Welcome to the web edition of the Trinity Presbyterian Church annual report for the year 2006.

The web version of this report does not include financial information. Please contact the church office for the full print version of this report.

"I Am the Resurrection And the Life"

O Lord, support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed, and
the fever of life is over...
and our work is done.
Then in your mercy...
Grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Russell Kramer
Fred Sassmanshausen
Charles Gouaux

Blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.--Deuteronomy 28:2

As we begin a new year, we do well to pause and look back at the year that has just ended. In so many ways, 2006 was a thrilling, God-filled year for Trinity. The year began with a formal congregational introduction to the concept of "equipping." While many of us struggled with that term at first (and some still don't love the word), the most important thing that we learned is that the church has been equipping its members for 2000 years--we just haven't called it that. What I love about the concept of equipping is that it helps each member discern and live into his or her particular call from God. Some members will live out that calling in the church; but some will discover their calling in their family, or at their place of work, or in their community. The goal of equipping is not to have more efficient committees at church, but to have more fulfilled members in the church. In 2006 we focused on equipping throughout the year. We held an officers' retreat on equipping February, I preached a series of sermons on equipping in the winter, the Equipping Ministry team got up and running, and we appointed a search committee to seek a new Minister of Equipping. (The Search Committee was also given the task of finding a new Minister of Christian Education). In early September, the Search Committee offered the equipping position to Julie March, a gifted leader who had just finished at Eden Seminary. Through conversation with Julie and the Session, the Search Committee recommended that Julie not only be hired as our new Minister of Equipping, but that she be called as our Associate Pastor. While this request was somewhat unusual (the typical Presbyterian sequence is to first decide that you want a pastor and then find the person), the Presbytery partnered with us to make this call a reality. Julie was ordained in her home church in Springfield, Missouri in December and will officially be installed at Trinity in January. With Julie's arrival, the equipping emphasis at Trinity has strengthened. Trinity also sent a delegation of four people (Julie March, Liz Nelson, Lisa Bernhard, and I) to an Equipping Summit in Colorado in October which is proving to be a strong foundation for our work ahead.

This past year also served as a demonstration of the congregation's determination and flexibility as we worked to refurbish our pipe organ. After a two year capital campaign, the pipe organ was removed from the Sanctuary and renovations were made on the ceiling above the organ. While this work was going on, the congregation met in the Dining Room for worship (we also returned there when the organ came back). Worship in the Dining Room proved to be a great opportunity to try some new elements in worship, to experience a different way of worshiping, and to rediscover that while our Sanctuary is a great place to worship God, our worship is never bound to a place or a style--rather it is given its life by the enthusiasm of our members and by the Holy Spirit. And what a glorious return to the Sanctuary and the pipe organ. The organ has never sounded better and I, for one, have gained a new appreciation for the privilege of leading worship in such magnificent space. My deepest thanks to the members of the fund-raising task force, the Worship & Music Commission, the Trinity Choir and Minister of Music Paul Vasile for all of their work to make the return of the pipe organ such a smooth and edifying experience.

In addition to Julie March, 2006 also saw the addition of other new staff. In May, Church Administrator Karon Bilbrey retired, and after a thorough search, we hired Liz Nelson as our new administrator. Liz brings many years experience and an open and generous spirit to her work and we are blessed to her as part of the leadership team. Linde Baechle, who had been Trinity's Financial Secretary for 7 years, had her position changed to Financial Administrator which added both responsibilities and hours--and we continue to benefit from her excellent work. We also hired Karen Coletti as our permanent Minister of Christian Education. At the end of the year, Karen decided that her primary calling was to her children and grandchildren, so she will be leaving her position (but not Trinity) at the end of January.

We have seen great growth in the membership of Trinity in the past year. At the end of 2005, the congregation exceeded its pledging goal by 7%. This wonderful response by you meant that we could raise salaries a bit higher than the cost of living and could also hold the line on our budget deficit. Again in 2006, the congregation has exceeded our pledge goal. Your giving and your enthusiasm create energy for all of us as we enter a new year--my thanks to all of you! We also welcomed some wonderful new members in the past year. We discovered that they have come to us by word of mouth (this is the most powerful kind of marketing); through dropping in and not only loving worship, but by being warmly welcomed by the members; and through the Internet (many thanks to Brian Schroer for his great work!). I believe that we are capable of even more growth in 2006 as we all invite our friends, welcome visitors with love and care, and grow in our own faith--I have never heard of a church that doesn't grow numerically when its members are intentionally growing spiritually.

God has been so good to us in 2006--and I know that we will continue to discover God's blessings in 2007. We have much to celebrate and much to look forward to. I encourage everyone to continue to grow together in our worship, our service and our discipleship.

Yours in Christ,
Dan Anderson-Little

This has been one of the busiest and most fulfilling years I have experienced at Trinity. We have accomplished much and there are many powerful stories to share about the way that our music ministry continues to enliven and enrich our worship life, and touch the lives of individuals in our community and beyond.

One of the greatest testimonies is the renovation and repair of the Scholin Memorial Organ. After almost a year of fundraising and education, the instrument was dismantled after Easter Sunday, portions were sent back to the organbuilder's shop in Canada, and the roof above the organ was repaired. Throughout the summer and into the fall, the instrument was returned piece by piece and was rededicated in worship on November 12. I performed a dedicatory recital on December 9.

Three aspects of the experience stand out to me and I believe they embody values that characterize this community of faith.

• We showed an amazing openness to change. We adapted to different worship locations and patterns and sang without the hymnal.
• We continued to expand our worship vocabulary, to find new and meaningful ways to pray and sing from the heart. We incorporated instruments of all kinds, new responses and celebrated the rich musical gifts of our members.
• We showed amazing generosity and faithfulness. All of the pledges that were made toward the organ renovation were paid in full - every last one! That is powerful witness to the congregation's love and appreciation for the instrument.

The instrument will speak with power, beauty and imagination for many years to come, and I would like to everyone who played a role in this significant project.

This year we continued to expand our ministry of musical hospitality to the community. We continued our relationship with OASIS, hosting musical ensembles for older adults throughout the week. We also entered a partnership with the Community School of Webster Groves, and space at Trinity is regularly used for early childhood music classes and private music instruction. This relationship has brought new people through the doors of the church and many of the students, parents and teachers have commented on the warm welcome that they have experienced here.

Our first Reverberations concert series got off to a wonderful start. Over 400 individuals attended the first four concerts between February and May. Over the summer, the Concert Series Team developed a second series and has planned an eclectic lineup of fine performers for 2006-2007. These concerts continue to be offered free of charge thanks to the generous financial support of a Church Vitality Grant, which is sponsored by the Endowment Board. In addition, the church has been regularly used for additional concerts, recitals and recording sessions. As a gesture of thanks, many of these outside performers have performed in worship free of charge. Word is getting out that Trinity is a church with a warm inviting spirit, great acoustics, and a love for great music.

The Trinity Choir continues to lead worship with great skill and dedication. This group loves to sing and we are blessed by the love and integrity with which they approach their role as worship leaders. In addition, we were enriched by the excellent leadership of the Festival Choir, Handbell Choir, as well as new 5^th-8^th grade music ensemble. They have all made significant contributions to our worship life this year and I am looking forward to seeing how they will grow and evolve in the future.

This year I taught two sessions of The Singing Thing, a five-week small group opportunity that helped participants learn practical ways to develop their singing voice. Almost 30 people attended these sessions in May and September and it was a wonderful time of growth, reflection, and sharing of voice and spirit.

As we move in to the coming year, I am excited to see Trinity filled with great music - sung by choirs, played by the organ, offered in concerts and services, including students, professionals and amateurs, connecting to old and young, ranging from classical music to the blues and back again. As this joyful noise spills out the windows and doors, let it be a loving witness to the living Christ and draw many more people to see what God is doing in our midst! I look forward to seeing what will happen as we open ourselves to God's leading and ask for your continued prayers and support.

In Christ's service,
Paul M. Vasile
Minister of Music

As Trinity's new Associate Pastor of Equipping, I have seen a wealth of hard work that has been done to prepare the way for Equipping Ministry at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Not only has Equipping Ministry had the full and energetic support of Pastor Dan Anderson-Little, but the Equipping Team has worked hard for more than a year to put in place all that is necessary to implement this lay ministry, so that we all may serve together in the "priesthood of all believers." See the following page for a timeline of the equipping ministry process to date.

Almost immediately after I began at Trinity on October 9^th of this year, Dan and I, along with Liz Nelson and Lisa Bernhard, attended the Building An Equipping Church workshop in Loveland, Colorado. This intensive, 5-day experience put us all on track not only to learn a tremendous amount about how Equipping Ministry functions in the church, but also how we can adapt this concept to our particular context here at Trinity. During these 5 days we discussed the importance of leadership, practiced the principles of team ministry, became acquainted with our own spiritual gifts and leadership styles, and learned how to build support systems throughout the church culture for Equipping Ministry as we sang, prayed and read Scripture together with the other 100 attendees from all over the United States.

Equipping Ministry is essentially a disciple building ministry in the Church. As we focus on our particular God-given spiritual gifts, we may discern how God is calling us to ministry in every phase of our lives. As parents, teachers, doctors, and helpers, as those who pray for others, those who serve in the Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity or in Hurricane Relief ministry, as those who serve as deacons or elders, and all the commissions of Trinity Presbyterian Church - all of us are called to ministry and find joy and fulfillment in serving God through our ministry. The Equipping Ministry Team will be available to meet with new members, current members, and others who are seeking their call to ministry, to explore gifts, talents and needs. Building disciples at Trinity enables each person to find this joy and fulfillment in service, whatever that service might be, as we all follow the call of Jesus Christ.

My heartfelt thanks go to the Equipping Ministry Team, Dave Nelson, Ann Fischer, Holly Tasker, Rick and Vickie Jeter, and Chris Schmidt, past members Rob Peglar, Do Kirk, Tim Rand and Kim Martin, and new members Norma Vavra and Lisa Bernhard for their dedication and service in this valuable ministry.

The Peace of Christ be with you,
Julie March

Timetable for the Development of the Equipping Ministry position
Trinity Presbyterian Church

July 2005 - Trinity Presbyterian Church's full-time Director of Christian Education takes a new position. The Session forms a Church Staffing Task Force to review Trinity's staffing needs. Trinity hires a half-time Interim Director of Christian Education.

August 2005 - The Church Staffing Task Force begins to meet, examining ministry and staffing needs at Trinity. It reads Kicking Habits: Welcome Relief for Addicted Churches by Tom Bandy.

September 2005 - The Church Staffing Task Force identifies Trinity's two staffing needs for the future: Christian Education and helping members find meaningful expressions of ministry.

October 2005 - The Church Staffing Task Force reads The Equipping Church by Sue Mallory and decides that Trinity would benefit from an equipping staff person.

December 2006 - The Session approves the Church Staffing Task Force's recommendation to hire a half-time Minister of Christian Education and a half-time Minister of Equipping. Both positions are imagined as non-ordained positions.

January 2006 - The Equipping Ministry Team is appointed to oversee the implementation of the equipping process, even prior to hiring a Minister of Equipping. The Team's initial efforts include an informative presentation to the congregation at the Annual Congregational Meeting, a series of seven sermons on equipping, newsletter articles, and a leadership retreat.

March 2006 - The Equipping Ministry Task Force begins to identify initial areas for emphasis. In partnership with the Evangelism Commission, it begins to work on developing a more effective welcoming ministry at Trinity.

April 2006 - A Search Committee is appointed to hire both a part-time Minister of Equipping and a part-time Minister of Christian Education.

May 2006 - The Search Committee drafts job descriptions for both positions.

June 2006 - The Session approves both job descriptions.

June 2006 - The Search Committee hires the Interim Director of Christian Education as the permanent Minister of Christian Education. The Search Committee also begins to build a network of contacts to find candidates for the equipping position.

July 2006 - The Search Committee begins conversations with persons whose names have suggested to the committee. When two candidates emerge, the Search Committee begins interviewing.

August 2006 - The committee decides to hire Julie March, a recent graduate of Eden Theological Seminary.

September 2006 - The Session of Trinity Presbyterian Church votes to request that the Committee on Ministry to make the Minister of Equipping position a Designated Associate Pastor for Equipping.

Our CE year began with a celebration of learning and community as we-we, the whole Trinity church-boarded two buses and several cars after worship and journeyed to ancient Ur-at the Art Museum. We took in the treasures and history of the old and of our faith ancestors Sarah and Abraham, and made real connections erased time and distance. We came back to church for shared soup lunch. Such fun!

Our Thicket (grades pre-K-4) subcommittee moved to self-management when Suzanne Trotter led the children's program through a unit by finding curriculum, enrolling teachers and preparing lesson materials. She and Kathie Cahoon and Christy Thompson and Sarah Schmidt literally kept the faith for our children as they worked with scheduling adjustments, lesson preparation, and vision sharing. And many more as well.

Our preschool room got a face-and-spirit-lift with new paint, new rugs, and a toy-sorting makeover. Thanks to our teachers Dave Nelson, Tom Peters, and Linda Peterson for their care of the 2 ½ to 4 ½ year olds.

Becca Courtney and her volunteers each week staff the nursery, and out littlest ones' roster has been up to a dozen some Sundays. A special thank you to Pam Christopher and Jane Pisoni, who have retired from nursery service.

Stacy Shupe and her 5^th-6^th grade class shared a special unit of study by creating the stations of the cross, which they installed in the Sanctuary so we could appreciate them in worship. The class enjoyed their own fellowship also with special gatherings. This fall the class worked to paint and rearrange their classroom.

Kim Merritt and Megan Merritt again faithfully led the confirmation class, with special highlights of service projects and fellowship. Kim enlarged the advocate ministry for the 7^th-8^th graders by inviting parents of the class into the advocate circle to sponsor each others' children. What a wonderful way to grow all the families!

Rhonda Dunbar led the Senior High Fellowship every week-through their Elegant Dinner fundraiser and on to a wonderful week of mission in June at Clairvaux Farm, a working farm for homeless persons and families in Elkton, MD. Rhonda was assisted by Paul Devine who also led the Gathering, a once a month worship, with Dean Tilden and Leigh Cummings. High school Sunday school was led by Carissa Gigliotti and Dan Haeusser and this fall we have begun scheduling units of study led by various teachers who are bringing their own gifts and curriculums to the high schoolers.

Special Highlights:

• We observed the beginning of Lent with an all-church Mardi Gras celebration after worship-complete with beads, corn dogs, jazz and gospel sing-along and special words from Brian "the Sunnyside Up Preacher" Schroer
• Our "do-nothings" and Miss Do moved their art work upstairs to become the first installation on our Trinity Gallery
• In May the Thicket children shared a special unit linking music and God's wonderful creation, which they shared in worship with singing and a real procession of flowers, animals, sun, moon and stars. We honored our guides Joanne Roman, George Sallwasser and Diane Young with good shepherd award sheep figurines.
• Our all-church picnic culminated our Confirmation Day May 21. We celebrated in our own front yard with picnic food chaired by Jim Person, music from Connie Toretta's band, the bouncy-thing and sidewalk chalk. The children even invited the neighborhood with door-hangers the week prior.
• Our all-church retreat was enjoyed again at Mound Ridge in August.
• As I write today, I am preparing to leave this position after 1 ½ years. I am reminded that God allowed me a wonderful surprise with this job-one I did not expect to have, but which has meant I could learn and grow and enjoy wonderful deepening friendships. Thank you. God is good.

Karen Coletti
Minister of Christian Education

Since August, I have had the honor of supporting the staff and Trinity laity in their ministries by:

• managing communication between staff members, between congregation members and the staff, and between community groups and the Church;
• coordinating Trinity's many communication tools (Trinity News, with thanks to Ann Fischer, The Good News, the Google online calendar, with thanks to Brian Schroer, the large magnetic calendar outside the office, with thanks to Do Kirk and Vickie Jeter, and the Church's email and database systems);
• acting as building manager

A number of projects and activities have been coordinated out of the Church office in 2006. While the Facilities Commission report will discuss building renovations and repairs in more detail, a significant amount of time has been spent this fall and winter addressing the following projects or issues: the pipe organ renovation and related organ loft renovation, the lower Kingsland entrance renovation, repairs to the slate tile roof, repairs to the choir room wall from the leaking roof, repairs to the plumbing and pipes under the classrooms (drain back-up), boiler problems, and ongoing elevator problems.

One of the highlights of 2006 was the increase in use of the building by our community partners. Look at the calendar outside the office and you will see that 4 or 5 OASIS older adult music groups use our space weekly. Stop by any day or evening Monday through Thursday and you will hear bassoon, violin, voice and piano as the Community Music School of Webster University uses space for lessons and Kindermusik classes. Care and Counseling sessions and support groups have found a home at Trinity, square dancing happens in the Dining Room, and recitals are held in the Sanctuary. Trinity is truly gaining a reputation as a House of God that has opened its doors to the larger community.

I would like to thank Dan, Paul, Karen and Linde for their patience and support as they have educated me during this learning curve, to Birty as he has introduced me to the nooks, crannies and quirks of the building, to Julie for sharing her excitement about new possibilities as we all work together as a staff to serve God, and to the congregation for supporting me in this role.

I welcome your phone calls, requests and suggestions as the office strives to provide information, resources and support as God's people respond to God's call.

In Christ,
Liz Nelson
Church Administrator

The year 2006 has proved to be an exciting, productive journey. The financial desk just seems to expand each year with additional responsibilities and additional resources.

Payroll processing was moved in-house this year saving the church office budget at least $2.3K. I have yet to complete the process which of course is closed in January; but so far so good. I'm sure the employees would have come knocking.

I have spent the year wearing a couple of different hats. I acted in the roles of Church Administrator and Building Manager while this position was being filled. This enabled me to see certain projects through. With the knowledge of our operating budget, it allowed me to assess our needs as well as our costs. The refuse service as well as other scheduled expenses were evaluated and aligned with savings.

It was a year of many employee benefit changes. I have done a lot of research on medical insurance, amongst other benefits, that should be useful in our future. I reported to the Personnel Commission regularly.

Additional financial reporting is available on request. I'd be happy to help any member with their account or commission budget.

Keith Fischer and Joanne Roman are amazing! I greatly appreciate their time and commitment to the financial particulars of the church.

Respectfully submitted,
Linde Baechle
Financial Administrator

2006 was yet another year of wonderful events in the Christian Education Program at Trinity Church. Over the course of this year, we were blessed to have the energy and talents of Karen Coletti organizing our programming, first as an interim and then as the permanent part-time CE Director. Her enthusiasm and willingness to go far more than just AN extra mile for our church resulted in a year full of fantastic educational opportunities. Tragically, Karen has recently submitted her resignation due to conflicts for her time and energy, and we look with great sorrow to her final day as CE Director at the end of January, 2007.

We started the year off with an all-church "Field Trip to Ur", with everyone who wanted to come along piling onto a rented bus for the trip over to the Art Museum to see an exhibit of archeological treasures. Later in the spring, we had a "parade" of small floats for Mardi Gras which included all ages. The all-church picnic took place on Confirmation Sunday, and featured the culinary skills of Jim Person, the musical skills of Connie Toretta, and plenty of high-bouncing fun for everyone on the moonwalk. When it was time to start up the CE program in the fall, everyone enjoyed a luncheon and program on peace and justice in the family from Jim and Kathy McGinnis. And we capped the year off with intergenerational carol singing every Sunday after church during the season of Advent.

Trinity members also enjoyed our second-annual inter-generational retreat at Mound Ridge during the summer; planned and executed by Karen Coletti, Christine Thompson, and Kathie Cahoon. Church members from 2 to 82 had a ball floating, hiking, sunning, swimming, labyrinth walking, reading. There were games, singing, reflections, and s'mores around the campfire Saturday night. Sunday morning a service was held in the outdoor chapel. We made prayer flags with good wishes for the church and our world which later found their way back to Trinity.

The nursery continues to be in good hands with Becca Courtney and faithful volunteers. Stacy Shupe has again served with energy and skill as the leader of the fifth and sixth grade class. Kim and Megan Merritt have once more blessed us with their guidance of the Confirmation Class. And Rhonda Dunbar has continued to serve as the wonderful leader of our Senior High group.

We were once again blessed with the "Do Nothings" during the spring of 2006. These are children of elementary age who meet once a month on Sunday afternoon for lunch, fun and fellowship under the inimitable leadership of Do Kirk. This year they worked on wall art, which has been organized into a "gallery" along the hall outside of Weems Chapel.

As always, the real heroes of the Christian Education program are the large and dedicated core of volunteers here at Trinity who work with the educational programs for children, youth, and adults. A list of your names would be very long, indeed, but we are all grateful to each and every one of you.

The Christian Education programs cover many age groups. Separate reports in this volume will detail those not mentioned here.

Respectfully submitted,
Kathie Cahoon,
Christian Education Commission

The purpose of the Adult Education Planning Team is to support the church's mission to develop faith in the lives of adults through programs that foster teaching and learning, community and communion, worship and prayer, proclaiming the Word of God, and service and outreach. The 2006 adult education offerings planned and sponsored by the Adult Education Planning Team reflect some of those goals while a reflective 3 or more year backward glance reveals a more comprehensive curriculum.

Beginning in 2006, Ken Kelton and Ursula Goodenough led a follow up discussion-based class stemming from overflow discussion from the "Faith and Science" series offered earlier in 2005. During Lent, several Trinity members (Paul Devine, Jasman Lutz, Tim and Barb Rand, Debbie Henry, Terry Crow, Cathy Smith and Tom Nutter) and a few outside guests led us in learning how to integrate faith, business, and the law. Guest, Dr. David Little led us in a probing look at the war in Iraq in regards to terrorism and human rights. Dr. William Danforth led us in an informative session on stem cell research, both its scientific properties and its religious implications. The fall term was kicked off with an intergenerational peacemaking session led by Jim and Cathy McGinnis. An ElderCare offering helped many of us better understand how to care for our loved ones and ourselves. We ended this year's offering with a World Religion's Roundtable Discussion which will serve as plans for a Spring 2007 post-Easter offering.

Because adults are lifetime learners and want to be responsible for their own learning process, we invite interested church members to contribute to the Adult Education Planning Team's plans or to even serve on the team. We seek to create a learning environment which is affirming and inclusive, where various methods of interactive teaching are used, and a variety of curriculum choices are provided. The 2006's Adult Education Planning Team consisted of Ken Kelton, Linda Anderson-Little, George Phillips, Karen and Darrell Mayberry, Suzanne Trotter, Tina Newberry, Karen Coletti, and Dr. Dan Anderson-Little.

Respectfully submitted,
Tina Newberry

Supported by nine prayer partners who remained in St. Louis, nine Trinity members traveled south the last weekend in March to work and discover first-hand the devastation that lies in the New Orleans area in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The team stayed at a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance camp in Luling, Louisiana, about 20 miles outside New Orleans, and convoyed each day to the home of John and Cathy Armagnac in the Metairie section of the city each day to work. The group was pleased to get a chance to work the Armagnac's daughter, Janeen, and through her to get to know something of her parents and the life the family enjoyed in the home for many years. The week left profound impressions on team members so much so that it was decided that a group from Trinity would return to Louisiana again in 2007.

Many thanks to the team members (travelers and prayer partners) and to members of Trinity who supported us financially and in prayer. Special thanks also to Bob and Nancy Wagoner for initiating the book drive for the New Orleans Public Library and for transporting the books to Louisiana.

Respectfully Submitted,
Diane O'Brien

We have continued this year meeting on a weekly basis on Sundays. We meet once a month for house worship, "The Gathering", led by Paul Devine. On other weeks we meet to explore our beliefs, participate in fellowship activities, and complete service projects. Some of the fellowship activities have included playing put-put, bowling, lunches after church, holiday parties and a lock-in. Service projects this year have included working in the food pantry for the month of February, Christmas cards for a shut-in, college care packages, sorting donated Boy Scout food, painting furniture for the Thicket, Christmas cookie making/delivering, and collecting craft items to send to the children at Meeting Ground. While at Meeting Ground, our youth spent many hours with the children completing crafts. On our way back to St. Louis, the youth came up with the idea of gathering craft items to send to the children. We have sent one large package of craft items to the children of Meeting Ground so far and we have enough donated items to send at least two more packages! We would like to thank everyone who donated items.

In February we held the Elegant Dinner Fundraiser and raised just under $2,800 towards mission trip and Montreat. Without the generous support of this congregation we would not have been able to go on our mission trip to The Meeting Ground in Earlville, Maryland or attend Montreat Youth Conference in Montreat, North Carolina. Eight youth and two adults attended mission trip this year. Four youth and two adults attended Montreat Youth Conference. Planning for the 2007 mission trip is on the way and we are planning on going to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota with the Native American out-reach program Re-Member. A speaker representing Re-Member will be at Trinity on February 16^th, 2007 and all are welcome to attend. Other upcoming events include a Super Bowl Party Fundraiser and attending the 2007 Montreat Youth Conference.

Respectfully submitted,
Rhonda Dunbar

Local and national outreach is a prominent part of the ministry of Trinity. In our outreach efforts we seek to allocate funds to agencies that can benefit from our financial support, as well as to partner with agencies that resonate with our mission and vision as Christians in our local and larger community. The financial contributions of Trinity are amplified many times by the hours of volunteer time contributed by Trinity members. Within the church, the Commission supported the Senior High Mission Trip, the Senior Minister's Discretionary Fund, and the Winger Food Pantry. The following account is an invitation to Trinity members who feel led to contribute to a particular mission with their time, talent, and funds.

Local Mission: The head of the Local Mission Funding Team is Bob Wagner, with assistance from Diane O'Brien, Jim Person, Barb and Tim Rand, Art Platt, Pat Gibbons and Sandy Norkaitis. Agencies and organizations supported this year included: Beyond Housing, Care and Counseling, CSC Charities for Children, Doorways, Genesis House, Hi-Tech Charities, Interfaith Partnership, The International Institute of Saint Louis, Midland House, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), OASIS Person to Person Peer Support program, RAVEN (Rape and Violence End Now), The St. Vincent Children's Home, the Janet Horner Fund of the First Presbyterian Church of University City (providing utility assistance to those in need), the Women's Safe House and Valdivia Family scholarship aid. In addition, funding support was provided for Trinity's Adult Mission Trip to New Orleans, the Senior High Mission Trip to Clairvoux Farms. The team's recommendations for funding were approved by the Session. A full financial statement for 2006 is attached, with allocations made in 2003-2005 included for comparison. A brief description of all organizations supported is also included.

Winger Food Pantry: Sandy Norkaitis reports: "The Winger food pantry continues to be a valued source of emergency food for people in need throughout St. Louis. Our numbers continue to grow each year and the clients we serve value and appreciate Trinity for the gift of this congregation in the form of emergency food one time a month. The Wednesday workers continue to hear "God Bless You"; "I hope some year to be able to contribute to you as you continue to give food to us" ; or just a warm hug and a big "Thank you." We have a wonderful group of very dedicated volunteers who continue to give of their time and energies so freely to make the food pantry open each Wednesday. I love each of them for their enthusiasm and love for the mission of the Food Pantry.

The volunteer shoppers this year were: Jane Gibbons, Stacey Carman, Robyn Peglar and Sally Dunn. Robyn is stepping down from her shopping duties. We have all appreciated Robyn's dedication to her job keeping the shelves stocked during July, August and September. We will miss her wonderful personality and her willingness to volunteer. Thank you, Robyn, for your years of service. The monthly baggers responsible for keeping the shelves full of grocery orders are: Joanne, John and Zach Roman, Rhonda Dunbar and the Senior Highs, Emily Kelton, Polly Brown, Lynn Beck, Kirk and Jyll Swearingen, Tina, Larry, Joanna and Isaac Newberry, Norma Vavra and Wally Klein, Luise Hoffman and Peg Redelfs, Christy Thompson, Michelle, Griffin, Dylan and Shane Devine, Linda, Brian and Brianna Min. Wednesday workers who pass out the food are: Sally Dunn, Jane Gibbons, Sandy Norkaitis, Jerry Royce, Nancy Wagoner and our full-time helper, Birty Hodgson.

We received 125 cases of Boy Scout food during the past year. Lisa Bernhard, Stacey Carman, Jane Gibbons, Harold Glad, Steve Norkaitis, Sandy Norkaitis and Tom and Grace Peters picked up the Boy Scout food from the Food Bank and delivered to Trinity this past year. The Senior Highs took on the job of sorting all the Boy Scout food for us this past year. In April we received approximately 2685 personal care items from the Girl Scouts April Showers collection. A big thank you to Meleia Carter, Alec and Lauren who bagged the persona l care items to be put into the food orders. In 2006, 1895 people/791 families received food from us thanks to the generous support of the Trinity family. Our biggest Wednesday was November 15, when we gave away 49 turkeys, and food to 160 people/66 families. Harold Glad and Julie Marsh assisted Jane, Nancy and Sandy with the food give away on "turkey day". It was truly a very Happy Thanksgiving for our food pantry clients. During the year we receive food from school food drives organized by Charlotte Landrum and Spirit Sorenson. The cash and food donations from our congregation are very much appreciated. We truly thank each one of you who embrace and support Winger Food Pantry. We could not open without you."

Sandy Norkaitis

Interfaith Partnership: Thanks to the efforts of George Philips, a group of eight Trinity members attended the 2006 meeting and anniversary celebration of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis in September. The Interfaith Partnership promotes peace, respect and understanding among people of all faiths. We hope to participate in this meeting on an annual basis. Those interested in more information about this organization can go to the website, www.interfaithpartnership.org.

Trinity, in its varied ministries, provides us all with many opportunities to be missionaries in Christ. May our congregation continue to grow in love and in service.

Respectfully submitted
Bob Wagner, Chair

In 2006, Trinity Presbyterian Church moved ahead as a member of the MCU MidCounty Cluster.  The Cluster consists of the following congregations:  Unity Christ Church, First Presbyterian Church, Samuel United Church of Christ, University United Church of Christ, Christ Church United Church of Christ, and Trinity. 

The Cluster started the year by holding an Issues Assembly to determine the issues the Cluster would work on during the year.  The assembly was held at First Presbyterian Church on January 8, 2006.  Trinity was well represented with 40 enthusiastic members. At that assembly, the congregations voted on the issues and selected Public Education and Health Care as the two issues of interest.  A task force was formed for each issue and Trinity members were involved in both.

During the spring and summer, the task forces researched their respective issues.  For example, the Public Education task force met with school superintendents and other school officials, state legislators, and other people with an interest in the issue.  The goal was to select a single issue for each task force that would make a difference related to their area.  The issue would be presented at a Community Meeting, where public officials would be "pinned" -- to show their commitment to working with MCU to address the issue.

The Public Education task force picked the issue of improving drop-out rates, and invited several legislators to the Community meeting where they committed to meet with task force members to find ways to fund programs that helped the drop-out rate.  The task force has already met with several state legislators to learn more about possible approaches and start plans for 2007.  The Health Care task force picked the issue of health care advocates at County health facilities and is working with County legislators to get funding in the 2008 fiscal year budget.

The Trinity MCU Core Team

• Lisa Bernhard
• Betty Burnett
• Luise Hoffman
• Melissa Kreishman
• John Roman
• Tom Serfass
• Kitty Underwood

Respectfully Submitted,
John Roman

The Corporate Affairs Commission is expected to provide ongoing financial, budgetary, investment and general corporate guidance to the Session.  The members this year were Tim Rand, Chairperson (until he moved to Florida); Keith Fischer, Acting Chairperson; Joanne Roman, Church Treasurer; John Merker, Henry Biggs, John Pfeifer,  and Mary Nielsen.

The Commission oversaw the Budget for 2006 and developed a proposed budget for 2007 which at this date has not been approved by the Session as final totals from the stewardship drive are not known.  The total budget for 2006 was $$$.  The expected shortfall of income over expenses is $$$ which is a decrease of slightly greater than $$$ from that of 2005. 

The proposed budget for 2007 is $$$. Expected revenue sources to fund this budget are the following:

This totals $$$ leaving a deficit of $$$ to be taken from Church savings which total approximately $$$ at this time.  In 2006, there were 103 pledging units contributing $$$.

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering collected $$$ in 2006.  This is divided among The Presbyterian Relief Fund and other funds supporting Missions of the Presbyterian Church.

The Corporate Affairs Commission wants to extend special thanks to Ms. Linde Bachele, our Financial Administrator, who does such a superb job in monitoring church finances and keeping accurate books.  The Commission also recognizes Ms Karon Bilbrey, retired church administrator and Ms Liz Nelson, current church administrator for their hard work in supporting our Commission.

Respectfully submitted,
Keith C. Fischer, Acting Chairperson  

The members of the Evangelism Commission during 2006 included;  Margy Brown, Sally Dunn, Do Kirk, Kim Martin, Jan Schulte-Glad, Cathy Smith, Jim Person and Keith Fischer. 

During 2006, the Evangelism Commission continued to focus on three primary tasks:

• Increasing awareness of Trinity Presbyterian church so that others are aware of our faith community and may join us in worship and service
• Welcoming visitors and new members into our ministry and fellowship
• Providing opportunities to celebrate important events in the lives of Trinity families

The commission coordinated media advertising, primarily via Yellow Pages ads and increased our visibility through internet links to Trinity's spectacular web site.  Visitors and new members to Trinity frequently site the web page as their entry point.  We give thanks for the gifts that Brian Schroer brings to this important mission.  Updates to the street sign on Kingsland were done to highlight special programs in the Adult Education offerings of particular interest to our community.  We produced seasonal flyers to facilitate participating in worship opportunities during Lent and Advent.  This year, the commission sent a directed invitation to all those worshiping with us for the first time during 2006.

The commission remained actively involved in the "welcome bag" mission, delivering a bag containing recent Trinity newsletters, bulletins, refrigerator magnets, a copy of the Trinity DVD and the always popular "testamints".  We delivered approximately 45 bags this year.

Members of the evangelism commission are involved in the new member process from beginning to end. With you, we try to make personal contact with people we notice during worship who we do not recognize.  Folks who eventually join Trinity often mention the "welcome bag" as a tangible reminder of what a welcoming congregation Trinity is.  New member classes are held at least quarterly, and our commission attends these classes, providing refreshments, and sharing our own faith journeys. It is a great opportunity to get to know new members better. We then arrange for a sponsor for those who ultimately join the congregation. Two to three times a year we host a brunch for the new members and their sponsors.  This year 23 new members were welcomed into the Trinity Family.

Jim Person has been providing interesting and tasty snacks that have enlivened our fellowship opportunities.  Sally Dunn continues to coordinate beautiful receptions for our Confirmands and new members following worship.  Most of us have now enjoyed the beautification of the hallway near the Weems chapel and perused the awesome bulletin board outside the office!  The Kingsland entrance is now a beautiful tribute to Fred Kirk and welcomes all of us warmly.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a dedicated group and would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of them for their wisdom, time and talent.  We would love to broaden our mission but need others who are interested in participating intentionally in the welcoming of  Trinity members and visitors!!  Join us the third Wednesday of every month from 7:30 - 9:00 pm!!

Respectfully submitted,
Kim Martin, Chairperson

Throughout the Old Testament, the Temple is the dwelling place of the LORD.  To be with the LORD, the people of Israel and the priests came to the Temple.  With the coming of Christ in the New Testament, we see the temple described in different terms.  We see in 2 Corinthians 6:16b, "For we are the temple of the living God."  In the Bible, the temple of the Old Testament changes from a building for people to be with God to the people becoming the Temple to take Him to others after Christ's coming.

Located at 6800 Washington Avenue, is a facility that invites people to explore the faith, to know Jesus, the Son of God, so they can become a Temple. 

The Facility Commission strives to provide, maintain, and support the ministries of Trinity Presbyterian Church.  Look at the calendar outside of the office and one can get an impression of how busy our building is every day of the week.  The people that work with the commission strive to make Trinity a warm (or cool) and inviting place to all.

Along with regular maintenance to Church systems and the physical plant, a number of repairs and improvements took place in 2006:

• the pipe organ renovation and related organ loft renovation,
• the Fred Kirk lower Kingsland entrance renovation,
• renovation of the walkway and entrance of the front Kingsland door (shrubs removed, bench installed, minor landscaping done),
• creation of the Gallery in the hallway outside the office and Weems Chapel,
• creation of the large magnetic calendar outside the office,
• repairs to the slate tile roof (gaps were creating leaking in the Choir room),
• repairs to the choir room wall from the leaking roof,
• repairs to the plumbing and pipes under the classrooms (drain back-up and flooding this summer) and creating of a better drainage system,
• repairs to the boiler (replaced the zone valve and the thermostat),
• repairs to the hot water heater for the dish washer (burners and stack cleaned and adjusted to eliminate exhaust flow into kitchen, and
• repairs to the elevator (our outdated single-phase motor has a "dead spot" in the winding and stops every time that section is hit.  Elevator repairs only work until that section is reached again).

The elevator has stopped working numerous times this past year and the Commission is in the process of talking with the elevator company and other contractors to explore repair and replacement options, ranging from removing and rewinding the current motor to building a completely new elevator.

In order to best budget for future building repair and maintenance needs, the Commission has also asked our various contractors, as well as members Tom Wilhite, Bob Little and George Sallwasser, to complete a building "physical" to determine the relative health of our aging systems (HVAC, elevator, electric, roof, etc.) and the physical building.

Church staff and the Commission are also exploring internal and external signage for the building and are exploring budget options and maintenance staffing issues to decrease costs.  Thank you to Facilities Commission members Birty Hodgson, Joan Wysession and Liz Nelson for their service.

Respectfully Submitted,
Rick Jeter
Facilities Commission Chair

The Personnel Commission was actively involved with the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Session in the budget process for 2007.  We also completed the Pastor's evaluation and had input into the evaluations of other staff members.  The Commission conducted an exit interview with Karen Bilbrey when she retired and provided consultation on the hiring of a new church administrator as well working with the search committee for our new minister of equipping and a director of Christian education.  We also worked with staff on revising job descriptions to have a more equipping focus and are working to address issues with providing health insurance for all our employees. Many thanks to members Tom Cobb, Terry Crow, Sandy Norkaitis and Kitty Underwood for their thoughtful work throughout the year. 

Respectfully Submitted,
Margy Brown, Chair

The first meeting of the Worship and Music Commission in 2006 produced an outline of what we considered our role to play in the community of Trinity Church.  The ideas below became known as "our verbs": 

• Planning meaningful worship experiences with pastor and minister of music (ideas for worship; themes- ways to expand, renew these throughout the year-e.g. "circles" "weaving"
• Finding the resources to implement these plans both within and beyond the staff and congregation of Trinity (dancers, guest preachers/choirs; exhibits; presentations)
• Listening to the congregation for feedback on how worship is being experienced
• Working in collaboration with Christian Education and Pastor to find ways to help the congregation to get more meaning from worship (fuller, richer experience); especially when something new is introduced
• Remembering:  honoring meaningful worship traditions and experiences that have deep roots in Trinity's history-history and tradition are important ways to enrich the worship life
• Serving:  "Altar Guild" (the nitty-gritty chores-communion servers, baptisms; choirs and special music; special services needs; supplies; liturgists)
• Watching:  a commitment to awareness of the world at large and the ways our community can best serve in it-be that political action, personal resources, education or spiritual solace and nurturing

 The year held a few challenges for us and a wonderfully diverse team of faithful people chose to be willing to answer God's call to meet those challenges:  Diana Gray, Brian Schroer, Chris Lutz, Liz Nelson, Nancy Wagoner, Ruth Cobb met monthly with Dan and Paul.

 For my annual report of our work, I'd like to share just two examples of questions put to this commission:

 1)  The beginning of the year saw us discussing "tensions" inherent in the worship life of Trinity's richly diverse congregation.  The topic was and is a difficult one, with opinions spanning a wide range even among the 7-12 of us that met each month.  What we continued to strive for all year was the ability to discuss these tensions lovingly and respectfully, offering our own agendas up for God to reconcile (or not) while seeking God's will in each common decision.  What I think many of us realized is that God's will for us is that we have different opinions, different ways of seeking and participating in prayer, worship, and fellowship, and  affinities and/or passions for widely different kinds of music and experiences.  Our gift from God isn't necessarily harmony in all of these outcomes, but the sense of peace, love and awe that comes from being able to love each other both in spite of and because of our different passions and opinions.  God called us to move toward open-mindedness and curiosity of another's 'style' as well as risking to share the things we love with those different from us.

 2)  The renovation of the organ brought logistical challenges for us to work through together, as well.  Collectively attempting to imagine what kind of worship experiences could be co-created in the space which is traditionally our dining room.  From questions of dcor and sound system to how to best usher and serve communion, the team offered solutions, listened, agreed and disagreed and finally moved forward into action.  These questions may seem simple, but (as evidenced by the articles submitted into Trinity News by John Pfeifer and Chris Lutz-"Why I Like Worshipping in the Basement" and "Why I Like Worshipping in the Sanctuary") even practical decisions such as these are wrought with questions of individual spirit.

 In these two moments, as well as our weekly and monthly tasks which supported and sustained certain aspects of our worship services, I was grateful to be part of a team of people who were caring, opinionated, loving, candid, honest, faithful and above all, willing to listen for and to God's calling.  Specific acknowledgements (there are more, but here are a few):

 1)  To Liz for coordinating communion servers each month and for continuing to participate in this commission even after joining the staff- since then she has also been a big help to me in getting out reminders and emails that I would otherwise have been scrambling to remember to do!!

 2)  To Brian, Nancy, Chris, and forgive me if I can't remember everyone who helped with this-- for presenting rainbows or writing prayers for baptisms.

 3)  To Ruth and Diana for gorgeous decorations for our various worship seasonal celebrations.

 4)  To all who helped with communion bread- baking, buying, coordinating...

 5)  To our web-servant, Brian, for being so well-prepared and advertising the worship-life and community of Trinity so honestly and successfully in his high-tech medium.

 6)  To Dan and Paul for bringing your meaningful worship planning to us, communicating your needs, hearing our concerns and opening to our suggestions.

 Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Respectfully submitted in love and service,
Vicki Carmichael

Trinity's Endowment Fund was created in the mid-1950s to provide fiscal support for Trinity Presbyterian Church, and to help the church meet its responsibilities and new challenges in an ever-changing world.  The purpose has remained constant throughout the years.

As of September 30, 2006, the more recent reporting period for which period figures are available, the value of the Endowment Fund stood at $$$.  The value of the fund is basically, at the same level it was on September 30, 2005.

During 2006, the Endowment Fund contributed $$$ towards Trinity's operating budget. 

During 2006, the Endowment Board established a task force to work with an Equipping Ministry team to develop a funding plan for the Equipping Ministry program.  At the conclusion of the task force's work, the Endowment Board committed to funding the Equipping Ministry position over a three-year period, representing a total contribution of $$$.  The Endowment Board will receive regular updates from the Equipping Ministry team regarding the progress of this vital ministry.

The Trinity Endowment Board also committed to underwrite the 2006-2007 reverberations Concert Series, which are held in the Trinity Church sanctuary. 

The Endowment Board is overseen by a board of up to thirteen directors, including four from each of three annual classes and the Pastor, Doctor Dan Anderson-Little, who serves as an ex-officio member of the Board.  During 2006, the officers of the Fund were: Terry Crow, President; Henry Edmonds, Vice President; Keith Fischer, Treasurer; and Susan Rava, Secretary. 

During 2006, we welcomed three new members to the Endowment Board: Beth David, Barbara Santoro, and Kim Martin.  Other Board Members are: George Philips, George Sallwasser, Ray Scholin, and Bob Klostermeier.

The assets of the Fund are professionally managed by Fox Asset Management Inc. of Little Silver, New Jersey, which has been instructed to pursue a conservative balance investment approach, investing of stock, bonds and cash.  The Board is assisted by a St. Louis company, Fiduciary Consultants Inc., which provides regular evaluations of reporting on Fox Asset Management's performance.  Fox Asset Management has successfully met its objectives, generating it above average return on investments compared to other comparable funds with similar investment objectives.

The Board gratefully acknowledges the generosity of those who have given gifts and bequest to the Fund throughout its history.

Respectfully submitted,
Terry E. Crow, President

"The office of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of sympathy, witness and service after the example of Jesus Christ."

- The Book of Order

Deacons:  D. Afuwape ('08), L. Beck ('07), D. Henry ('07), L. Hoffman ('06), A.    Platt ('08), T. Peters ('06), G. Sallwasser ('07), J. Sallwasser ('07), S. Shupe ('06), C. Smith ('08), S. Young ('08)

The 2006 Board of Deacons continued the ongoing effort to define avenues for providing sympathy, witness and service in a timely manner to the members of the Trinity congregation. Effective communication between deacons and the Pastor, the church office staff and the Session are vital to this effort. 

Areas of action for the 2006 Board of Deacons included:

1. Prayer Ministry:
   Cathy Smith spearheaded the creation and maintenance of a Prayer/ Concern List that provided a mechanism for identifying and tracking persons needing long term or short term prayer, phone contact, attention and/or assistance due to health, financial, and transportation and housing or other issues.
2. Transportation:
   Contact information for the Deacons is published regularly in the Sunday bulletin and in the Trinity News encouraging anyone needing transportation to/from worship or other church events to call.
3. Emergency Meals:
   The Deacons keep a few frozen dinners on hand and coordinate the delivery of meals to any member with need for assistance. Members are invited to help provide meals and are asked to include the date, ingredients list and warming instructions.
4. "Missing You" Communications:
   Working closely with the church office, the Deacons have started to develop a process for regular review of the attendance forms completed during worship in an effort to make contact with persons whose attendance patterns have significantly decreased. The process provides another opportunity to make contact with members of the Trinity family who may be experiencing challenges at home, work, church, etc., and could who might benefit from any of the services outlined above.
5. Advent Books:
   With much guidance from Sandy Norkaitis, the Deacons assisted with the production and labeling of the Advent Books.
6. Musical Performance for Special People: 
   The Deacons sponsored a holiday performance by Paul Vasile for special members of the congregation when the restoration of the organ was completed. Invitees included homebound persons and those with physical challenges which make coming to church regular very difficult.

 Respectfully submitted,
Lynne Beck, Moderator

FEAST (Fellowship, Eating and Sharing Together) has undergone numerous changes this year. In the past, this group for 20- and 30-somethings focused on monthly potluck dinners with discussions on Saturday evenings held in participants' homes. We are single and married, gay and straight, parents and non-parents who gather to get to know each other socially and support each other through joys and concerns. After a number of births, moves, injuries, and other major events happened to our members, our core attendees spent much time discussing and praying about what direction FEAST should take. Many of us felt we needed to reach out more to new members and visitors in our age group. We attempted a number of different strategies to grow and expand, frequently evaluating our definition of what FEAST was and why it was important to our spiritual health.

In 2006, we held a smaller number of "traditional" FEAST potluck/discussions. A core group of people (Stacy Shupe, Dave & Liz Nelson, Carissa Gigliotti & Dan Haeusser) came to each and were blessed. However, our dwindling attendance and increasing personal responsibilities/ hectic schedules prompted us to consider shifting away from Saturday nights and finding ways to include more people.

 One of our ideas for expansion in 2005 was "FEAST Fun." Unlike traditional FEAST, FEAST Fun was purely social and we aimed to make all of our FEAST Fun events family friendly. One event we planned was a trip to the Wolf Sanctuary and picnic at Tyson Research Station. Unfortunately, this happened to be the day of a bad storm. Similarly, most of our other FEAST Fun days were rained out. We hope to continue to pursue FEAST Fun in the future in a less formal way to cut down on this problem.

 One of the successful ways we expanded this year was to create Biblical FEAST. Biblical FEAST was an eight-week Bible study led by Carissa Gigliotti and Daniel Haeusser in their home that grew out of a desire to delve deeper into faith issues outside of church. Our topic was non-canonical texts and their relationship to our faith. We had an enthusiastic response to this offering and attracted a few new members.  Dan and Carissa plan to lead another Biblical FEAST dealing with peace and the apocalypse in 2007.

 In 2007, we hope to stabilize our traditional FEAST gatherings, perhaps offering the church as a place to "host" for those who don't have their own place, and may look into offering child care again. We also plan to utilize the bulletin and Trinity News more effectively to gain visibility.

No matter what has happened in the past year and a half since we became the coordinators, we have always found that FEAST friends are there for each other and cherish these open, honest relationships. We know God is moving in this group and bearing fruit, and that is the best we could ask for!

Respectfully submitted,
Carissa Gigliotti (on behalf of herself and her co-coordinator Daniel Haeusser)

The Presbyterian Women of Trinity brown bag it each Tuesday at 11 o'clock for prayer, sharing concerns of our church, family, friends and our community.  We write notes and send cards to our homebound and sick people the second Tuesday of each month.  We held a few Presbyterian Women's Friendship Salad lunches and dinners in 2006.  All ages from the 20's to he 90's were represented  during these times for women to gather and fellowship with each other. We would like each of you to join us at our weekly gatherings, as well as these special fellowship events in 2007.  

 Respectfully submitted,
Genny Richmond