Trinity Topics The Newsletter of Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverside CA Sharing God’s love, hope and forgiveness Trinity Lutheran Church Since 1893 Kent Tuohino, Pastor Volume 24, Issue 3, March 2021 Lenten Services: Come, Follow Me Lenten Food Drive This year’s Lenten theme is “Come, Follow Me.” Our One of the spiritual practices Wednesday Lenten services feature messages from the of Lent is helping the poor. Our pastors of the ELCA congregations in Riverside. They Lenten food drive is one way we each portray a different biblical character who knew Je- can do that. There is a list below sus. Here is our weekly schedule through March 24: of suggested items to buy. Wednesday, March 3: Martha (Pastor Linda Brown) Please bring your donations to Wednesday, March 10: Judas (Pastor Ken Puccio) the church anytime from now Wednesday, March 17: Mary Magdalene (Deacon Margy through Easter Sunday. The Schmitt Ajer) food will be divided between Lutheran Social Services, Cen- Wednesday, March 24: Peter (Pastor Ken Puccio) tral City Lutheran Mission, and Each Wednesday’s Lenten service is available to watch on our “Blessing Bags” for the homeless. our YouTube channel beginning on the scheduled date, and can be viewed at any time you choose. • Rice, pasta, dry beans • Flour • Instant potatoes • Sugar You can also join in a Wednesday “virtual soup supper” at 6:00 pm on Zoom, using • Tomato sauce • Spices the same Zoom meeting link that we use • Canned pasta sauce • Jello for our Sunday fellowship time. • Canned fruit • Cake & pudding mixes • Canned vegetables • Toothbrushes & toothpaste Jesus said to them, “If any want to become • Canned meat, tuna, spam • Toilet paper my followers, let them deny themselves • Juice drinks • Paper towels and take up their cross and follow me.” – Mark 8:34 • Canned meals: ravioli, • Dishwashing soap spaghetti, soup or chili • Powdered milk Note: Please buy cans with • Cereal, oatmeal pull tabs if possible, and • Crackers avoid glass containers CROP Walk on March 14 The annual CROP walk in Riverside is scheduled Due to the ongoing pandemic, worship services and other for Sunday, March 14. A group plans to start from meetings are held online. Here is our weekly schedule: Trinity that Sunday at 11:00 am and walk to Eden Lutheran Church and back; or you can choose Sunday at 9:30 am: Worship Service on YouTube your own time and place to walk with your imme- Sunday at 10:30 am: Fellowship Time via Zoom diate household only. The majority of the funds Monday at 5:30 pm: BAT Dinner To Go raised by the CROP Walk go to world hunger re- lief through Church World Service, but a portion Wednesdays at 6:00 pm: Virtual Soup Supper (via Zoom) will go to support programs in Riverside, including Thursday at 7:00 pm: Bible Study Trinity’s BAT meal program. If you would like to Saturday at 8:00 am: BAT Breakfast To Go participate in the CROP Walk or make a donation, go to this website: Mon.-Fri., 8:00 am to 12 pm: Church Office Open https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2021/ To watch our services, go online to YouTube.com and team/trinity-lutheran-church-riverside search for “Trinity Lutheran Church of Riverside.” Contact Christina Reza for more information. Souper Bowl of Caring Valentine Cards On Sunday, February 7, we collected a total of 1,250 Thank you for helping us send Valentine cards and items of canned or packaged food (shown in the pho- goodies to our church’s children and teens last month! to above). The donations were divided between the Here’s a note we received from Lily Stager: Lutheran Social Services office at Trinity and Central Dear Trinity Lutheran Church, City Lutheran Mission in San Bernardino. Thank you all for the very sweet Valentines that you gave me and all of that sweet candy. I can't wait to eat it all. It was almost like having a Valentine's party at home! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thank you for I hope to see everyone soon! helping to Love, Lily tackle hunger! We’re Very Grateful Pastor Kent, Michael, And Karen too, We’re grateful for your help with “Communion Drive-Through.” We’re thankful for the bread And for the cup That we each receive When our car pulls up. Time is running out to get your Girl Scout cookies! We appreciate the liturgy Due to the pandemic, this year all cookie sales are And the short prayer, being done online or by phone. Fortunately, we have Which Pastor leads three Girl Scouts in the Arenas family who would be To remind us of God’s care. happy to help satisfy your Girl Scout cookie craving! Yes, we are blessed To order cookies, please call or text Lea Arenas at By your generosity (909) 919-4229. You can also donate cookies to the In offering communion military or to Trinity’s meals for the homeless. Here at Trinity. By Carolyn Bolz Don’t forget to Please note: On Sunday, March 7, instead of drive- move your clocks through communion, we will have a short service of forward 1 hour Holy Communion in the patio behind Cooper-Burkhart before you go to House. It will start at 11:15 am and should last about bed on Saturday, 15 minutes. This will be a simple spoken service, and March 13! although it will be brief, it is an opportunity for us to safely gather together in person for prayer and com- munion with our Lord. 2 Thursday Night Bible Study Pastor’s Paragraphs This weekly Bible study meets online at 7:00 pm Our Lenten theme this year is based on Jesus’ words each Thursday, and focuses on the upcoming Sun- to his followers that they must “deny themselves and take day Scripture reading. If you’d like to participate, let up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) We admire peo- Pastor Kent know. He will email you the discussion ple who willingly take up a cross to help others. It may be a questions along with a link to the Zoom meeting. doctor who chooses to practice medicine in an impover- ished area in the U.S. or abroad. Or a missionary trying to Your word is a lamp bring the Gospel to people who have never heard it before. to my feet and But then there are the crosses that we don’t choose — a light to my path. ones that are forced upon us. This month, as we journey — Psalm 119:105 through another Lenten season under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all been asked to carry crosses we don’t want. In the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, Simon of Cyrene is some- Sunday Readings one who was forced to carry a cross he didn’t want. He just happened to be in the crowd as Jesus was led to March 7: 3rd Sunday in Lent Calvary. When Jesus stumbled and fell, a soldier ordered Psalm 19; John 2:13-22 Simon to pick up the cross and carry it for Jesus. Simon March 14: 4th Sunday in Lent could not refuse. To do so would put his own life at risk. Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; John 3:14-21 So he reluctantly complied with the order and picked up the heavy cross. After reaching their gruesome destina- March 21: 5th Sunday in Lent tion, Simon was released of his burden and is never Psalm 119: 9-16; John 12:20-33 mentioned again in the Bible. March 28: Palm Sunday The reader of the Gospel is left to wonder, “What was Psalm 118:1-9, 14; Mark 11:1-11 the point of that?” Simon almost certainly asked that question, too. His actions didn’t save Jesus’ life. And if April 4: Easter Sunday he hadn’t been there, someone else would have had to Psalm 118:1, 14-24; John 20:1-18 carry the cross. Perhaps later he came to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death and became a believer, but un- fortunately we have no record of such a conversion. This month’s book is The Yet the fact remains: Simon did what he had to do. He Other Wes Moore, by bore the cross that he did not choose, one that was not orig- Wes Moore. The Trinity inally meant for him. He endured the weight of the burden Book Club meets monthly and the stares of the crowd. And I imagine, when he on Zoom for discussion. looked into Jesus’ eyes, Simon saw gratitude there for The next meeting will be his act of mercy, and felt Jesus’ compassion for the un- on Tuesday, March 23, at fairness of the burden Simon had been asked to carry. 6:30 pm. Contact Brenda S. Lussier for details. I would love to say that every time I enter into another person’s suffering, I enter out of love. In reality, I am often a reluctant crossbearer. So I can see a bit of myself in Vaccination Information Simon, and his story inspires me. When I pray with some- COVID-19 vaccines are now available one who is terminally ill, or help feed the homeless, or take for seniors, healthcare workers, teach- time to listen to someone else as they share a painful ers, and other essential workers in story, I know that, like Simon, I have a very small part to California. But it can be difficult to find play in their journey of suffering.