09/17/20 Tidings

Dear Trinity,

I haven’t kept track.

Of the days, I mean. After all, they’ve blurred together with such precision that the changing of the seasons takes me by surprise. We first suspended in-person worship around the same time the schools started meeting online. That’s when I started hosting ‘Story Time with Pastor Amy’ on our
Facebook page. I did Monday-Friday at 10 a.m. for one month. But I was running out of stories and the library was still closed, so I switched to story time Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. Carter and Anderson also hosted story times with and for me. We did this for 24 weeks!

One of the funny and favorite parts of Story Time was the Heart Chain. Every time we hosted it, we made a paper heart, linking it to the previous heart. We watched Anderson as he engaged in combat with the stapler! We prayed over every link – for children watching and their families. And we invited
people to make their own heart chain at home. We planned to put them together eventually when we all got back together.

Occasionally someone would ask how many hearts I had, but I couldn’t bring myself to count. The prospect of numbering our days apart made my heart ache.

But now Story Time is over and we’re gathering again for in-person worship, so a few people have brought their heart chains into the church just like we planned. These fantastic, fragile hearts linked together make a visual impact in the sanctuary. I piled them at the foot of the altar and the lectern
and the pulpit. When I started this and asked others to join me, I didn’t fathom the room they take up in the world!

And that, my friends, is really what the church is:

A collection of fantastic, fragile hearts laying at the altar of the Lord.

It’s who we are – longing, sighing people desiring to be close to the Lord even as we endure tears and repairs on our hearts. Our imperfections, our world weariness all converge at the point of Jesus, our Savior, who loves us and calls us His own.

Jesus doesn’t keep track either, you know. In her book, Pastrix, Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber says, “Maybe the Good Friday story is about how God would rather die than be in our sin accounting business anymore.” We may wrestle with guilt and ‘if onlys’, but I think somewhere in our hearts we know
Pastor Nadia is right. Jesus isn’t keeping track of our sin. Rather He’s going after the one sheep who is off track, in danger, alone, never holding it against us that He had to go out in the cold rain to return us where we belong.

Blessed be the jumbled hearts and the lost sheep that are Christ’s Church! (Translated that means, Blessed be you!)

Grace + Peace,

Pastor Amy

Change in Tidings Frequency

Starting in September, Trinity Tidings will be published every other week.

Another way to view Trinity’s worship service: for those that have Spectrum cable TV, you can view the service on cable channel 987 Monday through Saturday at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

How to sign up for worship

Step 1: Pick a day!

Will you come Sunday at 9 a.m. or Thursday at 6:30 p.m?

Step 2: Call Trinity

Call 563-4145
Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Step 3: Speak with staff

Sarah will happily place you on the sign up list for worship when you call during the specified times. Please don’t leave a message.

Step 4: Come to worship!

Thanks for signing up! Church is open 15 minutes prior to worship. Bring your mask. If you forget, we will have one for you.

Little Free Pantry

We’re ALMOST there! Thanks to those who have signed up to help so far!
Due to the current economic events, we are noticing a higher demand for food items in our Little Pantry. (It is located on the east side of the church, off Adams St., on the lawn next to the driveway.)

We would like to make sure it has items in it every day, but we can’t do it alone. We have come up with an idea that would require a SMALL amount of time, but be a HUGE help!

We were wondering who would claim one (1) day per week or every other week (i.e: 1st and 3rd Monday each month). Responsibilities would be to check on and add items to our Little Pantry. Items could be purchased by
you, supplemented from collected food pantry items in the church or even collected from work places.

We are still in need of coverage for:

2nd & 4th Tuesdays
2nd & 4th Wednesdays
1st & 3rd Thursdays
2nd & 4th Fridays

Thank you!
Becky Tuttle (bjtuttle@charter.net) and Polly Schull (pollya@charter.net)

Keep Collecting Those Quarters

I talked with one of the UPAVIM Foundation board members and learned that students are trying to learn from home right now; the schools remain closed. When I visited there, some of the families in the area didn’t have electricity, so I wonder how that’s all working!

All are hoping they will open in January 2021. Scholarships will be given out then. So while the board likes to know how many they can fund in October, it’s fine if we continue to collect our donation through December. So please continue saving quarters or other “thank you God” money and bring it to church or drive-through communion. The quarter bank may not be out, so it’s a good idea to put it in an envelope and mark it for Guatemala. Then it can go in with the regular offering.

Please continue to pray for the Upavimas and their families.

Thanks for your donations and prayers.

Kay Falk

Sunday School in a Bag

Trinity Lutheran is offering families with students ages 4K-6th grade the opportunity to continue Sunday school lessons at home. We are calling it Sunday School in a Bag! Every 4 weeks a new Bible story will be featured, along with a bag of engaging activities to help families explore the story.

Go to trinityfort.org and look for “Register now for Sunday school in a bag!” A link will take you to the registration form. You will find several options to choose from; all options will be available simultaneously throughout this Sunday school season.

Families having questions about Sunday school are encouraged to contact Julie by calling Trinity, 920-563-4145.

Altar Flowers

We are once again taking sponsors for flowers each week. There are two floral arrangements that each cost $20. You may sponsor one or both of the arrangements.

Sign up for the week you would like to sponsor flowers on the bulletin board or by contacting the office. Please indicate what the flowers are for (in memory of ________ or in honor of ________).

You may pay for the flowers by putting the money into your offering for the week.

After the flowers are displayed during worship, please take your flowers with you at the end of the service.

Church open for prayer

Starting in September, the church will be open for those wishing to pray in the church during the week. You must sign in at the office before going into the sanctuary to pray. While in the church, you must follow social distancing guidelines, wear a mask, and sanitize your hands before you enter. If the sanctuary is at capacity at the time of your arrival, you may be asked to come another time. When you are finished praying, you must sign out at the church office and sanitize where you were praying. Wipes will be provided. Please do not come if you have had any symptoms of COVID-19 or have recently been exposed to COVID-19.

The church is open for prayer from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Monday-Thursday. Please call the office with any questions.

Drive Through Communion

Sunday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at Trinity!

Pastor Amy out of Office

Pastor Amy will be out of the office September 18-26. In case of emergency, please contact Pastor Dan at (608) 444-1265.

Prayers Requested For . . .

Judy Almquist, Marsha Anderson, Sandy Anderson, Alberto Calderon Castro, Linda Doerr, Melissa Endl, Kim Hannan, Jill Fuller, Pat Kyle, Bob Kyle, Phyllis Lang, Steffani Liebel, Rick Liebel, Dan Morrow, Pam Nicholas, Debbie Pierce, Tom Pomraning, Violet Prust, Paul Reed, Shelley Scheurm, Ruth Smithback, Donna Weeks, 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!