Trinity Tidings. Easter 7 / Ascension Sunday. Holy Communion 8:15 am and 10:45 am Sunday School for all ages 9:30 am

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1 Trinity Tidings Thursday 10. May 2018 Trinity welcomes all to a community in Christ; serving others, growing in faith, living in hope, and reaching out in love. Easter 7 / Ascension Sunday 13. May Holy Communion 8:15 am and 10:45 am Sunday School for all ages 9:30 am Trinity Lutheran Church Old Georgetown Rd. North Bethesda, MD Phone office@trinityelca.org Web TrinityELCA.org Facebook facebook.com/trinityelca A Reconciling in Christ and a Stephen Ministry congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Gracious and glorious God, you have chosen us as your own, and by the powerful name of Christ you protect us from evil. By your Spirit transform us and your beloved world, that we may find our joy in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Mother's Day Baby Supplies Drive begins this Sunday 13. May LSS helps many young families, and often there new mothers without the supplies that their baby needs. We will be collecting baby supplies in diaper bags for the LSS Refugee & Immigration Services in order to help! Here are the needs: Diapers, for Newborns Diapers, for older kids sizes (2, 3, 4) Diaper bags For each diaper bag: 2-3 burp cloths, 1-2 pacifiers, a baby blanket, a package of wet wipes, diaper cream, digital thermometer, baby nail clippers, and baby bath wash. The collection beings TODAY (13. May) and continues through 20. May. If you have any questions, please contact Robyn K. Assisting Us in the Sunday Liturgy 8:15 am 10:45 am Acolytes TBD Vincent M Assisting Ministers Jerry B Jim K Children's Church Anita S Anita S Greeters Diana B Trevor H Lectors John B Miriam M Ushers Ross A & Mike J David & Henry C Coffee Hour Lily & Keith C TBD Altar Custodians Marilyn G Miriam M Bread Bakers Carol B Bulletin Assembly Diana M Tellers Greg & Margaret F

2 Ascension of Our Lord 10. May 2018 Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47 Ephesians 1:15-23 Luke 24:44-53 A Different Kind of Power "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). This is what the disciples are hoping for after all, right? This is what we're going to get after all this suffering and sacrificing and giving our lives away to follow you, Jesus, right? We're finally going to get the best seat at the table, the highest place in court, right? We're finally going to have power over those rotten Romans who have been lording their power over us for all these years, right? Wrong. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you," Jesus promises (Acts 1:8). No, the end goal of following Jesus is not to have a better seat than your enemies. But yes, you will be clothed with power. It's just a different kind of power. Today's scripture readings make clear that there are two kinds of power: power from the top that is used to ensure the lowliness of others and power from the Holy Spirit that is distributed freely to raise up the lowly. It is this second kind of power that God reveals and enacts in Jesus. Jesus became the lowliest of the low, assumed the position of the despised and outcast, and died a criminal's death. And Jesus was raised to sit at the right hand of God (Eph. 1:20). Jesus' ascension is proof of God's choice to use God's power to raise up the lowliest of people. Each of us was born with power. How do you exercise yours? How does your congregation and community exercise its power? How is God using you to raise up the lowly and clothe others in the power of Holy Spirit? Tell these stories. They witness to the ascended Christ we follow. Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2017 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress. Seventh Sunday of Easter 13. May 2018 Acts 1:15-17, Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 Help, Save, Comfort, and Defend We pray in the last petition of the Kyrie, "Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord." Can you think of a time you tried to help, save, or defend yourself or someone else? Or a time you comforted yourself or someone else? What did you do? Sometimes we are successful in our efforts to help, save, comfort, and defend. We provide monetary or emotional support. We speak up and act when we see injustice. We accompany people who are hurting. We practice self-care. But other times we remain passive in the face of injustice because it is safer or easier to do nothing. Or we actively avoid conflict even when doing so creates more problems. We self-medicate in ways that harm us. We despair that whatever is wrong in our lives will never get better, so we give up and retreat from the world and its realities. We pray "Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord" because we know the truth: we are afraid, we fail, and need God's help. Today, Jesus prays for our protection. He does not pray that we be taken out of the world, but that we be fully present to its difficult and painful realities. It is Jesus' prayer that we be able to engage the dangers of this world, wholeheartedly entrusting our protection to God. Our work is to lean into Jesus' prayer that God would protect us while we are in this world so that we might engage it fully, unafraid and free. Living and loving under the promise of this protection and care, our joy is complete. Reprinted from Words for Worship, copyright 2017 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress. 2

3 Adult Forum Sunday, 9:30 am Making Sense of Martin Luther & Paul s Letter to the Romans Major themes of the Reformation emerging from Romans, with video introductions by Dr. David J. Lose. A six-week course taught by David K and Mary B. Meet Our Afghan Families Potluck Dinner Saturday 23. June at 5:30 pm Join us for a potluck dinner on Saturday, June 23, at 5:30 P.M. with the special guests being the Afghan families we have co-sponsored in partnership with Lutheran Social Services (LSS). This is your opportunity to meet Aziz and Sediqa and Shahpur and Hilay and their children. Bring a main dish, side, salad or dessert to share, and enjoy an evening of fine food and fellowship. Beverages will be provided. Halal meat is their only dietary restriction, so please label your dish if made with halal meat to help our Afghan friends with their choices at the buffet table. Everything else is fine. Labels for all dishes may help them with unfamiliar foods. Please contact Lynn B or Kathy T with any questions. See you there! For more about our co-sponsored Afghan families, please Afghan Families Update on page 4. Pledging for Mission as of 6. May BIGGER Than A Building! 66 families have pledged $479,040 to our 3-year mission appeal. Total amount received for BTAB! is $419, as of 6. May. Thank you for your generous support. Who Is St. Dismas? The good thief executed alongside Christ, Dismas repented and pled, Remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus replied, Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is both a model for repentance, and a reminder that God is always ready to forgive. First Communion! During Sunday School Hour on 13. May the final session of this season s First Communion classes will be held for 5th Graders and all those whose parents feel that their youth are ready to receive Communion. Please speak with Pr. Berner or Anita if you would like your child to participate. We will celebrate the Faith Stepping Stone of First Communion on Sunday 20. May. Recognition of Graduates Sunday 3. June Attention Soon to Be Graduates: We want to celebrate with you! Please let Anita know when you are graduating, from what school and what your future plans hold. Trinity will have a celebration in your honor on 3. June. Stewardship Update Stewardship is offering our Time, Talents, and Treasure in response to all the blessings God has given us. Extra pledge card packets are on the Ushers Table Pledge Cards and Time & Talent Forms may be placed in the offering plate or mailed to the church office, Attn: Financial Secretary. As of 30. April, 60 families have pledged $247,416 and 67 adults and 9 children have submitted Time & Talent sheets. Financial and Time & Talent Forms are available on the web: 3

4 Special Handbell Concert Saturday 19. May at 6:30 pm Our 29th annual concert with the combined handbell choirs of Trinity and Holy Trinity will be held on Saturday 19. May at 6:30 pm. This year s concert will be at Holy Trinity Lutheran, at 7607 Sandy Spring Road, Laurel, MD. Come join us for this delightful musical extravaganza, which will include handbells, flute, percussion, and some fun surprises. Admission, parking, and reception are all free! All we need is a great audience. We hope to see you there! Trinity s Annual Picnic Sunday 10. June 12 noon Rain or Shine Join us for great food, fun, games (moon bounce, bocce ball, horseshoes, giant Frisbees, etc.) and fellowship following the 10:45 service on Sunday, June 10. We need your help to bring food items to the picnic. Those with surnames: A-K bring dessert L-Z bring a salad or side dish Chicken and beverages will be provided. Also, we are looking to borrow shade canopies and yard games for Trinity s Annual Picnic on Sunday, June 10. If you own an item(s) to share please sign-up online at or contact Leslie C. The Word in Season for April-June daily devotionals are now available. Pick up your copy in the School Hall. Our Afghan Families Aziz is working! Help to find a car for Shahpur We are delighted that Aziz secured full-time employment in May with a civil engineering firm in DC. He is happy to be working in a job where he can use his professional expertise and where there are opportunities for growth. And he is happy to be financially independent. As we have worked with Aziz, we have also gotten to know his neighbor, Shahpur, very well. Shahpur and his wife have three children 5 and under, and he has been working two part-time jobs to pay his bills without the use of a car. One job runs from 6:00 AM to noon, and his second job is either from 1:00-6:00 PM or 6:00 PM to midnight. Making this work without a car is very difficult since Shahpur has no time between jobs to eat, and if he is working the later shift, there are no buses running when he finishes work. Helping Shahpur with a car will greatly improve his ability to achieve financial independence. A car will make his current situation doable while also creating opportunities for better-paying jobs in the future -- he was turned down for a full-time security job because he didn t have a car. A local family generously donated a car to Aziz s family, and having reliable transportation was very important in Aziz s ability to secure his present position. We are reaching out to the congregation to see if anyone might have a reliable car they are no longer using and might be willing to donate or sell for a reasonable price. We have some funds remaining from our initial outreach last December, but we will need additional funds to help with related car expenses like repairs, taxes, and registration fees. If you are able to make a contribution to help Shahpur, please make out the check to Trinity with refugee fund for car in the memo line. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Lynn B, or after 15. May, Kathy T. Shahpur is a neighbor in need, and we hope we can help him over this transportation hurdle so he can achieve his full career potential. 4

5 Remember in Your Prayers... the church our synod & bishops Bishops Elizabeth Eaton & Richard Graham our missionaries Stephen Deal & Marta Giron, Cent. America our congregation Trinity Church... the nations Afghanistan, Haiti, Korea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Liberia, Libya, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Palestine, Somalia, Spain/Cataluña, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe... the sick and suffering hospital Rob W, Georgetown Univ Hospital nursing/rehabilitation center Philip T, Manor Care Potomac John W, Sunrise of Rockville home Jean B Cathy C Tigist G Fred K Susan K James T Karen W family and friends* Bob B, father of Angela B Raven C, friend of Susan D Stanley J, father of Mike J Terry L, friend of Bob & Marilyn C John L, friend of Lynn & Bud B Charles M, cousin of Jim V Jacquie M, friend of Diana M Patricia P, mother of Matthew C Greta S, sister of Anita S Don T, brother-in-law of Bud B Turquoise W, daughter of Margo W *For family and friends, prayer requests will be kept on the list for four weeks. After four weeks, please complete another card. Death David S husband of Lineth S & son of Len S April 2018 Funeral will be at Trinity on Saturday 2. June 2018 This Week at Trinity Sunday 13. May 7 th Easter / Ascension Sunday Mother s Day LSS Shower Collection 8:15 am Holy Communion 9:30 am Sunday School First Communion Class Adult Forum 10:45 am Holy Communion 12:15 pm Worship & Music Team (11) Mon 14. May 7:30 pm Heavenly Handbells (Wor) Tues 15. May 11:15 am Staff mtg 6:30 pm Stephen Min Supervision (10) Wed 16. May 3:45 pm Confirmation Class (11) Thurs 17. May 7:30 pm Trinity Singers (MR) Sat 19. May 10:00 am Pentecost Decorating 6:30 pm Combined Handbell Festival at Holy Trinity, Laurel Next Sunday 20. May Day of Pentecost Lutheran Social Services Shower 8:15 am Holy Communion 9:30 am Sunday School & Adult Forum 10:45 am Holy Communion w/ First Communion 1:45 pm Beth. H&R-MutlMin/Staff Supp 6:00 pm Youth Group (gr. 6-12) Looking Ahead 2. Jun David S Funeral 10. June Trinity Annual Picnic 23. June Meet Our Afghan Families Potluck Birthdays 14. Kevin D Billie J 17. Jeffrey S Katherine S Chris T 18. Salama N Frederick V Wedding Anniversaries 17. Lynn & Bud B 18. Kathy H & Robert P Baptismal Days 13. Christopher S 15. Adelyn C 16. Anusha A Kathy H Kristine S 17. Benjamin N Nicholas S 19. Leslie C 5

6 Have you missed Trinity events because you lacked transportation? Trinity has missed you too and the following members of the congregation would like to provide you with a ride to Trinity events: Carol B Marilyn C Margaret F Peggy & Dick J Miriam M Nancy N Len S Zip codes are provided to aid in finding a driver close to you. Do not hesitate to call. If you would like volunteer to drive, contact Dick J. Red Geraniums for Pentecost Sunday 20. May 2018 Deadline for ordering 13. May 2018 I wish to order red $5.00 each Given by In memory of In honor of You may place your order form and cash or check, made payable to Trinity Lutheran Church, in the flower envelope (which you will find in the card rack in the pews), and place the envelope in the offering plate, mail it to the church. Celebrating Mother's Day, Luther-style excerpts from an article by Emil B. Huntington Martin Luther could regard any day as Mother s Day. The value he placed on the maternal vocation stood in sharp contrast to the views of his contemporaries. In his day, women were thought holier if they became nuns rather than wives or mothers. Martin Luther fought against this idea for much of his life. Luther valued motherhood highly, recognizing its origin in the very design of God s creation. Be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28) Luther frequently celebrated the blessings of children and the wonderful calling of motherhood. Along with this, Luther makes the point that giving birth is not enough; parents must also raise those children. But it is not enough that a child is born.... A person has to raise children to the service, praise, and honor of God Most certainly father and mother are apostles, bishops, and priests to their children, for it is they who make them acquainted with the gospel. In short, there is no greater or nobler authority on earth than that of parents over their children, for this authority is both spiritual and temporal. (LW, 45:46) So, whether it is Mother s Day or not, remember that any day can be. Offer your thanks to God for life through your mother and encouragement and support to the mothers you know and meet. 6