The Trinitarian Our Mission Is to Worship… Learn… Serve… Our Vision Is to Seek, Serve, and Accept All
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The Trinitarian Our Mission is to Worship… Learn… Serve… Our Vision is to Seek, Serve, and Accept All. November 2020 Dear People of God, Fall Worship Schedule We will be holding Communion services live on On November 29, Advent begins. A short, anticipatory Sundays in November at 4 pm in the parking lot. Bring season of liturgical joy. Speaking for myself, I would your mask and a lounge chair from enjoy nothing more than an Advent hymn/carol-sing, home or sit in your car. Due to working through every song in the ELW! But, I imagine restrictions, only 50 people will be I would be in the minority on that. able to participate. Sign up with the Each time I write for the Trinitarian now, I wonder if it church office via phone or email, or will be my last newsletter with you. The Trinity call use the Signup Genius link in the process is moving forward and before you know it, you weekly Tidings. [Note: your RSVP ensures we have a will likely be getting introduced to your prospective preliminary count for communion, as well as a means new pastor. How exciting for you and for them! And to contact you if we cancel due to inclement weather.] I can't think of a better season than Advent to Continuing this week at the service, we will be anticipate a new pastor. collecting food donations for Living Faith Lutheran The world in which we find ourselves is desperate and Church’s food pantry, alongside the offering plate. The chaotic. We have taxed our environment to the point items will be gathered and added to the next Food where it is crying out in pain, and people are dying as Drive delivery on November 21. a result. We have a pandemic that is killing hundreds Volunteers Needed: Parking Lot Services run of thousands. The unity of our own nation is at a smoother when we have volunteers willing to help as breaking point—black and brown, LGBTQ, and women Lector/Prayer Leader, Usher, Entrance Greeter, or find themselves pressed against a great white wall of Equipment Setup, one or more Sundays in November. Proud Boys, Law and Order voices, neo-Nazis The signup link is in the Tidings or contact the office as responding to an increasing crescendo of dog whistles. above to reserve your spot. Thank you! And in the middle of it all, stands the church. Virtual services, Faith Formation resources, and The ancient prayer of Advent is Come, Lord Jesus. musical meditations continue to be posted on Trinity’s While we don't always know precisely what to do, Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3eHOnsK Advent comes and reminds us to keep this prayer constantly on our lips. Because, as we all know, anytime Jesus appears, everything changes. Live your life. Be courageous. And pray, Come, Lord Jesus. Pr Kern Trinity Lutheran Church | 11200 Old Georgetown Road | North Bethesda, MD 20852-3202 A Reconciling in Christ and a Stephen Ministry congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 301.881.7275 [email protected] TrinityELCA.org facebook.com/trinityelca Brief Update from the Call Committee 2020 Gifts of Hope We are now entering a critical phase of the call Our community, our country, and process. We have narrowed our pastor search to two our world face health and candidates and in the next phase of our process we livelihood issues in 2020 and will be getting to know these individuals better. We beyond due to COVID-19. Gifts of ask for your continued prayers so that our Hope (GOH) is responding to discernment of God’s will for our congregation these issues by changing in the following ways: becomes clear. Your prayers and support of this Instead of visiting tables in church buildings in process are key to its success. November and December, individuals can support David K, Chair GOH through the Current Catalog on the Gifts of Hope Nalini A website (www.giftsofhopedc.org) or by mail (an order Angela B form is included in the catalog). Gifts of Hope wanted Matthew C to honor the health of the volunteers and donors, Trevor H even if congregations return to on-site worship. Sabrina R The size of the catalog has been reduced to 20 available gifts in 2020, which are more general in Community Family Life Services’ Annual scope, not for specific projects. You will have the Give-a-Gift Program choice of supporting one or more of our 19 beneficiary Sundays, November 15 through December 6, and organizations, which will need to maintain flexibility as Saturday, November 21 they find new and sometimes unique ways to serve their clients, and GOH wants to be flexible for them. The holiday season, a time of giving and sharing, is coming upon us! CFLS provides services to Advent Hope + Peace + Joy + Love reentry women, survivors of domestic violence, Listen in the Silence homeless residents, and their children. Trinity has a wonderful opportunity to help brighten this holiday Join me in Advent for a quiet, season for the families at CFLS. gentle time of prayer, scripture, silence, and quiet conversation. Trinity is collecting new toys, games, books and Using a short liturgy created by clothes for children infant through 18 years old for Way To Lead and accompanying Community Family Life Services. Toys should be new drawings by Vonda Drees of the and in their original packaging, but not wrapped. Grunewald Guild, we will spend some time reflecting Collection Times on the theme and the readings, writing poetry, and coloring. o Sunday Services Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Nov. 29, Dec. 6 o Saturday Nov. 21, 9am-Noon (during food drive) The day and time is not set yet so watch for upcoming announcements for those details. We will gather over On December 12-14th CFLS will also need volunteers Zoom for about an hour. If you can’t make all the to assist with sorting toys and preparing for weeks, no problem. You will need to gather 4 candles, distribution. If interested, contact Alexma Alvarado, coloring tools (markers/crayons/colored pencils), CFLS Drop-In Center Coordinator at 202-864-6295 or pen/pencil, and a printed copy of the liturgy. The [email protected]. weekly liturgy and image for coloring will be sent out with the Zoom link. If you have any questions, please Third Quarter Giving Statements contact me at [email protected]. Thank you. Statements are being mailed this week. Please let Carol Valerie M B, Financial Secretary, know if you don’t receive it. 2 Report from the President Council Notes Dear Trinity Siblings, Pastor Kern reported that an ad hoc reconciliation team has reached out to Trinity The Lord be with you. Last month I wrote to you about members who were known to have the Council Retreat. We concerns or who had not been completed it over the course of heard from in a while. The team has two Saturdays and one Monday concluded its work. evening. Not surprisingly, our aspirations were greater than reality, but we laid the Council members received a briefing on Trinity’s groundwork for further discussion and engaging all of processes for budgeting and financial reporting. you in achieving the goals we identified. As I shared Trinity has received a federal loan from the Paycheck last month, the theme of the retreat was Protection Program and is waiting for confirmation “Revitalization: Becoming a Vital Congregation”. We from the government that the loan will be forgiven. ended the retreat with a vision of a “Vital The reopening team reported that the first outdoor Congregation” being a “place that changes services have gone well, with attendance in the low relationships and changes lives” in Christ. We adapted 20s. the five ELCA church-wide goals (found at https://www.elca.org/future) by collapsing them into The Council approved Seth Katz of Smart Computer three. We want to invite you to work with us to help Co. to provide information technology support to Trinity be: Trinity’s computer system. Kim B, Secretary • A thriving and nurturing church • A visible, inviting, and welcoming church that engages the community Sew What? • A well-governed, connected and sustained church Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has a tradition dating back to the 1940s of distributing handmade “mission To begin achieving these goals, we will be inviting you quilts” as part of international disaster relief efforts. to join us in renewing small group activities that can Members of Trinity’s Social Ministry Committee be done remotely and/ or safely in person, sharing organized a pilot project to make quilts for LWR your skills and passions, and taking advantage of distribution. technology to enhance worship, stewardship, service opportunities, and communication. Thanks to fabric and batting donations from the Trinity community, together with a Thrivent grant Peace be with you, obtained by Valerie M, we had the basis for the initial Sarah M, Council President phase of this project. We now have six finished quilts and ten more in process—made by a small group of Women’s Shelter Dinner—Postponed volunteers to develop an “appropriately distanced” quilt assembly line. Thanks to all who signed up for the Social Ministry dinner for InterFaith Women’s Shelter on Sunday We hope that others will want to participate in the November 1. The dinner has been postponed to a later next phase of this ministry. This would involve date. Please contact Margaret F if you are interested assembling quilt tops (independently) from prepared in bringing food for future dinners. “kits” of pre-cut fabric, each containing enough to create a simple 60 x 80-inch quilt top, and including detailed instructions.