. Menasha, WI May 6 Worship at 9:00 a.m. Partnership in the Gospel Philippians 1:1-18a Every Sunday is Special May 6: Potluck After worship we will share in a potluck meal. Bring what you want; we ll eat what people bring even if it is all desserts. (Insert smile here.) Remember that there is no oven at the Chapel, and somewhat limited use of outlets. Beverages, plates and utensils will be provided. May 13 Worship at 9:00 a.m. The Christ Hymn Philippians 2:1-13 May 20 Worship at 9:00 a.m. Pentecost: Rejoice in the Lord Acts 2:1-21 May 27 Worship at 9:00 a.m. Ten Commandments Exodus 19:1-6; 2-:1-2 Midweek Worship Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church Holden Evening Prayer May 13: Real Life Super Hero Sunday This Mother s Day we want to honor our real life super heroes. For some that is our mothers for others it may be a friend, mentor or other relative. Come dressed as your hero or bring along a memento that reminds you of that person. May 20: First Communion Sunday & Pentecost Children from our Trinity families will be taking their First Communion this Sunday. Stay for the celebration after worship. It is also Pentecost Sunday and our worship space will be decorated. The color red signifies Pentecost in the church and represents the joy of the day and the fire of the Holy Spirit; feel free to join in the spirit of the day by wearing red or another flame color from orange to white. May 27: Undecided Watch for detail on this holiday weekend. Special Easter Delivery A special Easter basket was delivered to our Christmas adopt a family. The mission of sharing God's good word and extending Trinity's reach in the community has resonated in this project. I am hopeful that we can continue this tradition next year! Thank you all again for the generous donations. Sarah VandenHeuvel 2

3 How to be a Successful Farmer A Lesson on Stewardship* As the pastor, I am often asked What is our program for funding the church? A better question is How might we grow more time, talent, and financial resources for God s mission through the church? I think farmers can help us figure this out. A farmer has three approaches to consider: 1) increase the number of plants; 2) grow better quality plants; and 3) get more efficient at harvesting. All other things being equal, boosting any or all of these would increase yields. 1) Increase the Number of Plants The church continues to lose members at an astounding rate. We hope and pray that young people will just walk through our doors. When they don t, we often put the blame on them. When in fact, research shows they believe in God, revere Jesus, consider themselves spiritual, and want to make a difference in the world. They just don t understand why the church matters or is relevant to their lives. We need to make it clear to people that living a life of faith as part of a religious community is not just about making the world out there a better place, but is also a pathway for each of us to personally have a better life. Following Jesus in a community of faith is about abundant life, life that truly is life. As the church, we do that when we become a place where Jesus transforms lives. 2) Grow Better Quality Plants Modern farming increases production by helping each plant to bear more fruit. Farmers can boost their output through better hydration, nourishment, cultivation, and pruning. Through Faith Formation at Trinity, we are working to move a follower of Jesus to yield more. One way to envision this progression is the movement of a person from no engagement, to acting for the first time, to regular involvement, to behaving as a tither, and ultimately growing even further in generosity. A different way to think of this succession is for a person to mature from roles as an observer to a participant, then to a partner and eventually to a leader. At Trinity, around 20 percent of the members do 80 percent of the giving (or serving), and higher-yielding, older plants are not being replenished by younger generations. Is it safe to say that all we do as a church is dependent on keeping the pipeline of emerging disciples full? Isn't Trinity s wellbeing fundamentally a function of how well we move people from spiritual infancy to adolescence and, eventually, maturity? We need your help to ensure we have a greater sense of urgency around more effective ways to grow disciples. 3) Get More Efficient at Harvesting The last way a farmer can produce more is to increase harvesting efficiency. Again, all other things being equal, bringing in 90 instead of 80 percent of what is grown means boosting total output. With more than one million non-profits in North America today, the harvesting environment is competitive. How well we teach, inspire, ask, and thank our supporters is critical. Trinity has also begun to explore ways to facilitate giving. We d appreciate your inputs on electronic giving and other tools that you may helpful. Though we re still working on a stewardship strategy for Trinity this year, we are on a path to meaning and purpose and abundant life. It is this way of life that helps us to understand the significance of our being a pathway for others a pathway for God s blessings of love, grace, mercy and generosity. Pastor Brian *From Steve Oelschlager, ELCA stewardship program coordinator. Available at 3

4 Word from the Council President Dear members, Spring will be here soon, so they tell me. As we wait for the weather, we can keep thinking, praying and acting on the various ideas the Seeds for Growth team is presenting to us. The information they share is meant to inspire conversation, increase anticipation for our future mission and get us to do some things to lead us in a direction. I ve been able to go to two of the last three Seeds for Growth team meetings and I m inspired to talk about our future! As Leanne shared in the Feedback session on Sunday, April 22 nd, our passion for helping people on the fringe is still strong. Sarah then shared an idea of joining with Grace members to help the Lincoln Elementary students in the summer, which would fit exactly into the criteria Leanne was talking about. Let s keep thinking and talking about ideas we can try. Now is the perfect time to experiment with projects and talk to people about ideas for our future. If you have an idea or a group of people or an organization to connect with, please let someone on the Seeds team or Church Council know. We re excited to try new ideas! Thanks in advance to all of you who are willing to venture forward with Trinity s future. Peace, Sue Ruppel Council President Results of Easter Egg Hunt Trinity put a generous twist to our Easter egg hunt this year by putting fake money inside the eggs (along with candy). The money was in three different amounts. The $5 bill had a picture of Jesus on it. The $2 bill had a picture of Pastor Brian on it and the $1 bill had a cross on it. All of them said Happy Easter! After emptying the eggs, the children got to decide which organization they would like to donate their money to. Their choices were Loaves & Fishes (food for children), the Community Clothes Closet (clothes for children) or Lincoln Elementary School (school supplies for children). After a bit of rounding on our part, $150 was given to L & F, $80 was given to the CCC and $70 was given to Lincoln Elementary School. The money was taken from the Webers Youth Trust. It was a very successful addition to our Easter worship and I m sure we will be doing this again. 4

5 Rooted Wednesdays, May 2 & 9 from 5:15-7:00 p.m. Join us for Pentecost Prep on May 2 that will include working on a sweet mural to display at worship on Pentecost Sunday and, of course, learning about Pentecost. May 9 plans are yet to be determined...but there may be some tasty treats in our future. As always, ALL are welcome! Talk Story Book Club When Ken and I were in Hawaii a few years ago, we found a book store called Talk Story. I fell in love with that name and have kept it tucked away to use sometime myself. Now is that time. Talk Story is the name I am using for a new book club at Trinity. Here s what I m thinking... Talk Story will begin with a time of Dwelling in the Word using short passages or stories from the Bible. Participants will share a book of your choice. Or just come to get ideas & recommendations from others. Together we will connect the books being shared by participants with our faith and God. Making another faith connection. Come as you are able. No need to make a permanent commitment. Date and time are to be determined based on those interested in the group. Open to all... that means you too men. Interested in participating or have questions? Let me (Sarah Bultman) know: or office@trinityappleton.com or in person. Once we have a core group of interested readers we will move forward with a date & time! Graduate Recognition Sunday June 3 at the Chapel If you know a 2018 high school, technical college or college grad, please let us know! We plan to celebrate with our grads on Sunday, June 3. or call the office at or office@trinityappleton.com. Above: Art supplies collected for Lincoln Elementary Right: Leanne & Alaina at Faith Painting. Summer Lunch & Reading Program Plans are being discussed to begin a lunch (and possibly) reading program for children in the neighborhood surrounding Grace Lutheran & Lincoln Elementary. The program would help bridge a food gap for children between the end of summer school (July 20) till the fall term begins in September for about six weeks. Your input and support is needed if this venture is to succeed. See Sarah Bultman or Jeannie Beckley for more information and to complete a support survey. The lunch program would be held at Grace and run jointly with them. Dates, times and much more are yet to be determined based on the responses of our churches. Keep your eyes peeled for more information! Trinity Tidings - - May

6 Golf Outing tentatively set for July 22 nd For the past 13 years, Sandy LeMoine and Jean Haese have generously given an extremely large amount of their time and talent to organize the Trinity Golf Outing and Silent Auction. With our move to the Chapel for worship, last year was even more work for them and Alison Witthuhn, as the Silent Auction was mostly done through the website. With all the changes Trinity has gone through, Sandy & Jean are ready to relieve themselves of these duties and have some other people organize it and change it up to fit our circumstances. At this point, we are looking for people to step up to take a look at the Trinity Golf Outing and help to make it a possibility for We know it will take an army to fill the shoes of Sandy & Jean! The Trinity Council has discussed ideas to simplify it and try to make sure we are able to continue all the great community building and generous giving that we have done in the past. If you are interested in helping make this happen, please let one of the Council members know. There s a good chance that someone will be contacting you before you get a chance to contact them. Please be ready and willing to help. THANK YOU from St. Joseph Food Program, Inc. Thank you for your donation of 354 pounds of food from your recent food drive. With your help, St. Joseph Food Program has been assisting families with supplemental nutrition assistance for 36 years. Upon hearing of massive layoffs in our community, our founder, Tom Schlitz, wondered what can I do to help? Since then, thousands of people like you have joined together to serve the needs of our neighbors. In 2017, we distributed over 3.2 million pounds of food, personal care items, diapers, and paper goods free of charge to our clients, local pantries, school children, and other non-profit organizations! Through your donation, you are touching the lives of about 5,000 individuals every week! Because St. Joseph Food Program does not accept any government funding, your gift is vital in making this program possible. Without the support of a generous community, many of our friends and neighbors would be suffering the painful effects of hunger. If you haven t been to St. Joe s before or it has been a number of years since your last visit, I would love the opportunity to offer you a tour of our beautiful facility. Please call to set up a time. You will be amazed at the impact of your donation! On behalf of our board, staff, volunteers and clients, I thank you for your kindness. Sincerely, Monica M. Clare Executive Director The paintings to the right were made on March 25 at the Faith Painting event. Thank you to Beth Servais for leading us and Thrivent for the Action Team support! 6

7 ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES: It s time to apply to the Webers Trinity Youth Trust (aka Webers Trust) The Trust has been updated and broadened to cover scholarships to ANY post-secondary school for Trinity Youth! 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. They are due to the Scholarship Committee by June 1 st. Delivering Fleece Blankets to the Community Clothes Closet. (11 blankets total!) 7

8 Trinity Lutheran Church Appleton, WI May 2018 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 10 am Staff Meeting 2 9 am KIT 5:15 pm Rooted 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) :00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) Potluck following worship. 7 7:00 p.m. Bible Study at Grace 8 6:30 p.m. Seeds Team Meeting 9 9 am KIT 5:15 pm Rooted 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) :00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 14 2 pm Worship at Heritage am Staff Meeting 6:30 p.m. Council Mtg am KIT 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) News. Deadline Pentecost 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) First Communion am Staff Meeting 6:30 p.m. Seeds Team Meeting 23 9 am KIT 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) am Newsletter Team pm Serve at Homeless Connections 27 9:00 am Worship (Tri-County Chapel) 28 Memorial Day Office Closed am Staff Meeting 30 9 am KIT 6:30pm Worship (at Grace) 31 Trinity Tidings - - May

9 WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS SCHEDULE May 2018 May 6 May 13 Greeter: Ron & Mary Robertson Altar Care: Sandy LeMoine Acolyte: Josh & Alaina Wincentsen Ushers: 1. Jerry LeMoine 2. Sandy LeMoine Reader: Mary Robertson Communion Assistants: 1. Shirley Connell 2. Mary Robertson Healing: 1. Leanne Meidam Wincentsen 2. Dorothy Warren Children s Time: Leanne M.W. Fellowship: Potluck Greeter: Jen Cornelius Altar Care: Judy Natz Acolyte: Can you help? Ushers: 1. Jim Rasmussen 2. Brenda Rasmussen Reader: Sharon Helms Communion Assistants: 1. Wanda Fischer 2. Jean Haese Children s Time: Dorothy Warren Fellowship: Sandy LeMoine May 20 May 27 Greeter: Jen Cornelius Altar Care: Sandy LeMoine Ushers: 1. Sandy LeMoine 2. Jerry LeMoine Acolyte: Can you help? Reader: Sharon Helms Communion Assistants: 1. Shirley Connell 2. Gail Romenesko Children s Time: Jen Cornelius Fellowship: 1st Communion Celebration & Dorothy Warren Greeter: Can you help? Altar Care: Judy Natz Acolyte: Can you help? Ushers: 1. Mary Robertson 2. Ron Robertson Reader: Jean Haese Communion Assistants: 1. Jean Haese 2. Judy Natz Children s Time: Chrisanna Barricklow Fellowship: Millie Mohr & Jan Liebscher 9

10 Opportunities at Trinity to Study GOD S MESSAGE for You Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. at Grace in the Kitchen A combined bible study group from Grace and Trinity meet on Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. in the kitchen at Grace. Please consider joining to study God s message for us. It should be a fun experience, with lots of good discussion. The study is based on the ELCA lectionary gospel lesson for the week. Readings and studies for Wednesdays in May include: May 2 - John 15:9-17 May 9 - John 17:6-19 May 16 - Acts 2:1-21 May 23 - Romans 8:12-17 May 30 - Mark 2:23 3:6 or 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 You are Welcome to Keep in Touch with God and with one another! Refreshments provided! First Monday of the Month Bible Study Monday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Grace We are studying the many names of God and applying that knowledge to what it means to us in our own lives. Have you heard God described as Jehovah Nissi? It means the one who stands guard over you. Come and learn more about God s characteristics and how they connect to you and your faith. We also share a few laughs, have a delicious snack, and our dear Millie shares a few jokes. We would love to have you join us. Contact Mary Robertson at or ROBERTSON190@aol.com. Bible & Book Blessing Sunday 10

11 Easter Egg Hunt ELCA Advocacy Office in Washington, DC Speak up about issues that matter to you. Not sure what to say? Go to: for national and international issues or for state issues. Go to YouTube and type: ELCA Advocacy to find short videos such as these ELCA World Hunger More than 800 million people - that's 11 percent of people in our world today - are hungry. As members of the ELCA, we are called to respond. We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. Working with and through our congregations, in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Lutheran churches overseas and other partners, ELCA World Hunger is uniquely positioned to reach communities in need. From health clinics to microloans, water wells to animal husbandry, community meals to advocacy, your gifts to ELCA World Hunger make it possible for the ELCA to respond, supporting sustainable solutions that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty. 11

12 Crossways Camps is Hiring Summer Staff! The three camps of Crossways are still looking to fill a few more spots on their summer staff. Cabin leaders, health coordinators, and lifeguards are a few positions still available. Room and board for the entire summer season is provided, as well as a competitive salary. Camp staff experience looks great on a resume and teaches essential life skills: independence, decisionmaking, critical thinking, collaboration, empathy, and more! Visit to learn more, or gloria@crosswayscamps.org. THANK YOU for another record-breaking year for The Family Radio Network s Help for the Homeless hygiene drive! In the Fox Cities $168,035 worth of hygiene supplies donated by 265 Fox Cities employers, churches and schools hosting collection boxes, helping 18 Fox Cities crisis programs serving approx. 16,000 people annually. You are already making a difference: She d just bought a trailer home then her hours were reduced at work, and she learned she had ovarian cancer. A single parent with an 11-year-old daughter, she s struggling to make payments on the trailer now. Cleaning or self-care products are out of the question. She was so grateful for the big basket of Help for the Homeless supplies! Thank you! -Maria Vargas, Partnership Community Health Education Center, Appleton Photo: Taken moments before 100+ crisis program volunteers began sorting $160,000 worth of donations on March 16 (they were finished by noon!). Another $8,000+ in cash donations followed. (Cash donations are converted to Shopko, Walgreens, and Festival Foods gift cards for agencies to purchase additional hygiene and cleaning supplies.) 12

13 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 Roger Helms Dena Krueger Sean Massey Dorothy Warren Feel free to contact any of these individuals with your thoughts, needs or concerns for Trinity. Staff Pastor Brian Bankert Office Manager & Faith Formation Coordinator Sarah Bultman or 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. 13