VOLUME 23 ISSUE 8 October Newsletter 2018 The October newsletter is in honor of our daughter Wendi Thomas birthday by Frank and Carole Nacci. Serving and Ministering to the Community Since 1873 Rev. Brian Riedy, Pastor Ph# 610-844-8924 Email: htmlcatasauquaprb@gmail.com Trinity Tidings is a monthly publication printed on the premises of Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church Robin McCloud, Office Secretary, Email: robin.holytrinity@verizon.net HOLY TRINITY MEMORIAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 604 Fourth Street Catasauqua, Pa 18032 Phone:610-264-2641 Fax:610-264-2661 Website: www.holytrinitymemoriallutheran.com Email: htmlcatasauqua@gmail.com DEADLINE for November newsletter is October 17th. Core purpose statement: Gratefully sharing God s love through faith and service IF HOSPITALIZED, BE SURE TO SIGN A RELEASE CARD AND USE OUR HOSPITAL CODE #244.
My dearest sisters and brothers in Christ, As many of you know, I took my vacation this summer to recover from a total hip replacement. Two weeks off allowed me to get rest during the crucial time after surgery. However, that is not enough time to fully recover from this major surgery. I came back to church, but I did very limited hours at the building. I was working at home, which for me is not the same. By the first week of September I was getting very frustrated. I wanted to be back to full health and I yearned to be back on the streets of Catasauqua, meeting our neighbors and trying to start relationships. When I reflected on my time after surgery with my spiritual director, I told her I was lamenting. Before I left for surgery, I could feel this energy flowing about Holy Trinity. When I came back, things felt different, energy lacking even. Time with my spiritual director did me good. She forced me to look at our church from a bird s eye view. I couldn t help but address the truth. Energy is flowing around the church. It has always been there. I was just failing to see it. Energy flow looks like: Ministries continued to flourish, members have been out talking to neighbors, new faces have been showing up to worship, a whole new way to worship was crafted, a new gathering and education time was developed, and brand-new ministries either began or planning began on them. All this work is a result of the Spirit in and among the church (among us- the church, the body of Christ). After reflecting on the energy, a new lament arose. I want to step back into the energy, God. Please show me how to jump back into it. This was my prayer that I prayed with my spiritual director. She told me that things always change. That I might not be able to walk into the energy which is already flowing. Perhaps I need more recovery before energy. Perhaps God is calling me to different energy flows. Either scenario is possible I guess. What I do know is that energy is contagious. I want to be around the church, so I have a chance to catch some energy. I invite you to be here with us around that energy. Of course, there is Sunday morning 8,9, or 10:30 service. There s also the 1 st and 3 rd Sunday evening gatherings from 5-7pm (dinner, fellowship, and some education happen). There is a Thursday morning Bible Study from 10:00-11:00. There are the monthly team meetings (see calendar for those time, this is where energy is often generated). The Morning Glories and Dragonflies meet on the 3 rd Monday from 10:00am to noon. Then there are all the community interaction moments. These times include: Coffee with a Cop, Special services opportunities, the feeding program, open doors for dinners and fundraisers, Rock ministry, maybe Fest O Fall participation. And, hopefully you have ideas on how we can be Christ in Catasauqua. Share with me. Perhaps we can do more. We will never know if you don t pray to God to reveal to you the possibilities. Then share those with others. If you have ever stepped away from church or if you have a shift of energy, don t let that hold you back. New energies are waiting for you. Ministry can happen where ever you are at whatever speed you need. Please don t ignore the prayer. The energy will continue to flow. Here s an invitation to walk with or alongside the flow. Prayer will show you how. Your partner in Christ, Pr. Brian
Church Council Members Cheryl Kneiss: 610-262-0467 Mark Fried: 610-262-2645 Diane Czar: 610-739-6006 Barb Fister: 610-266-1160 RuthAnn Reinsmith: 610-264-4346 Carol Cunningham: 610-264-2045 Joe Schwindenhammer: 610-573-1957 Carole Nacci: 610-264-8785 Rick Martson: 484-661-5183 Youth Rep.: Emily Thomas President: Barbara Fister Secretary: (Rotating) OFFICERS Vice President: Mark Fried Treasurer: John Marakovits The church s budget deficit at the end of August was (-$17,484.08). The budget deficit at the end of August of 2017 (last year) was (-$25,241.56) - $7,757.48 more. Regular budgeted income received through the end of August of this year of $96,279.92 is $5,64f7.48 more than what was received through August of 2017 (last year). All of our bills are paid current. The following special gifts were received during August: $ 75.00 - Benevolence $740.00 - Butterfly Release $2,245.00 - Catasauqua Summer Lunch Program $ 28.10 - Leeann Webb-Interest (To: Morning Glories ) $515.00 - Pastor s Discretionary Fund $ 20.00 - Future Projects Fund (building fund) $ 35.00 - Trinity Tidings Dedication $ 10.00 - Sunday Church School Support Thanks you to all of these special contributors, these gifts are greatly appreciated. Autumn is in the air, please continue to support the church to the best of your financial capabilities as we enter the 4th and last quarter of the year. See you in church. John Marakovits, Treasurer
HOLY TRINITY NEWS Have you remembered Holy Trinity in your Will? About the 3rd week of October, you should be receiving envelopes for November and December in the mail. If you do not receive them, please contact Robin in the church office. (610-264- 2641) At any time, you can give donations to the Pastor s Discretionary Fund. This fund is used to give temporary financial assistance to people of our congregation and community when a sudden need arises. You may send contributions to the church or place them in the offering plate on Sunday mornings. Please mark your checks or envelopes Pastor s Discretionary Fund. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, but the wise man built his house upon a rock. You have an opportunity to help keep Holy Trinity on a Solid Foundation by attending Intention to Give Sunday on October 28 th at 10:30 am and completing a stewardship response card. This year s stewardship message will be delivered by Pastor Brian s friend, Dave. Dave s blindness does not hinder his passion for adventure, as we have heard in recent sermons. Plan to stay for a light meal following the worship service. There will be no 8:00 am spoken worship service on this day. To the staff and volunteers from Holy Trinity Memorial Church, Thank you for the wonderful lunch program you had for the kids this summer! It was a big help for our family! Thanks again, Dougherty and Wellington Family Holy Trinity is a member of the Blood Bank Program. If you give blood, you may designate it as Holy Trinity. Also, if you ever need blood, tell them you re a church member. The Church has purchased 46 new paraffin candles for the sanctuary. The cost was $35 per candle. If you would like to purchase one and have it dedicated in memory/ honor of please fill out the order form and return it to the church. We will have the dedication on All Saints Sunday, November 4 th. As of this date there are 15 left. S.O.S. Christmas bells are ringing. Wish list: 2 people to coordinate Christmas decorations and to work with Worship and Music for Liturgical details. Plans begin in November. Please call the church office.
When the Sunday Church School staff decided to move from the traditional Sunday School program to a Children's church service, there were more than one Doubting Thomas's in the crowd. After the first three weeks, however, most of the fears have been put to rest as things have gone quite well. Through the first three weeks, we have heard lessons about praise (Isaiah), the Good Samaritan (Luke) and David and Goliath ( 1 Samuel). While the lessons are taught at a level that children can understand, the principles are reinforced for adults as well. What does it take to be a leader and qualify to teach a lesson for one week? If you believe in Christ and have a story to tell our children, please see Rick Minnich or Pastor Brian. Future Events Saturday, October 6 th 10:30am-11:30am Blessing of the Animals 12:00pm-5:00pm Fest-O-Fall (George Taylor House) Saturday, October 13 th 4pm-7pm Youth Spaghetti Dinner Saturday, October 27 th 11:00am- 12:30pm Community FREE Lunch Wed., October 31st 6-8pm Catty Trick or Treat night (hot dogs) Sunday, November 4 th 4:00p.m. Bel Canto Choir Concert Saturday, November 17 th Pancake Breakfast Saturday, December 1 st Prime Rib Dinner Altar Flowers TO THE GLORY OF GOD: Oct. 7th Oct. 14th Oct. 21st Oct. 28th Bulletins Open In honor of our daughter Wendi to celebrate her birthday by Frank and Carole Nacci. Open TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND: Oct. 7th Oct. 14th Oct. 21st Oct. 28th In loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Olin C Webb by Suzanne. Open Open Open Open Trinity Tidings All dedications are taken for 2018 Thank you. Please Note: The council has decided that the standing dedications for flowers will still stand but on the open Sunday s we are asking people to sponsor bulletins or candles to off set that cost. Your dedication will be in the bulletin. If you have any questions, please call the church office. HARVEST HOME We will celebrate Harvest Home on Sunday, October21st. Please remember to bring in your nonperishable food through October 28th
FRONT PAGE NEWS: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13TH SPAGHETTI DINNER sponsored by our youth!!! See the flyer in this newsletter for details. Save money by purchasing your tickets in advance. Absolutely $0 will be kept by the youth. They have decided to split 100% of the proceeds between the Pastor's Discretionary Fund and Coffee with a Cop. The youth-led pill bottle collection continues. Things we have learned: bottles must be translucent prescription bottles - solid bottles from, for example, tylenol, are not accepted; labels must be completely removed, without any sticky residue; bottles must be washed to remove any medication residue. We ask that you recycle any bottles that don't meet those requirements. Youth are responsible for washing the bottles. Thank you to everyone who keeps bringing the bottles in, and to Nancy Miller who recently hauled thousands of clean bottles to Through These Hands in Slatington. Want to know more? See the display/collection area in the Alice Storch fellowship hall or in the hallway outside the church offices. Upcoming opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus this fall: Yard work days at an HT neighbor's house scheduled for these dates, weather permitting: Saturdays: October 20, 27 Noon til 2:00. Eat before you come. Sunday, Sept. 30 immediately after 10:30 worship. Bring work clothes, a water bottle, and sunscreen to church; we'll grab lunch before starting; we'll finish up around 3. Other youth events coming up in 2018: Saturday, October 13 - youth-sponsored Spaghetti Dinner. This is OUR event, guys, so mark it on your calendars and clear that entire afternoon and evening for set-up, prep, serving, and cleanup. Additional help from parents for the dinner is needed...and other HT adults are also invited to assist. Bakers should have received an email by now requesting your donations that make the famous Holy Trinity dessert bar so amazing!!! October - Trick-or-Treat in Catty - according to the Catasauqua Borough website, it's on Wednesday, October 31st, 6-8pm. This is a different night than trick-or-treat in Whitehall as well as some other townships/boroughs, so plan your homework ahead and come out in full Halloween mode to HT! Instead of being an unidentified face in a sea of teens out that night, make a choice to be the face of Holy Trinity in Catasauqua! Put on your costume and makeup and help serve hot dogs and hot chocolate in your church family's neighborhood! Bring those friends that you were planning to trick-or-treat with!! Saturday, November 17 - Pancake Breakfast and Thanksgiving Bake Sale - not a youth event, but an opportunity to be part of Holy Trinity's service to the community. Help serve and cleanup...and bring a baked good for the sale. Saturday, December 1 - Prime Rib Dinner - again, not a youth event, but a chance to give back to your Holy Trinity family by helping with set-up, serving, and cleanup. Confirmation: We welcomed some new faces to our youth activities and confirmation program: Ian Thomas, Dylan Carfara, and Mady Williams. Are there any others 7th grade and up that are hiding out there?? We also welcomed a new format for the confirmation program. Youth through 12th grade are encouraged to be present/participate in the 9am children's worship service every Sunday. Our own time together will be 2 Sunday evenings a month for First & Third. So while you have your calendars out, mark these dates on your calendar: October 7 & 21, November 4 & 18, and December 2 & 16. ALL of those dates will include time together in our youth area to share highs & lows, plan activities, play some foosball or dart baseball...and of course, they will all include FOOD!!! As always, rides are available to and from all youth activities as long as you call or text me ahead of time. Be sure to check out the new photos lining the wall of the Alice Storch Room to see everything the youth have been up to in 2018!
Thank you to each of you who gave so generously to the collection of school supplies for the Catasauqua elementary, middle, and high schools! The principals from all 3 schools picked up a total of 14 boxes and 3 shopping bags of supplies in time for the start of school as well as 30 sheets of posterboard!!! The principals also had a tour of our beautiful sanctuary, Since then, and additional 5 boxes and 4 bags of supplies have been received and are ready for delivery to the schools. Special thanks to Carol Cunningham for coordinating this effort, to the Morning Glories for making this collection their August project, and to a special neighbor who donated Staples and Walmart SCRIP cards for a huge boost to our school supply shopping! The Ingathering planning meeting was attended in September by Cheryl Kneiss, Judy Spaits, and Diane Czar. We're excited about the new additions to our list of Christmas gift recipients: Haven House, Dylan & Gavin's Rainbow, and Scraps & Bits Wishbook Team. More information will be in the November newsletter and announcement sheets. But in the meantime, if you have leftover scrapbooking materials, don't toss them! They're one of the things we'll be collecting in November. Food "Table" In case you haven't noticed, our food table in the back of the sanctuary has morphed into an old grain box in the narthex, providing a spacious collection point for your donations for the Catty Food Bank. Kind of appropriate that a grain box is now the temporary home for the supply of basic food needs for some of our neighbors. Don't forget to bring your plastic and paper grocery bags to the same location. Along with your donations of non-perishable food, or cash in the "Meant to but forgot" container, the Food Bank uses the bags to share your giving with residents of Catty who are struggling to put meals on the table. Thank you to the individual who has been faithfully donating in the "Meant to but forgot" container all summer, as well as the recent donor of $10. As a result of your giving, $30 was delivered by Pastor Brian to the food bank when he went there to volunteer on September 18th. If you find it difficult to get over to the hallway or fellowship hall with your empty pill bottles for the ongoing youth collection, those can also be left in the grain box. The small table in the back of the sanctuary is home to the containers for Redner's Tapes (benefits Holy Trinity's Bear Creek campership, which helped send Brianna Walker to Bear Creek Camp this summer), used eyeglasses for the Lion's Club, and the IV container where you can donate SCRIP gift cards to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund. These containers, along with the "Meant to but forgot" container, seem to migrate between the back of the sanctuary and the table in the narthex. Keep a lookout for these opportunities to donate! With the approach of cooler weather, doesn't homemade bean soup sound delicious? A limited number of packages of dried beans, complete with recipe, have been assembled by Linda Wiland and are available on the fair trade table in the back of the sanctuary. The $5 donation for each package of bean soup goes directly to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund, benefiting Holy Trinity neighbors in need. And check out the fair trade items on the table in the back of the sanctuary. This is not a fundraiser...it's an opportunity to enjoy or give beautifully handcrafted items that support small artisans in developing areas of the world. The items are all pre-paid, so please leave payment in the basket on the table, or give it directly to Diane Czar. (Checks should be payable to Diane.) The table also has catalogs that can guide you in giving fairly-traded items or a monetary donation when you need that special gift for someone...or "just because". Think fall and winter decorations, hostess gifts, and gift giving. Interested in being part of the Social Ministry team? See Diane, Cheryl, or Judy for more information. New ideas and/or extra hands are always welcome!
SCRIP NEWS AND THE WINNER COULD BE...YOU!!! We have our sights set on $10,000 profit from our SCRIP gift card program by the end of 2018. So buy, spend, and bring back your $0 balance Scrip cards for a chance at our next drawing for a $10 Scrip gift card of your choice! The box for those cards is located in the Alice Storch Room/fellowship hall. Don't forget to put your name on your $0 balance cards! The next order deadline is Sunday, October 14th. You can email orders to Diane at czarmom45@aol.com, bring your order to church, or call/text an order to Joe (610-573-1957) or Diane (610-739-6006). So even if you're away from Holy Trinity, we're only a mobile device away! Order forms are located on the small table in the back of the sanctuary, as well as on Holy Trinity's website http://holytrinitymemoriallutheran.com Thank you to everyone who has been participating in the Scrip gift card program, making it a huge success. If you haven't tried it, feel free to speak to Joe or Diane to find out how doing your everyday shopping and eating out with Scrip cards can support Holy Trinity's Christian Education program at no additional cost to you! Here are the cards that are available for immediate purchase: Applebee's Arby's Bonefish Grille Boston Market Burger King Carrabba's Chili's Cracker Barrel CVS Dunkin Giant Home Depot Kohl's Longhorn Steakhouse Lowe's Olive Garden Outback Panera Red Lobster Red Robin Ruby Tuesday Speedway Starbucks Subway Taco Bell Walmart Wawa Wendy's In case you're a newcomer to the game, here are the rules we're playing by: The second Sunday of each month is the deadline for our regular monthly order. We pay $8.50 shipping for each order, so we try to combine all orders into one submission each month, to maximize our profits. If you have a special need, we will try to combine your request with other pending orders to get what you need in between our regular orders. The monthly order is submitted the day after the deadline. If you give us an order after that day, it will be held until the next month's submission unless you let us know that you have a special deadline. So please try to give us your orders by the 2nd-Sunday deadline! Cards are delivered to you at church the 3rd Sunday of the month. We receive them 3 days after we place the order. Let Joe know if you need cards before Sunday. Most of our profits are rolled into an inventory of the most popular cards, available for immediate purchase. So get in the game! Think fall and winter clothing needs; early-bird Christmas shopping; gift cards for those hard-to-shop-for people on your list; and everyday needs like groceries, gas, coffee, and prescriptions.
2018 Monthly Fellowship and Refreshments On September 9 th, a Fall themed luncheon was set out by the Marakovits and Frieds. Spinach puffs, mini pizza bagels, bacon rolls and, hamburger BBQ were followed by chocolate chip cookies and a wonderful chocolate cake! Hope to see everyone after 10:30 service on October 14 th for more food and fellowship. Future 2 nd Sunday of the month Fellowship and Refreshments: October 14 th Christian Ed. Families November 11 th Linda and Lester Ettl December 9 th Janis, Jerry, and RuthAnne Pastor s past month ministries: In this CHURCH we strive to be Christ-Centered, Spiritual, Praising, Growing, Serving, Partnering, Supporting Discretionary Funds- received money in-. Money out- covered rents for Catty families and car inspection/ repair for another family Partnering- Coffee with a Cop- next date October 18 th 5-7pm at Blondie s Will have tables at Fest O Fall on October 6 th from 12-5 as Holy Trinity. We will craft instruments for children and have a coloring activity table. Met with Catasauqua leaders and discussed hunger issues in borough Serving- Lunch feeding program wrap up discussion, started a conversation about a Saturday lunch feeding program beginning last Saturday of October. Stay tuned for future announcements. Praising- blessing of YMCA community garden, 3 services available on Sunday mornings 8, 9, 10:30 Growing- attended 1 st theological training, met spiritual director, talked with Catty resident about a Neighbor helping Neighbor idea. Halloween night Trick or Treat hot dog community event on schedule. This event helped many of us grow last year. Please join us in growing with our community. Spiritual- butterfly release service in Catty Park helped people outside of church find comfort during grief Supporting- finished basement carpet area and now have new Girl Scout troop joining us, met with member about a wedding service, talked with several new potential members, spent several hours counseling nonmembers Christ-Centered- is why I do all these things. Without Christ, I am nothing.
Trinity Morning Glories (cont d) Monday, December 10, 2018 (2 nd Monday!): Devotions Carol Cunningham Annual Cookie Sale; Bring $10 Gift for fun exchange Luncheon Buffet: Entrée/Linda Heiberger; Salad/Rena Bond; Green Salad/Kathy Nattress Desserts:Judy Connelly/Karen Frankenfield; Cheese Tray/BJ Kunkel; Artichoke Dip/Carol Cunningham Iced Tea & Lemonade/Judy Spaits; Jello Shots/Sandy Svitana Monday, January 21, 2019: Devotions Linda Wiland Plan Feb. Jan.; Discuss dinner for homeless men/women Bring in white (only) sox for homeless men/women Pizza Lunch: Sprite/Judy Spaits; Drinks/Diane Jones; Salad/Linda Wiland; Dessert/Cheryl Kneiss