Trinity In Touch Trinity UMC is an inclusive, progressive community of faith in which persons grow in faith, love and service in the spirit of Jesus Christ. January Worship & Events Sunday, Jan. 4 Worship at 11a Chancel Choir- 9a Education Hour- 9:30a Sunday, Jan. 11 Worship at 11a Chancel Choir- 9a Education Hour- 9:30a BP Clinic- 9:30a Youth Group- 12:15p Children’s Music- 12:50p Calvin Evensong Choir- 7p Greetings from Pastor David Dear Friends, As I write this letter we are approaching Christmas, and my prayer is that it will be all you expect and hope for. The Christmas story doesn’t just end on December 25, even though people will tell you that the next day is “business as usual.” You see we need to keep journeying with God, seeking the Christ child. After Christmas we move into Epiphany, the continued journey and story of the Magi, the wise Kings seeking Jesus. Epiphany, that celebration of the manifestation of God through baby Jesus, comes to a wonderful and joyous celebration on January 6. Yet for many of us, Christmas is in the past, it’s business as usual, life is calling us into the New Year and we can’t wait to dive into it. In the New Year in worship we will start off with a Covenant service on January 4. It’s a chance for us to place our life in the hands of God and all that the New Year holds for us. It’s a time of renewal. During the first few weeks of the New Year, Pastor Julie and I will be exploring in worship what our Christian journey and life should look like. Going back to our Christian roots, discovering our Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren heritage and looking at what that means for us today, will be part of our journey in worship. We invite you to join us so that together we may seek the Christ Child! Peace, David Sunday, Jan. 18 Worship at 11a Chancel Choir- 9a Education Hour- 9:30a Youth Group- 12:15p Children’s Music- 12:50p Sunday, Jan. 25 Worship at 11a Chancel Choir- 9a Education Hour- 9:30a UMW Soup Luncheon- 12p Youth Group- 12:15p Children’s Music- 12:50p Tuesday, Jan. 27 Trinity Meeting Might- 5:30p Community Ministries “Thank You” Look at these happy faces! Why are they all smiling? Because of the generosity of this wonderful church, these Community Ministries children and their families enjoyed a delicious meal and a visit from "Santa Claus" to brighten their holidays. On behalf of the Driving Committee, I want to thank each and every one of you who donated a gift from the Angel Tree. As you can see, the gifts were deeply appreciated and everyone had a great time! Blessings to all. Suzy Gill, Driving Committee Chairperson Caring Coins Caring Coins will be collected for In The Image during the month of January. In The Image links gently used clothing, housewares, furniture and appliances with families in need in a manner that enhances dignity, embraces choice, encourages participation and builds a community of diversity. Within The Trinity Family... Condolences to… ~ Jerry & Kay Snyder and Jeff & Liz Snyder in the death of Jerry’s father Dec. 8. ~ Chelsea Smith in the death of her grandfather, Jack Johnson, Dec. 6. Thank you… For the cards and prayers in the loss of my stepdaughter, Diane Timmerman. ~ Judy Conner To all who sent prayers, cards, e-mails and kind words of condolence after the death of Jerry's father. ~ Jerry and Kay Snyder Your coins are appreciated for this important ministry. Notes from Katie... Trinity Meeting Night The start of the new year usually comes with resolutions, a resolve to make changes in our life with the hope of healing and wholeness. What if, this year, in our goal setting, we aim towards not taking on any new tasks? What if, this year, instead of taking on, we let go! What would this look like? Don’t forget to mark your calendar for our monthly meeting night! Dinner begins at 5:30pm, followed by Committee Meetings at 6:15, then Church Council at 7:30. Thank You! The United Methodist Women would like to thank all the "cookie bakers" who helped make the Cookie Sale a great success. More cookies than ever helped us to continue the work of social justice ministry in the church. THANK YOU! We let go of old grudges and grievances so that we practice love and forgiveness. We let go of worrying about what other people think of how we look, so that we love ourselves just as we are, at just this moment. We let go of people who are negative in thoughts and deeds so that we freely open our hearts to new, life-fulfilling relationships. We let go of stuff and clutter so that our free time overflows with recreation and joy. We let go of tightly packing our schedule so that we take notice of the everyday life around us. We let go of always doing things the same old way in our faith community so that people who do not know Jesus can come to see him in a new and different light. Wholeness of body, mind and spirit is not something we have to work at or resolve to achieve, but it involves a mindset of “letting go and letting God” to bring real healing in our lives. What will you or I let go of this New Year so that . . ? Katie Orent RN, Parish Nurse Prayer Circle Reminder.... No Prayer Circle until January 11. Page 2 | January 2015 Events and Opportunities To have an event listed in the February Trinity in Touch, submit your content to the church office at [email protected] on or before Monday, January 26. Soup Cook-Off Sunday, Jan. 25- Noon You are invited to the United Methodist Women's January Soup Cook-Off, Sunday, January 25, following worship. Enjoy delicious, hot, homemade family favorites with a salad bar and bakery breads. Sundae Bar for dessert. Cost- $6 for adults; $3 for children. If you’d like to donate a soup and RECIPE we would love your participation! Back this year will be a soup Cook-Off you can enter with your favorite soup. Donations at each participating soup will determine the Trinity Favorite! All proceeds continue the justice ministries of UMW focusing on Human Trafficking intervention, Domestic Violence prevention and Maternal Health Care for this winter. Make your reservations by contacting the church office at 456.7168, or sign up Sunday in the Parlor at the Cafe table. Trinity Huddle- Stop Human Trafficking On Feb. 1, Super Bowl XLIX will take place in Phoenix. This is the largest sporting event in the USA. Though not a direct cause of Human Trafficking, such events intensify the space which such crimes occur. Many arriving as part of the travelers will be coming by force, fraud or coercion and are victims of Human Trafficking. They will be serving food in restaurants and at catered parties, cleaning hotel rooms, washing dishes, working in nail salons, washing windows and being “escorts.” You can join United Methodist Women as we Act to Intercept the Traffickers! Join us as we express the belief that we can help survivors of Human Trafficking live as whole persons. We invite you to join the Photo Campaign to form a virtual circle around the Arizona Stadium. We will “Huddle” (def: to check-in, exchange information and agree on strategic actions). We need to name this crime and commit to ACTS of prevention, protection and pass laws that prosecute the traffickers. We will bear witness to the strength of survivors and partner in their journey to wholeness. Join us for a Trinity "Huddle" picture on Sunday, Jan.18, following worship in the sanctuary. We will then send it on to join pictures from over 800,000 members of UMW. If we all participate, the stadium would be encircled 10,000 times. Join us as we "Huddle" and make the play that will changes lives forever. Let's win this game! Save the Date! April 24-26 Hillman Cabin Women’s Retreat United Methodist Women invite all women to join them for a Spiritual Retreat at the Hillman's Cabin, Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26. This is open to all women- 18 years and older. Look for more details in coming months. Page 3 | January 2015 New Community Ministries Director We are very excited to welcome Matt Witkowski as the new Director of our Community Ministries Program! Matt comes with considerable experience in the non-profit and youth field as he has most recently been working for the Girl Scouts in Traverse City. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for his new job. Many of you know his wife, Laura, Trinity's former Office Manager, who now works for the West Michigan Conference. Matt begins the beginning of January. We are confident you will give him your fullest support as the Community Ministries Program begins a new chapter. Youth Group will meet from 12:15-2:00pm (note new time) on Sunday afternoons! Resumes January 11. The time is NOW to register for the West Michigan Youth Conference, taking place January 17-18. Cost- $10 per person; Grades 7-12. For more information, go to www.wmcyouth.org/?event=bethe-change-2015. The Spring Hill Winter Teen Retreat, February 13-15, is just around the corner! Sign up today! Cost- $50; Grades 6-12. Sledding, tubing, zip-lining, broom ball, good food, great speakers, and time to connect with your peers, your youth leaders and God! For more information contact Chelsea Smith, Youth Director, at [email protected]. Festival of Music Concert Choral Evensong with the Calvin College Alumni Choir Sunday, January 11, 7pm Nationally recognized for its choral artistry, the Calvin College Alumni Choir has been under the direction of Dr. Pearl Shangkuan since 1998. Active in the promotion of American choral music, the choir has commissioned and premiered new works by Moses Hogan, Stephen Paulus, Alberto Grau, Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, among others. Members of the choir are admitted by audition. The singers, representing a variety of professions, are alumni of Calvin College who come from all over West Michigan for a weekly rehearsal. Admission to this concert is free, and a free-will offering will be received. A reception will follow. Leadership Training Tuesday, Jan. 13– 6:30pm All Trinity Committee Chairs and leadership are invited to join Pastor David for Leadership Training Tuesday, Jan.13, at 6:30pm. We’ll explore agendas, minute taking, our monthly meeting night, and Church Council. Mark your calendar! Page 4 | January 2015 Music News Music & The Church: In Praise of Traditional Worship Music & The Church is a series of articles published monthly in ‘Trinity In Touch’ with the goal of deepening people’s spiritual lives through a greater awareness of God’s gift of sacred music. I find modern society to be extremely draining. Between constant and fast-paced advertisements on television and radio, social media’s incessant demand for attention, and our society’s habit of putting busyness on a pedestal as if it were some sort of prize, life just seems to move faster and faster. It’s often impossible to find any peace or respite. A preacher once said “the biggest enemy of spirituality is noise, busyness, and crowds,” and that couldn’t possibly ring truer for me. However, there’s one place I look forward to each and every week for that calmness and serenity: church. When I go to church on Sunday morning, I need the permeating peace of Christ to be made manifest in corporate worship. I find deep fulfillment in worship that is rooted not only in my generation, but in the generations that came before me. It gives me a sense of the almighty and providential Old Testament Jehovah, the creative poet God we see in the Psalms, and in the loving Christ we find in the New Testament. Worship that spans the richness of history, transcending contemporary fads is what fills my soul and gives me energy to battle yet another hectic week of modern societal demands. This is why I write in praise of traditional worship. It’s not that God has ordained any one particular worship style over another, but rather because of the deep needs traditional worship meets in today’s fast-paced and overwhelming, self-centered culture. Some of my friends prefer to worship in a contemporary and modern fashion, but I long for a respite - a haven from our world. The choir - having been used in worship for hundreds of years, gives my feeble voice a method to communicate with God above what words alone can. The mighty organ, the universal worship instrument of choice for nearly a millennium, helps me connect with Christians from the time of John Wesley, Martin Luther and before. A formal order of worship gives my scattered brain a bit of much needed structure. Above all, the upward looking nature of strong traditional worship helps me take my focus off of life, and to put it on the cross. I do not write to elevate any particular type of worship or to defame others, but to praise God for the life giving, fulfilling, and God-breathed worship tradition that comes before us, one that we celebrate at Trinity each and every Sunday. Yours truly, Chris Dekker Director of Music Ministries NEW Tuesday Musikgarten Class Parents of children birth through 18 months, a NEW Musikgarten class, led by Carol Hillman, will be offered on Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 7:30pm after the New Year. Your child will have the opportunity to learn about their faith through music and movement, increasing their listening skills, social skills, and so much more. This eight session class is at the reduced price of only $50! To enroll or for more information, contact Chris Dekker at [email protected], or Carol Hillman at [email protected]. Page 5 | January 2015 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 New Year’s Day Office Closed January Calendar 4 11a- Worship 5 6 7 8 9 5p- SM Leaders, Discovery 9a- Connection Meeting, Discovery Noon- Bible Study 10:30a- Matin Ringers Office Closed 7p- SM Peer Supervision, Discovery 10a- Cookie Baking Noon- NA, Library 7p- Table Tennis, Gym 11a- La Leche League, Awakenings 7p- Boy Scouts, Gym 12p- Staff Appreciation Luncheon 7p- Symphonette, F. Hall 6p- Calvin Rehearsal 10 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball, Gym 6:30p- Trinity Ringers 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball 6:30p- Musikgarten, Soundbeat 11 11a- Worship 12 13 14 15 16 17 7p- Boy Scouts, Gym 9a- Connection Meeting, Discovery Noon- Bible Study 10:30a- Matin Ringers, Office Closed Noon- NA, Library Sanctuary Youth Conference 7p- Table Tennis, Gym 11a- La Leche League, 7p- Symphonette, F. Hall Awakenings 24 7p- Alzheimer’s Support Group, Library 10a- Cookie Baking 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball 6:30p– Musikgarten, 18 11a- Worship Youth Conference 25 11a– Worship 11:45a– Family Systems Soundbeat 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball, Gym 6:30p– Leadership Training Meeting, Parlor 6:30p- Trinity Ringers, Sanctuary 6:45p– Cub Scouts 19 20 21 22 23 7p- Boy Scouts, Gym 9a- Metro Trustees, Executive, Fireside 8:30a- Staff Retreat, Meijer Gardens 10:30a- Matin Ringers, Office Closed 10a- Cookie Baking Noon- Bible Study 11a- La Leche League, 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball, Noon- NA, Library Awakenings Gym 7p- Table Tennis, Gym 11:45a- Family Systems 6:30p- Musikgarten, 7p- Symphonette, F. Hall 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball, Gym Sanctuary Soundbeat 6:30p- Trinity Ringers, 7p- Spiritalk, Fireside Sanctuary 26 27 28 Newsletter Deadline 9a- Connection Meeting, Discovery Noon- Bible Study 7p- Boy Scouts, Gym 10a- Cookie Baking 7p- Table Tennis, Gym 5:30p- Trinity Meeting Night Noon- NA, Library 7p- Symphonette, F. Hall 6:30p- Men’s B-Ball Page 6 | January 2015 Sundays at Trinity 4 11 18 25 11a- Worship 9a- Choir Practice 9:30a- Education Hour 11a- Worship 9a- Choir Practice 9:30a- Education Hour 9:30a- BP Clinic, Fireside 12:15p- Youth Group, Pellowe 12:50p- Wesley Ringers, Sanctuary 1p- Musikgarten, Soundbeat 1p- Carol Choir Discovery 1:25p- Wesley Singers, Sanctuary 2p- Celebration Singers, Sanctuary 2:30p- Celebration Ringers, Sanctuary 7p- FOM Concert: Calvin Evensong 11a- Worship 9a- Choir Practice 9:30a- Education Hour 12:15p- Youth Group, Pellowe 12:50p- Wesley Ringers, Sanctuary 1p- Musikgarten, Soundbeat 1p- Carol Choir Discovery 1:25p- Wesley Singers, Sanctuary 2p- Celebration Singers, Sanctuary 2:30p- Celebration Ringers, Sanctuary 11a- Worship 9a- Choir Practice 9:30a- Education Hour 12p- UMW Soup Luncheon 12:15p- Youth Group, Pellowe 12:50p- Wesley Ringers, Sanc. 1p- Musikgarten, Soundbeat 1p- Carol Choir Discovery 1:25p- Wesley Singers, Sanctuary 2p- Celebration Singers, Sanctuary 2:30p- Celebration Ringers, Sanctuary Sermon Series and Sunday Morning Discussion Back to Basics: Rejoining the Movement January 4- Feb 15 Education Hour: 9:30am Worship: 11am (Note: ONE worship service– no 8:30am) Methodism began not as a denomination, but as a movement back to the basics of the faith and back to the spiritual practices that would transform hearts and “reform the nation – particularly the Church – and spread scriptural holiness over the land.” (John Wesley) Our six-week sermon series Back to Basics: Rejoining the Movement begins January 4 to explore our connection and call as United Methodist Christians. We’ll discover what we have in common with and how we are unique among all Christians. We’ll look at the differences between members (church constituents) and disciples (followers of Jesus), and between consumers (those who wait for the institution to care for their needs) and citizens (those who are willing to commit themselves to and be held accountable for the whole of the community). And we’ll deepen our experience through lively discussion during the 9:30 Education Hour in the Discovery Room: January 4 and 11: Covenant and Grace, led by Carol Janssen January 18: Hymnody as Theology, led by Stephanie Wiltse January 25: UM Connectionalism, led by Carol Janssen Feb 18: John Wesley and the Ministry of All Christians, led by Pastor David Nellist Feb 15: Sent Out to Serve, led by Carol Janssen Join us! Page 7 | December 2015 Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 837 Grand Rapids MI 1100 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 www.grtumc.org ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Trinity in Touch January 2015 In this Issue: January Worship & Events………1 Pastor David Greetings………….1 “Thank You” from CM………….1 Within the Trinity Family………..2 Notes from Katie………………..2 Sermon Series and Sunday Morning Discussion Back to Basics: Rejoining the Movement January 4- Feb 15 Our six-week sermon series Back to Basics: Rejoining the Movement begins January 4 to explore our connection and call as United Methodist Christians. We’ll discover what we have in common with and how we are unique among all Christians. We’ll look at the differences between members and disciples, and between consumers and citizens. Our Sunday morning Adult Education Class will deepen our experience by lively discussion. Events & Opportunities……….3-5 Welcome Matt!..............…………4 Join us! Music News………..…………….5 Adult Education at 9:30am Worship at 11am (Note: ONE worship serviceno 8:30am) January Calendar…....……………6 Sundays at Trinity………………..7 “Back to Basics”……………….....7
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