Holy Trinity United Methodist Church

Holy Trinity United Methodist Church 13207 Orleans Houston, Texas 77015

Phone: 713-453-7203 Fax: 713-453-0354 Email: [email protected]

Church Website: www.holytrinity umchouston.org Conference Website: www.txcumc.org The Epistle Rev. Meg Edmondson, Pastor

Volume 13 Issue 4 “We will be and make all people disciples of Jesus Christ.” April 25, 2010 Growing in Faith

I am continually amazed with the swiftness of time throughout the last four months (and have made similar remarks each month ). We celebrated the Baptism of the Lord in January and renewed our baptismal covenants, enjoyed Shrove Tuesday pancakes and marked the beginning of the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday with the ashes from Palm Sunday on our foreheads in February. We journeyed with Jesus through the wilderness in Lent and used that time to reflect upon our spiritual lives in March, walked with Jesus through the city to the cross and stood with the women at the tomb as we celebrated the resurrection in April. As we are entering May we are about to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord as well as celebrate Pentecost, which we mark as the birth of the Christian Church. As we live and breathe and move within the liturgical calendar, let us reflect on the last few months as we prepare to renew ourselves and our ministries through the celebration Pentecost.

Pentecost holds many meanings for people of different faith traditions. Pentecost is historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus. Among Christians, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2 in the New Testament during the Jewish "fiftieth day" celebration in Jerusalem. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as "the Church's birthday".

How can we celebrate the birth of the church? How can we as Christians experience the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples…and within ourselves? We can look to the past, present, and future of Holy Trinity and its ministries as a point of departure in order to see where the Holy Spirit is leading our vibrant congregation. In the brief time that I have served here as your pastor, I have witnessed how the Holy Spirit moves within us here through our passionate worship, our outreach to the community through the Easter Egg Hunt and upcoming Food Fair with North Channel, through our dedication to creating a space for the children now and to come through our re-energized children’s ministries, and through our rededication to the Holy Trinity Day School in co-sponsoring Poppins and Pancakes. While this list is not exhaustive, it does serve as a witness to our continued need to reach out to others through risk-taking mission to our immediate neighborhood as well as our local and global communities even when we do not want to or believe that we cannot due to age, lack of finances, or time constraints.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Church at Pentecost, let us be encouraged to grow in faith, not just with those persons whom we know so well, but also with those who come to Holy Trinity seeking the similar connections that have drawn each of us here through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Meg WE ARE BLESSED WITH ...

YOUR PRESENCE March 28 April 11 Sunday School 39 Sunday School 27 Worship 10:00 104 Worship 10:00 83 April 4 April 18 Sunday School 30 Sunday School 33 Worship 10:00 160 Worship 10:00 93 YOUR GIFTS (PLEDGES & NON-PLEDGES) Budget Weekly Needed $6,057

Received Year-to- Received March 28 $6,542 Date $83,708 IN Needed Year-to- CARE Received April 4 $6,920 Date $96,912 Received April 11 $2,601 HONOR OF Received April 18 $4,529 Short Year-to-Date $13,204 A gift was NOTES given by Joan Coe to Holy Trinity UMC in Please be sure to notice the Care Notes honor of Lewis Ludtke. display on the table in the Narthex. Care Notes help people dealing with intensely WITH GRATITUDE emotional situations who are looking for A big thank you to the donators, cleaners concise, easy-to-read guidance and support. and painters and those who had a vision for Each booklet offers strength, help and a new Sunday School classroom for our healing for those who are hurting. If you children’s ministries. Without you all, it have a need or know someone who could wouldn’t have happened. Sunday School benefit from these Care Notes, please do not Staff hesitate to pick one up and share this Thanks to all of you for sharing your love by valuable information. taking the time to bake cookies for the Y.A.M. (YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES) Kairos Ministry. All were blessed by your act Calling all young adults! We are beginning a of kindness! new Young Adult Ministry here at Holy Our Lenten season was musically blest Trinity and are interested in your input! through the cantata performed by the Come on out and join us for food, combined efforts of the choirs of Holy Trinity fellowship, and fun at Rev. Meg’s house on and Galena Park. Thanks to both choirs for Friday, May 14 at 7pm. Be sure to check their dedication! your mail and the church website for more information!

HOLY TRINITY KEENAGERS ARE ON THE ROAD AGAIN On Wednesday, May 19, we will be taking a scenic trip to and around Woodville, Texas and will have a guided tour through Heritage Village and an all-you-can eat lunch at the famous Pickett House ($14 for lunch includes tax and gratuity, another $3 for the bus and $1 for the bus driver’s lunch if we do not have enough people to receive a free meal). The bus will leave at 9:00 a.m. so try to be 10 to 15 minutes early for loading. We should arrive back at the church around 4-4:30 p.m. We have a trip to the Houston IMAX to see Hubble in 3D on Wednesday, June 2. We will eat lunch at Cleburne’s Cafeteria. Cost will be $5 for the IMAX and $3 or $4 for the bus driver with lunch being on you own at the cafeteria. The bus will leave at 10:00 a.m. and we will load about 10 minutes earlier. We should arrive back at HTUMC around 3-3:30 p.m. Please contact Martha Brooke or Pat Kouts for additional information or to sign up for either or both trips.

FIFTH SUNDAY ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY SUNDAY, MAY 23 11:00 A.M. CHURCH-WIDE PICNIC For just $6.00 you will feast on a juicy, grilled hamburger (cooked to perfection) with all the trimmings, chips, dessert and beverage! Yum! Yum! See Buck Holliday for tickets.

QUALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN STEWARD A Christian Steward Is Compassionate This is the second in a series of Epistle lessons that focus on the qualities of the Christian steward. Living as disciples in everyday life requires us to think about what it means to be a steward of God’s great gifts to us and to the entire world. As Christian stewards we are called to be caretakers and caregivers. We strive to be ever- sensitive to the needs of all of God’s children. And we concern ourselves with the distribution of our gifts and resources so that all might benefit.

As the body of Christ we are called to be compassionate. But we must not confuse compassion with empathy. The quality of compassion is more vigorous than empathy. Empathy does not require us to do anything. But compassion gives rise to the desire to act – to do something. It is often prompted by the pain of others and manifests itself in some sort of action on our part. (Luke 10:25-37). Compassion is ranked as one of the greatest of all virtues by all major religions. For us Christians, the life of Jesus embodies the very essence of compassion. Christ’s example challenges us to forsake our own desires and to act with compassion towards others, particularly those in need or distress. Jesus assures his listeners in the Sermon on the Mount that, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." One of the most cherished expressions of compassion is the so-called Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. Our associations with the children of Cimarron Elementary, the Christmas gift boxes for the Samaritan’s Purse ministry, our prison ministry support, our support of the North Channel Assistance Ministries, and the contributions to our conference apportionments are but a few examples of the compassionate acts by the congregation of Holy Trinity United Methodist Church. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1Corinthians 12:27). Please spend some time reflecting on the following scriptures: Genesis 2:4-9; Matthew 14:13- 21; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-37; 1 Corinthians 12:12-28; 2 Corinthians 8:8-15; James 2:14-17.

And may God bless you always, Jack Flynn

CIRCLES OF HEALING Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one – and this type of loss does often cause the most intense grief. But any loss can cause grief, including: * A relationship breakup * Loss of health * Losing a job * Loss of financial stability * A miscarriage * Death of a pet * Loss of a cherished dream * A loved one’s serious illness * Loss of a friendship * Loss of safety after a trauma The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief. However, even subtle losses can lead to grief. Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried – and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold. On Monday, May 3 at 11am, a grief support group, Circles of Healing, will begin meeting on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month as a way to share, listen, heal, and work through the grieving process. ALL are welcome to participate in this group, but please be aware that a licensed counselor will not facilitate this group, rather it will be an informal group sharing.

Holy Trinity United Methodist Church 13207 Orleans St. Houston, Texas 77015

MAY BIRTHDAYS 2 Doris Chinnis 17 Joyce Allen 26 Linda Norris 3 Maribeth Vogler Ryan Dagley 27 Patricia Golden 6 Marilyn Halbert 20 Kathrene Horton 28 Kailey Gillings 10 Sandra cartmill Connie Hendrickson 29 Patsy Morris 11 Bonnie Salinas 25 Jeaneane Embry 31 Victor Anders 17 Mary Evelyn Smith Kay Fry Spencer Cheshire Holy Trinity Day School and Holy Trinity UMC present:  on Saturday, May 1, 2009 at 10am

Calling children of all ages… Holy Trinity Day School and Holy Trinity UMC will be co-hosting

 to raise funds to purchase a projector for the Day School. We invite all students, families, church members, friends, and community members to come on out to this morning of food, fun, and fellowship! We will begin serving breakfast at 9:30am and  will begin at 10am.

***Additional Movies snacks will be available for a small fee at the movie Tickets will be available for purchase in the Day School Office Monday-Friday as well as in the Church Office Monday-Thursday.

Children: $5.00 Ages 2-12 (One and under FREE)

Adults: $8.00

Families: $25.00 (2 adults and 3 or more children)

ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF THE PROJECTOR