Trinity Talk...A Weekly Newsletter

Trinity Talk – August 15, 2010

Thanks to Jan Aslin for planning something special for the kids of all ages this Sunday. As Kids are very important at Trinity, she has declared this Sunday as “Back to School” Sunday. We will be introducing and honoring the following groups of children during the 11:00 service: Babies and Young Children, Preschool Students, Elementary Students, Middle School Students, High School Students, and Post High School Students.

All children are to bring their backpacks as Rev. Susan will have a
“Blessing of the Backpacks.” There will be a gift for each child, and
Trinity diaper/backpack tags will be available for those who wish to
have one.

We hope you can join us this evening at 6:00 p.m. for
Trinity's homemade ice cream social. Why not use
this social time to invite friends and neighbors to Trinity? Sometimes folks are more open to a social time at church than a worship time. This might just be the "door" for someone to experience the love of God through us. Please bring ice cream toppings or a dessert to share. Hope to see you there!

FESTIVAL OF SHARING TIME – September 25 is the day for Festival of Sharing at the Dexter UMC this year. Because of the many disasters, there is a desperate need for School Kits (value $15) and Emergency Clean-up Buckets (value $59). As we have done in the past, you or a group may put a kit together and bring it to the church, or you may prefer to give money toward a kit and have someone else to put the kit/s together for you. A list of the items making up each Kit is available on the table in the foyer.

Pastor Susan offers the following opportunity: The worship team and I have been planning for our new worship services that will begin in October. No matter how much planning is done, the foundation of this new worship arrangement and all that we do at Trinity is prayer. I invite you to join me as we pray for God's Spirit to empower us as the church in our corner of the world. I am asking if you would join me in a study called Acts 29: Fifty Days of Prayer to Invite the Holy Spirit by Terry Teykl? From attending Terry's workshops, I know he is gifted in guiding others to a deeper prayer life. This study will be done on your own. We can begin this study on August 22 and be finished on October 10, which is our first Sunday with three worship services.

Will you prayerfully consider my request? There is such power when we study and pray together and I believe God has put this on my heart to give us even more power to be the church to the hurting world. Please let me know if you would like me to order a book for you. Blessings, Pastor Susan

-----------------------Food ministry this month is Macaroni and Cheese.--------------------------

Trinity extends sympathy to Nora Statler in the lost of her father. She has traveled to New York to be with her family. Also to the Gibbs family on the loss of Jill’s uncle, Mr. Shipman, and her grandmother, who broke her hip while attending his visitation.

The Journey

The Journey

1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Scripture for August 22



Teamwork is important but sometimes we may not want to be part of a team. Can’t we just go it alone? You know, sometimes it’s a lot of work to be part of a team, especially if the team doesn’t always agree on what needs to be done. Yet in reality, being a part of the team keeps us from thinking we can do it alone. It’s not good for us to think “I can do it without anyone’s help.” Why? Because we begin to think we don’t need anyone else and we become inwardly focused. We’re certain we don’t need anyone, we can do whatever needs to be done without anyone else or anyone’s interference. Somehow we begin to think we are the center of universe and we don’t need God either. So as you read Sunday’s Scripture, perhaps you can think about what it means to you to be part of God’s team and how that really does make all the difference in the world.



Yes, God, I do think I can do it alone sometimes. But help me to see that we really are in this together and that’s just the way You want it. Amen.

A Light in the Window

A Light in the Window
Susan Hoyle, pastor Trinity United Methodist Church

This is the time of year for gardens. We worked the ground in the spring, planted those seeds or young plants and then waited. Finally, we enjoyed those first fresh vegetables, lettuce, new potatoes and green beans and oh, those fresh tomatoes! So here we are in August and we have more vegetables than we know what to do with. We may have more squash, zucchini, cucumbers and maybe even tomatoes than we can use. We give our vegetables away to anyone, even strangers, who will take them. We have an abundance of fresh vegetables and that abundance is such a blessing. And it all began with a garden.

Scripture tells us from the beginning, God planted a garden. Genesis 1:9-13 tells us about that first garden. You see, God created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the sky and the seas. Then God planted that first garden, the vegetation that began to cover the earth. That first garden was to nourish the physical needs of the animals and the people. God knew that it was important for them to be nourished physically. It was also important to nourish the emotional side of the human beings with relationships with other human beings. God created us to be in community with each other. And even more importantly, God created us to be in relationship with God so that our souls would be nourished. So, how is it with your soul? How is your soul being nourished?

We can easily talk about gardens that nourish us physically and we can easily talk about our relationships with each other. But it can be much more difficult to talk about our relationship with God. God may seem so far away or we just don’t know how to be in relationship with God. How do we begin?

We begin by discovering ways that we get to know God. We read Holy Scriptures, we put ourselves in the stories, imagining we are there with our faith ancestors in the Old and New Testament. We listen to soft music and light a candle. Perhaps we sit by a lake and just drink in the calm of the morning. Each of these ways to nourish our souls is called a spiritual practice. A spiritual practice is way to connect with God and each one of us connects with God in different ways.

Take some time to notice when you feel close to God. It may be in worship and it may be in some ordinary task during your day. It could be when you pray for someone or someone prays for you. As you discover the spiritual practices that nourish your soul, you will begin to look forward to that special time with God. You are refreshed, you have a new sense of peace and you really are on holy ground. Amen.

Trinity Talk...A Weekly Newsletter

Trinity Talk - August 8, 2010

HENDLEYS WELCOME TWO NEW MEMBERS TO THEIR FAMILY: On July 31, Cathy, Joe, Wyatt and Katie welcomed new baby Isaac Henry to their family circle. Isaac weighed 6 lbs, 15 oz, and was 20 inches long. Also on the 31st, Tyler and Analise were married at the Hendley farm. Katie and Wyatt were in the wedding, but Cathy and Joe didn’t get to stay. Congratulations to the entire family, and Trinity welcomes all of them as well.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM SOCIAL ON AUGUST 15. If you can bring a freezer of ice cream, let
Sarah Dumey know. More details will be available next week, so in the meantime, just mark your
calendars and reserve the evening for a fun time at Trinity. This offers a wonderful opportunity to
invite new people to share our fellowship.

CALLING ALL STUDENTS: Summer is quickly coming to a close and school
will be starting shortly. As you know, children and young people are very
important at Trinity. We will be having a special recognition on Sunday,
August 15, during the 11 a.m. service for all those heading back to school
(preschool through college). Please mark your calendars and bring the
children and older students plan to attend the service so that Trinity may
wish you well for the upcoming year.

PRAYER OPPORTUNITY. Starting August 23, the church is invited to pray for our college campuses and students for 40 days. You may participate in several ways: receiving an e-mail morning, noon and evening; down-loading and sharing a prayer guide; follow the event on Twitter or by texting; sign up for a 24-hour period of continuous prayer. The prayers are by various students, campus ministers, pastors, and conference leaders. Start by spreading the word about www.pray40.com

FESTIVAL OF SHARING TIME – September 25 is the day for Festival of Sharing at the Dexter UMC this year. Because of the many disasters, there is a desperate need for School Kits (value $15) and Emergency Clean-up Buckets (value $59). As we have done in the past, you or a group may put a kit together and bring it to the church, or you may prefer to give money toward a kit and have someone else to put the kit/s together for you. A list of the items making up each Kit is available on the table in the foyer.

NEW LOAN BALANCE - $75,764.56. Once again, we have had several gifts to the Building Fund, and a special one from our long-time supporter and former member, Mr. George Ashley, of Texas. All of these gifts are extremely appreciated.

Attendance for Month of June:
Date Sunday School 8:30 Service 11 a.m. Service Wednesday JOY
6/06 46 14 84 12
6/13 66 11 97 15
6/20 52 15 94 11
6/27 54 11 81 11

The Journey

The Journey

Mark 6:b-13

Scripture for August 15



We’ve been talking about teamwork and how important it is to work together. Together we work towards making the purpose (or vision) a reality. No one person can do it on his or her own and be as effective as we can be when we are part of a team. Working together makes all the difference in the world. My strengths and your strengths coming together make us both stronger as we serve God. When we multiply all of our strengths together, we become so strong that we can overcome obstacles that would stop us if we were on our own. As you read Sunday’s Scripture, think of ways you work with others to serve God in our church and in our community. What difference does it make that we serve God together? How do others strengthen you on your faith journey?



Thank you, God, that we don’t have to live our lives alone or serve you all by ourselves. Amen.

--
Susan