T r inity Spire Volume 43 Issue 5 Church Phone (260) 347-0056 Email: info@trinitychurchum.org website: trinitychurchum.org OUR MISSION STATEMENT: To Be and Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World. May 2017 Dear Trinity Family, As I write my letter this month, the news for our nation, our world, and our church (United Methodist Church) signals our divided state. This week the United Methodist Church has been making news for two events that are shaping the corporate church s future. The first of these is the announcement that the bishops have set a date for the special General Conference session to be held in St. Louis in 2019. This special session of the law-making body of the church came after the vote at the 2016 General Conference to have the bishops develop a way to deal with the current divide in the United Pastor Chris Stephens Methodist Church around the issue of homosexuality. Out of this vote, the bishops formed a 32 member team called A Way Forward. Their job is to discuss this issue in the church and share their findings with the council of bishops. This will be the only topic to be discussed at this special General Conference. The second of these stories comes from the Judicial Council s meeting at the end of April. The Judicial Council functions as the highest court in the United Methodist Church. They function somewhat like the Supreme Court to rule on lower court s rulings and to vote on the constitutionality (whether it matches the church s constitution and discipline) of rules set by the General and Jurisdictional Conference. As part of their meeting, they are discussing a motion of declaratory decision. A declaratory decision is that the court has been asked to determine if an action or rule is constitutional. This motion was presented by the South Central Jurisdiction after the Western Jurisdiction s election of Bishop Karen Oliveto, the denomination s first openly gay bishop, in July of 2016. Both of these stories show our dividedness as a nation and as a people of God. The thing that breaks my heart is that I know, in both of these cases, that no matter what the decision people will be happy and people will be crushed. I have included in the newsletter a message from our Bishop Julius Trimble. He encourages us to do what people of faith do and that is to pray. I am encouraged by our Indiana Annual Conference who seeks to embody this More Excellent Way of praying and uniting in spite of our differences. Because of this our theme for Annual Conference this year is Together: We. Are. More. It is my hope that as we look at our community and our church that we might embody this concept: to see what it is we have in common rather than what separates us and to see what we can do together. In his letter our bishop reminds us of Paul s words to the church at Ephesus, Try always to be led along TOGETHER by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another. (Ephesians 4:3 Life Application Bible.) This should always guide us that we are stronger as the body of Christ together. So I invite you to join me in prayer for our church (Trinity), our community, our denomination (United Methodist), and our country that we would be reminded that TOGETHER WE ARE MORE.
Volume 43 Issue 5 Page 2 The first time we looked at our home, we noticed the neighbors sitting in lawn chairs on their driveway. There was an empty chair next to theirs. As we passed by, they waved and smiled. Each time we visited there they were! It didn t take long to learn the empty chair was for whomever stopped by to chat for a while. Then we learned that there were more chairs in the garage and visitors can just pop over, grab a chair and sit a spell, as my grandmother used to say. That display of hospitality was one of the selling points for us. The word hospitality comes from the word hospes. When we think of hospitality, we often think only of the host like my neighbors, but this word also includes the guest. When Jesus visited Martha, he accepted her hospitality. Then, he turned that hospitality around and shared it with Mary. The disciples served Jesus. He turned that around and washed their feet. It sounds a lot like our mission statement to BE and MAKE disciples, doesn t it? YOU offered hospitality to us when we joined your family. We were leaving our church family of origin to launch into ministry and you opened your hearts to us easing that transition. I turned that around and offered my accessibility skills to help you swing your door just a little wider for persons with mobility concerns to fully participate in worship. Last Thanksgiving, you spent intentional time with our neighbors offering them genuine hospitality. As a result, we have new people in our family. Who knows where that ripple effect will go?! Another fun opportunity is coming to share hospitality! Pastor Chris and I have been meeting with the rummage sale leadership team as we consider how this event stands up to our mission and vision. New ideas are bubbling up to transform this ministry into a marketplace of hospitality in which we swing our doors open wide for our neighbors. We want this to be an all-hands-on-deck event, not just because we need your hands to make it happen, but because we don t want you to miss out on the fun. You know, I m not sure I have ever looked forward to a rummage sale, but I am looking forward to this one! We are thinking about how we greet our neighbors when they arrive, how we spend time connecting with them, how we could give them a more enjoyable visit with us by providing opportunities for their children while they shop, providing opportunities for additional sources of assistance for those who may be experiencing difficult situations and more. Think big what do you bring to the marketplace? I can t wait to see where this goes!! Pastor Angie
Many people commented on the amazing special music with the piano and organ duet with the choir at the 8:25am Easter Sunday Service. We had 13 kids at our annual Easter Egg Hunt and everyone had a great time. It was great to celebrate with our Mission Guatemala Team after their successful trip. Thank you all for your support of this group. We were honored to find out that Angie Kidd and Common Grace will be honored as part of Bishop Trimble s address to the Annual Conference in June. With the help of the cub scouts, boy scouts, Trinity folks, and friends of Common Grace, Trinity Church prepped 4,000 bags for the Post Office s Stamp Out Hunger Program coming this month that supports the Friendship food Pantry. Rummage Sale Mark your calendars we have set the date for this year s rummage sale. It will be June 16 th and 17 th. Pastor Angie and Pastor Chris have been working with the rummage sale team to make this the best rummage sale yet. We will again have a pre-sale on Thursday before the sale. We would like for this to be an all-church ministry with all kinds of ways for you to help. One key change to the rummage sale will be that we will not accept donations until after June 1 st. This is simply because we do not have the storage capacity to hold the materials. If you need to make a donation in the meantime, we advise donating your items to the Bargain Shoppe in downtown Kendallville. The profits of this store help local non-profits in the Noble County area. So be on the lookout for how you can be a part of this ministry. Upcoming Dates to Remember June 1 Drop offs begin for annual rummage sale June 8 Meals at Maplecrest (sponsor needed) June 16 th -17 th Rummage Sale June 18 Baby Bottle Campaign ends April Worship Stats 8:25 10:45 Total Offering Apr. 2 88 43 131 $5745 Apr. 9 97 73 170 $7865 Apr. 16 128 93 221 $4951 Apr. 23 87 73 160 $3012 Apr. 30 95 56 151 $6137 What s Happening in May 11 Meals at Maplecrest (Dave Beare s group) 12 Movie Night Sing 6:30 PM 23 Sewing for Missions 9am 2 pm (last meeting until September)
An Invitation to Prayer and Statement on the April 2017 Judicial Council Meeting To Clergy and Laity of the Indiana Conference, Greetings to you in the name of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ. I claim all the joy, today and every day, to be unapologetically Christian and unashamedly United Methodist. We are Easter People who have been called to be hope and demonstrate a passionate pursuit of faithful engagement in a world that is too often impaired by fear and division. Your bishop will not go to sleep tonight fretting over the work and decision making of our United Methodist Judicial Council meeting, this week, from April 25-28. One of the items on the docket/agenda of the Judicial Council concerns a request from the South Central Jurisdiction for a declaratory decision regarding the nomination, election, and consecration of Bishop Karen Oliveto. Elected in the Western Jurisdiction Bishop Oliveto, who is married to another woman, currently provides leadership to the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area. There are United Methodists who believe her election is valid and United Methodists who hope the Judicial Council will rule her election unconstitutional. No matter what decision is made, there are faithful Christians who will disagree. Rather than waiting in angst for a decision by the Judicial Council let me invite you to consider a More Excellent Way. I invite and encourage you to join me in a time of prayer at 7:30 a.m. daily this week. Pray for the Judicial Council, the ongoing work of the Commission on a Way Forward, and especially the missional engagement of our United Methodist Churches of Indiana, as well as each of our churches in every corner of the world. As we look forward to the 2017 Annual Conference I am excited about how we will model for the Church and the world: Together: We. Are. More. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, Try always to be led along TOGETHER by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another. (Ephesians 4:3 Life Application Bible). Together we are more because Jesus Christ calls us to be one in faith and service. I invite you to reflect on the words of the hymn Together We Serve (The Faith We Sing #2175): Together we serve, united by love, inviting God's world to the glorious feast. We work and we pray through sorrow and joy, extending your love to the last and the least. We seek to become a beacon of hope, a lamp for the heart and a light for the feet. We learn, year by year, to let love shine through until we see Christ in each person we meet. We welcome the scarred, the wealthy, the poor, the busy, the lonely, and all who need care. We offer a home to those who will come, our hands quick to help, our hearts ready to dare. Together, by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song. Be encouraged, Bishop Julius C. Trimble
Page 5 Trinity Spire Easter Egg Hunt Nelson s Chicken Fundraiser for Momentum Sewing Missions Mission Guatemala Wilkinson s Send Off