Trinity Church Newsletter

Dear Trinity, I have had a lot of trouble writing my letter this month. It has been hard as the world seems to be filled with uncertainty. There is uncertainty in my family as we prepare to move, on top of the normal issues of everyday life. There is uncertainty as I look to a new appointment but also wish to finish strong.   Hovering over all of these issues has been the Special General Conference.   As I write this letter, the final worship is happening as the Special General Conference comes to a close. The delegates voted by a small majority (54 votes—or 6% of the vote) to accept an amended version of the Traditional Plan that strengthens the churches stance against homosexuality. But what this vote will amount to is yet to be seen. This is because this plan was deemed unconstitutional by the Judicial Council (the UMC’s Supreme Court) before amendments, and it is unsure whether any of the plan or its changes will stand. No matter what your beliefs or hopes on these issues, wh

There is a word from my early study of spiritual formation that has been on my mind lately, first for Ash Wednesday and then much to our surprise, for the coming months as we prepare for a new chapter in Trinity’s history.   The word is liminal. The definition of a liminal space is “the time between the 'what was' and the 'next.' It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing.  Liminal space  is where all transformation takes place, if we learn to wait and let it form us.”   Richard Rohr, a Franciscan friar who was ordained in 1970 in the Roman Catholic Church, is an author and theologian I enjoy.   He refers to liminal space as being “betwixt and between the familiar and the completely unknown.”   He writes about the importance of the liminal space as a place where new things begin to happen. Rohr refers to the liminal space as “the sacred space where the old world is able to fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed. The threshold is God’s wait

What’s Going On? By Pastor Chris Many times in the church (universal,I am not naming names) we have made the mistake of working with a ministry for a time and moving on as if a relationship never existed. One of the things we are working on at our church is to continue the connection that we have built with the ministry of Quechua Benefit in Peru. It seems like a lifetime ago our Peru Team began meeting to steer us to build relationships with the people of Peru.   We are continuing to work with Quechua Benefit as we sent over $1500 from our Operation Christmas Transformation to continue the relationships we built there. and we sent the first batch of birthday letters to the children of Casa Chapi. We have been in communication with our team, our district of the UMC, and the head of Quechua Benefit as we continue to see how we can be praying for and working with as we equip and encourage their teachers, staff, and volunteers to continue to help the people of the Colca Valley.

Summer Camp Information It’s time to start making plans and reservations for summer camps.   Here are the links to United Methodist Church camps. Impact information about the camps— https://impact2818.org/about/ Schedule for Impact— https://drive.google.com/file/d/1doaGHONqWOWuGN9pJR_B1gzofEm99WP1/view Pastor Angie has also informed us that Common Grace, through The Salvation Army, wants to send kids from Noble County to Camp Hidden Falls this summer.   The only cost to you is a $25 registration fee and the commitment to have a great time.  Here is the web site info.   Please check it out and let Debbie or Angie know if you are interested. http://www.hiddenfallscamp.org/camp/