Trinity Church Newsletter

Dear Trinity, A new year is in full swing and we will quickly be in the time of Lent. The season of Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection. This season begins with our celebration of Ash Wednesday February 14th at 6:30pm. This service reminds us of our humanity and that our time on earth is limited. Yes I know that this is Valentine’s Day and truthfully I think there could not be a better way to celebrate love than celebrating our humanity and God’s sacrificial love. As we hear in 1 John 4:1, “We love because he first loved us.” This service will transition us into a new teaching series that we are calling “For.” This series will kick off a year-long initiative that helps us to refocus what it means to be the church. You see too often the church is known for what we are against. And the truth is this will be the way the media and society continue to portray the church for what they think we are against more than what we are for...

If I had to choose a favorite Psalm, it would be Psalm 139.   Sometimes I read it aloud to God as a prayer.   It’s beautiful expression of love…our love for God and the depth of God’s love for us.   It was hard to wrap my mind around the early arrival of Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day of all days, but the more I considered this, the more perfect it seemed.   Ash Wednesday is the day we begin a journey of self-reflection and bringing before God all that is within us that has the potential to create division between us, God, and others as we prepare for the resurrection morning of Easter. In the January newsletter, Pastor Chris shared John Wesley’s prayer.   I want to continue on with a little more Wesleyan history.   John Wesley met with students, including his brother, Charles, at Lincoln College at Oxford University.   They prayed, read Scripture, and reflected upon Christian works.   The meetings were meant to shape their Christian live...

My effort with this extra article has been to share extra information that is not in my monthly letter that generally talks about the mission and vision of the church. We created this article to continue to be more open and honest with our communication and to answer questions that are brought up from time to time. This month I want to share with you exciting news. This news is the way that you all have given to our community and world this last year. Trinity supported the following ministries in 2017 in dynamic ways: We gave $700 to the Bishop’s special offering at Annual Conference. This money went to help the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR) efforts with AIDS and Malaria around the world. We gave $3500 to the mission of medical missionaries from our church (Mel Pippinger, Dr. Alan Roush, and Jane Roush) that will take place in 2018. We gave $1000 to the Friendship Food Pantry as we continue to partner with the ministries of Common Grace to serve the needs o...

Trinity Church is a Christ-centered church that believes in the power of prayer. All of the prayers that are received by the church office during the week and on your prayer slips are brought to the Lord in prayer by the staff and by our prayer team. This prayer team prays for individual prayers as well as for our church and our community. Because our church is so committed to the power and need for prayer we would like to draw the circle wider for those who are praying for our prayer requests, the church, and our community.            We would ask that you would commit to pray for your church. That you would pray for the requests of individuals, but also for discernment and guidance in God’s call for our church. And that our community would constantly be in your prayers as our church seeks to be a beacon of God’s hope and love in our community. We would ask that if you would like to be a part of this prayer network that you would ei...

             Wisdom is intergenerational. When I take time to stop, listen, and ponder the wisdom that comes from those younger than me, as well as those who have traveled the road of life for many years, I am always blessed. The diversity of humanity lends itself to deep wells of encouragement that can be found in every person we encounter. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 139, “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”              Recently, I spent some time with our oldest son, Cameron. In a moment of intention, Cameron insisted we get out of the house and spend time together in a quiet space so that we may plan for the year ahead. The day began with breakfast at Metro Diner in Indianapolis followed by several hours of prayer-bathed honest conversation with a son coaching his father. This moment convinced me of the power of giving our dreams and...

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...