Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Newport News, VA. December 2015

Transcription

1 Trinity Tidings Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Newport News, VA December 2015

2 From the Pastor s Desk... Dear Friends, The transition committee will occasionally ask the congregation for feedback about various parts of our congregation s life together. At the Advent workshop, the first survey was handed out and it will also come as a file attachment to s. Either paper or return will be appreciated. The paper surveys will be at both entrances to church and can be returned either to me or the church office or to the comment boxes located at side entrance or church library. The first survey deals with history. Tell us some stories as the questionnaire guides you. The gathering of data is important as this committee will help formulate materials for our ministry site profile which will be approved by Council and forwarded to our synod and Bishop and future pastoral candidates. So what we do is important! The series of surveys will be announced from time to time. Thank you for sharing your reflections. Transition Team Survey This survey is the first in a series of surveys from our Transition Team. Please take a few minutes to fill one out and either give it to Pastor Cobb or put it inside one of the brown, free-standing, wooden comment boxes located in the church library or near the wheelchair ramp exit door. If you have any questions, please call the church office or speak with someone on the Transition Team (Suzanne Beckstoffer, Carol Bessom, Anne Evans, Brad Goodman, John Lunsford, Pete Mizelle, Jessica Moye and Todd Recupero). The transition team is the first step in the call process for a new Pastor. Thank you! Transition Team Some have asked for a daytime Bible study: so, this first unit will meet on Tuesdays, Dec. 8, 15, 22 at 10:30 in church parlor. We will end at 11:30. The study will be on the upcoming Gospel texts: so, Dec.8: Luke 7: 18-35; Dec. 15: Luke 1: 39-55; Dec. 22: Luke 2: 1-20; Anyone may come/ drop in as you are able. All are welcome. Please remember that our school chapel meets on Wednesdays, 8:30 and 9:00 AM and any worshippers are welcome to attend. Our theme is Super heroes of the Bible. Advent/Christmas is prime time for invitations to friends, family, neighbors and anyone you might invite to attend worship with you. When studies are made about church growth or evangelism, the number one reason people cite for coming to church: I was invited by a friend or acquaintance. TRY IT! Advent blessings of hope and peace to you and all the world, Blessings, Pastor Jim Cobb Constant Contact Constant Contact is our church system for special announcements and Friday Forget-Me- Not s as needed. This is our most efficient and timely method to getting Church information out to the congregation. If you are not receiving the church messages, please notify the church office at or admin@trinitynn.org. We must have your permission stating that you wish to accept these s from the church. If you are receiving the s, but wish to change addresses or add an address, please notify the church office as well. Also, please advise the office administrator of any mailing address or phone number changes as soon as possible. 2

3 Property Upkeep The Property Committee met on Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:00 PM. Here is an update on our current projects: Library We are working to get the cold water faucet fixed. Entrance lights - We will clean out and repair the lights around the exterior building doors. Church Van After further investigation the van is okay to use. The issue under the van floor does not make it unsafe but may cause future repairs to be more expensive. Social Hall We continue to work on covering the sealed floor. There are sections where the sealant has been scrapped off of the floor. This is due to the time it takes for the sealant to cure. The sealant that was used had to have a low vapor rating to ensure that there would not be an odor in the social hall for months. The trade off of a low vapor rating is a longer cure time, in this case it takes 30 days to cure. We are looking into going over the floor again in sections to allow of the room to be used while still repairing the floor. This will be time consuming but will allow us to continue to make progress. Sanctuary We have finished most of the scraping and painting and have held off doing more work in the sanctuary to make sure there is not further moisture damage in the areas that have been scraped and sealed. As we finish 2015 and move to 2016 the committee is going to change how we handle projects. Below is a list of one time and recurring projects. One Time Projects 1. Social Hall floor replacement 2. Social Hall walls scraped, sealed and painted 3. Sanctuary walls scraped, sealed and painted 4. River Road Sanctuary entrance scraped, sealed and painted 5. Basement River Road resource room scraped, sealed and painted 6. Parsonage garage roof repaired 7. Men s room remodel 8. Women's room remodel 9. Library cold water faucet repair Reoccurring Projects 1. Window wells cleaned out 2. Memorial Garden pressure washed 3. Garage cleaned up 4. Landscaping 5. Clean outdoor lights Most of these projects can be done ourselves or in conjunction with a service organization like the Boy Scouts but there are projects on the list that will take contractors and money. Starting in January we will look to hold a work day once a month to complete the scraping and painting work. Your time and talent is requested to help the committee complete these projects and make the Church new again. Please look for more information in the months to come. We will provide details in the bulletin, Tidings, and on the main bulletin board. The members of the property committee are Jack Kowalski, Diane Roselius, Pete Johnston, Joan Johnston, Kevin Goetz and Earl Dunn (TLS). Bill Mulvey Property Committee Chair 3

4 Youth News: Fall/Winter Activities REBOUNDERZ The youth group will spend the afternoon bouncing away at Rebounderz in the Denbigh section of Newport News. Youth will meet on Sunday, December 6 immediately following the 11 AM worship service. We will grab a fast food lunch on the way to the gym. Bring money for lunch and a water bottle with you. We are planning to bounce, flip, and flop from 1:45 2:45 PM. Trust me an hour is plenty of time to bounce! They will be exhausted. Parents can pick up your youth at Rebounderz at 3 PM. Sign up on the youth group bulletin board if you plan to attend. Parents: Please go online in advance ( fill out the waiver form for your child and sign up for the 1:45 PM session. If that one is filled, sign up for the 2 PM session as they only allow so many kids on the bounce floor at the same time. You can pay in advance online. Cost is $13 to jump for one hour plus $3 for Rebounderz socks that are required. If you are having problems signing up, please call Kelly Rummel immediately. YOUR CHILD CANNOT ATTEND UNLESS YOU FILL OUT THE WAIVER IN ADVANCE!! DECORATING AND CAROLING The youth group will meet on December 13 immediately following the 11 AM service. We will go grab lunch and then decorate the church for Christmas. The youth group is in charge of hanging the Chrismons on the Christmas trees every year, and the kids love to help. After we finish, we will go caroling at congregation members houses and deliver the gifts we have made for our shut-ins. We will conclude the evening at the Rummel household with a Christmas party and movie. Bring money for a fast food lunch, $5 for your pizza dinner, your favorite Christmas cookie or side item to share at the party, and your best singing voice. Parents can pick youth up at the Rummel house at 8 PM. Sign up on the youth group bulletin board if you can attend. Members of the Trinity Troupers will join us at the conclusion of their play practice that day. WINTER CELEBRATION Attention all 9th-12th graders!!! We will be attending the annual Synod Event Winter Celebration at Eagle Eyrie in Lynchburg VA January 22-24, Please grab a registration form found on the youth group bulletin board and return it along with payment for the event ($150) to Kelly Rummel by December 13, Also, sign your name on the youth group bulletin board to let me know that you are interested in attending that event. This is a wonderful faith forming event for our high school youth. Parents, if you have questions about the event itself or payment issues, please speak with one of the youth advisors. LOCK-IN The youth group will be locking themselves into the church on January 8th. We will meet at the church at 6 PM, and parents can pick you up at 8 AM on January 9th. This is a fun evening of wild and crazy games, movies, free time, and gym time that is spent at our church. It is a great group building evening, and I highly encourage all youth to come and hang out for the night. Youth will need a sleeping bag, pillow, PJs, flashlight for a game of hide and seek in the dark, $5 for pizza, and your favorite snack to share with your friends. We will feed you breakfast in the morning before you depart for your Saturday events. If you plan to attend, sign up on the youth group bulletin board. 4

5 Four Tenets of Advent Conspiracy Editor s note: This article is excerpted from a bulletin at St. Martin Lutheran Church in Concord, North Carolina. Worship Fully It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. This is the holistic approach God had in mind for Christmas. It s a season where we are called to put down our burdens and lift a song up to our God. It s a season where love wins, peace reigns, and a king is celebrated with each breath. It s the party of the year. Entering the story of advent means entering this season with an overwhelming passion to worship Jesus to the fullest. Spend Less Spending less isn t a call to stop giving gifts; it s a call to stop spending money on gifts we won t remember in less than a year. America spends $600 billion dollars during the Christmas season, and much of that is joyless and goes right onto a credit card. By spending wisely on gifts, we free ourselves from the anxiety associated with debt so we can take in the season will a full heart. Give More The most powerful, memorable gift you can give to someone else is yourself. And nobody modeled this more than Jesus. So what does this look like for you? Tickets to a ball game or the theater? A movie night? The main point is simple: When it comes to spending time with those you love, it s all about quality, not quantity. Love More It all boils down to love. Love from a savior. Love to a neighbor in need. By spending just a little less on gifts we free up our resources to love as Jesus loves by giving to those who really need help. This is the conspiracy three churches began a few years ago, and has since grown to an international movement where thousands of churches have raised millions of dollars to love others in life-changing ways. It s not that there s something wrong with the shopping mall it s that the better story is about loving all. Advent Season Advent Season is often trumped by our commercial Christmas season. There are some ways to celebrate Advent more fully, and to help get past the commercialization of Christmas. Here are some suggestions: To learn more about Advent Conspiracy visit Advent conspiracy is based on the premise that as Christians, Christmas should mean more to us than just gifts under the tree. The four tenets of the advent Conspiracy are Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Check out the website for more ways to enjoy the Advent season. The Good Gifts catalog from the ELCA is in the Church library or you can visit the website at From ELCA Good Gifts, you can buy a cow, goat, or even an entire farm. The gifts are given to families in need all over the globe. Gift cards are available so that the gift you give can be made in honor or memory of someone else. Similar to ELCA Good Gifts, but with more options is Lutheran World Relief Gifts. Your gifts provide aid, including medical supplies, all around the world. More information is available at their website: Trinity Troupers Musical The Trinity Troupers will present their third production, Miracle on Main Street, on December 20th at 9:45 AM. The cast is made up of 25 youth and 5 adults. This 40 minute musical combining new songs and traditional carols chronicles the dilemma of a group of children who want to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the town square but face opposition from the politically-correct mayor. Please plan to join us for this festive production! 5

6 Advent Workshop This year's Advent Workshop was a huge success! The social hall was transformed into ancient Jerusalem. Visitors were taken back in time to visit the stable where Jesus was born, stand on the fisher s pier where the great catch occurred, shop at the Spice Shoppe and Wool Trader, and learn to write in 6 Hebrew at the Census Taker s office. Each stop was a learning event while the visitor created ornaments that made up the Nativity. The entire workshop is also a lead in to the upcoming Trinity Troupers performance of Miracle on Main Street. Here are some pictures of the workshop.

7 Special thanks to everyone that helped build the city, loaned materials, and transformed the social hall back to modern times. Also, great job Christian Education committee! Holiday Concerts The following listing of Holiday concerts is a sampling of what is available this season on the Peninsula. Several of the concerts will be held at Trinity. There are additional dates and times for some of these concerts. Additional information is available on the Church bulletin board or the organization s website. Some are free, others have admission fees. See vachorale.org, vachoralsociety.org, or vhcbells.org. Concert Date/Time Location Virginia Handbell Consort, Holiday Impressions Sat., Dec. 6, 7:00 PM St. Mark Lutheran Church Sat., Dec. 12, 7:00 PM Reformation Lutheran Church Virginia Chorale, Sing We Nowell Fri., Dec. 4, 8:00 PM Trinity Lutheran Church Sun., Dec. 13, 4:00 PM Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Sat., Dec. 19, 7:30 PM Trinity Lutheran Church Sun., Dec. 20, 4:00 PM Trinity Lutheran Church Virginia Choral Society 7

8 SOCIAL MINISTRY WINTER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND SO IS PORT (the winter shelter for the homeless people of Newport News provided by LINK of Hampton Roads). PORT (People Offering Resources Together) will come to Trinity on January 27th and will run through February 3rd. Trinity bands together with six other churches in the area to house the homeless people at Trinity for one week. We will have a sign up board in the Narthex starting this month so please help by signing up to cover work shifts. It takes many people to pull this very much needed ministry off. We help to keep our brothers and sisters in Christ warm, fed and safe during the cold winter. Here is some information from LINK on what PORT does. PORT is an emergency winter shelter that hosts an average of 100 individuals per night, for 20 weeks during the winter. The name of this program really explains it all: it s a safe harbor, made possible by a network of 130 interfaith (Christian and non- Christian) groups that provide the facilities, volunteers, food, clothes and many other resources to homeless men, women and children in our area. The shelter moves to a different church every week, and each night, there s a new group of volunteers responsible for welcoming the guests and providing at least 2 meals (dinner and breakfast) per day. Each season, PORT counts on over 5,000 volunteers that Tidings Inputs Do you have something you would like to see published in the Tidings? You can submit an article by the 15th of the month or contact the Administrative Assistant to offer suggestions. Based on space available we will work to get your input request into the newsletter. All calendar inputs are welcome as well. get involved in planning, cooking, or distributing clothes and hygiene donations. PORT also create jobs: while most of the manpower needed for the shelter is volunteer-based, there s a need for paid positions as well, such as: sheriff deputy to provide security in the shelter; intake and social workers to provide guests with information, job referrals, notary services, and more. The purpose of services provided in the shelter is to meet the holistic needs of the guest: emergency, short, and long term. Other services provided at PORT include: community referrals, case management, collection of homeless data, medical referrals, on-site medical evaluations and dental care, showers, provision of transportation, flu/pneumonia shots, information for affordable housing, job placement and job referrals, identification services, filing taxes, nutrition education, AA, NA, life skills training, and more. For more information go to Celebrates and More The weekly readings provided in print form called the Celebrate is available in the Narthex. Please feel free to take a copy to read at your leisure. Other ELCA reading booklets are available in the library or at the location where the weekly bulletin is in the side hallways. Free Thrivent calendars for 2016 are available in the church library. Before rushing out of the church following the service please visit with your church family and stop by the main bulletin board for upcoming events and pick up church materials from the library. 8

9 Christmas Eve Services There will be the traditional three services on Christmas Eve. Please note that on Sunday, December 27th there will only be one service. Here is the breakdown of the services: 5:30 pm: Family Worship with children s participation as the Christmas story is narrated. Sacrament of Holy Communion offered. 7:30 pm: Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist for the Lord s birth with carols, candlelight and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. 10:30 pm: Worship with Lessons and Carols, candlelight and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Corbin Thomas Shoup, soprano, will sing at the 7:30 pm service. Corbin sings with the Virginia Chorale. Trinity s chancel choir will sing at the 10:30 pm service. Dec. 27th, 10:00 am: One Worship service with Christmas carols and Sacrament of Holy Communion. Christmas Poinsettias Christmas poinsettias are available for purchase! The deadline for placing an order is December 16th. Order forms are on the main bulletin board or the table in the narthex. The cost is $8.50 each. Volunteers will be in the narthex on December 6th and 13th to take orders as well. If you have any questions, please call the church office. Help will be needed to set out the poinsettias on December 23rd. Please call the church office to volunteer. The Nursery is looking for additional care givers for the Sunday services. If you love caring for young children please contact Charlotte Duff at Thanks for helping! Support THRIVE by bringing your can goods or non-perishable food to the church. Collection baskets are in the narthex and main entry way. Happy Birthday to our Special Senior Saints Here is the list of our special senior members birthday celebrations for the month of November: Clifford Fricke... December Slim Hawkins... December Phyllis Argenbright... December Hazel Wiseman... December

10 SERVICE VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER 2015 Service Role Dec. 6th Dec. 13th Dec. 20th Dec. 27th 8:30 AM Services (Choir sings on December 6th and 20th) One Service at 10:00 AM Crucifer Chip Nassau C. Molina Shawn Murphy Chip Nassau Acolyte Alex Murphy Samuel Molina Alex Murphy Samuel Molina Acolyte Melissa Quist Melissa Quist Steven McWithey Communion Assist. Melissa Quist Chip Nassau Melissa Quist Melissa Quist Torchbearer N/A N/A N/A N/A Torchbearer N/A N/A N/A N/A Reader Bill Mulvey Sue Moeslin Sue Moeslin Donna Owens Usher Captain Harry Savage Dale Goodman Dale Goodman Dale Goodman Greeter/Usher Sue Moeslin Dave Roselius Greeter/Usher James Deagle James Deagle James Deagle James Deagle Usher Susan Deagle Susan Deagle Susan Deagle Susan Deagle Usher at rail Diane Roselius Presenter Jason Harry Jason Harry Jason Harry David Hunt Presenter Katherine Harry Katherine Harry Katherine Harry Judy Hunt 11:00 AM Service (Choir sings on December 13th) Crucifer Reagan Belote Mark Madler John Savage Acolyte Nathan Rummel S. McWithey Lina Recupero Acolyte M. Mynoymany Laura Madler Emma Recupero Communion Assist. Reagan Belote John Savage Mark Madler Torchbearer Reagan Belote N/A N/A Torchbearer Laura Madler N/A N/A Reader Judy Hunt Judy Hunt Judy Hunt Usher Captain Dave Roselius Dave Roselius Dave Roselius Greeter/Usher Diane Roselius Diane Roselius Diane Roselius Usher John Lunsford John Lunsford John Lunsford Usher Terry Hoffeditz Terry Hoffeditz Terry Hoffeditz Usher at Rail Jarvis Edwards Jarvis Edwards Jarvis Edwards Presenter David Hunt David Hunt David Hunt Presenter Judy Hunt Judy Hunt Judy Hunt Building Lockup Jarvis Edwards Brad Goodman Dick Davis 10

11 C O M M U N I T Y B U L L E T IN BOARD Thanks A big thank you goes out to Michelle Carpenter s Girl Scout troop for hand making Christmas cards for our shut-ins. We have already heard back from some of the shut-ins and they are thankful for getting a card, especially when it was the first card for the season. Cora Miller Circle Luncheon Thursday, December 10, 2015 Surfrider in Poquoson 11:30 am Looking Ahead Dec 4 Virginia Chorale Concert Dec 6 Virgina Handbell (St. Mark) Dec 12 Virginia Handbell (Reformation) Dec 13 Greening of the Church Dec 17 TLS Lessons and Carols Dec 18 TLS Lessons and Carols Dec 19 Virginia Choral Society Concert Dec 20 Virginia Choral Society Concert Dec 20 Trinity Troopers Musical Dec 24 Christmas Eve Services Dec 27 One Service at 10:00 AM Jan 23 Council Retreat Welcome Guests Now that we have our name tags to wear during church services and events, be sure to look around and welcome anyone without a tag. Chances are they are a guest at the church and may not know anyone. Introduce yourself and suggest that if they don t mind, to please sign the guest register in the narthex or the guest card in the pew rack (starting in January). The guest card can be placed in the offering plate or handed to an usher. The pew registers will be used during special services, so be sure to fill it out whether you re a guest or regular member. 11

12 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church 6812 River Road, Newport News, Virginia Phone: (757) Worship Schedule Sunday Worship: 8:30 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Faith Walk (Sunday School) Between Services: 9:45 A.M. Holy Communion is celebrated weekly A Nursery is Provided during worship Contact Information Interim Pastor: The Rev. Dr. James G. Cobb (pastor@trinitynn.org) Organist and Director of Music: Rob Keene (music@trinitynn.org) Administrative Assistant: Anne Obara (admin@trinitynn.org) Treasurer: Carol Bessom (treasurer@trinitynn.org) Website: A congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Virginia Synod Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is a covenant partner with: Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center, Habitat for Humanity, Newport News Link, and Thrive Peninsula (formerly Denbigh United Christian Outreach). Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Stephen Ministry Congregation. 12