Trinity UMC. and the World. Connecting People with God, Each Other,

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1 Connecting People with God, Each Other, and the World Trinity UMC Trinity United Methodist Church 838 North 25th Street Fort Dodge, IA facebook.com/trinityumcfortdodge May 2016 Worship Opportunities Saturdays 5:30 pm - Informal Worship Sundays 9:00 am - Traditional Worship 11:00 am - Contemporary Worship Church Activities Tuesdays 7:30 am - High School Donuts & Devotions Thursdays 7:30 am - Middle School Donuts & Devotions Sundays 10:05 am - Sunday School 6:30 pm - Trinity Youth Group (7th 12th) The Rummage and Bake sale has been rescheduled! It will take place on Thursday, May 5th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Friday, May 6th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Items may be brought to the church starting Saturday, April 30th. We will be setting up on Tuesday, May 3rd and would appreciate any help! Thank you!

2 There is still time to sign up for Summer Games University. 7 th -12 th graders, I m talking to you! SGU is a week full of fun, personal growth & reflection, and meeting lifelong friends. We had twelve youth go last year and would love to have even more this year! SGU is July 11 th -15 th - there is a $75 registration fee upon signing up. Trinity provides scholarships - contact Megan for more questions. Sunday Before Dark is open to adults of any age, single or married, to meet monthly for fun and fellowship. We always play dominoes and in addition sometimes 500 and/or any other game the group would like to play. Our next meeting will be Sunday, May 22 nd from 2-4 PM in the Gathering Room. Come join us. Questions: call Miriam at or the church office. The youth are going on a Mission trip this summer to Minneapolis from June 26-July 1 st. We are partnering with a church and they have asked us to bring a community gift. The community is in need of backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, rulers, glue sticks, and loose-leaf paper for the upcoming school year. How cool would it be if Trinity had boxes and boxes full of these items to give to the Minneapolis community? We are asking the congregation to donate these items. Please bring them to the office or to Megan by Friday, June 24 th. Thanks and God bless! May 5 4:00 pm Rummage & Bake Sale 6 9:00 am Rummage & Bake Sale 9:30 am May Friendship Day at First Baptist 8 6:00 pm 4-H 17 5:30 pm Finance Meeting 18 5:00 pm Mary Circle 22 9:00 am Graduation Sunday Service 2:00 pm Sunday Before Dark 24 6:30 pm Trustees Meeting 25 9:15 am Ruth Circle 5:00 pm Rachel Circle *Cub Scouts meet every Monday in the church at 6:00 pm. Girl Scouts meet every 2 nd and 4 th Thursday of the month.

3 CONGREGATIONAL HEALTH MINISTRY SURVEY The Trinity Caring Ministry Team has developed this survey to assess the health needs of our congregation. The purpose of this survey is to help provide our church members with programs and activities to address health and wellness issues. This survey is voluntary, but we ask for everyone s input in order to plan and prepare programs of interest for our congregation. Please fill-out the entire health survey and place your completed form in the labeled basket in the Narthex. You may also mail the form to RaeAnne Frey Marner at 3035 Soldier Ridge Drive, Fort Dodge. 1. Age: Under Gender: Female Male 3. How do you rate your health? Excellent Fair Poor 4. Do you engage in regular exercise? Yes No If yes, please explain: 5. Health Status: Please check if you have or have had any of the following conditions. Heart Disease Cancer Physical Disability High Blood Pressure Depression Dementia Diabetes Lung Disease Kidney Disease Arthritis Neurological Disease Mental Illness

4 6. The following are health promotion/education classes that may enhance your emotional, physical and spiritual health. Please check the health related activities that are of interest to you. Blood pressure checks Grief and/or loss Loneliness/depression Smoking cessation End of life issues/hospice Alcoholism Weight control Coping with cancer Substance abuse Men s health issues Living wills/advance directives Diabetes Women s health issues Nutrition Stroke prevention Funeral options/planning Exercise Dental health Other 7. What is the best day of the week for you to participate in health-related activities? Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 8. When is the most convenient time of day for you to participate in healthrelated activities? Before 800 a.m. 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 1:00-5:00 p.m. 5:00-7:00 p.m. After 7:00 p.m. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Trinity Caring Ministry Team

5 May 15 th is Pentecost Sunday this year. In the second chapter of the book of Acts, we read how God sent the Holy Spirit to bless the disciples as they gathered together in Jerusalem. After what is described as tongues of fire touched the disciples, they were able to speak languages that mere moments before, they were unable to speak. What an awesome experience for the disciples. Just as important, what an awesome connection that is to God. Think about how much God wanted the disciples to share their faith. Think about how much God wanted them to succeed. Think about how God continued to work in the lives of the disciples even after Jesus ascended into heaven. The more you think about it, the more overwhelming it becomes. Yet, there it is; an account of how much God wants to be connected to His disciples. This month, I challenge you to reflect on how through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, we are connected to God each and every day. On April 6th, the church was able to pay of the short term loan for the sanctuary renovation. That was eight months ahead of schedule. We have also been able to pay ahead on the long-term (15 year) loan. Currently, the church owes just over $163,000 on that loan. A big thank you to everyone that made a pledge or contributed to the renovation. Any pledge or contribution made from this point forward will be applied to the long term loan. Marv Fedders Gene Joseph Boland Terry Ellis Gladys Long Ilene Smith Rowena Bastian Nick Montgomery Shane Corey Lloyd Corey George & Jean Montgomery Craig Hatlestad Charles Olson Rachel Bell Pastor John Hembry Carol Corey We are currently updating our prayer requests. Please let us know if there is anyone you would like added. Thank you and have a blessed month! Service Men & Women TUMC College Students Give a call Show you care!

6 The story of Pentecost is pretty nuts. It talks about how there came a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing wind, tongues of fire, Holy Spirit filled the disciples, devout men from every nation under heaven dwelled in Jerusalem, all speaking in their native tongues and everyone understanding it. Could you imagine being a disciple and experiencing this? I m not sure how I would handle it! Once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were blessed and given different strengths to glorify God. Romans 12:6-8 says Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortations; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Every one of us has different strengths and abilities, and that s how the church is the church. We come together, knowing that all of us are different, and we use our abilities to build the church. The church is here to support and encourage each other. Whether that s being a Sunday School teacher, serving the church in different ways, giving out of the blessings God has given you, leading different committees, the list is endless. I encourage you to remember these things as we build the church together. We are connected to each other through the blessings God has given us. Dirty car? Have no fear! The youth will be hosting a car wash on Sunday, June 12 th from 1-4pm. Tickets will be $5 per vehicle. We will have ice cream and toppings available for a free will donation during the car wash. All proceeds will go to the youth mission trip this summer. If it rains we will reschedule for June 19 th from 1-4pm. Come support the youth and get your car clean(ish) while you are at it!

7 The annual celebration of Pentecost has often been viewed as the birthday of the Christian church universal. Forty days after the resurrection of Jesus the gift of the Holy Spirit came to not only Jesus disciples but also to Jewish men and women from all over the Mediterranean world who had gathered in Jerusalem for the beginning of wheat harvest. Think of the day of Pentecost, after the first Easter in Jerusalem, as being a bit like our Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Folks from all over, speaking different native languages, gathered to mark the change of seasons. And there was one unexpected Being present whose presence would change the purpose of the annual event forever. God s presence took on a new identity that day. God s presence as a mysterious Spirit, freely given to all the world s humanity, began to empower diverse persons. No longer would there be just a handful of folks primarily from Galilee [a small northern district in Israel] that would be followers Jesus. Anyone with faith in Jesus, even folks who were not part of the Jewish community, who were in a relationship with God, the Father of Jesus, were welcomed by God! Here are some of the consequences of Pentecost: 1. No one is excluded from God s family by the geography of their birth. In other words there are no naturalized citizens of God s kingdom! Everyone has birthrights in God s Kingdom, no one holds a green card. 2. Everyone [according to Paul s post Pentecost first letter to believers living in Corinth, the chapters] has their own unique experience and gifts from God, but no one believer is more important than any other. And everyone is capable of the best faith skill: Love! 3. Further [according to Paul s letter to the believers in Galatia] there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Everyone who has faith in Jesus is a first class citizen of the Kingdom of God! 4. Finally, [also according to Paul s letter to the believers living in Rome] nothing can get in the way of God s bond with us, membership is permanent and irrevocable. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers! Our connection to God is eternal and permanent! Pentecost was and is a really big deal for all the world whether we know it or not!!! Pentecost became certainly bigger than a day marking the wheat harvest or Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

8 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Ft. Dodge IA Permit No. 448 Return Service Requested THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, TO EACH AND EVERYONE THAT HAS PROVIDED OUR WEDNESDAY NITE DEVOTIONS. THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, TO THE KITCHEN CREW THAT HAS MET WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, AND EVENINGS, TO PREPARE AND SERVE SUPPER FOR US. AND THANK YOU TO OUR YOUTH AND ALL OTHER THAT HAVE HELPED WITH THE CLEAN-UP AFTER SUPPER. WEDNESDAY NITE LIVE IS A MINISTRY TO OUR CHURCH THAT PROVIDES FOR PORTIONS OF THE DAILY BREAD OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP THAT WE ALL NEED.