Trinity Church Newsletter

Dear Trinity Family, The Advent season is upon us. Advent is a time for us to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ. This preparation is both a celebration of Christ’s entry into this world in Bethlehem, but also a hope that Christ will come again in final victory. To help us on this Advent journey, we are centering our thoughts on Jesus, the real reason for the season, with the sermon series, “A Christmas Journey.” To go along with this series we will be doing some things that help us to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Throughout the advent season, we will be collecting diapers for Life and Family Services. We will have a two days (December 18 and 19) for us to ring the bell for the Salvation Army (most of this money stays right here in Noble County). One of the key ways we can celebrate Jesus’ birthday is to think about what we are going to spend on Christmas. I am not suggesting that we tend toward the side of Ebenezer Scrooge, but that we really think about whether

It’s hard to believe that Advent is just days away as I write this.  I remember how time used to drag when I was a kid. I thought I would never be ten years old, then I thought graduation would never come and somehow suddenly we are grandparents and have great-great nieces and nephews?!  What just happened?  Why was I in such a hurry for things to come?  What did I miss by virtue of my own impatience? Psalm 27:14 (NLT) says to “Wait patiently for the LORD.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”  Other translations tell us to “be strong and take heart” while we wait.  Time is flying by and yet scripture reminds us repeatedly to wait…and not only to wait, but wait patiently .  Notice this little verse alone tells us TWICE to wait!  That’s not an easy request of our feeble human selves, is it?  We have become a society of instant gratification, breaking news, and getting what we want when we want it.  We have forgotten how to take heart when we do NOT get w

Coming in December! - Annual SoulFire Breakfast and Dorcas Circle Cookie Exchange  On December 11, we will have our annual Youth breakfast and Dorcas Circle Cookie Exchange. You are invited to bring cookies and get some in exchange or just fill a tray and leave a free will donation.  Donations of cookies also accepted. Sign-up at the Ministry Center. Proceeds from the cookie exchange go to Dorcas Circle Mission’s projects. Enjoy a  delicious breakfast between services. Free will donations are appreciated.  Proceeds from the breakfast go to Momentum scholarships.

Dear Trinity Family, Wow! This has been a busy last couple of months with a brand new ceiling, Apple Festival, Fall Party, and all kinds of other ministry opportunities. I continue to be blown away by how Trinity never fails to step out in ministry. We took on a brand new venture with having two booths at Apple Festival and because of Trinity, we raised $2300 for missions. The idea to add a second booth came when we were offered the opportunity to take over an existing booth. It is amazing that these ministry opportunities seem to just bubble up, we just need the courage to step out in faith to follow where God is calling us. Throughout this teaching series (What Disciples Do), I have had in mind the old tagline for Nike, “Just Do It.” It seems that too many times we as the church have set back and gotten excited about the idea of doing something, but then it goes no further. This is why if I had to rename our current series, I would call it “Just Do It…Really.” We have been put h

I don’t know if you have noticed this lately, but it seems like many of us are in some sort of transition.  Even organizations and churches seem to be experiencing this.  Maybe it’s the change of seasons that calls us to a time of (here it comes, ready?) change , or maybe it’s God calling us to take another step in faith...maybe both.  I don’t know, but it reminds me of a word I learned in seminary related to spiritual formation.  The word is “liminal.”  Google dictionary gives two definitions.  The second is the one I want us to consider.  It is to “ occupy a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold .”  I want you to stop reading for a moment and go position yourself in a doorway, half on either side of the threshold. Take this with you and continue reading once you’re in the doorway.  Go…trust me. I’m trusting you to be positioned on a threshold.  Which room are you in?  If you followed direction, you’re not fully in either room, are you?  Look around you.  What

Please join us Thursday, November 24, from 11am—1pm for a Thanksgiving meal in the Gathering Hall. Everyone is welcome! There will be no carry outs or deliveries this year. Sign ups will be available at the Ministry Center.

At Trinity Church we have had many people learning from an amazing small group study “When Helping Hurts,” that has been brought to us by Pastor Angie. This eye-opening experience has caused us to rethink our understanding of Missions at Trinity. Pastor Chris would like to invite you to be a part of discussion that will help us to discover Trinity’s gifts and talents and how we can use those talents to make a difference in our world. This discussion will be held Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 4pm in the Gathering Hall. We hope everyone can be a part of this discussion as we discern where God is calling us in ministry to our world.

On December 11, we will have our annual breakfast and Dorcas Circle Cookie Exchange. You are invited to bring cookies and get some in exchange or just fill a tray and leave a free will donation.  Proceeds from the breakfast and the cookie exchange go to Mission’s projects.

Dear Trinity Family, As I write this letter, we are in the middle of our teaching series “What Disciples Do.” I hope that it is clear that we, as Trinity Church, need to continue to focus on living out our mission “to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” Our mission should be the focus of all we do, and this has been the motivation for a plan that I have been developing with the leaders of Trinity so that we may more effectively minister in our world. This process has been in the works for many months. It began with the discernment process for Charge Conference (the yearly church meeting that sets structure and leadership for our church) last year. We found it hard to fill positions within the leadership because there were not enough leaders to fill these positions. This led me to bring my experience from other churches that have changed their leadership structure to be more streamlined and create more places for people to be in hands-on

Grace and peace to you, my new family in Christ.  You have blessed me with your love for Christ and others.  I’m writing to you from my quiet time this morning.  My hot tea is steaming next to me.  The flame of my oil lamp is gently flickering.  Just one lamp is on leaving the rest of the house in darkness and dawn is just beginning to break.  Ruby, our little schnoodle, is snoozing   beside me as we curl up under a blanket in our quiet time spot.  I say “our” quiet time spot because she was here before me this morning as is the case most mornings.  She knows the routine and she hops up into our spot and waits for me to sit down—Bible, journal, study of the day and tea in hand.  Ruby is even protective of this time.  If Chris happens to be leaving for work and comes over to say goodbye, he can count on being growled at (by Ruby, not by me!).  This is interesting because Ruby is his little princess most of the time, but when it comes to quiet time, she lets him know that’s her time. 

Untangle Your Committees. Unlock Your United Methodist Church. What do you call a horse designed by committee? A  camel , of course. What do you call a church run by committees? Well, you call it  United Methodist . One Size Fits All? The United Methodist Church is structured to be  lay-driven , and  this is a very good thing . Unfortunately, in our zeal to include as man people as possible in church leadership and decision-making,  we often hold the church back . Not only this, but the system we use for   ordering our churches has, at times, actually prevented the laity from participating in our mission to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. What if I told you that  there is another way , and it is actually already written into the Book of Discipline? There is. But let me first set the scene as to why exploring alternative governance is so important. As clergy know, there's this interesting wrinkle in our polity as United Methodis

Dear Trinity Family, As I sit to write this letter to you today, I am so proud of the work that Trinity Church is doing in Kendallville. Over the last two months, you have shown our community our love of Christ and our hospitality as you reached out in many ways. I sit here as one proud pastor, and I am thrilled that God has allowed me to walk with each of you on this journey of faith. I am happy that we have built a relationship with other Christians in town to provide a meal the third Thursday of every month at Maplecrest Apartments. I was excited to see 38 of you walk with our church float in the 4-H parade as we won both over-all design and best in our division. I love how those participating were a variety of our people from both services and a variety of ages from the youngest at eighteen months to some of our most experienced people (age omitted so I do not get in trouble).  I was thrilled to see many people step up for us to interact with our community as we built relationsh

Once upon a time, there was a Trinity Church Sunday School class named “Faith in Action.”  Faith in Action reached out time and again to people in need in our community.  They took on their first big project in about 1991 in which they organized the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign at Walmart in Kendallville.  They raised $5,000, adding that to the $7,500 from United Way and then rolling in their Trinity Love Fund and went to work reaching out into the community.  Their actions became so well known that very soon their pastor, Rev. Dr. Dale Mendenhall became inundated with people coming to the church doors for help. Not far away, at First Christian Church, Rev. George Bloomquist was experiencing the same level of needs at his church doors as the result of the “Fish” group in his congregation who were also involved in community outreach.  As these two pastors began to compare notes, they realized they were “helping” the same people!  In fact, they were spending so much time with

Women’s Wednesday Bible Study will restart on Wednesday, September 7 th at 9:30 a.m.  This Fall we will align with the all church study called “When Helping Hurts.”  Even if you are involved with another small group this Fall, our morning study will take an in-depth look at this topic through the lens of the Epistles, especially Galatians.  New and old comers are welcome as we seek to be faithful disciples of Christ.  If you have questions, contact the church office at 260-347-0056 or talk to Kathy Brittenham.

Everyone is invited September 19 th at 6:30pm to a Town Hall. The purpose of this town hall is for Pastor Chris to share changes that are going to be made to the church’s leadership structure so that we can more effectively do ministry. If you are unable to be at the Town Hall Pastor Chris will make the materials available after the meeting as well as sharing more info in next month’s newsletter.

We will be starting a six week study called “When Helping Hurts”.   We would like everyone to participate if possible.   Pastor Angie will host a small group session on Tuesdays at 7 pm, starting September 13 th .  Others may be hosting small groups as well. Watch the Ministry Center for sign-ups as groups will be starting at different times. 

It’s time to “make a joyful noise” again!!!  We will begin Thursday night practices on September 8 th , 7:30 p.m. in the choir room.  Be sure to access the choir room through the east door while the sanctuary is closed.  New singers are needed and welcome.  If you have questions, contact the church office at 260-347-0056 or talk to Kathy Brittenham.

"In Response to Disasters" Bishop Mike Coyner’s Epistle This summer has produced lots of rain in surprising places, and some of that rain has produced disasters. One has been here in Indiana where the south side of South Bend had huge amounts of rain and over 40 homes were damaged badly by the flooding. Of course the huge flood has occurred in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and surrounding areas where the devastation has been called "Hurricane Katrina without the wind." That part of Louisiana does not usually flood, but huge amounts of rain have produced devastation. People always want to know how to respond to such disasters. My own experience from being bishop in the Dakotas during the huge flooding in 1997 in Grand Forks, ND and surrounding areas is that PRAYER is the best and first response. Then GIVING is the next response – and we United Methodists have the perfect mechanism for giving through UMCOR where 100% of the gifts go to help persons in need. Th

Dear Trinity Family, Each month I write this letter to our church family as a way to illustrate what is going on at Trinity; as well as, to encourage us in our mission to make    disciples of Jesus Christ for transforming the world. This month it became clear that one of our ministries was causing harm rather than helping. When I arrived at Trinity, it had been common practice to help people in emergencies by providing a gas voucher so that they may go to a doctor’s appointment, go to a job interview, or other emergency situations that may arise. This practice has raised many problems. One central problem is that this  practice forces decisions as to what is and what is not an emergency on the staff and myself. The second, and far greater problem, is that people have begun to take advantage of this practice. We have had a couple of incidents where we know those vouchers have been traded for drugs. Now the point of this letter is not for us to jump on the few people who have abused

Greetings! In case I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, my name is Pastor Angie Kidd. As of July 1st, Bishop Coyner appointed me to TCUM as your Deacon. Pastor Chris asked me to write for the Spire each month so grab a cup of tea and a comfy chair and let’s share some thoughts! (I promise I won’t write a book every month!) My intention is to bring you an “inspiring” thought or idea from the world around us so that you might be able to join me in taking our church into the world. I have chosen the name “in-SPIRE-ations” for obvious reasons (yes, I know there is no “e” in inspirations) and also because “inspire” means to “breathe in.” To do that, we must “exhale” or “breathe out.” Together, we will learn to breathe in what God is calling us to do in the world and breathe out the things that get in the way of our doing it. Before we get to all of that, let’s “exhale” the introductions and explanations. Chris and I were members of the Ligonier UMC for 28 years. We w

All hands on deck! We are in need of your help with our Mega Sports Camp at Sunset Park on August 14, from 10 AM—4PM. This is a missional outreach for kids and is another great way for us to reach out to our community. There are sign-ups in the Ministry Center, so please stop by and find a place to help out. There are many different ways to contribute to the day.

August 14 will be a big day for us with the Mega Sports Camp and our annual Block Party. The 10:00 Worship Service will be moved to Sunset Park because many of those who attend that service will be helping with the Mega Sports Camp.  So join us at there for out 10:00 Contemporary Service.   Starting August 21, we will go back to our contemporary worship time at 10:45 AM.

Come join us as we host our annual Block Party on August 14, from 5—7 PM.  We are excited to have the chance to once again reach out to our neighbors and community.  This will follow our Mega Sports Camp outreach and will be a great way for families to join us for a meal.  There will be games for kids and adults. There are many places your help is needed. Please stop in at the Ministry Center to see where you can plug in and help Trinity welcome their guests.

We are in need of bakers to donate about a 1,000 cookies which will be handed out at the Flint & Walling 150th Anniversary Celebration at the Windmill Museum on September 17.  Cookies should be dropped off at church by Sunday, September 11.  We will need helpers to bag the cookies individually so that they may be handed out at our booth on Saturday, September 17, from Noon until 6 PM. Sign-ups will be in the Ministry Center. Please plan to help in this community celebration.

Dear Trinity Family, The month of July marks the one year mark for me being with you on this journey of faith. I am so appreciative for these last twelve months both for your marvelous hospitality and all that God has done through Trinity Church. I look forward to all that God has in store for Trinity Church as we move forward on the journey of faith together. Last month the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church held its annual session in Indianapolis. This is a marvelous time for United Methodist pastors and lay people to get together and discuss the future of the United Methodist church in Indiana. This year our theme was ‘Be. Hope.’ This theme fits well with how I feel about Trinity Church and the opportunities that God has given us in the Kendallville area to be hope. At the close of annual conference, this year’s appointments (the list of where pastors are serving) was approved. And I was proud to be appointed for another year as your pastor. Trinity was als

This year we are approaching VBS in a new way.  We had originally decided to use July 17th-21st as our VBS week.  However, with school date changes, most of our families were going to be gone on vacation or couldn't make it.  So,  it was decided to think outside the box and truly  make it an outreach experience;  so, we will be  having a one day event called Mega Sports Camp at Sunset Park on Sunday, August 14 from10am-4pm.  We will be using this day as a way for Trinity to reach out to our neighborhoods.  This will be followed by our annual Block Party from 5-7pm.  It will be a full day of missional outreach to all ages.  We will need many hands to make this day happen.  Details will be coming in the next few weeks.  Mark your calendar!

In support of Life & Family Services, the baby bottle campaign will start on Sunday, July 10.   Any donations for this ministry to Noble County families should be placed in baby bottles and returned by Sunday, August 7.

As you may recall, Trinity Church switched to a fiscal year budget, meaning our operational budget runs from July 1 through June 30. This has been a great benefit for our congregation to live out our call to be good stewards of what God has given us. This also means that we closed our 2015-2016 budget on June 30 th and began our new 2016-2017 budget on July 1. The church council has accepted our 2016-2017 year budget of $260,000. But how does this budget reflect our mission and vision? As a reminder the mission of Trinity Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We live out this mission through our vision which is to Connect to God in Jesus Christ, Grow in our faith in Jesus Christ, and Serve in our world for Jesus Christ. So let’s look at this year’s operational budget and see how it shows how we are living out our mission and vision. It is important to note that only the operational budget is represented here. This includes salaries,

Do you shop at Kroger stores? Trinity Church is now part of Kroger’s Community Rewards Program. This means that you can add Trinity Church on your Kroger Plus Shoppers Card and every time you shop at Kroger, Trinity Church gets a cash reward. (Note: This does not affect your fuel  rewards.) If you would like to sign up to help  Trinity, have your Kroger Plus Card ready and follow these simple steps. (If you use your phone number or other alternate ID, you can get your Kroger Plus Card number by calling 1-800-576-4377,and selecting option 4. If you do not have a Kroger Plus Card, you can get one at the customer service desk at Kroger.) Go online to krogercommunityrewards.com Click on Sign In (If you have never logged into Kroger’s system before, you will need to register. Do this by clicking on the Create an Accoun t box. Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip  code, clicking on favorite store, entering your email address and creating a  password, and agreeing to the

Dear Trinity Family,            It sometimes seems like time flies. One year ago I was packing boxes and looking  forward with great  anticipation to coming and be your pastor.   I  remember being nervous about living and serving in a different place and worrying about all of the problems that come with transition. All of these feelings were outweighed by the excitement of getting the opportunity to be in ministry with all of you. This  last  year  has lived up  to all of that anxious  anticipation  and excitement. Transitions are hard both for pastors and for congregations, but I thank you so much for the way that you all have welcomed me and my family to Kendallville. You have been patient with us as we transitioned into life and ministry in a new place,  and the excitement of being in ministry with you has been a blessing  to  see  Trinity  in action making disciples. Over the last year, I have seen Trinity invite the community over for a block party and to our  family  movie 

As many of you know, Hazel Mapes, our church secretary, has retired as of May 31. This year marks 40 years of  Hazel’s faithful service to Trinity Church.  We are all saddened by the news of Hazel’s retirement, but we need to celebrate the joy and heart that Hazel brought to Trinity Church over the last 40 years. Many of you responded to our call to celebrate Hazel’s ministry with gifts, cards, and well wishes.   Thank you.  Hazel’s heart, smiling face, and devotion will truly be missed in the office. The Staff-Parish committee is working hard to find another secretary, but in the mean time we would ask that you extend some grace and patience in this time of transition. We want to take our time to find the right person to help us in the office. Through the month of June we have a great set of volunteers that will help answer the phone, create the bulletin, and run the office from day to day. During this time of transition if you cannot get ahold of someone at the church, you can e-m

Look for us in the Noble County Fair Parade July 10. Join in the fun! More information will be coming. Watch for sign ups!

Do you have a key to our church?  We need to take inventory once again.  Please stop by the church office or email Tina at tinaw@trinitychurchum.org and let us know so we can get a master list made.  Also, if you are no longer in need of your key, please turn it in.  

Join us Saturday, June 18, at 7:00 PM for a fun-filled game day and fireworks. Sign up and pay for  your  tickets  at the ministry  center   today! Only 24 tickets available! Tickets are $10.

Sewing Missions continues to meet through the summer. Our goal is to make 100 dresses for Haiti by December.   Please join our group and enjoy the fellowship and  rewarding experience. We also have many plastic bags that need flattened, cut, and looped for our mats and bags. Mark your calendar for the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Dear Trinity Family,              I wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to pray for the United Methodist Church. In just a few days, delegates from around the world will meet in Portland, Oregon from May 10th through May 20th of 2016 to decide the direction of The United Methodist Church. This gathering is called General Conference. General Conference   is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church meeting once every four years. The conference can revise church law, as well as, adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy, and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs. The General Conference has many important issues to consider, and we as United Methodists need to pray for all involved from our delegates from Indiana to each and every member of the United Methodist Church around the world. Regardless of our personal opinions on the issues that this General Conference will face, we can all pray that by the guid