Print/view 07/02/20 Tidings in pdf
Dear Trinity,
Over the past few days, I’ve heard and read some news reports about precautions necessary if you’re going to “congregate.” Yep, that’s the word I keep hearing and it sure grabs my attention since we are a congregation! It’s what we do and who we are. I’m hopeful that with our precautions in place we will be congregating again soon. On Tuesday, July 7, the council meets again to go over the survey responses and that will help us in going forward. So thank you for the 175 we’ve received so far! They’re due tomorrow, July 3! The council, staff, and I appreciate your feedback to the plans we’ve made for returning to worship.
So far what I’m seeing in the surveys (and we will publish the stats next week), is the overwhelming desire we all have to return to normal. You appreciate online worship and drive thru communion, but it doesn’t quite feed you like you’ve been fed before. Every council member, staff member, and I agree!
I, too, want to return to worship as we knew it. I’ll tell you what, it’s awfully sad to preach in an empty sanctuary. I want to sing and celebrate communion. I want to walk through the congregation with a newly baptized baby in my arms while you give a blessing. I want to hear the unexpected answers during the children’s sermon! I want to congregate.
But knowing that it will be a while until we’re able to “return to normal,” we’re going ahead with precautions in place and modifications to what we’re accustomed to so that we can worship at all. Friends, I don’t want these things to become the we do things forever. Neither does anyone on staff or council. But I understand that they’re necessary for now so that we can make long term progress. Modifications and precautions are temporary measures designed to let us congregate so that we can worship the Lord.
Each of us has been tremendously nimble in our ability to change and adapt and that will continue to be my mindset. We’ll start small and get the pattern down and then grow. We’re going to keep being creative and dedicated. Afterall, we’re still a living community of Christ. While our worship, learning, and serving look different these days, our identity remains the same.
Grace + Peace,
Pastor Amy
Drive Through Communion: Sunday, 7/12, 9 – 10 am 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 am.
Pastor Amy and Pastor Dan will be stationed in the parking lot ready to distribute blessed elements of juice and wafer, the body and blood of Jesus. All you need to do is roll down your window!
- Even with mask and glove precautions, there is some element of risk to t this. If you feel unwell or are hesitant in any way, please stay home. Jesus loves you!
- Enter the church parking lot of Lincoln Street and wrap around the building (arrows). Parking lot attendants will direct you to stations where Pastor Amy and Pastor Dan will pass communion to you through your window.
Please note: the church will be closed and bathrooms unavailable.
Gluten Free Wafers available on request
Yes! You can bring your offering to communion.
Yes! You can bring your quarters for Guatemala to communion.
Yes! You can bring your pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House to communion.
Memorial Gifts: Thank you to all who send financial gifts to Trinity in memory of a loved one who has died. For example, when Sandy Anderson’s brother, Bob, died this summer, she sent a gift to Trinity in his memory. Thank you Sandy. We cherish being honored in such a way. Sometimes people specify where they’d like the gift to go. For example, if their loved one enjoyed listening to the choir, the family might earmark the gift for choir music. Many times the gifts we receive don’t have a designation. With those gifts, we combine them to purchase things for the good of the church, usually visible items within the sanctuary such as new worship materials or technology. It is not our practice to list those gifts anywhere, but we do send handwritten thank you notes. Thank you to all who chose to honor their loved ones in this way. It is a privilege to steward these memorial gifts.
PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR…..Judy Almquist, Marsha Anderson, Sandy Anderson, Nick Bee, Linda Doerr, Kim Hannan, Renee Jensen, Ron Kemmerling, Bob Kyle, Phyllis Lang, Steffani Liebel, Rick Liebel, Dan Morrow, Pam Nicholas, Debbie Pierce, Tom Pomraning, Violet Prust, Paul Reed, Tim Sawyer, Shelley Scheurm, Ruth Smithback, Karen Weber, Aryzone Zick, Donald Zuehlke and those we name silently in our hearts.
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