February Grow Your Soul. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10 th, and continues until Easter Sunday, March 27 th.

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1 February 2016 Trinity United Methodist Church Merchantville, NJ Pennsauken United Methodist Church Grow Your Soul The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10 th, and continues until Easter Sunday, March 27 th. Lent is a season of 40 days not coun ng Sundays. During Lent members of the church are invited to observe the Lenten disciplines of self denial, devout prayer, confession of our sins, fas ng and renewal of our bap smal/confirma on covenant. During Lent we are to focus on Christ more fully in order to appreciate the power of His death and resurrec on. In order to iden fy with Christ s suffering and death, Chris ans are invited to do without some things they are perfectly capable of having and/or to take on some things they are just as capable of avoiding. The word Lent comes from an English word associated with the lengthening of days and describing spring. This is not just in reference to the crocuses pushing their way out of the ground in the season before Easter, but also the greening of the human soul, pruned by repentance, fer lized with self-denial, spiritualized with self-reflec on and mulched with prayer. If you would like to grow your soul during Lent, then take these weeks to focus on your soul and your rela onship with God. Anyone who wants to follow Jesus all the way to the cross needs the kind of clarity that can come from a Lenten observance. I would suggest you start by reading chapters of Luke s gospel. You will travel with Jesus as he makes his way to Jerusalem and the cross. Then spend me in prayer and medita on as you imagine what that journey was like for Jesus. Iden fy with Jesus as you prac ce self-denial by denying yourself something that is important and meaningful for you during Lent, or take on something more in Lent to iden fy with Jesus as He gave his life. Don t just do without something or take on something, but make sure you are iden fying with Jesus as you do this. Make sure you are regular in a ending Sunday morning worship during Lent and daily read through our 2016 Lenten Devo onal that will be available before Ash Wednesday. An observance of Lent can strengthen our resolve to serve no other than our Lord all the days of our life. I look forward to traveling our Lenten journey together.

2 At Trinity United Methodist Church...at Trinity United Methodist February Birthdays 2 nd Daniel Elliott 3 rd Barbara Wilson Michael Gilliss 4 th Trevor Dowdney 5 th Gary Hartman Larry Truax Austin Gilliss 7 th Betty Henderson Bayley Hoeflich 11 th Evelyn Carter 13 th Elaine Reinas 14 th Brian Riley 15 th Greta Brocious 16 th Tyler Dowdney Steven Moulier Jr. 17 th Chidubem Ezeiruaku 18 th Deborah Elliott Michelle Crye 19 th Mary Korhammer Wes Mander 23 rd Harry Pray 24 th Xyla Crye 26 th David Arber Jr. 27 th Steve Moulier 28 th Kathleen Plasket & Anniversaries 6 th Debbie & Thomas Curcio 14 th Bobbi & Tony Stagliano 17 th Pat & David Nelson Joyce & Joseph Thompson 22 nd Sandra & Bayley Hoeflich 24 th Abi & Moses Jones Saturday February 20th 4-7pm Boy Scout Troop 119 Tickets $10 for adults $5 for children $8 for senior citizens. Dine in or take out available Hello Friends! Most of us have put away our Christmas decorations and our schedules have returned to normal, but I hope we ve all kept a bit of that Christmas joy and love in our hearts to help us through the dull and dreariness as the cold of winter sets in. As always, I am grateful to those who volunteer throughout the year to help in the various duties that keep the services running smoothly. I d also love to see more people get involved by signing up to be greeters, worship leaders, Audio/Visual techs, and fellowship hosts. It s really easy and a fun way to give back to our church. I also want to thank those who help out with financial donations towards the cost of snacks, and those who supply snacks and/or paper goods. Thanks to Peter and Pat for the great job they do keeping the slide show running and the microphones working correctly. I also appreciate the great job that Pat Shockley continues to do as our communion steward. We continue to pray for Larry as he grieves for Linda and I also thank them both for the wonderful work they did together for our church. We love and miss them both. Easter is coming very early this year so very soon we will be journeying through the Lenten season. If you feel so led, please consider contributing a message for the Lenten Devotional booklet. I think it will be inspirational to read messages from people that we know and have shared our lives with. I didn t hear anything about people having allergic reactions to live flowers in the sanctuary on Easter morning so, unless I hear otherwise, I m hoping to be able to order plants in honor and memory of loved ones. I wish everyone of us health, happiness, and healing as we continue our journeys. May God Bless Us, Everyone! Debbie Curcio Worship Committee Chair Community Servant Trinity United Methodist Church Food Bank Wednesday, February 10th 10:00am 12:00pm Canned meats (chicken, ham, tuna) and Cereal are needed! We will be looking for a few people who will be able to give some help with bagging food and giving out food for Trinity s Food Pantry for March. If you can help, please call and leave a message with Cindy in Trinity s office.

3 Pennsauken & Trinity United Methodist Churches Youth Information Sisters of Joy & Community February 9 & 23, :00am (In the Yellow Room of Pennsauken UMC) Please join us for a time of discussion, support, guidance and fellowship as facilitated by Lisa Payakovich of Haddonfield UMC. At this time, the focus is self-respect and self-esteem. All women of the churches are invited to attend! W.S.T. (Women Serving Together) Morning gathering will be held at Trinity UMC on February 4th at 9:30am. The monthly breakfast meeting of WST will be at Pennsauken Country Club on Saturday, February 20 at 8:30 am. Please plan to attend our annual Good Friday Breakfast at Trinity. WST will be providing a continental breakfast. We will be singing and having a guest speaker. The gathering starts at 8:30 am on Friday, March 25 in the Chapel. More information will come soon and a sign-up sheet will be available so we know how many to prepare for. Trinity Child Care Center Valentine s Day dance Trinity UMC Child Care Center will host a Little Sweet Hearts Valentine Day dance for children and parents on Friday, February 12, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Weller Hall at Trinity. The Center is extending invitations to parents of all children enrolled in the program and hopes they will be able to attend and enjoy the festivities, which will include music, dancing and refreshments. Since Trinity began operating this ministry last summer, the center has continued to grow. Currently, more than 15 children are enrolled. The center is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and provides quality child care services and early childhood education for children between the ages of 2 ½ and 6. For more information about the Trinity Child Care Center, please contact the director, Juanita Wilson, at Youth Fun Nights February 13 & 27 ~ 6:00pm 8:00pm Join us for evening of activities and a light dinner. Adults are welcome to attend! Please contact Cyndi Holshue for further information. Methodist Youth Fellowship Sundays ~ 7:00pm 8:00pm This ministry is for the Junior and Senior High kids to meet and connect on Sunday evenings. Please contact Marilyn Bouvier for further information. Music Ministry Handbell Choir has begun! This combined music ministry begins at 6:30pm at Trinity United Methodist church; led by Dr. A.E. Doc Maddison, music director at Trinity UMC. The invitation to join the handbell choir is open to all Pennsauken & Trinity congregants. Choir rehearsals Pennsauken UMC ~ 11:00am to 12 noon each Sunday morning. Anyone interested in joining the choir, please see Catherine de Laurentis and/or come to one of our rehearsals. Trinity UMC ~ 7:30pm each Thursday evening. Sunday February 7th Souper Bowl of Caring is youth across the nation working to fight hunger and poverty in their own communities around the time of the Super Bowl football game. Please join Pennsauken and Trinity Churches along with young people around the country as they demonstrate God s love by loving their neighbors through the Souper Bowl of Caring. Please bring at least 2 cans of soup and $1.00 to church on February 7th to benefit the Food Pantry.

4 At Pennsauken United Methodist Church February 6 Kelly Rodgers 13 Dennis E. Mayer, Jr. 20 Al Ritzler Joy & Life Ministry The purpose of this ministry is to reach a little further out into our surrounding community. Please plan to join in by participating and/or volunteering on Fridays! All activities will be held in the Wesley Hall at Pennsauken United Methodist Church from 10am 1:00pm. Fellowship Rise & Shine Breakfast Club Wednesdays: February 3 & 17, :30am ~ Penn Queen Diner Please contact Jessie Welty if you would like to join us for delicious food and fellowship! Jessie Welty Fellowship Café Sundays, 10:30am (following service) Yellow Room Join in a time of fellowship and a delicious home cooked meal. Please join...as a volunteer or, just as importantly, join as a participant. All are welcome! Hoagie Sale Fundraiser Hope Mobile Food Bank Ministry ~ 1st Friday of the Month ~ Assistance with food for those who meet the qualifications as set forth by the Food Bank of South Jersey. Community Luncheon hosted by Haddonfield UMC ~ 2nd Friday of the Month ~ We will serve out of our kitchen to those in our community. We are very excited to provide this mission!!! Clothing Ministry ~ 3rd Friday of the Month ~ Our ongoing Clothing Ministry has grown in popularity! Once a month, people from the community are able to shop our bins and racks of clothing. We are in desperate need of ALL sizes of clothing! Fellowship & Gathering ~ 4th Friday of the Month We will join with those of our community for a time of fellowship and gathering. Light snacks will be served. This will be a time to offer Bible Studies, devotional studies, exercise class, games, crafts etc. Proceeds from the sale of the hoagies will benefit those youth who will be attending the 2016 Vacation Bible School. Hoagies are $6 and will be available for pickup on Saturday, Feb. 6th from 10am 1pm (or stored in the fridge for Sunday pickup). Yes, it s the day before the Super Bowl, so order some extra for your party or just to cerebrate on your own while watching the game. Please turn the order form and money in to Cyndi by Jan. 31st. Please note that all hoagies come with cheese, tomato and lettuce. Condiments such as oil, vinegar, onions, sweet and/or hot peppers all will be served on the side. Meetings Communion Sunday February 16, 2016 Administrative 2:30pm Board of 7:30pm February s communion offering will benefit Food Ministries.

5 Sunday Worship 10:45 am The Tidings/Lighthouse The Tidings is periodic publication of Trinity United Methodist Church Office Hours Tues. - Fri. 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (856) Fax: (856) office@gotrinity.org Website: Visit us on Facebook Sunday School 9:30am Trinity United Methodist Church 36 W. Maple Ave. Merchantville, NJ 08109