09/04/22 Tidings

Exciting news!

The council unanimously approved our new worship time. We will continue to have worship at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. This was a much-discussed decision and one that has many reasons for the change.

One of the aftermaths of Covid is that we got used to not spending time together. We got used to not coming to church. We got used to not being the community that we once were.

In June, we had an extended staff meeting and planning session where we discussed this at length. At that time, we very much agreed that Community would be our theme for the coming months. In fact, as long as it takes.

The question still remained, how do we serve our beloved people of Trinity and foster the community that is the core of who we are?

Having one service is a part of that plan. We understand that having one service will be inconvenient for some people. We are truly sorry for that. But it will enable us to have a wider community experience. Seeing faces, singing in unison, praying as one, hearing the word and experiencing it together makes an impact on us. It is good to feel like we are worshiping as a community.

The new component to Sunday mornings will be our Education/Community hour that will follow worship. We are very excited about this part! After worship at 9:00 a.m., there will be about 15 minutes to grab coffee and whatever goodies are in the kitchen. Then hopefully you will all proceed to something that interests you.

Sunday school will be downstairs. (Don’t forget to register!) There will be Bible studies. (Pastor Amy will be teaching on Sept. 18 and 25!) There will also be offerings for fellowship and education. I will be hosting a Community Builders Workshop on the 18th to brainstorm the additional interests that will be forthcoming. From that workshop, we will start to have additional community offerings on Sundays after worship. They can be as varied as you would like them to be. Our hope is that you will come bursting at the seams with ideas that will foster community at Trinity. We welcome all ideas! Some brainstorming that we have had as a staff include, parenting conversations, gardening, crafts, cooking, a mom’s group, a men’s group, book clubs or even just hanging out with friends and catching up.

So, as you can see, our change in worship schedule is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with the people that we love and to connect with the people that we don’t know. We hope that you go on this journey with us. We hope that you can see the value in our community and we hope that the love of Trinity keeps expanding and filling our lives with joy and peace.

Come to Rally Day worship in the Park followed by God’s Work our Hands on Sept. 11 at 9:00 a.m. This will be a wonderful morning of worship and community!

Come to Pastor Amy’s Bible study or to the Community Building Workshop on the 18th. Come worship together! Peace!

Kitty Sawyer
Director of Youth & Family Ministries

Office Hours Will Vary

The office hours will vary while the office staff searches for a new office administrator. If you attempt to call and no one picks up, please make sure to leave a voicemail with your name and phone number. Someone in the office will check the voicemail system and get back to you as soon as possible. If you attempt to visit and no one answers the door, we encourage you to call and leave a voicemail or send an email to schedule a visit. If you send an email, please have patience while you wait for a response. The office email will be checked, but probably not every day.

Sign up for projects now!

Yard Work Volunteers: For those of you who signed up for yard work, it would be helpful if you bring gardening tools from home. Gardening gloves are up to your preference. You will be helping with basic weeding and trimming.

Details for some of the projects

River Walk Clean Up through Parks & Rec – Wear comfortable shoes and work clothes. Bring work gloves if desired. Latex gloves & bags provided. Go on a walk along the river and help out by picking up garbage found along the way. Leader serves as point person, distributes trash bags & gloves.
Painting through Parks & Rec – The archway of the old theater building where Farmer’s Markets are held (where the restrooms are). Parks & Recs Crew will pressure wash it and provide paint. Bring brushes, rollers, ladders, etc. Leader will supervise the painting.
Yard Clean Up @ 4 Households – Trimming, edging, and more! Some of our members, who Julie Vurva visits & brings communion to, could use help in their yards and garages. This is a great opportunity to connect with church members you haven’t seen recently. Leaders will meet home owners so they’re a familiar face and help the home owner communicate what they’d like done.
Food Crew – help feed worshippers and volunteers with kitchen prep, serving, and clean up. (A separate list for food donations will go out soon.)
Assembling School Kits
Assembling Sunshine Kits

Sunshine Bags

“I started collecting supplies for Sunshine Bags almost four years ago. Along with donations from the community, I am able to supply local schools with feminine products for young ladies in need. I try to make a donation at least twice a year to the high school and would like to donate to the middle school, as well. Young ladies are often unprepared for the changes that their body will go through. There is no shame in growing up and this small bag can make a big difference in a young ladies world.” – Jodi Badura

Supplies needed: Small make-up bags big enough to fit a variety of feminine products (average size is 8” X 6”)

Feminine products:
Feminine liners of all size
Maxi pads of all size
Individually wrapped feminine wipes
Tampons of all size (lite, regular, super)
Quote/inspiration cards (average size is wallet photo size, can get a pack on Amazon)

School Kits

We are in the final days of collecting items for Lutheran World Relief School kits. Listed below you will find the items needed. If you would like to collect all items for a complete kit, please place the items in a plastic grocery bag and place in the totes at the east entrance of the building. You are also welcome to just pick up items from the list and drop them off and Ruth Circle will sort and gather any necessary items to complete kits. Please have all items brought to church by Sunday, Sept. 3.

FOUR 70-sheet notebooks of wide- or college-ruled paper, approximately 8” x 10 ½”; no loose leaf
ONE 30-centimeter ruler, or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
ONE pencil sharpener
ONE pair of blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
FIVE unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers; secure together with a rubber band
FIVE black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink); secure together with a rubber band
ONE box of 16 or 24 crayons
ONE 2 ½” eraser

Thank you all for your continued generosity. Trinity Lutheran church is truly blessed and I’m grateful to be part of this community! – Candy

Trudy’s Room

We are looking for volunteers to help sort donated children’s clothing and change out seasonal clothes. We need 3 to 4 volunteers for two time slots (about 1-1/2 to 2-hours each). I will plan dates according to what works for volunteers. If interested, please call, text or email: Becky Tuttle (608) 220-4397 bjtuttle@charter.net.

WELCA Retreat

Our Synod-wide women’s retreat is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The theme is “Rise Up – Overcoming Life’s Obstacles.” It is at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – 550 Lincoln Drive, Sun Prairie, WI. Information is in the Trumpeter, which I hope you are all receiving, and on the Synod Women of the ELCA web page. https://scsw-elca.org/welca/ Scroll down to find the Rise Up event. If you plan to attend and would like to carpool, or if you have questions, please contact Kay Falk.

Scholarship Update

Did you know many families in La Esperanza, UPAVIM’s community, make less than $9 a day? That barely covers necessities. They sometimes have to choose which child can go to school each year. The $75 scholarship gives the recipient school supplies for the school term and access to the after-school tutoring program where children (and sometimes their parents) can get one-on-one help from qualified teachers – all in a safe environment.

As of Aug. 24, we have collected $486 in the Quarters Can Make A Difference jar. Envelopes and Tithely donations total $375. The $861 total is good progress toward our $1,000 goal, but last year we donated more than $2,000. Perhaps we can match the 2021 giving in September?

Every quarter does matter!

HCFA Donations Needed

The Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson (HCFA) needs the following items. Donations must be in excellent condition, no rips, tears, stains or smells. All sizes needed.

Men’s jeans
Men’s jogging pants
Sleeping bags

The Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson, WI is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides transitional housing and emergency assistance to families and individuals in need in the Fort Atkinson area. The Homeless Coalition of Fort Atkinson was started in 2019, after the tragic death of Keith Lueloff in one of the city’s parks. A group of concerned citizens from churches, organizations, and businesses in the city gathered to discuss options to begin to coordinate support.

Learn More @ https://forthomeless.org/

Trinity Hiring Office Administrator

Trinity is hiring an Administration & Volunteer Coordinator. We are inviting applications for the part-time, salaried role of Administration & Volunteer Coordinator. Please read the role description below for more information.

Annual salary range: $17,000-$25,000
Typical weekly hours: 25 hours

For full job description/duties, please click on the “Trinity Hiring Administration and Volunteer Coordinator” link.

To apply, email your résumé to: office@trinityfort.org

Address your message to the “Hiring Team” and please include the word “Application” in the email subject line.

Objective: To develop relationships with congregational members so that community is built, volunteers are trained and scheduled, and to create or refine administrative systems to support the function of the church.

Requirements:

Self-starter, works independently, values confidentiality, well organized, team player Excellent written communication
Familiarity with database management; and/or ability to quickly learn various technologies
Adept at social media platforms; knowledgeable of Microsoft Suite, Canva

STAR Group Meets in September

STAR will be meeting at 1 p.m. on Sept. 12. We have pews that need our attention and cards to send!

STAR needs new members. No talent needed. Just caring and sharing for our church community and local areas. Come join with us for 2 hours of using our hearts, hands and souls to spread God’s word.

September Sunday School Schedule

Sunday 9/4: Labor Day Weekend

9 a.m. Worship
No Sunday School

Sunday 9/11: Rally Day: God’s Work, Our Hands

Kickoff for the 2022-2023 programming year
9 a.m. worship service in the park with live music from the praise band
Blessing of the Backpacks during worship; bring your backpacks for a back-to-school blessing!
Families invited to help with service projects as family groups after worship
No Sunday School in the church, because of Sunday School families doing service projects

Sunday 9/18: Blessing of Sunday School Leaders

Blessing Teachers & Helpers during 9 a.m. worship
First day of Sunday School back in the church, 10 a.m. after worship, starting with Large Group time in the sanctuary
Students read stories focused on the theme: Finding Truth

Sunday 9/25: Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

5th Graders receive Acolyte Training during 10am Sunday School
Other students do crafts focused on the theme: Learning from Mistakes

Installation Gratitude

Thank you to all who celebrated my official Installation Aug. 21 during worship and at the reception, with special thanks to those who organized the event and served treats to the congregation — inspired by some of my favorite desserts, which was quite a delightful touch!

Gathering around the table for good food and conversation brings so much joy and connectedness in our community, and I am continuously grateful for the warm welcome and opportunity to serve you. Likewise, I am honored by your generosity and Installation gift to celebrate the occasion. I keep being reminded of the time a seminary classmate taught me to pray for the congregation I did not know yet who would ultimately be praying for me too, with trust in the abundance and solidarity God brings to all our lives. Hearing that the first time was enough to bring tears to my eyes, and so does the wonder of this sacred charge and living on the other end of a prayer.

In Jesus’ name, our prayers continue, as one in the church, ~Pastor Madeline

Little Free Food Pantry Donations Needed

Below is a list of donation needs for the pantry. If anyone would like to donate food for the Little Free Pantry, leave at the food pantry shelf (right inside east parking lot door) .

tuna/ chicken in can or foil envelope
vegetables, canned
peanut butter
canned pasta/chili/stew cereal (regular size as super sized doesn’t fit well in box)
Kleenex tissues (small to medium)
fruit (cans or individual pkgs)
soups
toothpaste
toothbrushes (individual pkg)
oatmeal packets
deodorant
4 pk toilet paper
dish soap (small)

How Can I Help?

Many of you ask, “How can I help?” One easy way to help is to promptly sign-up for the Volunteer opportunities. A great deal of time is spent recruiting congregants to fill these roles which are crucial to our worship service. Throughout the remaining months of this year, we are in need of Assisting Ministers, Ushers, Communion Assistants and Greeters. Trinity welcomes newcomers to each of these roles; so we don’t have to rely heavily on the same individuals. Please plan ahead. Guidance/Training for each role is provided.

Prayerfully, ask yourself, “Is this something I can help with?”

How do I get started? Email office@trinityfort.org or call the office at (920) 563-4300, ask for Wendy Chady.

Starting Sept. 18, Sundays: 8:00 a.m. – Prayer Force Live!

Join Pastor Amy in the sanctuary for 20 minutes of prayer (for world, Trinity, etc).

Prayers Requested For . . .

Ron Capek, Eric Dassow (Sandy Weber’s nephew), Irving Luebke (Pearl Luebke’s son), Dan Zick, Emsley Evenson, Keith Burrow.

*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! Please indicate if you would like to be put on the all-church prayer list.*

**Tidings are sent out every two weeks. Any submissions for the Tidings need to be sent to the office by the Wednesday of Tidings weeks.**