07/29/20 Tidings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The council had our monthly meeting on Tuesday night. After much deliberation and prayer we have decided that, due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in our area, we are going to postpone regathering in person until at least September 6. This was not an easy decision for us to make. We
all want to get back to worshiping in person again. It is our responsibility to make decisions to the benefit of the entire congregation and we feel that at this time this is the safest way to proceed.

I realize that this decision will disappoint some of you and perhaps make a few of you angry. May I suggest that we take that energy and channel it into something constructive? I know that there are people and businesses in our communities that are struggling. What can we do as a church to help
them? How can we take what we have learned from Jesus and apply it to our current situation? We can still BE the church without having to GO to church. Perhaps that is what the Lord is asking of us right now. I would love to hear your ideas. If you don’t like that idea and you simply want someone to
direct your anger towards, I am willing to listen to you as well. My email address is: ericjlonsdale@gmail.com.

In other news, we have our Semi-Annual congregational meeting coming up on August 23. We will be conducting this meeting via Zoom and telephone. The three items on the agenda will be as follows:

Election of (3) new council members
First vote on ratification of the updated constitution
Permission for the council to proceed with the sale of the 315 Adams St. property.

Please keep an eye on your emails and the Tidings for more information. We plan to have a couple of informational meetings (via Zoom) about the Adams St. property within the next couple of weeks. If you haven’t used Zoom much I suggest taking part in one of these meetings if only to get a feel for what it is like to be in one.

I hope that you are all doing well and staying healthy. I look forward to hearing from you soon. God bless you and your families.

Sincerely,
Eric Lonsdale, Interim Council President

Volunteers Needed

Dear Trinity,

Thank you for the support, prayer and understanding during this strange time. Please know that the decisions the council and I are making only happen after prayer and with much discussion.

Thank you to the 20 volunteers who stepped up to help when we regather for worship. We need 5 people for every service, even Thursdays. This means we’ll need 10 people per week for 2 services, which would require our volunteers to serve every other week. We need more volunteers to help guide us through worship. Please call the church if you’re willing to help or if you have questions about what it entails.

Grace + Peace,

Pastor Amy

Online Film & Discussion Series hosted by Pastor Amy

This online experience invites us into reflection of our personal experiences and beliefs about the Church and how we live out our faith.

What you need to participate is a smartphone or computer that will connect to Zoom and a willingness to listen, reflect, and share gently. If you’ve used Zoom over the past few months, you will be able to participate in this.

A New Family: Throwing open the doors of the sanctuary with Rachel Held Evans

Session 1 – With an Open Hand. When was the last time you invited God into the belief structure you have about your faith?
Session 2 – Remembering Jesus. How do we remember Jesus? And, how does
remembering Jesus re-member us?
Session 3 – Gatekeeping. What is the kingdom of God to you? What beliefs do you hold about heaven and hell and who goes where and how we get there?
Session 4 – The God Who Sees You. What were you taught to believe about the value of women leadership in the church? About women’s roles in the world? What were you taught to believe about the value of different races or the LGBTQIA+ community?
Session 5 – Love is Biblical. What is the role of the church?

Each week you will receive an email with a Zoom invitation and a written
introduction to the film. Your job is to read this email information prior to our online session. This information sets the stage for the topic for discussion and gets our minds thinking. The goal is to let our minds be fertile ground for the film and conversation. The day of we will view a short film (8-13 minutes) and follow it with discussion.

Tuesday Group meets Tuesdays at Noon.
Wednesday Group meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Kitchen Update

Phase one of the kitchen remodeling has been completed. The new
dishwasher line has been installed. We have had a demonstration but will
need another to refresh our memories. I will let you all know when that can
happen. Also a new hand washing station has been installed.

Phase Two is now under way. Mike Wendt and Tim Sawyer are replacing
the door on the west side of the kitchen and a new wall has been
constructed. The plumbers should be in the next week or so and place the
new sinks.

Sincere thanks to Mike Wendt who was able to sell the old dishwasher, old
work table and the dish washing line and all that equipment has been
removed. Thank you Mike. We have a new work table which has been
polished and ready for use. Thanks goes to Ron Michaelis.

I personally would like to thank Mike Wendt and Ron Michaelis for all the
phone calls that have been made to plumbers, electricians, company
representatives, along with other emails and phone calls to the potential
buyers of our old equipment.

Phase Three will be to purchase new cabinets, counter tops and racks for
storage. I am very grateful to the progress that has been made to remodel
the kitchen.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Beran

School Kits for Lutheran World Relief

Ruth Circle will be collecting school kits, supplies and or a monetary donation towards needed supplies again this year for Lutheran World Relief. We ask that if you feel comfortable shopping for the supplies that you would make a
complete kit and bring to the church on drive thru communion Sunday. Ruth Circle deeply appreciates your help in providing these much needed school kits. It has been a difficult year in every sense for our communities locally nationally and globally.

School Kit items:

16/24 Count Crayons
4-70 country spiral notebooks
1 ruler with centimeters
1 pencil sharpener
1 blunt scissors
5 unsharpened pencils with eraser
5 black or blue pens
1 2 1/2 inch eraser
Again, thank you for your help. If you have questions, contact Stephanie Beran at sfberan@charter.net.

Drive-Thru Communion

Drive Through Communion: Sunday, 8/9 , 9 – 10 a.m. at Trinity!
Communion is a sacred gift to us from God. Jesus commanded that we “do this to remember” him and still serves as the host of this meal. Come. Receive this gift, be strengthened by the love and sacrifice of Jesus, be renewed. To prepare yourself for receiving communion, please worship online with us at 8 a.m.

Enter parking lot on Lincoln Street
Volunteers will direct you around the building
Roll down your window to receive communion
Gluten-free wafers available

Heart Chain Project

Thank you Sharon Armstrong for sharing your Heart Chain project with us! Everyday, she adds a heart to the chain until we gather again for worship. It’s not too late to start your own Heart Chain Project!

Prayers Requested for…

Judy Almquist, Marsha Anderson, Sandy Anderson, Nick Bee, Alberto Calderon Castro, Linda Doerr, Melissa Endl, Kim Hannan, Renee Jensen, Ron Kemmerling, Bob Kyle, Phyllis Lang, Steffani Liebel, Rick Liebel, Jane Milan, Dan Morrow, Pam Nicholas, Debbie Pierce, Tom Pomraning, Violet Prust, Paul Reed, Shelley Scheurm, Ruth Smithback, Karen Weber, Donna Weeks, Aryzone Zick, Donald Zuehlke.

Do you have a prayer concern? Email the prayer force at
prayerforcetlc@gmail.com. People will gladly pray for you or your loved one
with their whole hearts!