MONTHLY MONITOR. On Christmas Eve, many of us will sing praises to the Christ Child in our Christmas services. Let s

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1 MONTHLY MONITOR December 2018 Contents Page 1: Pastor s Message Page 2: Advent 2018 Stewardship Minute Page 3: Class Room Chronicles Page 4: Class Room Chronicles ~continued~ Page 5: Announcements Page 6: Congregational Meeting Minutes Page 7: Congregational Meeting Minutes ~continued~ Trinity Lutheran Church Salzburg & 8 Mile Rd. Bay City, MI (989) Reason for Excitement Luke 2:8-20 Just when you think you know all there is to know about Christmas and its traditions, you learn something new, like where Santa Claus got his name. I found it in an excellent devotion that talks about the real reason for our excitement this season (or what the real reason should be) We hear a lot at Christmastime about a man named St. Nicholas. Legends tell about kind deeds he did for people in need. One story tells of some people who were starving because of a famine. When it seemed hopeless for them, St. Nicholas came with food and saved them. In some parts of Europe, children still wait for St. Nicholas to bring gifts of apples and nuts. This custom was brought to the New World by the Dutch settlers. Their name for St. Nicholas was Sant Nikolaas, which gradually became Santa Claus. Although his name has been changed, young children are just as eager for his visit. As we grow older, of course, we no longer get excited about Santa Clause. However, we re still eager to find out what gifts we will receive. Are we as excited about the coming of the Christ Child? We read in Luke s account of Jesus birth: And [the shepherds] went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. The shepherds were so anxious to find Jesus that they ran to Bethlehem. They couldn t wait to see for themselves what the angel had told them that a Savior had been born who would bring joy to all people. On Christmas Eve, many of us will sing praises to the Christ Child in our Christmas services. Let s ask God to fill us with the same desire to praise Jesus as the shepherds had. The day after Christmas, Santa Claus is forgotten. All the impatient waiting seems unimportant. And, sadly, the day after Christmas, Jesus often is forgotten too, though He desires to remain the center of our lives. Only by His grace and the power of His Holy Spirit does our joy in praising Him stay with us. He is always eager to love us and to walk closely with us, for He is our Lord and Savior. Prayer: Lord God, give me a real desire to worship my Savior as I celebrate His birth. Don t let the earthly things of Christmas crowd Jesus out of my thoughts. Amen (Adapted from My Devotions) 1 -Pastor Sherry

2 Advent Series 2018 Christ Our Advent Prophet, Priest and King Jesus came to earth on a special mission. That mission can be summed up in His three-fold job description: Prophet, Priest and King. This Advent season in our Midweek services, we will be looking at each of these roles that our Lord fulfilled and continues to fulfill. Our services are on Wednesday nights - December 5, 12, and 19 at 7:00 p.m., and their purpose is to help us prepare for Christmas by better understanding why Christ came. As in the past we will have the younger children of our school participating in each service: Pre-school and Kindergarten on Dec. 5; first grade on Dec. 12 and second grade on Dec. 19. Join us on Wednesday nights in December and welcome anew your Prophet, Priest and King! Stewardship Minute Make Known the Savior What greater mystery is there than these words of the Apostle John: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14)? This Word Who is with God and Who is God and Who has been with God since the beginning (John 1:1-2), this Word became one of us. Born in a stable more than two thousand years ago, Jesus lived among us. We joyfully sing every Christmas, Joy to the Word, the Lord is Come. In His 33 years on earth, He ate and drank and slept like one of us, and He showed us His glory. And from His fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1:16), for this is what He came to bring. First and foremost of those blessings is the forgiveness of sins and life eternal with Him. He is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). As we turn the pages of the Gospel of John, we come to know more about our Savior. He is: living water, the healer, the teacher, the miracle worker, the good shepherd, the raiser of the dead, the Vine, the Christ, the Son of God, the I AM. And we are the sheep of His flock, His witnesses, the branches who cling to Him, the Vine, so that we might be sustained and empowered to serve this mighty Savior Who deigned to become one of us. What does He ask of us, His sheep? To believe in Him, to remain in Him, to love others as He has loved us, to expect persecution for the sake of the Gospel, to trust Him so completely that He can accomplish through us even greater things (John 14:12). You did not choose Me, Jesus said, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide (John 15:16). How blessed we are to be chosen to have our identity in Christ, to be chosen for the tasks He gives us to do! Let us joyfully take up the work He gives us as we make known to all the Savior, the Word made flesh. May peace and joy abound in our lives as we celebrate Jesus coming into the world as our rescuer from sin and death! 2

3 Trinity Lutheran School The Classroom Chronicles December The Monitor December What joy filled my heart today as I saw the excitement on the faces and heard the giggles as young students stomped through the snow walking into school this morning! As much as snow is a bother to drive through, it certainly is a beautiful reminder of God s grace and the beauty of creation that only God can provide. I pray for safety through the next months as we all navigate through the snowfalls coming, and hope that you have the chance to experience young children enjoying it! J ~ Susan Klauer Around school Congratulations Ms. Megan Gallagher for winning the Meemic Foundation Scholastic Grant! Ms. Gallagher won $100, which she will use to purchase books for her classroom. Friday, November 9, we honored the men and women who serve or have served our country through the Armed Forces with a Veterans Day Appreciation program and pancake breakfast. The event this year was organized by Kelli Dent and Deadra Hurley, with the help of teachers and parents. Each classroom participated in some manner: choirs singing, advanced band playing, praying, holding flags, handbell ringing, as well as opening doors and greeting the guests as they arrived. What a wonderful learning about sacrifice and love of country to share with our students! Parent-Teacher Conferences were held Tuesday through Thursday from 3:30-7:00 pm. It is always a great opportunity to meet with parents and work together to make sure the students using the gifts God has given them. As Thanksgiving is behind us, it is time to begin practicing for our Advent and Christmas Eve services! This year the following schedule has been put in place: December 5 will be Preschool & Kindergarten, Dec 12 will be 1st grade, Dec 19 will be second grade and Christmas Eve at 3:00 p.m. will be 3-8th. November 13th Pastor Sherry and Principal Klauer attended a P2 meeting at Trinity, Reese. P2 meetings are a gathering of all the pastors and principals in the Greater Bay Area. We began with worship together, followed by a topic, and ending with lunch. This month s topic was Innovative & Creative Church/School Collaboration Ideas. Many good ideas were shared and discussed. Following the lunch, Bay and Saginaw principal s had a joint meeting to do a book study, and share ideas and news. Chuck Winterstein, Assistant to the Superintendent of Michigan Lutheran Schools, canceled meeting with us due to inclement weather, but will reschedule shortly to meet with the teaching staff, Pastor, and a representative of the Board of Education to discuss the accreditation process. The process has changed since Trinity last went through it in We will be working on reaccreditation in the school year. ~continued~> 3

4 The Classroom Chronicles (continued) The contractor met with each Middle School teacher to discuss set up for the new classrooms. We are praying the next inspection happens in a timely manner, so that they can move on to drywall. Please pray with us! Sondra Yantz from Valley Lutheran High School visited with our 4-8th graders to share the great things happening at Valley they have begun their building project! Sondra brought cookies to thank us for our continued support. J Jubilation played on Nov 3, and Joyful Praise sang two pieces in church on Sunday, Nov 11 th. Cookie Mondays continue to be popular as we raise funds for BFF. Grades 6-8 attended Brains and Games at the Midland Center for the Arts. 5th grade led Chapel on November 28th. We collected paper towels and tissues for the Good Samaritan rescue Mission this month. We also collected enough donations to fully fund Weston, our puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind! Coming up Bible verse for December: The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear? Psalm 27: 1 Mission: Beacon of Hope in Bay City! All are invited to Chapel Services: Dec 5 led by Pastor, and Dec 19 led by 2nd grade No school: December 22-January 6 (Dec 21 is a 1/2 day). Merry Christmas! Blessed New Year! Our Mission is to provide a Christ-centered education for all of God s children. 4

5 Harvest Dinner Announcements Advent Dinners Unfortunately due to our space restrictions and gym usage this year, the Advent dinners have been cancelled. Boot Camp Style Fitness Starting December 4th, Michelle Gaiser will be offering a boot camp style workout in the gym. Class will run Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:30 p.m.-8:30p.m., through December 20th. All fitness levels are welcome. Cost is $5.00 per class. For more information shel2185@aol.com or find the group Gaiser Fitness on Facebook. FOOD BAGS FOR CHRISTMAS Once again Trinity is working with Auburn Area Food Bank to donate 100 bags for Christmas Dinner for the needy in the area. The bags will be distributed November 25th, December 2nd, and December 9th in church and collected by Wednesday, December 12th. Items we will need to have in the bags are: (2) Cans Turkey Gravy (1) Box Instant Potatoes (1) Large Box Stuffing Mix (1) Box Jiffy Pie Crust Mix (1) Can Pumpkin Pie Mix (1) Large Can Evaporated Milk (1) Can Cranberry Sauce (1) Large Can Fruit Cocktail (1) Large Box Jello - Any Flavor. Thank you so much. A big Harvest Dinner Thank you to all the volunteers and many, many man hours that made this year possible! What a team at Trinity Lutheran Church and School! One of the BEST Harvest Dinner turn outs ever. 999 hungry people were fed. About half were take outs and about half were dining in. We served pounds of Homemade Pork sausage; 484 pounds of Roast Beef; 38 gallons of Sauerkraut; 20+ bushels of Squash; 420 pounds of Mashed Potatoes; 340 pounds of glazed carrots; Gallons of Beef Gravy; and delicious Pies for dessert. I thank God for all of you! Harvest Dinner profits were very good this year! We made $6, ($1, was from the Bake Sale)! Great job everyone. To God be all the Glory! This year the profits went to Auburn Area Food Bank $1, and BBF $5, The Giving Tree Wellspring Lutheran Services would like to thank the members of Trinity in advance for participating in the Christmas Caring Program. We are excited to witness how God uses this program to bless children and families throughout Michigan. Last year Trinity alone was able to help 75 families. If you would like to participate in this program, please take a tag from the Giving Tree located in the back of the church. Gifts need to be returned to the church by Sunday, December 9th. -Stewardship Committee Trustees Needed 1st Quarter High Honors We are in need of Trustees to help maintain our church and school. Charlie Shaw Mason Burk Cal Shaw If interested, please contact Steve Rivet (989) or Mike Avery (989)

6 Congregational Meeting November 5, 2018 Pastor Sherry opened the meeting with prayer. Pastor Randy Johnson (CMM for Michigan LCMS) addressed the assembly regarding the process for Pastor Sherry s retirement and how our congregation will go about filling the vacancy. The two possible options would be having a Vacancy Pastor or an Intentional Interim Pastor. The district recommends the Intentional Interim Pastor as it allows a change in congregations pastoral perspective and it makes it easier for the new pastor. In contrast, a Vacancy Pastor will maintain church operations as is until a called pastor takes the position. While serving our congregation the Intentional Interim would work with us through self-evaluative studies, surveys and inventories to determine the future direction and vision of our church. The District will then use information from those surveys, studies and inventories to develop a call list that the District President will share with us. This process helps the congregation prepare for the changes that will come with having a new pastor. Pastor Johnson shared his encouragement for us during this time of transition and assured us that he is available to answer any questions and help us through the process either directly or through Virgil McGuire, Elder. Meeting called to order by Chairman, Mike Avery, at 8:31 p.m. Secretary s Report: A motion was made and supported to accept the report as printed in the monthly Monitor; motion carried. Treasurers Report: (Jerry Rivet) Current checking account balance is $12,356 with outstanding items totaling $11,067, designated items are $40,649, and the line of credit loan balance is $49,998. Overall balance is a debt of $89,357. Please see the included Treasurers Report for details. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Elders Report: (Virgil McGuire) Membership changes: Transfers In: Amy Wegener and confirmed children Crystal, Mark and Melissa from Zion, Beaver and Jenna Kaiser and daughter Kayleigh from St. John, Capac. A motion was made and supported to accept both transfers in; motion carried. Transfers Out: Josh and Sara Hurley (children Alex and Cameron) to Emanuel, Cadillac. A motion was made and supported to accept the transfer out; motion carried. Releases from Membership: Kim Bauer (self-exclusion, no address information), Cheyenne Brothwell (moved out of state), Emily Mroczek (self-exclusion), Anthony Maziarz (self-exclusion, no address), Alexandra Lynch (self-exclusion, no address), Denise Zoellner (self-exclusion, address). A motion was made and supported to accept the releases from membership; motion carried. The holiday worship schedule has been established keeping the regular 2 services on Sundays December 23 and 30. Christmas Eve services will be: 3:00 p.m. Children s Service, 5:00 p.m. Worship, 11:00 p.m. Candlelight Service. November 12 is the last regular Monday night service. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Pastors Report: No Report Trustees Report: No Report Board of Christian Education: (Jessica Jeske) The Board plans to present their 5-year tuition increase plan to the voters at the December 3 voters meeting. A financial report was presented: Tuition income is over $44,000, expenses of $38,000; August October $40,000 has been given to the church. They have decided to accept a $9,000 bid from Brady Solution Systems for the new phone system (required by law). A motion was made and supported accept the report as presented; motion carried. Principals Report: (Susan Klauer) Building Expansion has been exciting and educational to watch; first round of NWEA testing is complete; all teachers attended the MANS Conference for all non-public schools in Grand Rapids October 18-19; the PTO raised over $2,000 at the School Carnival that was October 12; school parents have accumulated over 900 volunteer hours so far (about a 50/50 split between member and non-member parents); Parent Teacher conferences will be Tuesday Thursday this week, Veterans Day Celebration will be this Friday, November 9 and it is also a half day. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Stewardship Committee: (Peter Klauer) The upcoming food drive supporting Auburn Food Pantry will have bags available at church in November and bags will be collected in the church Dec A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Athletic Club Boosters: (Rich Kernstock) The electronic sign should arrive and be installed in about a month (all pre-installation conduit work has been completed). Pavilion expansion is nearing completion (thanks to D. Feinauer) and the electrical work will be completed by new church member, B. Tews. The park has been winterized and fall clean-up has happened. Looking ahead, March 9 is the Wild Game Dinner and they are looking for sponsors; tickets will go on sale in January. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. continued > 6

7 Congregational Meeting November 5, 2018 (continued) BFF Building Committee Report: (Amy Kundinger) The committee will be sending out an update letter to all congregation and school families to outline the progress. Pace of project is going well; barring any unforeseen circumstances worst case scenario is move-in late January best case will be moving in over Christmas break. Walls are up, plumbing has been inspected, floor is poured, steel is set, roof complete, pine tree has been removed. The exterior doors and windows are ordered and will be installed within the next couple of weeks and the building will then be weather tight. HVAC units will be delivered and installed on the roof this week. Consumers upgraded the natural gas meter today to allow for higher pressure to feed the new units. Next step is deciding interior doors, lockers, bathroom stalls, and lighting fixtures. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. BFF Financial Report: (Virgil McGuire) Current account balance is $158,572 which includes $13,000 for the electronic sign ($13,250 has already been paid with designated funds for the sign). Averaging about $10,000/month in contributions with a total of $145,332. Just received a check from the Harvest Dinner for $5,059. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Endowment Fund Committee: (Lugene McGuire) Year to Date Interest is $41,904.65; YTD paid out is $43, and amount available is $10, Requests presented: 1) $5,540 to the General Fund a motion was made and supported to approve the request; motion carried, and 2) $2,500 to the LCMS Seminary Financial Aid Fund a motion was made and supported to approve the request; motion carried. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Valley Lutheran High School Report: (Dave Peruski) Current enrollment is 309 students. Long term projection is for enrollment to remain at about 300 students for the next 15 years. They are developing a 5 year strategic plan for the school. September was groundbreaking for their building project and growing campaign work has since started. They have raised $7.25 million of the $10 million needed for their Growth Campaign. Students are currently selling fruit so contact any student to purchase. A motion was made and supported to accept the report as presented; motion carried. Old Business No Old Business New Business Presented by Pastor Sherry A motion was made and supported for our Mission Budget to the District be approved for $16,000; motion carried. A motion was made and supported for the following nominations to be made for the 2019 Synodical Conference: Synodical President: Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, St. Louis and Rev. Dr. David Maier, Ann Arbor; First Vice-President: Rev. Herbert Mueller, St. Louis and Rev. Dr. John Wohlrabe, Milwaukee; Regional Vice-President: Rev. Mark Brandt, Frankenmuth and Rev. Randy Raasch, Cedarburg, WI. Motion carried. November Elections: A motion was made and supported to accept the slate: Head Usher Dave Robbins (re-election), Usher Captains Kirk Feinauer (re-election), Larry Miller (re-election) and Mark Fitzgerald, Finance Committee Luke Wohlfeil, Dan Hurley and Kevin Kundinger (re-election), Valley Lutheran Representative Dave Peruski (re-election); motion carried. A motion was made and supported for the election to be unanimous; motion carried. Congratulations to all those elected. A motion was made and supported to adjourn the meeting; motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 9:17 p.m. with the Lord s Prayer. Respectfully Submitted, Karen Friebe, Recording Secretary 7

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