The TLC Connection. Holy Week. U.S. Permit No. 109 ORGANIZATION. Milaca, MN Postage Paid NON-PROFIT ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

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1 Newsletter Trinity Lutheran Church P.O. Box 249 Milaca, MN ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Service Schedule: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Sundays - Worship 8:30 & 10:45 a.m. 4th Sunday - Worship 9:30 a.m. Education Hour 9:30 a.m. Office Hours: Monday Thursday 9:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Communications: Phone: Website: trinitymilala.org trinitymilaca@frontiernet.net Pastor Bauer s Home Pastor Bauer s pastorbauer@frontiernet.net NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION Postage Paid Milaca, MN U.S. Permit No. 109 The TLC Connection TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA 735 2nd St. SE MILACA, MN Volume 16, Issue 4 April 2011 Holy Week Passion/Palm Sunday - April 17, 8:30 and 10:45 AM. Service begins at the entrance to the church where you will receive Palms. During the service we will read the Passion of Our Lord According to Matthew. 4th Graders will receive Bibles this Sunday. Maundy Thursday - April 21, 7:00 PM. Holy Communion and Jesus command to love one another are the focus of this service. 5th Graders will receive First Communion. Good Friday - April 22, 7:00 PM. Gather at Trinity for a quiet service of prayer. Resurrection of our Lord - April 24, 7:30 and 10:00 AM (note the time changes.) This is the celebration of our faith that is highest and most hopeful. Christ is Risen! Alleluia! What seemed at first an idle tale has become our celebration story of faith and life. No Sunday School. Post This Page Where It Will Remind You To Come To Worship. Join us for Easter Breakfast Sunday, April 24 in trinity s fellowship hall from 8:30-10:00 a.m. Hosted by Trinity s Guatemala Service Project Team. Free will donation. Have your family and friends join our Celebration! 1

2 Letter from Pastor Tim, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun s light failed Luke 23:44 When Jesus died on the cross it seemed as if all creation went into mourning. The sun refused to shine. Darkness filled the land. The Gospel of John describes the beginning of this darkness when Judas leaves the Passover meal to betray Jesus by making the cryptic statement, So after receiving the piece of bread, (Judas) immediately went out. And it was night. Holy Week services are often shrouded in darkness, silences, and moods of mourning. Some people may avoid them because they seem depressing. It is a sad week of remembrance, of repentance, and of remorse for our sin. That is as it should be. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb Luke 24:1 Faith returns slowly, like the rising of the sun on a new day. But faith does return with joy and hope and new life. The day of resurrection is likened to the dawn of a new creation, a new Genesis 1, a new day of Noah stepping out of the ark for the first time on dry land again, a new journey for the children of Israel as they walk away from the Red Sea into the possibility of freedom and following God. For us as people of God each new day is greeted with this hope, that Christ is risen from the dead, so we rise from sleep to serve him. A typical morning prayer begins, O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Morning is filled with light. Especially the mornings of spring are filled with potential to enjoy life (play), nurture life (garden and plant), and share life (greeting neighbors who have been locked behind closed doors through the long, cold, dark winter.) The resurrection of our Lord is our story hope that all darkness gives way to light and all death is trumped by life. Perhaps the first waking breath of the new day is the breath of God, the Spirit of God filling us with God and life. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Community News Pearl Crisis Center Fashion Show and Expo Northern Lights Banquet Center in Pease Sunday, April 3 from 1-4 p.m. In addition to the fashion show there will also be a drawing that will award the lucky winner a 2 bedroom (up to 4 people), 1 week stay at Driftwood Lodge at Lake Kabetogama, MN and Half-day fishing guide trip. (based upon availability. Winner must be 18 years or older and is responsible for fees and taxes). To learn more about Driftwood Lodge go to To learn more about Pearl go to Ticket prizes are $5 per ticket or 3 for $10 and you need not be present to win. Contact Pastor Blenkush at Zion Lutheran ( ). All proceeds benefit Pearl Crisis. Annual Spring Salad Luncheon at Milaca Elim Care and Rehab Center (Sponsored by the Elim Auxiliary Board) Lunch will be served in the Ministry Center Wednesday, April 27 from 11 am. - 1 p.m. Cost: $7 per ticket and may be purchased at the door Spring Fling Workshop Trinity Fellowship Hall Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m p.m. Cost: $35 per kit. Children ages 5 and up are welcome to attend. We will show you step by step how to create a gorgeous mini album as well as 10 cards. Products from the Mayberry collection - Close to My Heart. You will have the use of stamps, ink pads and other tools. All you need to bring to the workshop is a paper cutter and your own adhesive/glue. So gather up your friends, family and co-workers and make it a girl s weekend! Our workshop is designed for all experience levels from beginner to advanced. Please RSVP and pre-pay be Friday, April 15. Call Danyell Wendland , to register or with any questions. 2 11

3 Newsletter Deadline May newsletter articles are due Wednesday, April 20th. Please drop them off in the church office on or before this date. You can also articles to: Thanks! Easter Lilies & Azaleas Trinity members and friends are encouraged to add to the beauty of our Easter Celebration by sharing an Easter Lily or Azalea for our Altar display. Lilies and Azaleas should be brought to the church on Saturday, April 23 and may be taken home after services. Contact the church office with appropriate bulletin information by Wednesday, April 20. Thank you! VBS Update! Being a Vacation Bible School Coordinator for the past couple of years has been a fun and rewarding experience. This year, I m looking for another person to help coordinate and keep the tradition alive in the years to come! This requires minimal preparation time in the months before VBS, and participation in evenings during VBS week. Please contact Katie Heacock at or kjheacock@milaca.net if you are interested in helping! SAVE THE DATES - Vacation Bible School for preschoolers and/or kindergarteners will be held July 31-August 3 at Zion Lutheran Church. Day Camp for grades 1st thru 6th will be held August 1-4 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Trinity with Camp Onomia Staff. Program and potluck on August Stewardship Notes For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, All giving begins with God. God takes the initiative in being generous. An offering prayer from an earlier hymnal: Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us ourselves, our time and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Generosity and offerings are not a means of paying God back, as though what we have received is on loan. Instead, giving is a humble and grateful act, a way of celebrating the reality of being loved by God. Synod Assembly April 29 - May 1 1. Keep the Northeastern Minnesota Synod in your prayers this weekend as we oversee the work of the synod, celebrate the mission we have in Christ, and worship together. Each year we bring an offering for World Hunger. 2. The Synod encourages this with a Holy Cow recognition for congregations who give $10 per baptized member. This year we have done very little in this regard. We have the month of April to correct that situation. Collect all your quarters this month, set aside $10 per week, $1 per day. The need in the world is as great as the need in our community. We generously gave to the Food Shelf in March, now this April let us generously give to this vital mission of the church. Jesus said, I was hungry and you gave me food. Adult Faith Study In April we will explore happenings from the world of news. It has often been said that faith should be conducted with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. This kind of discussion is provocative and lively. It includes a summary of some event that has taken place recently and calls us to reflect on that event through the words of scripture and worldview of faith in Jesus Christ. The Adult Faith Study is open to all and meets in the Trinity Room at 9:45 AM each Sunday morning. Grab a cup of coffee and join in this discussion of faith and life. 3

4 ELCA National Youth Gathering, April 10, 12:00 Noon The next National Youth Gathering has been set for July 18-22, Again the journey will take us to New Orleans, with stops along the way, (perhaps, Baton Rouge LA, Biloxi MS, or Mobile AB.) The theme for the gathering will be Citizens, With the Saints, based on Ephesians 2: This is a marvelous, lifetime experience. The event will be open to all youth currently in 8-11 grades. At this point youth and parents need to prayerfully consider making the journey. Chaperones will be needed. This is an incredible journey to experience faith in God and formation for life! New information is available, opportunity to make commitment planning, CAMP ONOMIA REGISTRATION Our theme this summer is WaterWORKS! Through Bible study prayer, and play, we will explore ways in which God uses water to nourish Creation and give us New Life. there is no better place to explore the important values in life than in the Christian community here. Jim Schmidt Director of Camp Onomia. Registration for Bible Camp this summer is now open. There are multiple opportunities for many interests and ages. Brochures are available at the church and Pastor can answer many of your questions. All Youth campers receive a $50 subsidy of registration fees. We also have access to generous donors who can provide much more financial help as needed. Bible Camp is a great camp for everyone. Especially we encourage youth from entering 2-6 grades to spend time at camp for faith, friendship and fun. There are also many opportunities for families and adults. Check out the web site at 4 9

5 TLCW Health Fair Saturday, April 9 9:30-10:00 Snacks 10:00-11:30 Program We are having a Health Fair right here at Trinity! Please join us for this fun day of learning and fellowship. Our speakers consist of some of our very own Trinity members and a few others in various health professions. We plan to have healthy snacks such as muffins and smoothies. We will also have the recipes available so be sure to make room in your morning for this experience. We will have childcare available for a donation. Just call Nancy at or and let us know how many children so we have providers in place. There will also be a door prize for some lucky participant. Don t forget we will be going to Bethesda in Malmo for the annual Spring Gathering. This will be another fun day. You can sign up to ride share. The sign up is on the table in the narthex. Saturday, April 2 is the day. Mark it on your calendar now. Blessings, Nancy Wagner Don t forget to buy your coffee, tea, and several other products available in the fellowship hall. This is a wonderful way to support our neighbors through the Equal Exchange program. Thank you. Guatemala Service Project 2011 Easter Breakfast: The Guatemala Service Project Team will be serving Breakfast between the Sunrise service and the second service on Sunday morning (8:30-10:00). The menu is not fully prepared yet, but plans are for French toast and pancakes. As the team approaches their date to travel to Guatemala in June (12-23) your support and prayers are appreciated. Look for the display of needed items that you may want to purchase that we can deliver to our project sites. Blessings, Mike Norberg Property Committee The Property Committee just finished the new flooring in the two offices and are checking on getting new carpet in the east narthex where the carpet is all bubbled. We are also looking at painting the fellowship hall this spring so we are looking for volunteers to help paint. If you would like to make a donation to either project, it would be appreciated. Donations can be dropped off in the office. If giving by check make payable to Trinity Memorial Fund. Blessings, Connie Oistad Thank you Tim Nystrom, Paul Larson, Dave and Connie Oistad, Don and Sandy Herr for your hard work in removing the old carpet and putting new flooring in the church offices. You did a GREAT JOB! 8 5