Trinity Church Newsletter

Dear Trinity, Wow! It seems like 2017 has just flown by but as we drift into 2018 my mind is drawn to what this New Year will bring for me, my family, and the church. As I do this I reflect on all that has happened this last year, the good and the bad, and look forward to the possibilities that God has for all of this next year. As I do this mental practice, I remember our denominational tradition that in the years past has slipped our memory. In the early Methodist societies, especially those in London, they participated in a Covenant Renewal Service. This service was usually celebrated on New Year’s Eve or Day. This service revolves around the understanding that our membership or discipleship revolves around a covenant we have made with God. This covenant is seen in the words of our baptism, rehearsed in the celebration of communion, and sits at the heart of all of the ministry of the church. I know sometimes we have trouble with this word covenant as it is not common language...

  It is the day after Christmas and I have been sitting here in my quiet house for the past four hours praying and studying my quiet time materials.  The fire and my candle are burning, the tree lights are on, my tea is hot, our pets are snoozing around me and I have watched the dawn break. At 5:15 this morning, we watched our daughter and her family drive away as they began their journey back to Colorado.  I wish I could just climb into bed and go back to sleep once I’m up, but that’s not in my DNA.  So I have been here in my quiet time praying, reading and listening.  This has been a mini-retreat for me after the busy-ness of the festivities. Pastor Chris talked about possibilities on Sunday and I am excited about the possibilities 2018 will bring.  Each one of you bring gifts, skills, talents and abilities that have the possibility to transform our church into an even more missional church. The ideas bubbling up are so much fun to hear.  Our st...

What’s Going On? By Pastor Chris              As I mentioned in my letter this month, January is a time of transitions. This is the same in the church. For those of you who were unable to hear Tim Holcomb share on December 10 th of this year I encourage you to go to our website and listen as he shares about the state of the church. But also in it he announces that he is stepping down as the president of our leadership board. This has to do with the structure of our board. We as a church have guidelines for how committees must be run. This document is the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. This book is edited, revised, and revisited by the General Conference of the United Methodist Church every four years. That’s a long way around to say that part of these guidelines are term limits for certain committees and boards in the church. For most committees including the leadership board this term is three years. Be...

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 ...

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 thi...

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.