TRINITY. tidings NOT ONE BUT TWO WORDS FROM OUR PASTOR! JUNE 2018

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1 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. Proverbs 14:26 TRINITY tidings MONTHLY NEWSLETTER TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 3201 MEADOW DR ROLLING MEADOWS ILLINOIS JUNE 2018 NOT ONE BUT TWO WORDS FROM OUR PASTOR! Samuel, Eli, David, Jonathan, Saul, Solomon, Absalom, Tamor, Bathsheeba, Nathan, Uriah WHO? What s in the Old Testament? A lot of us have forgotten our childhood Bible lessons. What a shame. God speaks to us through the Old Testament accounts as well as the New Testament. We are going to remedy this. In the season of Pentecost, the church gives us an opportunity to reflect specifically on what God would like to tell us from the Old Testament. There are tricky passages in the New Testament; the Old Testament as well. We have the faith to tackle them. Listen for sermons based on these Old Testament accounts and then a Bible study to further study the Old Testament accounts. Engage your mind, your faith, and have some fun being together and reading the Bible. Beginners welcome. Friends and neighbors welcome. All are welcome. Thursday evenings at 6:15PM starting June 14. Bring some kind of salad fixings to share. Questions, see Pastor Willer Dear Friends in Christ, Thank you. As is written in Ephesians, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:16) Giving thanks for others is a sign of joy, community and blessing. When we were children we were taught to say please and thank you. Why? perhaps for good manners but why is saying thank you so important? " Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow" says Melody Beattie. That is why Paul gives thanks for the church in Ephesus and especially their faith and faithfulness. Life is winding down for the summer. We are going to be giving thanks for lovely places where the warmth of the sun calls us into the beautiful world. So, lets not just scatter, let s say thank you for what was, what is, and what is to come. That unites us THANK YOU PEOPLE OF TRINITY FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS. THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ONE ANOTHER. THANK YOU FOR THE WAY YOU SERVE THE WORSHIP, THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY, THANK YOU FOR THE GARDEN AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE THINGS YOU DO TO SUPPORT OUR CONGREGATION, THANK YOU FOR WORSHIPPING TOGETHER (EVEN IF IT IS IN THE BACK ROW), THANK YOU FOR WORSHIPPING WHEN YOU ARE AWAY, THUS BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST. Thank you from me. As you go on your summer way. Say thank you. See you at church! Pastor Willer

2 O No Another Flood! Maybe We Should Build An Arc! On Wednesday, May 27th, torrential rains again flooded our basement. As you can see from the pictures, Meadow Drive was underwater and the bulk of the flooding was caused by water that came in through the basement window wells. Obviously we will be spending money to properly clean this up. Any special assistance in this area is very much needed and much appreciated. Thanks to Dave Patterson, Matt & Jenne Smeenge, Pastor Willer and all others who responded to this emergency and began the cleanup. Senior's (& others) Searching Scripture Bible Group meets every a.m. in the church lounge discussing such topics. A DEACON'S VIEW What was that LOUD noise? There - I heard it again. Didn't you hear it? Sounded like thunder to me - but then maybe more like a trumpet! BOY!!!! it sure was loud and it certainly got my attention!!! But now -- all I hear is silence. No - I'm not predicting when the "end times" will arrive. But yes - they are approaching but no one knows when they will arrive - certainly not me. Still we all should have a "grasp" on what God tells us thru John in His Book Of Revelation. You're probably right. I've been rereading John's Book of Revelation that God gave him to write. And it sure is "hitting home". This Book is all about the Lamb (Christ) and His throne in heaven & Satan's throne on earth and how our Christ (the Lamb of God) overcomes the forces of evil and is Victorious. Prior to our Lord's final victory however - John writes how God makes many judgements relative to lukewarm Christian behavior, tolerance to sin in the parish & about people who walk away from the instructive Word of God. How terrible it is that so many - our friends, our relatives and neighbors and fellow parishioners, I suspect, may die someday without Christ, by compromising with sin (2 Cor. 6:14-18; James 1:27). Let us continue to follow our Lord & Savior so that when God opens the door, the trumpet sounds and we are called to enter heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-18). And remember as St Paul also says in 1 Thess. "...the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" so let us be prepared as much as possible thru His grace. I pray that all who "see" & "hear" our Lord's message "in action" respond and have their name entered in His Book of Life. Let each of us not be tasteless salt or hidden light. Salt arrests decay in our world, and light banishes darkness. Both are necessary & both give of themselves as they serve. Do YOU serve? Shalom, Parish Deacon Glenn

3 FELLOWSHIP & OUTREACH ANNOUNCEMENTS TLC WOMEN S GROUP Last month we had a fun afternoon having lunch at Buona Beef. Great conversation and food was enjoyed by all. Just a reminder our group will be taking June, July and August off. We will meet again in September. Have a wonderful summer. Any questions please feel free to call Jill Powell at

4 METROPOLITAN CHICAGO SYNOD ASSEMBLY Dena McIntosh has been appointed by the Congregation Council to represent Trinity at the Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly June 8 and 9 along with Pastor Willer. Pastor is also trying to recruit a male representative from TLC to attend as well. The Theme of the assembly is "A New Heaven and a New Earth," from Revelation 21:1. The keynote speaker this year will be Darrell R. Gordon, MSA, JD, CFRM. In addition to many distinguished honors Darrell Gordon was a former starting outside linebacker on the 1988 National Championship Notre Dame Football Team, played in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl, and was voted an All-Star in the 1989 Hula Bowl. In 2003, Darrell received The National Williams D. Reynolds Award by the Notre Dame Alumni Association for performing exceptional work with youth for the betterment of the quality of life. In 2005, Darrell also received The Exceptional Service Award by The Chase College of Law for exhibiting the ideals of Chase through daily contributions in service to the community. Darrell is also an author and has appeared on many national talk shows, news broadcasts, and commercials discussing topics on youth development, student-athletic success, dealing with change, organizational development and the need for character. Churchwide Organization Representative Our representative from the churchwide organization will be the Rev. Wm Chris Boerger, ELCA Secretary. Boerger was elected Aug. 16, 2013, to a six-year term as secretary of the ELCA at the Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh. Ordained June 18, 1978, Secretary Boerger served as lay mission developer/pastor at Lutheran Church of the San Juans in Friday Harbor, Wash., from 1975 to 1980; pastor of Central Lutheran Church in Everett, Wash., from 1980 to 1990; and pastor at Northlake Lutheran Church in Kenmore, Wash., from 1990 to He was elected bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod based in Seattle in 2001 and served two sixyear terms. In addition to reviewing the work of the ELCA, the synod and business items, representatives will participate in worship, workshops concerning the working of the church, including at effort in which Pastor Willer is involved to implement the Church s moral teaching concerning the lives of Palestinians (Christian and Muslim) in the occupied territories, also called the West Bank. They also will be voting to elect MCS representatives to the Churchwide Assembly August 2019 in Milwaukee. Highlights from May 2018 Trinity Congregation Council Meeting Members of Congregation Council include Rick Johnson, Mary Thompson, Larry Thompson, David Patterson, Dena McIntosh, Dan Philips, Rick Sabatka, Chris Strader (absent) 1. Giving continues to be less than last year. Hopefully people will consistently give throughout the summer. 2. Fellowship Hall lighting and electrical project is almost completed 3. Garden committee (Dick Elkins, Dorothy Elkins, Donna Vigna, Shirley Walter, Al Corbett, Dana Mueller, Lynn Griesmeyer,Rick Sabatka Pastor Willer) Dana Mueller and the Brownies will take over the butterfly garden and Girl Scouts will be helping with the garden. 4. Crops: tomatoes, green bell peppers, cucumbers and maybe mini watermelons. 5. A list of worship job descriptions has been created. It includes greeter, usher, communion assistant, readers/ lectors and worship assistants. Extra copies are in the narthex. 6. Pictorial Directory work is still continuing. Donna Bisesi is completing the roster of the church and then an editorial process will take place Keys retreats were completed with good attendance. Council will determine the schedule for talking about the results and using the data for future planning. 8. A working group of Worship 1 and 2 talked about ways that color and banners could be used to enhance our worship experiences. The Trinity banner was hung for Trinity Sunday as well as the dedication of the places where the Trinity Trees will be planted in the near future.. 9. Group encourages people to bring flowers from their gardens. If help is needed in arrangement talk to Rick Sabatka, Pastor Willer, or Jenne Smeenge. 10. We will recognize our graduates (Joseph and Dominick Besesi (middle school) and Morgan McIntosh, BA. 11. There will be a Father s Day recognition of our men. 12. Outdoor Committee (Dottie, Jenne Smeenge, Matt Smenge, Dena McIntosh (by phone) and Pastor Willer. After a review of the various flower beds the group outlined that they would provide basic landscaping and if others would like to add flowers that would be fine, as long as they took responsibility for watering. Jenne or Matt can be contacted to coordinate. Help in weeding is needed. 13. A work day is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend. Dottie is caring for the stella d oro lilies and geraniums up the walk way. Dandelion control has been brought up. Investigation of the cost and priority will be discussed at the June meeting. 14. Dave Patterson is looking into getting a large quantity of mulch. 15. The Pet Blessing is July Council Terms: Dave Patterson and Rick Johnson will complete their terms this fall. Congregational meeting with reports and elections will be scheduled for August or very early September.

5 General Fund Member Donations 2018 GIVEN GIVING GOAL Jan $ 7, $ 8, Feb (1) $ 5, $ 7, Mar (2) $ 6, $ 7, Apr $ 10, $ 10, May $ 7, $ 8, (1) No worship services on 2/11/18 due to snowstorm.. (2) Revised to exclude anonymous cash offerings received on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Thank You for Your Generous Giving. 40 Days of Giving Malawi Trinity collected $1, for the 40 Days of Giving projects to provide assistance in Malawi. To read more about these projects, visit the ELCA website at: Birthdays Susan Wessel 02 Bob Sturlini 04 Bradley Johnson 06 Tara Victor 12 Sharon Bremer 17 Jim Carlsen 17 Jerry Dillon 23 Larry Thompson 26 Anniversaries Ron & Sandy Hedke Ken & Donna Vigna Princess Kathy & Rick Johnson CHURCH RETREAT Over 2 Sessions the Church Council presented 12 Keys To An Effective Church to the congregation as a way to start discussions about what type of Church we want to be as we begin to collect data that will be used in our Call Committee Process. Stay tuned for updates as we collate the data we received and will soon present back to the Church for their agreement. Thanks to all who participated.

6 Thanks to Jenne Smeenge and her entire Outdoor Committee team for making our grounds around the Church look so beautiful!