Trinity Dove. April The Season of Easter Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Sabbaths & Celebrations. Sunday, May 1 ~ 6 th Sunday of Easter

Transcription

1 Trinity Dove April The Season of Easter Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Lynn Thompson, president Stephen Larson, interim pastor Jamie Courtney, minister of music and parish administrator Bob Thaler, preacher Nathan Mantey, youth ministry co-ordinator Brian Racho, sexton Helen Toman, visitation pastor Ron Leonard, honourary assistant pastor Gywin Murray, emerita director of music Ministers: All Trinity Members 23 Church Street New Hamburg Ontario N3A 1J1 Phone (519) Web mail@telc.ca Sabbaths & Celebrations Sunday, April 3 ~ 2 nd Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am Faith Adventures, No Youth Youth and Adult Ed: An Introduction to Henri Nouwen Endowment Fund Committee meets at noon Sunday, April 10 ~ 3 rd Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am. Pastor Thaler preaches Faith Adventures; Youth discuss Saul Adults Ed: Henry Simon s Canadian immigration story Sunday, April 17 ~ 4 th Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am. Faith Adventures, No Youth today Adult Ed: Stephen Ministries Sunday, May 1 ~ 6 th Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am. Faith Adventures, Youth Ministry Adult Ed: Introduction to the Glebe Centre Sunday, May 8 ~ 7 th Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am. Pastor Thaler preaches Faith Adventures, No Youth Adult Ed: Interfaith Counselling Centre Sunday, May 15 ~ Pentecost Community Worship at 9:30 am Faith Adventures Youth and Adult Ed: Community Care Concepts Sunday, April 24 ~ 5 th Sunday of Easter Community Worship at 9:30 am, Coffee, Juice & Conversation at 10:30 am. Faith Adventures, Youth discuss Peter Adult Ed: Waterloo Lutheran Seminary Inside TRINITY DOVE Pastor Larson: From the Interim Pastor 2 Lynn Thompson: From the President 2 Sacraments & Seasons 3 Council News 4 Youth Ministry News 5

2 Page 2 From the Interim Pastor At the beginning of the book of Jeremiah, there is a lovely exchange between God and the future prophet: Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then I said, Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. But the LORD said to me, Do not say, I am only a boy ; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. Some more recent translations, have enlarged that image to read, Do not say, I am only a youth. Several Trinity youth are providing an abundance of leadership in our congregation these days. Check this out: Youth helped to bring our March 26 th Easter Vigil to life through music, readings and assisting in worship. They frequently serve in worship leadership positions on Sundays. Youth are singing along with Nathan to teach new songs to the Faith Adventures children. Confirmation youth will be learning about the life of Luther on April 9 th and entering into new understanding of the events of the Reformation as we approach the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation. Trinity Confirmation youth will join Nith Valley Ministry Area Confirmation students in an excursion to the Woodlands Cultural Centre and the former Mohawk Residential School near Brantford on April 30 th. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recommended that churches in particular participate in educational, encounter events to enlarge their understanding of the tragic heritage of those schools. Trinity s Council will be nominating one youth from our congregation as a candidate to be elected at the June synod assembly to be an Eastern Synod youth delegate to the national ELCIC convention in Winnipeg in July Seven youth from Trinity will travel to Prince Edward Island in August to participate in the national Lutheran Anglican youth gathering. They will return to us with revitalized energy and excitement, with new friends and songs, as well as new insights into their faith journey. Several Confirmation youth will attend Confirmation Camp in August. The theme, Refriending and Reconciliation, will explore relationships with God, one another and Canadian First Nations. A special word of thanks to Nathan Mantey, who serves as Trinity s Youth Ministry Coordinator. Nathan s ministry of leadership, accompaniment and service is bearing significant fruit. Thank you, Nathan, and thank you to the Trinity families who encourage their youth to participate in many ways. From the President stephen larson After six years on Council, three of them as Chair, Christine Normandeau has retired from Council. All of us owe Christine a huge thank you for all that she has done for Trinity. Her knowledge, wisdom, experience, sensitivity and sense of humour have been blessings for all. On many occasions, I have been in awe of her leadership. She dealt with the pastoral transition of two pastors leaving at once, and all the uncertainty around that, with grace. For your time, energy and devotion to Trinity over the last six years, we say thank you, Christine, from the bottom of our hearts. Along with Christine, other retiring council members include Doug Miller, Suzan Deckert, and Larry Gravill. These members served us well, and their absence will be felt. Thank you for your years of service. Returning members include Jackie Currah, Brenda Grabinski, Nancy Brodrecht, Matt Ramer, and Barry Kalbfleisch. We are fortunate to have your expertise on council. In the absence of someone who might consider the role for a second time, I have agreed to step in to the chair. I am humbled by the trust placed in me, grateful to have had a year on council with Christine as a model, and encouraged by the support of Pastor Stephen Larson. This year we have a full complement of council members. Thank you and welcome to new members Laurie Clarke, Gerry Baan, Sheri Morrison and Carol Merner. Our council is stronger because of you. Our AGM in February was a reflection of the positive spirit in Trinity now, brought about in large part by the leadership, insight and commitment of Pastor Larson. Under his guidance, we can feel an upsurge in energy around Trinity. Our growing membership is an encouraging sign. Our current financial situation reflects the increased membership and the congregation's generosity. Our refugee sponsorship is an example of our congregation's willingness to commit to outreach. As we move forward together, may we always be mindful that we can do wonderful works through the grace of God. lynn thompson

3 April 2016 Page 3 Sacraments & Seasons April Birthdays 1 - Bruce Wagler, Bonnie Ritz, Suzan Deckert, Jane Trafford, Aaron Wettlaufer; 2 - Michael Murray, Kate Murray, Alex Scheid; 3 - Diane Godfrey, Marion Shantz, Ron Johnston; 4 - Sarah Ruthig, Kennedy Faulhafer; 5 - Ernst Ritz, Pat Ruthig, Gwen Ruthig, Julia Kellendonk, Donna Kasper, Kylie Patton, Colin Jantzi; 6 - Margaret Zoeller, Joyce Lass, Renate Berg, Sibylle Hofmeyer, Diane Lippert, Chase Jantzi; 7 - Cameron Kalbfleisch, Jonathan Heise; 8 - Mary Danner, Ken Snyder, Caitlyn Hillar; 9 - Jean Ruthig, Jared Snyder; 10 - Tammy Szanto; 11 - Joe Firetto, Holly Bast; 12 - Ron Linseman, Paul Janzen, Ken Schmidt, Diane Ludington; 13 - Debbie Linseman, Rebecca Jones; 14 - Mark Jutzi, Barry Schaaf; 15 - Brenda Malloch, Tricia McMaster; 16 - Scott Malloch; 17 - Gwen Zarnke, Ethan Currah, Karley MacDonald; 19 - Carter Racho; 20 - Ken Hammer, Dana Martin, Krista Schmidt, Christina Leu, Devon Otterbein, Adam Otterbein, Katrina Danner, Hunter Racho; 21 - Stephen Larson, Brian Racho, Nicholas Stefansson, Emma Bruce; 22 - Lisa Thompson, Ross Kuepfer, Sean McCurdy, Travis Gerber, Alex Normandeau, James Gascon; 23 - Shirley Unrau, Judythe Schnarr-Chiduck; 24 - Stan Otterbein, Tracy McClenaghan, Carl Leu, Amy Becker; 25 - Judy Riley, Samuel Snider, Alicia Hayden, Rebecca Larson; 26 - Mabel Heldman, John Kropf, Susan Pearson, Mike Mohr, Becky Bender; 27 - Brian Chiduck; 28 - Linda Straus, Kristin Oliver, Billie-Jo Snyder, Travis Thompson, Owen Racho; 29 - Kerstin Beavis, Joshua Buehlow; 30 - Emily Clarke. Happy birthday! April Anniversaries 3 - Bonnie & Gunther Hell, 9 - Al & Susan Roberts; 11 - Jim & Tammy Szanto; 17 - Andy & Martha Cook; 20 - John Ritz & Betty Dixon Ritz; 22 - Judie & Ken Seltzer; 25 - Jamie Courtney & Cindy Young Courtney; 26 - Brad & Claire Otterbein; 27 - Christa & Steve Kieswetter; 29 - Dan & Eileen Miller, Lisa Pauli & Don Shaw; 30 - Brad & Deb MacDonald. Congratulations, friends. Happy anniversary! New Members We will be receiving new members on April 24 th. If this is something you are considering, or have a friend, relative or colleague you might invite to consider membership at Trinity, please speak with Pastor Larson. On That Note... Christ is risen! Alleluia! Following the long weeks of Lent, Easter is finally here. We ve embarked on the journey of Holy Week, and celebrate the resurrection together. The Easter hymns and songs that we sing together this time of year are varied and rich. In the coming weeks, we ll sing the Easter story together as we open the pages of our worship books. Lisa Hagen fills in for me while I m away on April 3 rd at the Bishop s retreat. She ll get to lead one of my favourites, Now the Green Blade Rises (#379). This pairing of Crum s Easter text with a French Christmas tune, NOÉL NOUVELET, is delightful, despite it being in a minor key. We get a tune that repeats itself in our Easter hymns this season. We ll sing both All Creatures, Worship God Most High (#835), and Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds (#367). Both use the tune LASST UNS ERFREUEN. This tune always reminds me of the Mr. Bean episode where he wanders into a church service, and only seems to be able to get the alleluia refrain, with hilarious results. But, it s good a good example. Sing your alleluias heartily this season! One more example of tune swapping is with the tune for the hymn Earth and All Stars. The tune appears in our Easter hymnody with the text Alleluia! Jesus is Risen (#377). The first time I d heard this tune, with it s original text, was at a music workshop for the United Church I attended when I was a young teenager. My memory from that day was that the presenter said the Lutherans have ruined this tune. Presumably, from overuse. I didn t know this tune at that time, and frankly, I didn t know what a Lutheran was either. But, I ll now venture to say that the presenter was wrong. It s a terrific tune, and works well with text from the ever-wonderful Herb Brokering. (And, Lutherans are pretty good folks!) So, what s your favorite Easter song? Whatever it is, sing it with gusto. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia! jamie courtney

4 Page 4 Financial Update to February 29 General Fund Capital Fund Transfers Income $41,649 $1,743 $2,996 Outgo ($42,771) ($4,137) ($4,873) Balance ($1,121) ($2,394) ($1,876) Our general fund is on track with our 2016 budget, with actual receipts increased over a year ago. The largest capital expense was the new computer system in the church office. The capital receipts are down from last year. Overall, our financial situation is stable. jackie currah March Council News Council welcomed and thanked our new members: Laurie Clarke, Gerry Baan, Sheri Morrison and Carol Merner. Members shared their hopes for the coming year: a shift to get more of the younger generation of Sunday School age children coming to church and to be a part of the Faith Adventures program, the momentum of the Refugee Task Team will continue to grow as our family transitions to a life on their own, with the support of Trinity members and others in the community. Lynn Thompson has agreed to serve as president (chairperson) for this year. Council passed a motion to elect Lynn to this position. We are grateful for her willingness to serve in this important role. Portfolios for each member of council were assigned as agreed on by individual members. Thank you cards will be sent to outgoing council members, Doug Miller, Christine Normandeau, Larry Gravill, and Suzan Deckert. Brenda Grebinski agreed to serve as Trinity s lay delegate for the Eastern Synod 16 th Biennial Assembly in June of this year. Bob Anger, reported on some property matters. The boiler will be repaired the end of April. Also there will be a Spring Work Day Saturday May 7 th. Mark this date on your calendar if you are able to help out! Lunch and snacks are provided. There are always lots of jobs, inside and outside, dusting, polishing, painting, cleaning cupboards, and many more. Further details will be available in a few weeks. Pastor Stephen read a letter from the Synod thanking Trinity for our benevolence offerings to the Synod in support of various ELCIC ministries. We exceeded our givings for 2014 and thus our commitment to Synod in 2015 increased. Thanks to everyone in the congregation for your great financial stewardship such that we can continue supporting the many wider church ministries that are so important to us all. National Convention Our church has undertaken some elements of structural renewal, and one area that is affected is the size of our National Convention, the next one happening in In previous National Conventions, every congregation was entitled to send one lay delegate, and clergy were elected to go by conferences (now ministry areas). This time, delegates to the National Convention will be elected at Synod Assemblies. The next Synod Assembly is this summer in Toronto. (Congregations still send their pastor and one lay delegate automatically to Synod Assembly). Wendell Grahlman, Eastern Synod Secretary, has now given us official notice of the call for nominations for election to the National Convention. Nominations will close on April 23 rd, 2016, and biographical info for all eligible nominees will be posted on the Eastern Synod website by May 23 rd. The delegates will be voted on at Synod Assembly in June, and there will be no nominations from the floor during synod assembly. A total of 44 delegates will be elected to the convention: 17 active rostered, 24 lay, and 3 youth. Eligible nominees shall be: rostered ministers, called or appointed to serve in a ministry of this church; lay members in good standing of a congregation of this church; and youth who are members in good standing of a congregation of this church and who will be between the ages of 16 and 25 inclusive on the first full day of the next national convention (July 6, 2017) Only one nominee, with the exception of youth delegates, may be nominated from any given congregation. If there is someone from our Trinity community who you feel should be nominated, please speak to Pastor Larson or Lynn Thompson. Bishop s Lay Spiritual Retreat The Bishop s Lay Spiritual Retreat is an annual event hosted by Bishop Michael Pryse and held at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls. This year, it is April 1 st to 3 rd with spiritual direction by Sister Anne Keffer and music by Jamie Courtney. Several Trinity members are attending! Consider joining them for this terrific retreat. More information is available at the Eastern Synod s website, nancy brodrecht

5 April 2016 Page 5 Youth News Here are upcoming plans for Sunday morning youth programming: April 3 rd : no youth program April 10 th : re-enacting the bedazzlement of Saul. #bringyourshades #goodguypaul April 17 th : no youth program April 24 th : Peter breaks down the walls of the early church. #circumcision? Jesus gets busy with a towel. #costlydiscipleship. John sees a new heaven and a new earth. #newcreation #greekalphabeta May 1 st : regular youth program. Theme TBA. May 8 th : Edgewood work weekend. No youth program. Adults, youth and families are invited to come out to Camp Edgewood to help with a variety of projects, anytime on Saturday or Sunday. We are looking for volunteers to help with gardening, painting, roofing, mowing, and general cleaning. Look forward to lots of fun and fellowship (campfires!) in between and after projects. Contact Nathan (youth.telc@gmail.com) for more information. Six youth attended the Pizza Party on March 4th. Riotous fun ensued including: Sardines, Killer Bunnies and Ice Cream Sandwiches. Youth subsequently decided that they would like to do an all night lock-in event. Dates will follow. Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Event: Journey to PEI We are excited to have several youth attending the CLAY gathering in Charlottetown, PEI. As of this printing the following youth are signed up to attend: Logan Arnott Dayton Arnott Tanner Arnott Leeta Currah Meghan Dale Allie Courtney Emily Morrison Nathan will be chaperoning the group as the "Home Team Leader." A member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Kitchener has volunteered to drive us through his bus company. Several churches will be teaming up to fill the bus including: St. James New Dundee, Mount Zion Waterloo, and St. James Elmira. Fundraisers will continue to help support transportation costs. Camp Edgewood Update Programs are available for ages 5 to 18. Check out the website to view our Lutheran camp program offerings including: Beginner Camp, Elementary programs, Day Camp, Leadership Training and Teen Camp. Edgewood is also welcoming volunteers ages 16 and up. To volunteer, please fill out a volunteer form found on the Edgewood website. Youth and adults are invited to attend Edgewood AGM on April 10 th. Adult Education nathan mantey Join us after worship in the Martin Luther Room for these adult education topics: April 3 rd An introduction to Henri Nouwen April 10 th Henry Simon shares his story as an immigrant to Canada April 17 th Stephen Ministries with guests from St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Kitchener April 24 th Waterloo Lutheran Seminary with Principal-Dean Mark Harris May 1 st What's new at the Delton Glebe Centre? with Rebecca Larson May 8 th Interfaith Counselling with Lisa Akey May 15 th Community Care Concepts April Confirmation Classes Our Confirmation class meets Saturday morning, April 9 th at 10:00 am to watch the movie Luther, and learn about events in the Reformation 500 years ago. On Saturday April 30 th at 9:00 am, our Confirmation class and 40 other youth from Nith Valley Ministry Area Congregations will bus to Brantford to visit the Woodlands Cultural Centre and the former Mohawk Residential School. The day will conclude with a communion service in the Mohawk Royal Chapel. It's a wonderful opportunity for our youth to live into the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations addressed particularly to church communities. Seminary Golf Tournament stephen larson All golfers, from budding to professional, are invited to the Friends of the Seminary Golf Tournament which will be held Thursday, May 26 th, at the Ariss Valley Golf and Country Club. Your foursome will have a great time vying for the Bishop s Cup and/or Dean s Cup. The entry fee is $140 and includes 18 holes of golf and a fabulous steak dinner. For more information or to register, please call Dorinda at the Seminary office, , ext

6 Page 6 Work Day 2016 Save the Date! Saturday, May 7 th you are invited to participate in a Trinity Spring Work Day. It will be a time of cleaning and dusting inside the church; raking, planting and painting outside the church. There will be several minor repair jobs along the way. High School youth in need of volunteer hours are particularly encouraged to sign up and participate. Faithful Journey Faithful Journey: A History of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was published in Its 147 pages contain scores of photographs that accompany the story of our congregation from its origins in 1834 up into the 21 st century. Folks were invited to pre-order copies, and those have now arrived! If you haven t yet paid and picked yours up, please contact the church office. Watch for the sign up sheet at church after Easter. Nith Valley Round Up 2.0 Last September, the Nith Valley Ministry Area had a Round Up at Gad s Hill. Every congregation in the ministry area was represented and shared hopes, dreams, frustrations and goals for their ministry. It was an energizing and encouraging time of sharing. Tuesday evening, April 19 th all 14 Nith Valley congregations will again gather for Round Up 2.0 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tavistock. There they will continue their conversations toward a revitalization of mission and ministry among us. Trinity will again be represented and join in the conversations. In many ways, the conversation will be similar to Trinity s own interim experience as they explore the question: What is the future to which God is calling the Nith Valley Ministry Area. Memorial Contributions Please remember that general memorial contributions to Trinity Lutheran Church that are undesignated are directed to the Endowment Fund. The Endowment Fund provides Trinity the opportunity to support ministries and projects that further God s mission in the world. Projects like Camp Edgewood, Canadian Lutheran World Relief, Interfaith Counseling, Monica s House, and Trinity Youth Ministry. Designated memorials to Trinity are also welcomed. But, if you wish for memorials for your loved one to go to a specific project, it s important to let contributors know so that the money is properly allocated when it arrives. For example, youth ministry, music ministry, or building fund. Council Portfolios At the March meeting of our congregation council, portfolios were assigned for the coming year. Thank you to each member of council for serving Trinity in each of these roles. President - Lynn Thompson Vice President - Brenda Grebinski Secretary - Nancy Brodrecht Treasurer - Bob Ruthig Nurturing Faith (Children/Youth) - Matt Ramer Nurturing Faith (Adults) - Carol Merner Worship - Laurie Clarke and Nancy Brodrecht Congregational Life - Sheri Morrison Property and Maintenance - Gerry Baan and Bob Anger Finance - Jackie Currah Witness and Outreach - Brenda Grebinski Mutual Ministry - Barry Kalbfleish Eastern Synod Assembly Trinity's congregational council has appointed Brenda Grebinski, our congregational vice-president, to represent Trinity at the 2016 Eastern Synod Assembly in Toronto, June Thanks, Brenda! The Synod Assembly meets every other year. Among business items this year will be an overview of the wide variety of missions and ministries in our synod, an update on the 500th Anniversary Reformation Challenges, election of Eastern Synod representatives to the ELCIC national convention in Winnipeg in 2017, and adoption of synod budgets for 2017 and 2018.

7 April 2016 Page 7 ELCIC Reformation Challenge 2017 marks the 500 th Anniversary of the Reformation. The Lutheran World Federation encourages Lutherans around the world to lift up this commemoration. Lutherans across Canada are invited to take part in the Reformation Challenge as we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and demonstrate our excitement for the theme Liberated by God's Grace. The Reformation Challenge calls us to: Sponsor 500 refugees to Canada Provide 500 scholarships for schools in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land Plant 500,000 trees Give $500,000 to the Lutheran World Federation Endowment Fund So how is Trinity doing? So far we have sponsored four refugees. The Nith Valley Ministry Area s confirmation program will see out youth plant trees soon. How else might Trinity respond to the Church s challenges? National Worship Conference Discover how art, drama, food, fun, poetry, multimedia, music, movement, nature, spiritual elements, and story-telling can be interwoven with Anglican, Lutheran, and cross-generational threads, to create meaningful and transformational worship. Formation and Reformation: Worship, Justice and Mission of God brings together presenters and participants from across North America to explore diverse styles of worship. Featuring Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson, an ELCIC pastor who has served in Canada, Switzerland and the United States. He is a co-author of Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God: Integrating Vision and Practice. Also featuring, The Very Reverend Bruce Jenneker, Rector of All Saints Church, Durbanville in the City of Cape Town and the Diocese of Saldnaha Bay in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The National Worship Conference is a biennial conference sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada. The Conference welcomes participation by clergy and laity of these two churches as well as clergy and laity from other churches who seek to build up the life of the Christian community through our worship so that we might serve the world God loves. This year, the National Worship Conference is held July in and around Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. For more information, visit Confirmation Camp and CLAY 2016 Last call for registrations for the 2016 Confirmation Camp and CLAY Easter Sunday was the early bird registration deadline for both events. The registration costs go up April 1 st. If you are interested in one or both youth events, please contact Nathan Maney, Jamie Courtney in the church office or Pastor Larson immediately if not sooner! Murray Scholarship Established to honor Trinity s own Gywin Murray, the Murray Church Music Scholarship is awarded by our Eastern Synod to post-secondary students. This year, the application deadline is May 9 th. Previous recipients are eligible to apply for subsequent grants. Successful applicants will be notified in August. Please contact the church office for an application form.