TRINITY TOWER February, 2015 Volume 23, Issue 2 Youth Mission Trips and Fundraiser Though the winter frost has descended on Minnesota, the youth at Trinity are preparing for a summer of service learning and spiritual growth. These experiences are not paid for by Trinity s budget, but by the participants themselves and the generous donations to our Silent Auction and Italian Dinner Fundraiser by businesses, members, and friends. This summer we have over 150 middle school and high school youth signed up to participate in a summer trip, our largest group ever! Those of you who are in the pews when we return home and share about our trips during those summer months know what an impact these experiences make on our youth. We are thankful to have been given another opportunity to share on February 8, Mission Trip Sunday. Please join us that morning to hear stories and see pictures from high school youth who traveled both to Colorado and Montana last summer, as well as special music and worship assistants by TLC youth. Then be a part of our fundraising efforts as we try to lower the cost of these experiences, making these trips accessible for all! We are so thankful to have the support of this congregation before, during, and after our summer trips. Kara Lattu God Is Not Done With Us Yet It seems like we re still basking in the joy of Christmas, yet already we re preparing for Lent. Ash Wednesday is February 18 very early this year! The date of Easter is determined by calculating the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after March 21, the Spring equinox. The date of Ash Wednesday is counted 40 days backward from that Sunday; Sundays are excluded since each one is a little Easter, a weekly celebration of The Resurrection. Our Lenten theme this year, God is not done with us yet will be made personal as we gather for Holden Evening Prayer on Wednesday nights when we will hear faith stories from six Trinity members. We will be encouraged that truly God is still working with each of us in the midst of our joys and our struggles, continually and eternally caring for us and strengthening and nurturing our faith as we travel through this life. Our Lenten offering will be directed toward two projects: MN Recreation and Bridging. Both projects will include a service component along with fundraising. We hope to have groups gather to make 10,000 sandwiches for Mr. Law to distribute to hungry folks in our community, and also to build dressers that Bridging will distribute to formerly homeless families moving into permanent housing. Details on page 3. God s great blessing and comfort to you during this Lenten Season, Pastor Carrie Scheller Sundays 8:45 & 10:15 am February 1 Teaching Hands Holy Communion Joyful Noise, Sanctuary Choir February 4, 6pm Mark 1:29-39 Holy Communion February 8 Proclaiming Hands Mark 1:39-39 Youth Mission Trip Sunday New Member Recognition February 11, 6pm Mark 9:2-9 February 15 Transforming Hands Mark 9:2-9 Holy Communion Chancel Bells February 18 Ash Wednesday 11:30 am Worship with Communion 6:30 pm Holden Evening Prayer Speaker: Kim Fragodt February 23 Faithful Hands Genesis 6-9 New Life Worship with George Maurer Youth Choir, Sanctuary Choir February 25 6:30 pm Holden Evening Speaker: Rachel Bash FEBRUARY 18 11:30 AM and 6:30 PM
River of Life Christmas Store December 20, 2014 Thank you volunteers and Trinity members for your time and donations of gifts! 2
Lenten Offering A chance to give and serve together! Do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. Micah 6:8 Each year, our Lenten offering is always designated to help others outside the walls of Trinity. This year, we will be supporting two local organizations with opportunities to support them BOTH financially and with hands on service opportunities. MN Recreation Development- Mr. Law s non-profit organization supports the homeless. Each night he is on the street delivering sandwiches (363Days) to the homeless and handing out bus tokens, clothing, and bedding. Bridging is an organization that improves lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those individuals transitioning out of homelessness and poverty into housing. Our goal is to raise $11,500 through the Lenten offering collections to support both organizations. $7,000 would be directed toward purchasing 2,500 bus tokens (token is 87 ½ cents each) & sandwich making supplies for 10,000 sandwiches (40-50 cents per sandwich). A bus token provides warmth to get out of the cold/rain & transportation to a doctor appointment; and the sandwich might be the only food a person eats for the day. $4,500 would be directed toward purchasing 50 dresser kits ($80 per kit). A dresser for a client is more than a simple piece of furniture. They symbolize stability and hope as items that were once stored in bags and boxes, now have a permanent home. Because of limited stock, Bridging is only able to provide ONE dresser per family. Opportunities to make sandwiches and build dressers will be provided during the Lenten season from the end of February through the end of April with SERVE Weekend. There will be several opportunities for all ages to participate. Watch for more details on how to serve with both projects. Nursing Notes by Shira This month I want to bring up the subject of being an organ, eye, and/or tissue donor. For some, who decide they would like to become a donor, it is an easy decision that can be accompanied by feelings of gratitude and blessings. For others, it s a harder decision and they may go back and forth, because of personal beliefs that play a role, other family members input, a disinterest in disfiguring their own body, or previous experiences. And for the remainder, it may be off the table completely and is not something they are interested in taking part in. I want to remind everyone that an interest or disinterest in becoming a donor is okay. Every person has a right to make their own decision. Our bodies are our own vessels in this life; and we do get to decide how we treat them while we are alive and what happens to them after we have died. I would like to highlight the great gift this can be for someone else whom you don t know and also the great need that is present each and every day. According to the Donate Life Minnesota website, There are people in our community who are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and you have the power to help them. More than 3,500 of our neighbors in the Upper Midwest are waiting for a transplant and the situation nationally is even more desperate, with more than 123,000 people waiting for a transplant and approximately 21 people dying each day due to the organ shortage. It may be hard to see in a time of tragedy, however, donating organs, eyes, or tissue can help individuals and families in their grief journey after a loss. The donation can help lift spirits knowing that you ve helped someone gain a life, be free of pain, or unencumbered by ongoing medical complications. It is possible that something positive can come from death, if your perspective shifts and you re open to seeing the gift you can give. It may be hard to believe but, One person can save and heal up to 60 people through organ, eye and tissue donation. That statistic is powerful. I have talked to families whose loved ones had either agreed to donate their organs ahead of time, or whose bodies were donated by the family afterwards, and in return received a thank you letter. It is a heartwarming and touching gesture and to know that your loved one lives on in others, can be quite amazing. If you have any questions or want further information about signing up or becoming a donor please email me at shirag@trinitylonglake.org or check out the Donate Life MN website at http://www.donatelifemidwest.org. Shira, Parish Nurse 3
Families Moving Forward We are looking forward to our first FMF hosting week of the year. This is a shelter program of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative where volunteers from congregations throughout the Twin Cities provide overnight shelter, meals and hospitality for homeless families. This program serves up to 8 families, or about 30 parents and children, every week of the year. Each week the families move to new host congregations, each serving 4 families at a time. Our congregation uses 4 of the classrooms used for Sunday school and transforms them into comfortable bedrooms for the week. The hub of FMF Program Center is located in North Minneapolis, not too far from our partner congregation Jordan New Life Church. At the hub, families in the program engage with our housing and family advocates to pursue employment, permanent housing, take financial literacy classes and maintain their children s stable education and enrichment activities. Scheduling and routine are very important in this program. In the evenings, families are offered transportation to the congregation sites, returning to the Program Center each morning after breakfast, where school age children are picked up and dropped off by school buses. The Program Center also offers storage for personal belongings, laundry machines, computer access and a quiet room. As you can imagine, it take many dedicated volunteers to make the week run smoothly. There are opportunities to provide or serve meals, dishwashing, helping with activities/games for the children, overnight host, providing food donations for lunches, and washing linens. There are two ways in which you may sign up: in the Narthex beginning February 1, or using the website option Sign Up Genius. Direct questions to Andrea Henneman 612-802-6457, ahenneman@mchsi.com or Connie Shirley 612-283-0459, lakelady98@me.com 4 Thrivent Action Teams Thank you for the chance to share Thrivent s newest way to give back. Action Teams! It s a volunteer program where members can invite others to join them in a fundraiser, service activity or educational event. What are you passionate about? How could you help someone? Get friends together and ACT. Thrivent provides $250 seed money, t-shirts for your team and a banner to help promote your Action Team. My name is Lynne Lien. My husband Spencer and I joined Trinity a few months ago and love the spirit here! I have the privilege of working with Thrivent, the only organization that blends faith, finances and generosity resulting in changed lives, stronger families and communities. I help people protect their families, prepare for their future and live generously. The more members we have the more we can help our community. Please contact me if you d like to hear more or if you re doing an Action Team I d love to help. Lynne.lien@thrivent.com OR 763-595-9424. Thank you Mary & Larry Johnson, Scott Vickerman and Frank Larson, for the donation of furniture and for delivering items to a family we hosted with FMF. For our wonderful worship assistants helping on Sunday mornings. Thanks to our greeters, ushers, refreshment hosts, member on duty, altar care, communion assistants, bread bakers and readers. Your help truly makes a difference each Sunday morning. To our volunteers who helped in January-- giving time and showing compassion to those they serve at IOCP, Mpls Crisis Nursery, St. Stephen s & Simpson Shelters.
February IOCP Food Shelf During February, consider purchasing spices such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, etc. These items are not able to be purchased at the Food Bank. Please place donations in baskets under Sign-up Center. Wednesday, IOCP Church Night February 11 Come help in the food shelf on our night from 5:30-8:00 pm. 10-12 volunteers (12 & older) are needed. Volunteers will restock shelves and assist clients. See the Sign-up Center for details. In March we will help in ReSale 101 March 11. Simpson Shelter Breakfast Feb. 7 & March 7 (5:30-8:30 am) Join a group from Trinity that volunteers to serve a hearty breakfast to 65 men & women at the shelter on the 1 st Saturday each month. All ages welcome! 10-12 volunteers are needed each month. See Sign-up Center for details. AGAPE Gift Market 2015 We are gearing up for the market November 14-15 and would love to have ALL groups participate. If you lead a group or want to create your own group, pick up a registration form at the Sign-up Center. Let us know you might consider participating this year. Trinity Tower www.trinitylonglake.org (952) 473-8577, Fax (952) 473-8153 Articles are due by February 17 to vickib@trinitylonglake.org Pastor Brian Fragodt Pastor Carrie Scheller Children and Family Early Childhood Coord* Shared Ministry Youth and Family Youth and Family *Part time positions Terrie Allen Stacy Thoma Jill Cornell Tyler Moe-Slepica Kara Lattu Faith in Action Mpls Crisis Nursery Breakfast March 14 (6:30-9:30 am) Help serve breakfast to children. 6 volunteers (12 & older) are needed each month. Please see the Sign-up Center. Collecting Items to Repurpose We are collecting the following gently used items for the next AGAPE Gift Market: Spirit wear sweatshirts (Delano, Wayzata, Orono, Mound) Sports Team Sweatshirts/Jerseys (Twins, Gophers, Wild, Vikings) Pillow forms and bolsters Place in bin by Sign-up Center. Socks for Souls We are adding a new on-going collection item that is always needed at shelter Socks! Watch for sales at stores and consider picking up a packet to donate. Shelter guests walk many miles a day and socks do not last long. Place in basket by Sign-up Center. SERVE Weekend, April 24-25 Save the date many ways for any age to serve. On-going donations add up! Please continue to bring: Used cell phones/ batteries (Home Free Shelter) Hotel sized bottles of shampoo, cream rinse, soap and lotion (Simpson/St. Stephens shelters) Grocery Coupon booklets (expired no more than 30 days for Store to Door) Reusable Bags & Paper Grocery Bags (IOCP) Diapers-any size or qty (IOCP) NEW socks - men & women (Shelters) Place in bins by Sign-up Center. 2015 El Salvador Trips Sign up for one of two El Salvador Mission Trips this summer! Packets/ forms are available at the Information Desk or on the website Global page. Seeds of Hope/ Companion Trip, July 19-29, 2015. We will spend time with our sister church and Seeds of Hope students. Trip leaders: Kassy Heinrich, Jill Cornell First pre-trip meeting is 11:30 am February 15. Thrivent Builds/Habitat, July 25 August 2, 2015. Family and multi-generational trip, anyone 16 or older. Trip leaders: Jerry Paulson, Shawn Cadwallader. First pre-trip mtg. is Feb. 22, 11:30am. Construction of a new Resurrection Lutheran Church, San Salvador has begun! Photos and progress will be posted periodically on our facebook and website. 350 Seeds of Hope students began their 2015 school year January 19. Trinity sponsors 80 of these students. Please continue to keep the students in your prayers this year. February 15, Author Event Sandra Benitz, author of The Weight of All Things will share with us about her book as well as parts of her story growing up in El Salvador before making her home in Minnesota. The event will be at Gethsemane Lutheran in Hopkins. Carpool from Trinity or drive on your own. Soup lunch will begin at noon with book sharing. Free will offering for lunch. See the Sign-up Center for details. 5
6 Congregational Life If you are interested in membership, talk with a pastor or complete the form found on the website. New members will be recognized Sunday, February 8 Baptism I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43 Isaac Jacobson Council Meets February 12 Mark s Music Notes We have a couple special things coming up this month which I d like to highlight for everyone. Sunday, February 8, the Trinity Youth will be leading our worship as they prepare for their annual Youth Auction and Dinner Show. Trinity is blessed with a large and active group of HS youth which we rarely see participating in worship; this is an opportunity for these young people to shine. Lenten Worship begins Wednesday, February 18. Once again we will be using the contemplative Holden Evening Prayer service with messages from our own Trinity members centered on God s Not Finished with Me Yet. This 40 minute worship is always a welcome calm in the middle of our busy weeks. Please, join us for reflection, inspiration and renewal. Sunday February 22, George Maurer will be leading our New Life Worship at both services. This is always an outstanding worship event with exciting, high quality, contemporary music led by professional musicians and our own Sanctuary Choir and Youth Choir. A perfect Sunday to invite family and friends to experience Trinity. Together at Trinity Join me for a book discussion of Can You Drink The Cup? by Henry Nouwen, on Mondays at noon beginning on February 2. Bring your lunch and your copy of the book. Can You Drink The Cup? is a book about Holding your cup of life and acknowledging what your life entails, Lifting your cup of life to share with others in your life, and Drinking your cup by fully embracing the joys and sorrows of all that your life has in store for you. To sign up or ask any questions please email shirag@trinitylonglake.org. Hope to see you there, Shira, Parish Nurse. The Trinitarians are scheduled to attend a performance of God Girl at the History Theater on Thursday, February 19 at 10:00 am. The cost is $25 with 15 tickets available. Last day to sign up in the Narthex is February 5. Stay & Play It s official the snow has arrived and so have the cold temperatures! If you are looking for a warm place for your preschooler to play, come join us for Stay & Play. January dates are Thursdays, February 5 & 26 from 10:00-11:30 in the Great Hall. No need to sign up just show up anytime and invite your friends and neighbors. Questions contact Stacy Thoma, stacyt@trinitylonglake.org. Seeking wise Trinity adults who are passionate about guiding youth for our Mentor Ministry! During the season of Lent each TLC 7 & 8 grade student is paired with a caring adult mentor to grow in faith and fellowship. This year each mentor pair will be provided with a brief conversation series designed to bring questions of faith into your lives and notice just where God is at work in us. Please contact Tyler at x116 or email at TylerMS@trinitylonglake.org by February 4. Mentor pairs will meet for a total of 6 times during Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 18. All mentors will be provided with a brief training. Memorial Garden Thank you to the many people who have supported this project. We have completed Phase 1 of the garden. 45 of the 170 available granite plaques have been purchased. We re pleased with the engraving and are excited for you to see more when the working tent is taken down after the addition of more plaques and the addition of the bible verse at the top. Consider including this ministry in your future planning. Thank you to for your support of this project!
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We Love Our Volunteers! February 1 & 4 we will celebrate all of you our wonderful volunteers! Enjoy special treats in your honor. Thank you for the many ways you volunteer your time at Trinity: ushering, leading our church as a committee member, singing in choirs and playing music in worship, serving meals, helping with the Children & Family, Middle School and High School programs, assisting with worship, making prayer shawls or quilts, serving near and far in many ways, supporting the office and doing jobs around the building. We appreciate all of you and your gifts to Trinity. I will be faithful I will serve You. Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15 We are thankful for the strong and faithful guys for taking down and storing the nativity: Dick Wulff, Ron VanBuren, Ron Schulte, Gary Ringus, Tom Lane, Tyler Koltes, Ken Jenson and Bob Franklin. 7th Grade Small Group goes above and beyond to help: Tammy Swenson s confirmation small group is shown with their November collection of shoes. Their collection for February is Food. Donations to support the work of IOCP and Simpson House High School Lutsen Ski Trip 8
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 4 Long Lake, MN ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED POSTMASTER: DATED MATERIAL ASH WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 11:30 am Worship with lunch 6:30 pm Worship Simpson Shelter Ski Trip (more inside) Jake Anderson FMSC Event Chancel Bells January IOCP IOCP January MS Luther League Tubing at Elm Creek 9