Thank you, Trinity! On behalf of the 2009 Stewardship Committee, thank you Trinity! You are making a difference!

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1 D ecember 2, 2009 Thank you, Trinity! As a congregation, Trinity has responded in record numbers to the stewardship campaign ensuring that programs and plans for Trinity will continue to grow. What a blessing to know that Sunday after Sunday we worship together with friends and family who are committed to serving Christ through our church. As we closed out the 2009 stewardship campaign, I am so pleased to report that we have received 208 commitment cards pledging a total of $770,372 for calendar year That s a phenomenal achievement and YOU made it happen. It means we have much to look forward to next year as our church continues to meet our spiritual and emotional needs and serve both the community and beyond, as God leads us. On behalf of the 2009 Stewardship Committee, thank you Trinity! You are making a difference! Grace and Blessings, Becky Kossover Chair of Trinity s Stewardship Committee 2009 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am Solid Grounds 9:00 am Sunday School 9:30 am Lectionary Readings December 6 Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:58-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6 December 13 One Service at 10:45 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 Trinity Treasures December 6 Tammy and Bryon Childress Erin and John Jaros December 13 Monica and Richard Yager

2 Wednesday Night Fellowship Please fill out the reservation forms in the registration pads or call the church office to RSVP. Wednesday, December 9, when lasagna will be served is the last night of fellowship until January 13. Prayer Shawls A new small group is meeting on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. to make prayer shawls. Experienced or beginning knitters or crocheters are welcome to join. For more information, contact Barbara Steely at (H), (C), or bksteely@aol.com. Look around your classrooms and your home book shelves. After a recent inventory of the Rogers Resource Library, we have been unable to locate the following items: The Quest Study Bible; Basic Bible Commentary (Job); New Interpreter s Bible Volume 9; The Baby Boomer; Daniel (Beth Moore Kit with Leader s Guide and DVD); Disciple: Remember Who You Are Prophets and Paul (Study Manual); My Utmost for His Highest; Meditation Escape to Reality: Who Is Jesus(2 tapes); Risen to Redeem; Faith for Life Wesley s Religion; To Pray and To Grow; First Things First; God, Could You Talk a Little Louder; Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World (tape); Claim the Name Talk Points for Parents & Youth. January 4, 2010, is the last day to receive contributions that will be credited to your 2009 giving statement. Checks need to be dated December 31, Trinity United Methodist Preschool is excited to begin the process of building a new infant playground outside of the infant room! We sincerely thank Randy Stocks for his valuable help making this dream a reality. There will temporarily be construction blocking the sidewalk near the preschool entrance. Excuse our mess during the construction and please do not cross the barricades. After the project is completed, all access to the stairs leading to the sanctuary entrance will be open on Sunday mornings as usual. If you have any questions about the construction please call Tammy Childress at Angel Tree Reminder: December 6 and 13, a truck will be in the lower parking lot to accept the gifts you have purchased for the Brady Angels. Look for the Salvation Army sign! What happens to the gifts next? They are taken to the distribution warehouse which this year is at the old Walmart store on Camp Robinson Road in North Little Rock. Parents have appointment times to come pick up the gifts you have selected for their children. There are opportunities to volunteer with that part of the process. This year s distribution days are Saturday, 12/19; Monday, 12/21 and Tuesday, 12/22. If you would like to volunteer contact the Salvation Army at or Georgiana Soderberg at (glsoderberg@att.net). We support TUMC by our Prayers Jan Barnett, Deanna Etheridge, Reid Hill (daughter of Kie and Jeff Hill), Betty Moore (mother of Dr. Robin Moore), Virginia Faubel, Judy Hicks (sister-in-law of Dean Hicks), Ila Harville (mother of Carla Haynie), Sally and Gerald Kenworthy, Bridget Wilson (mother of Richard Yager),Dwayne Ruggles, Charlotte Epps, (daughter of Wayne and Sharon Marrs), Mariann Clark (daughter of Willie and Fay Southern) Trinity Members active in the Military: Matthew Vigneault, Dylan Blancett, Will Goggans, Derek Hays, John Hofman Sympathy is extended to Mike McWilliams and Mary Gay Olsen and families in the death of Sylvia McWilliams; to Wayne Marrs and family in the death of his sister, Betty Matthews Presence Week of November 15, 2009 Sunday School 248 Worship 308 Visitors 113 Week of November 22, 2009 Sunday School 298 Worship 315 Visitors 18 Week of November 29, 2009 Sunday School 288 Worship 286 Visitors 16 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Holy Communion is offered in the Prayer Chapel immediately following each service on Sunday morning except on the Sunday Communion is served in worship. In an effort to reduce the spread of viruses, all communion servers use hand sanitizer before serving. In addition, we have placed bottles of sanitizer throughout high traffic areas and you are welcome to use it.

3 "Soup"er Supper and Santa Kick-off Advent 2009 What a great night for hot soup, meaty chili, and Christmas desserts! The cold rain may have been falling outside, but lots of warm fellowship abounded inside Martin Hall to celebrate the beginning of Advent Trinity's 5th Annual "Soup"er Supper brought in 28 wonderful crockpots of soup/chili, beautiful Christmas music presented by Martha Ann Edwards on the piano, four heart-warming songs performed by our children in the Wednesday night RAGtime program, and even a visit from Santa and his elf, Faith Roberts, with toys and candy canes for all the children. Soups were judged by a panel of experts in the field of soup-tasting (Trent Roberts, Diann Brumback, Cara Steely, and John Tyler) and those coveted trophies were awarded to the 3 top soup creations. Norma McDaniel took 3rd place with a Turkey and Tortellini Soup; Alison Chambers was once again on the winning platform with her 2nd place Bacon and Baked Potato Soup; and Pam Ruehr captured that 1st prize trophy with a Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup. Copies of the top three recipes are available in the church office. With any church-wide event, many people are to be thanked for their great service - one of the "bragging points' in Dr. Robin's Sunday's sermon about Trinity! Here is a big Ho! Ho! Ho! round of holiday applause to the following people: Scott Harris, Jennifer Roberts, Candy Murphy, Charles Watson, Hope Roberts, Karen Carter, Laura Hales, Jay Sweningson, Steve Bonds (photography), our RAGtime singers and directors, Steve Faubel, Bill Craig, Toni Wilson, Ann Watson, and many, many more elves! Mr. Paul

4 PARENTS SHOPPING NIGHT! Trinity Youth Fundraiser Saturday, December 12 th 4:00 to 8:00pm. Need a night to do some Christmas Shopping? Want to go see a movie in an actual theatre!? In desperate need of a date night with your spouse? Maybe you just want to drop off the young ones and go home and nap! Well, this is your chance! Trinity Youth are having a Baby Sitting Fundraiser. The cost is $5.00 per hour for the first child, $3.00 per hour for the second child and $2.00 per hour for each additional child. We also ask that you bring one can of food for each child. This will be donated to a local food pantry. So come on out, take advantage of discounted sitting rates AND help our youth pay for missions, trips and retreats for the year! Reservations required by Thursday, December 10. Call Jay, or the church office. *************************************************************************************** BOOKS FOR BRADY The race is on! Trinity is collecting 360 NEW BOOKS to give as Christmas gifts to the children of Brady Elementary, our Partner in Education. Please help! Books must be returned to the church by Sunday, December 13 so they can be distributed by the teachers to the children. What books would be appropriate? Brady students range in age from 4 to 12 and have all levels of reading ability. A list of suggested titles is available at the church but just about any book that you or your children have enjoyed would be wonderful. Bring your books to the Books for Brady tree in the south end of the Narthex. *************************************************************************************** YOUTH HAM SMOKE The Trinity Youth Group is once again offering amazingly delicious smoked hams for the holidays. This is a fundraiser for our youth to help them offset costs for the various missions, trips and retreats throughout the year. Please help support our youth and give smiles to the recipients in the process! A few frequently asked questions: How big are the hams? 8-10lbs What is the cost? $40.00 per ham. All orders must be pre-paid and placed by December 13 When can I pick mine up? December 19th after 12:00pm at Trinity UMC HOW DO I ORDER?? Grab a youth member, contact the church office, or drop by the church office on Sunday mornings and place your order. Thank you so much for your generosity and for once again supporting our youth!

5 Because You Asked Welcome to Bill Tarkington who recently joined our Trinity Family ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Members of Trinity United Methodist, I wanted to write to thank you for your donations to The CALL through the Kid 2 Kid offering and the communion rail offering. We have determined that it costs The CALL $750 to place one child in a Christian CALL family and your donations go a long way toward helping us place one more child this year in a loving home. Thank you for partnering with us in practicing PURE Christianity ministering to the least of these the temporary and sometimes legal orphans in local foster care. One Child at a Time, Mary Carol Pederson Executive Director, The CALL Advent refers to the coming or arrival of Jesus Christ. Within the Church, the term has several meanings: the arrival of the Lord who comes as a babe at Christmas; his entry into our lives each day through the Word and Holy Spirit; and the final Advent (or Second Coming), when Christ will return to the earth in glory. Each meaning stirs the joyful anticipation of what God has accomplished, is accomplishing, and will yet bring to completion. The observance of Advent is a rather late addition to Church history, as is the celebration of Christmas itself. When the church began to observe Christmas in the fourth century, a period of preparation was added. The length of time varied widely from three to seven weeks. Not until the tenth century was an agreement reached in the Western world that Advent should consist of four Sundays. The first Sunday of Advent occurs near or upon November 30, and always concludes on Christmas Eve. A custom many traditional Christians find meaningful is the preparation of an Advent Wreath, containing five candles. Three candles are traditionally purple, symbolizing royalty; one candle is pink, symbolizing the joy of the season; and the larger center candle is white, symbolic of the purity of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday in Advent, an additional candle is lighted. Finally on Christmas Eve, the center candle is lighted, signifying the arrival of the babe in Bethlehem. The five lights burn brightly, demonstrating the Light of the world that flashed forth centuries ago with the first cry of the Christ Child. FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY ORNAMENTS The Christmas Ornaments designed especially for the 50th anniversary of Trinity, will be for sale during Solid Grounds for the next few weeks. The ornaments are ten dollars each and would look lovely on your tree!

6 Invite Your Friends, and Please Join Us! Sunday, December 13, 10:45 A.M. (Solid Grounds at 9 am; Sunday School at 9:30 am) The Promise of Light Presented by The Trinity Chancel Choir, The Handbell Choir Soloists and Guest Instrumentalists Light is essential for life here on Earth. For centuries, it has been used as a metaphorical theme in art and literature, and is mentioned more than 230 times in the Bible. The Promise of Light is a musical celebration of God s gift of eternal light to mankind. Hear the prophecy and the beautiful Christmas story told through fresh, new settings of the beloved carols. Please join us for this wonderful presentation!

7 Calendar of Events Sunday, December 6 8:30 am - Worship 9:00 am - Solid Grounds Coffee Fellowship (Martin Hall) 9:30 am - Sunday School 10:45 am - Worship* 3:00 pm River City Men s Chorus (Sanctuary) 5:30 pm - All youth Monday, December 7 7:00 pm - River City Men s Chorus Tuesday, December 8 6:30 am - Men s Bible Study 9:00 am - Tues. Morn Bible Study (Searchers) Noon Triune Christmas Party 5:00 pm Green Team (Library) Wednesday, December 9 5:15 pm - WNF (last one of 2009) 6:00 pm - RAGtime 6:45 pm - Bell Choir 7:00 pm - Chancel Choir Thursday, December 10 7:00 pm River City Men s Chorus Sunday, December 13 One Worship at 10:45 9:00 am - Solid Grounds Coffee Fellowship (Martin Hall) 9:30 am - Sunday School 10:45 am - Worship 5:30 pm - All Youth Monday, December 14 Office closed 11-2 for staff Christmas luncheon Tuesday December 15 6:30 am - Men s Bible Study 9:00 am Tues. Morning Bible Study (Searchers) 7:00 pm - Chancel Choir Check out our recently updated website for more information about activities and events at Trinity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CD s and cassettes of the worship service are available in the church office. Being Green Outdoors in Arkansas Gordon Kumpuris Being "green" and being a lover of the outdoors at the same time makes for a delicate balance and frankly some tough justifications. For instance, when I drive my 4x4 truck 200+ miles round trip to spend four hours or so kayaking or canoeing a river is this "being green?" When I build a huge roaring campfire for no other reason than because I enjoy it, yet burning trees and releasing smoke into the air, am I being green? If I drive my 4x4 off road, causing erosion, killing or at least changing the normal growth of small plants, am I being green? If I paddle a river, the natural water flow of which is controlled by a massive man made dam, am I being green? Honestly I don't have all the answers. What "being green" means to me and what I try to instill in my children is to think about these things, debate the pros and cons of environmentalism on society, enjoy the natural creations that God has blessed us with but don't take them for granted. Be gentle and lessen our impact on our earth when possible. "Leave no trace" yet do become intimate with our natural world. God gave us "dominion" over his most delicate and precious creations. This phrase in Genesis is ripe for controversy, but without question it charges us with incredible responsibility. To ignore it is not only irresponsible, and selfish, it is simply against God's wishes. The "green" movement to me is very interesting especially as it is manifested in our children. Recycling, reusing, conserving just make sense to them. As children begin to make sense of the morals and "rules" of society, taking care of the earth around us is a very easy to understand concept and is very encouraging for our future. I would encourage you to put down the remote, shut down the laptop (my personal vice) and get out of town. And for extra points, take a kid with you! Take a canoe down the Buffalo, the nation's first National River. Explore the cypress filled Big Woods in East Arkansas. Hike into Hawsbill Craig or Winding Stairs on the Little Missouri. Spend time in a deer stand or duck blind even if it's just with a camera. If that's too much for you, explore many of the easy hiking trails that can be found within a short drive from Little Rock. This is an amazing state with countless natural wonders. To ignore them to me is akin to living in Colorado and never snow skiing or living in Florida and never going to the beach. Getting outside will help center you on God and restore you physically, psychologically and spiritually. God has blessed Arkansans with an amazing array of natural wonders to explore. Get out and enjoy them!! You are encouraged to read the Pastor s Report presented at Charge Conference. Copies are available at the Welcome Center.

8 Where do your tithes go? Board of Church and Society A portion of our offering every week supports United Methodist agencies such as the Board of Church and Society. This organization is commissioned to relate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the members of the church, to our community, and to the world in which we live. It seeks to bring the whole of human life, including all activities, possessions, communities and world relationships into conformity with the will of God. Our giving makes it possible for the Board of Church and Society to further ministries of reconciliation. Contacting your Church Staff Dr. Robin Moore Rev. Candace Barron David Glaze Paul Owen Jay Sweningson Laura Hales Judy Gribble Tammy Childress DRNRMoore@tumclr.org cbarron@tumclr.org DAGMusic@tumclr.org powen@tumclr.org jay@tumclr.org laurahales@tumclr.org judy@tumclr.org tammyc@tumclr.org Dr. Moore s emergency # Rev. Barron s emergency #