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, “The Story.” To go along with this series we will be doing some things that help us to celebrate Jesus’ birth. 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 what we are spending brings honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. This question may lead us to find that we need to cut back on what we spend on ourselves and to think about what is on Jesus’ wish list. As a way to help us focus on what Jesus w

“I always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in my prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  That should sound just a little familiar.  (1 Thess. 1:2-3) By the time you read this, I will be back on my feet and this will be behind me, but for the past week I have been held captive on my couch by a fancy moon boot and doctor’s orders.  I’m sure you know me well enough by now to know that this is NOT a normal state for me!  I have teased my friends that they are coming to visit just to see me sitting still with their own eyes.  Chris has been an absolute saint!  I have loved this man since I was 17 and didn’t think I could love him more, but I was wrong.  We have been blessed with visits, cards, calls and food.  Much of that from our Trinity family, which is why I opened with this scripture. I mean every word and I do pray for you daily. As Thanksgiving approaches

What’s Going On? By Pastor Chris We are starting a new column this month in the newsletter called “What’s Going On?” We want o communicate clearly the changes and decisions we are making at the church. This column (which will continue on) is a way to communicate some of these changes in an open and honest way. As always, I  encourage you that if you have specific questions to contact me as I will be glad to take the time and share with you the most up-to-date and accurate information that I have at any time. The big conversation that has been at work in the church as we mentioned in last month’s newsletter is the Gathering Hall. I have been in discussions with many people and the leadership team about some safety and aging concerns in the Gathering Hall. The discussions have centered around three key pieces. One area is the area of the carpet. Discussions around the Gathering Hall carpet began with cleaning the carpet. However the special cleaning materials used to clean this ty

Ugly Christmas Sweater Sunday For a bit off levity and celebration of this holiday season we will have an ugly Christmas sweater contest on the Sunday before Christmas Eve, December 17 th . We invite you to join in the festivities and come in your ugly Christmas sweater or favorite Christmas apparel. We will have prizes for the best ugly Christmas sweater. As an added bonus Pastor will wear and preach in a special Christmas outfit (mostly in good taste) if we collect enough money for Operation Christmas Transformation. So join in the fun as we celebrate the birth of Christ even if it is with ugly Christmas sweaters.

WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS BRUNCH The Trinity Women’s Bible Study group is sponsoring a WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS BRUNCH Wednesday December 13 th  from 9:15 – 11:00 in the Gathering Hall.  To add to the festivity – bring your favorite tea cup or coffee mug to use, and be sure to invite a friend.  The event includes a yummy brunch  followed by a program which will include a brief devotional, a time of Christmas carol singing, and a presentation from Ft. Wayne’s “ C reative  W omen of the  W orld” ministry.  ( www.gocwow.org ).  CWOW will have unique gift items available for purchase that day, a great opportunity for some Christmas shopping!  Come share in good food, good fellowship and singing your favorite Christmas songs.  Invite your friends.  Open to all women.

Can you help? We are currently in the process of building our worship teams for 2018. There are many ways that you can help with our hospitality on Sunday mornings. If you would like to get involved please sign up at the ministry center or contact the church office. We will also have sign ups on in worship as well. If you have been involved in the past we would love you to continue or if you would like to take some time off or try something different that is alright as well. Just let us know how you would like to serve on Sunday mornings. All of these positions operate on a rotating basis and we will train you for whatever job you would like to take. Here are some of the opportunities that we have available for our two services: 1 st Service Greeter – This position welcomes all to worship. Usher – This position helps collect the offering and assists everyone coming to worship. Sound Board – This position takes care of the sound and the slides for worship. Liturgist – Th

Annual Dorcas Circle Cookie Exchange  On December 10, we will have our annual 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.

Dear Trinity Family, In my letter this month, I would like to answer a question that I have never been asked. The question is “why is it that I (Pastor Chris) never preach/teach stewardship in service?” Now many of you reading this will say there is good reason why I haven’t been asked that, because no one cares and even more people don’t like stewardship sermons. This is because many of us associate stewardship with just giving and specifically with giving money. For those of us who have grown up in the church we almost instinctively hear the word “campaign” after the word stewardship. Meaning the church in the past has leveled stewardship and more recently gratitude with raising funds for building projects, mission trips, and even just encouraging yearly giving with pledge cards. But the truth is that stewardship is so much more than this. You see I do care about giving. In fact I encourage everyone (including non-believers) to have a plan for giving to a church. Because you may n

Bienvenidos” means “welcome” in Spanish and it’s a word I learned on my first trip to Peru in 2007.  Since Trinity will become senders and go-ers to Peru in 2018, I thought I would tell you a little more about how I came to be in Peru and the ministry of Quechua Benefit. In the mid-2000’s, I felt a strong desire to go on a mission trip somewhere where I could use my occupational therapy skills.  I read about an OT class out of Evansville who travelled with Wheels for the World (WFTW), a ministry of Joni and Friends.  I reached out to WFTW and was assigned a trip to Arequipa, Peru.  I was so excited about the mission that it never dawned on me I was headed to the land of alpacas!  My sister-in-law pointed that out along with the information about the International Alpaca Fiesta being held in Arequipa just 5 days after the mission!  This home-body, never-travelled-alone-out- of-the-country girl, took a HUGE leap of faith and went to Peru for 3 ½ weeks!  I didn’t hear English spoken fo

In the November 5th edition of the News-Sun, there was a flashback report that shared that 25 years ago Trinity Church began tearing down the old community center after the building of our new offices and classrooms. This means that our Gathering Hall and “new” side of the building turns 25 this year. Trinity truly has been blessed by the forethought of the leaders who built this new building. They were thinking about how the needs of our church and the community would change over the years. With this in mind, the leadership team and a small steering team are looking into ways that we can make repairs and improvements in the Gathering Hall and offices so that this great work that began 25 years ago can continue to meet the needs of ministry for another 25 years. With the holidays arriving quickly some of the smaller changes will come quickly but the larger changes will come at the first of the year. We encourage you to be on the lookout for information on how you can help with this pr

Upcoming Dates to Remember December 10—Dorcas Circle Cookie Exchange December 14—Meals at Maplecrest (sponsor needed) December 24—Both Morning Services in Sanctuary (8:25am and 10:45am) (7:00pm Modern Candelight Service 11:00pm Traditional Candlelight.) December 26—Sewing for Missions—cancelled for December– see you in January

A few weeks ago Pastor Angie invited everyone to join the challenge our Conference Superintendent David Neckers and his wife Darlene set for the clergy of the Northeast District of the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church to join them every Wednesday in fasting and praying for our district. His challenge read: Jesus told us to GO and MAKE disciples of all nations teaching them to obey everything that he commanded us (Matt. 28:18-20). In that vein, I am asking you, the pastors and laity of the Northeast District to join my wife, Darlene and me as we go fast and pray. Beginning Wednesday , October 25 , and then every Wednesday through December 20 . Darlene and I will be fasting and praying for you and every Jesus follower in your church to become more missional. That is every UM member engaged in life giving changes for Jesus Christ in our personal & corporate mission field. A fast for you may not look like a fast for me. I will be engaging in a 24 hour fast.

Dear Trinity Family, On this date one year ago, I told you all of our plans as a church to switch our leadership to a more streamlined model. From this time we have combined all three of our primary committees (Finance Committee, Staff Parish Relations Committee, and Trustees) into one board that assumes the administrative functions of the church. This newly assembled board has been learning, discerning, and leading since November of last year, and they have done a great job in working on guidelines, procedures, and setting a solid financial structure. The members of this team are Tim Holcomb, John Blume, Larry Allen, Barb Bower, Dian Lute, Phyllis Weber, and Rachel Welch-McGuire. If you get a chance, take time to thank this group for their hard work of learning and building this amazing group. As I have mentioned before, this board allows us to streamline the process of leadership and allow more people to be involved in the ministry of making disciples. This has enabled us to beg

As I write this, Hurricane Irma is turning away from Cuba and beginning her 175 mile journey to the Florida Keys. She is expected to slam into the west coast of Florida in just about twenty hours with storm surges that some are saying are unprecedented. Many of us, Chris and I included, have family members in her path who have chosen to “ride it out” in spite of evacuation orders that plead with people to move to safety. At the same time, Texas and Louisiana are trying to pick up the literal pieces left behind by Hurricane Harvey. Out west, multiple states are being charred by many rampant wild fires. Earthquakes have hit Mexico. North Korea has caused earthquakes testing nuclear bombs that threaten us from afar. I can barely watch the news or look at social media and at the same time, I can barely take my eyes off of it as I search for word from those whom we love who sit squarely in the sites of it all. I have heard people blame everything and everyone from Trump to climate ch

Thank You! Trinity Church's lawn and landscape looks beautiful and well maintained. Thanks to a group of volunteers who haven't missed a beat all summer. Thanks to the Boy Scouts who planted flowers, Judy Butler who donated hostas, Brian Baker, Brad Baker, Jayne Hickman, Frederick Fusco, and Scott Bell who mowed the grass, sprayed the weeds and trimmed the bushes. Also thanks to Pastor Chris and Don Hickman who watered flowers for me. Don also used his talents to tune up the Church's mower and snow blower. Thanks to the Team! Wendell Fritz

What’s Happening in October 4— Special Apple Festival Contemporary Service at           7 PM 8— Traditional Service as usual at 8:25 AM 7-8— Apple Festival 12— Meals at Maplecrest (Women’s Bible Study) 29— Charge Conference (hosted at Trinity) 6:00 PM Upcoming Dates to Remember November 3—American Red Cross Blood Drive 10am—4pm in the Gathering Hall November 9— Meals at Maplecrest (sponsor needed) November 23— Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner November 28— Sewing for Missions 9am—2 pm in the Gathering Hall

Dear Trinity Family, I was so excited this last week to announce our “super-charged” block party that will take place on September 30th from 12-2pm. But I want to take a little time to share how we got to this place because it speaks volumes about our God and our response to God’s work in the world. As many of you remember when we originally released we shared that our Block Party would be August 20th. That was our plan and we were already well on our way to planning and organizing these events when I started receiving other opportunities that would blend well with our plan. The first pop-up came while I was drafting the proposal for the Board of Public works so that we could close State St., when we received a request from St. John’s Lutheran. Our brothers and sisters in Christ remembered a time when we together ministered to the neighborhood with an ice cream social. My response was to say “that’s a great idea but maybe next year.” The second pop-up came when our Conference Superinte

Yay God!! (as Rhonda Beare would say), I have had some questions about spiritual practices! One in particular is called Self Examen. The following article is taken from Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life by Marjorie Thompson. Self-examination is just one of the many practices she writes about. As I have worked with people over time in spiritual direction and discernment, it has become clear that the greatest barrier to these practices is fear of failure. “I won’t do it right.” “I won’t do it enough.” And so on. The wonderful thing about spiritual practices is that they are YOURS and they are between you and God. When Thompson begins to talk about self-examen, she refers to Psalm 139 and the “beautiful expression” of God searching and knowing our hearts. She says, “Only under God’s steady gaze of love are we able to find the healing and restoration we so desperately need. When we feel ‘searched and known’ by a gracious God, we are both moved

Wednesday Women’s Bible Study will be restarting on September 20th, 9:15—11:15 am.! Come and join in this Fall as we study Proverbs. All women and friends of Trinity Church are welcome. No study book this session, but we will read through the book of Proverbs during this 6 week study, view some video teachings about Proverbs from “The Bible Project”, and connect some of the teachings of Jesus with verses in Proverbs thanks to several Christian authors. Contact Kathy Brittenham or the church office if you have questions or comments.

Upcoming Dates to Remember October 4—Special Apple Festival Contemporary Service at 6:30 PM October 8—Traditional Service as usual at 8:25 AM October 7-8— Apple Festival October 12—Meals at Maplecrest (Sponsor needed) October 29—Charge Conference (hosted at Trinity) 6:00 PM

Dear Trinity Family, Wow! It seems like the summer has just flown by. The kids start back to school in the next couple of days and the church is gearing up for an August filled with many opportunities for ministry. We have two big events in August. I would ask that everyone help out with these great opportunities through your prayers, presence, gifts, and service. This is because these are more than just events they are opportunities for us to serve and love our neighbors as we be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. With my letter today, I am going to share both of these marvelous opportunities, share why we do them, and share how you can help. The first of these is Kid City on August 5 th from 10am to 3pm. We have a great connection historically to Kid City as it was the hope and dream of one of our members. Kid City is a great event designed for kids to learn, grow, and play. It is an awesome opportunity for us to show our commitment to our n

 Trinity is an exciting place to be right now.  Just in the past year, we have renovated long-time ministries, made our building and worship more accessible and inclusive, and brought on new staff with new ideas and a desire to involve more of you in ministry.  Our Bishop is calling all UM churches in Indiana to become more missional.  To be missional means that we stop thinking about mission as a trip somewhere or a program we support and begin to look at everything we do through the lens of mission.  That might mean we take a trip or support a program along the way, but it also means we look at the way we do everyday things so that a new person coming in our doors won’t get lost in the crowd wondering what to do or where to go next.  Hospitality is key to being missional. However, “ Prayer is the engine of transformational churches, ” as I just read in the book Transformational Church by Thom S. Rainer and Ed Stetzer.  They say, “Transformational Churches are humbly dependent

Up until a week or so we had planned for our annual block party to take place on the 20 th of August. However we have been presented with many ways to take this party to the next level if we move our Block Party to a later date. This opportunity will give us a better way to interact with our neighbors and have a larger impact. I know I am being a little vague but this opportunity will be a better use of our time and resources to do something new and exciting for our neighborhood so be sure to look out for more details as we see where this opportunity leads us.

September 3—Jim Hendricks—Christian Concert Pianist—plays at both services with concert at 7:00PM September 14—Meals at Maplecrest (Dorcas Circle) September 26—Sewing for Missions 9AM—2PM. Carry-in Lunch.

Dear Trinity Family, As I sit to write this letter, it is the week after our annual rummage sale. It has been interesting that as I have seen many of you this week I get the same question, “How did we do (at the rummage sale)?” As I answered this question multiple times, I felt this letter might be a way to address this question more fully. But I warn you that my answer comes with a question. The question is this. What does doing a good job look like in the church? How do we define success as the church? The place to start to answer this question is with our mission. The mission of the church follows Jesus command to “make disciples.” Our mission is to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. And this is lived out in our vision, which is to connect to God in Jesus Christ, grow in our faith in Jesus Christ, and to serve in our world for Jesus Christ. The thing that holds all of these together is that they are built on relationships. We as the churc

I am at a loss for words.  Maybe it’s because I have been feverishly writing ordination papers, a   Bible Study, sermons, bylaws, policies and procedures. Maybe my words are all used up.  Alert the media!!  That NEVER happens.  Just ask Chris.  Yet, while I usually have this article to Jayne by the 15 th of the month, here it is June 25 th and I am still just not finding words to share with you.  So it has come to this:  I am sitting on my deck in the evening, listening to the wind in the trees with my computer on my lap, waiting for words.  My Canon-in-D wind chimes are dancing on the breeze, making music that I’m convinced could calm the savage beast.  The sun is playing hide and seek behind the clouds and the neighborhood is quiet.  The birds are deep in the woods chirping away, happy to have protection out of the wind.  The bull frogs are quiet tonight, too, probably keeping their little heads out of the cool, windy air.  Once in a while a plane will glide over or a train will

Mark your calendars! We have an awesome opportunity to join with our brothers and sisters in Christ to help serve our community. Sunday August 27 th , thirteen local churches are coming together to serve in our community together as they take part in Engage Sunday. The final details are still being worked out, but we anticipate over 600 people coming together to do a variety of different projects (for all abilities) and then have a meal together and worship together. We will only have one service that Sunday at 8:25am and then I encourage everyone to take part in this marvelous ministry where we can show the Kendallville community that the children of God are not divided and, despite our differences, we can show God’s love together. Keep an eye out for more details as they become available.

Prayer Warriors Needed As we continue to seek God’s will as a church, we need to be rooted in prayer. This includes prayer for each other, prayer for our ministries, as well as prayers for our community. We are seeking people who have a heart and passion for prayer to help us form a prayer team or teams. Some of the activities this group will work through are how we pray for our church, and for our community, as well as how to build (rebuild) our prayer room. If interested please contact Pastor Chris at the church office, through e-mail at chris@trinitychurchum.org , or by signing up at the ministry center.