GOD IS LOVE. FEBRUARY 2016 GRAPEVINE TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 612 Main Street Westbrook, ME PASTOR S REFLECTIONS

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1 GOD IS LOVE FEBRUARY 2016 GRAPEVINE TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 612 Main Street Westbrook, ME Karen Indorf, Pastor Bonnie Wright, Editor Phone (207) Phone (207) Regular Hours of Worship 10:30 am Sunday School at 9:15 am PASTOR S REFLECTIONS With the season of Lent fast approaching, what are you anticipating for those 40 days the church sets aside to prepare for Easter. Are you groaning with thoughts of an obligation to give up something you enjoy? Are you wondering how you will fit midweek worship into your busy schedule? Do you hate thinking about sin and repentance and death and dying? Are you contemplating just skipping it altogether and showing up on Easter morning for the hallelujahs? Rather than dread and despair, doom and gloom, I challenge you to consider whether 40 days is even enough time to prepare for Easter. Is it enough time to refocus your thoughts and heart on the One who created you and sustains you? In our self sufficient lives, we too easily forget the source of all blessings, the healer of all that ails us, the redeemer of our brokenness. The 40 days of Lent are a gift from God, not an obligation or added burden, but rather a time for quiet and stillness, a time to reflect and refocus on what is truly meaningful and worthwhile. My prayer for you throughout these 40 days is that you will find that place deep in your soul where you experience the comfort and joy of a God who loves and cherishes you. Pastor Karen

2 Breaking Bread with Friends at Diana s home. Breaking Bread at Carla s with Sally and Peggy These pictures were taken on January 17, 2016 at the prayer and candlelight service in the memory of fallen citizens in Ethiopia who were unjustly killed in political demonstrations in recent weeks.

3 ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP FEBRUARY 10, 2016 Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return NOON TIME From 12:00-12:15 there will be a service of corporate Confession and Forgiveness with imposition of ashes. EVENING A community ecumenical service will be held at 7:00 with imposition of ashes and Holy Communion. Clergy and choirs from Westbrook churches will be leading worship. MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICES This year s Portland area midweek Lenten services will be held at Trinity. 5:00-6:00: Free Community Meal at the Westbrook Teen Center 6:00-7:00: Soup Supper at Trinity fellowship hall 6:30-7:00: Choir rehearsal for anyone who wants to sing 7:00-7:40: Service of Holden Evening Prayer SPECIAL OFFERINGS ASH WEDNESDAY offering will be designated to My Place Teen Center. Please use the offering envelopes coded with purple. LENT OFFERING is designated for the ELCA Global Youth Ministry and the envelope is coded with red. MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICES The offerings will be combined with Emmaus, First, St. Ansgar & Faith Lutheran and designated to the Florence House. RESOURCES FOR LENTEN DEVOTIONS FROM AUGSBURG PUBLISHING Bearing Fruit Devotional for Lent 2016 (Also available as an ebook ) Book of Faith Lenten Journeys various authors 40 Days and 40 Nights: Devotional for Lent by Gail Ramshaw Look for the Light: Pocket Devotions for Lent by Stephen Bouman Traveling on Holy Ground: Pocket Devotions for Lent by Barbara Lundblad FROM COKESBURY or AMAZON 24 Hours that Changed the World by Adam Hamilton FROM LUTHER SEMINARY Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land by seminary alumni - luthersem.edu/lent

4 I Heard It Through the Grapevine!! As our custodial work is done totally by volunteers, the Property Committee is requesting all people who use any area of the church, Fellowship Hall or Education building, to please clean up after your group or yourself and put back all chairs, tables, etc. Also, remember to recycle and remove all rubbish if anything was brought into the church. Thank you for your cooperation. ANNUAL MEETING is January 31 after church. Please plan to attend. COUNCIL INSTALLATION The new council will be installed during worship on Sunday, February 7. BREAKING BREAD AT THE SOUPER BOWL OF CARING: A soup luncheon will be held after worship on Super Bowl Sunday, February 7, compliments of Thrivent. Our youth will be gathering donations in their soup pots for Wayside Food Services, provider of the food for our Community Meal. Once again Stewart Center is providing a free Quarterly Educational Seminar which will take place on February 18 th from 1:30-3:00 at the Lunt Auditorium in Falmouth. The presentation is especially intended for caregivers who are assisting family members with dementia, but everyone is welcome to come. After the Seminar, staff will be available to provide tours of the Stewart Center to anyone interested. This is a free seminar. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to pclancy@smaaa.org VALENTINE S TEA Parish Care will sponsor the annual Valentine s Tea at 12:00 noon on Friday February 12 for our seniors. The alternate date is Saturday February 13, in the event of bad weather. Please RSVP to Alice Deschambeault by February 5 th. PORTLAND AREA LUTHERAN YOUTH GROUP will be having a sledding party on February 28 at 1:00. More information will be announced. PAUL S PALS will be singing at the Barron Center on Sunday, February 21 st at 2:00 SENIOR SAINTS will not be meeting during the month of February. WOMEN S SHARING OUR FAITH GROUP will be gathering at 10:30am on February 9, weather permitting, at Trinity.

5 ACTION TEAM If you are a Thrivent Financial member, you can lead a Thrivent Action Team of people for a project to help others. Each member can lead two teams a year. See Jane if you would like to lead an Action Team for In 2015 we had 10 Thrivent Action Team projects. We are looking for people to lead several more projects. ON-GOING ETHIOPIAN AND ERITREAN FELLOWSHIP IN SONG AND PRAYER Our Ethiopian and Eritrean brothers and sisters from Westbrook and greater Portland are meeting weekly at Trinity in the fellowship hall for a Celebration of Prayer and Praise in their native languages. Worship will be on Sundays, February 7, 14, 28 at 4:00; and on Saturday, February 20 at 2:00. REJOICING SPIRITS meet on the third Sunday of each month at 4:00 pm. The worship is casual and user friendly for those with disabilities or mental challenges. We have a sign language interpreter. Families and caregivers, as well as anyone else who would like to attend are welcome. The next worship service will be Sunday, February 21st. The fellowship meal will be sponsored by the Worship Committee. MONTHLY PRAYER SERVICE Every third Sunday of the month, (February 21 st is the next service) after the sharing of the peace, Pastor Karen will be present in front of the annex for persons who would like individual prayer, for themselves or someone else. Anyone is invited to come. You may pray silently or come forward to pray with pastor. She will be there as long as someone wants to pray. Background music will provide privacy to those who come forward to pray. Contact Pastor Karen if you have any questions. (Nice hat Jane!) PRAYER GROUP Meets Wednesday at 11:15. Many prayer concerns have been lifted up and many thanksgivings have been raised. We invite all who cannot attend to consider praying with us at 11:15 on Wednesday from wherever you are at that time. There are prayer request cards and a box to place them in after they are filled out on the table next to the office door. COMMUNITY MEAL The Community Meal is every Wednesday from 5:00-6:00 at the My Place Teen Center. We serve a free hot meal and warm fellowship, with food provided by Wayside Food Services. Volunteers are needed to cook, serve and clean up. See Jane Sinclair or Ted Deschambeault for more information. BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS are being offered at the community meal.

6 WORSHIP HELPERS Thanks to all the Assistants, Readers and Acolyte/Crucifers. If you are unable to perform this duty on specified date, please arrange for a substitute and let Bonnie know so the correct name may be put in the Sunday bulletin. Readers and Assistants please supply your replacement with your prayers or readings that are ed to you. Thank you. WORSHIP HELPERS FOR FEBRUARY THANK YOU! FEBRUARY ASSISTANT READER ACOLYTE/CRUCIFER 07 Sue Cathie Eleshadaye 14 Carey Peggy Bev 21 Abera JoAnn Jenny 28 Christine Amanuel Delia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Trinity Lutheran, On behalf of Operation Christmas Child, Maine West Team, we thank you for your generous donation of shoe boxes during National Collection Week. Our area collected 10,158 shoe boxes. We praise Jesus for a 20% increase over last year. We appreciate all of your efforts and support for this mission. May God Bless You in 2016! Lauren & Steve LaPlante, Church Relations OCC Thank you for your gift to the ministry of Samaritan s Purse. We are grateful for your generosity which allows us to carry out this important work in Jesus Name. Not only are we helping those in need, we re spreading the Gospel to those who may have never had the opportunity to hear it before. May God bless you, Franklin Graham, President - Thank you for your December 2015 gift of 480 items including gloves, hats, toiletries and other items. Giving to Preble Street makes you part of a community that cares about all its citizens, a community that shares its resources and that wants to make sure everyone feels safe and valued. Sincerely, Ray Hepler, Resource Dev.Asst Dear Trinity Lutheran, now it is our turn to thank you for the amazing support of the pantry s work! Food Pantry-Bridge Street On behalf of My Sister s Keeper, I want to thank you for the financial donation of $395 to our organization. As you requested, this will be placed in a special account and used for a Westbrook resident making a transition into your community. Thank you for your support; you help us fulfill our mission of supporting our sisters in need as they transition from corrections. Dear Trinity, Please accept our humble and heartfelt appreciation for your church s contribution to The500Club! We are so grateful to have such kind, responsive, and caring supporters who just want a chance at making a difference in a child s life. And you surely did that. Thank you so much for funding 2 kids for a year, it really means a lot! Gratefully, Donna Dwyer, President & CEO Dear Trinity, I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to put a wonderful care package together for me. The goodies came at a perfect time and always put a smile on my face! School is going great. I have one more year left of undergrad for chemical engineering and then will return to Orono for an additional year for my MBA. I was also the captain of the men s track and cross country team this year. Again, thank you all for thinking of me. Sincerely, Jesse Dear Trinity, Thank you and the entire Trinity Lutheran Congregation for the critical role you play in making sure everyone in our community has access to nutritious food. We are grateful for your generous contribution of $421. Your support makes all that we do possible. There aren t words to thank you all for the amazing work you do for the community. We look forward to working with you in Sincerely, Mary Z-Executive Director

7 Dear Friends, Thank you for participating in Calumet s 2015 Alternative Gift Guide program. Thank you so very much for supporting what it is that we do here on the shores of Ossipee Lake. Regards, The Development Team Dear Trinity, Many, many, many thanks! Your card arrived in time to help me through a really bad day! Thanks to all who were so dear and kind to think of me!! Happy New Year and God Bless, Betty M Thank you to the following people for ringing bells for Salvation Army on November 28th Carla, Greta, Doug, Jane, Cheryl, Abera, Christina and Kevin. And for those who rang the bells on December 5 th Tiruneh, Brenda A and Bev and Alexis, Pat, Barbara, Linda, JoAnn, Bob and Diana, Brenda O, the Wildes family and Jane and Fente. Thank you so much for volunteering to help raise money to help those in need. The Trinity Bell Ringers raised $915.15! KIDS KORNER Knock, Knock Who s there? Wooden Shoe Wooden Shoe, who? Wooden Shoe like to be my Valentine? Friendship Find and circle all of the words that are hidden in the grid. The words may be hidden in any direction. ACQUAINTANCES BOYFRIEND BUDDY CLOSENESS COMPANIONS CONFIDE FAVOR FONDNESS FRIENDLINESS FUN GIRLFRIEND GOOD TIMES HELP LEND LOYALTY PAL PRANKS SHARE

8 A Bit from Bonnie The happy heart gives away the best. To know how to receive is also a most important gift, which cultivates generosity in others and keeps strong the cycle of life. Dhyani Ywahoo-Voices of our Ancestors