THE TRINITY STAFF WISHES YOU A BLESSED ADVENT AND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Dan Anderson-Little
Linde Baechle
Karon Bilbrey
Becca Courtney
Birty Hodgson
Karen Hodgson
Janet Mote
Paul Vasile
And all the elves at Trinity News
Advent brings many special events to the life of the church, as you can see in the following several pages. After all of the anticipation, and the candles, and the stories, our celebrations culminate on December 24.
On Christmas Eve, Trinity Presbyterian Church provides two opportunities to celebrate the birth of Jesus - at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. The 5:00 p.m. service is geared toward children and families, but it is appropriate for all ages. The earlier service features readings from scripture (read by children of the church), anthems shared by the children's choirs, and familiar Christmas carols sung by the congregation. This service is billed as a "no-shushing" service. This means that parents are asked to refrain from shushing their children; parents who have trouble abiding by this request are kindly asked to sit in the back! The service lasts about 35 minutes and is a joyful time for children of all ages to greet the Christ child. Childcare is provided for this service, but it is my experience that even very young children enjoy this service.
The 11:00 celebration is a Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols. At this service, the sanctuary is lit by the warm glow of candles placed throughout the room. At the beginning of the service, the choir announces Christ's birth by processing through the Sanctuary while singing "Once in Royal David's City." After the Christ candle on the Advent wreath is lit, we begin our service of lessons and carols: readings from scripture alternate with anthems and hymns as we hear again of God's promise fulfilled in the birth of Christ. We close the service by raising our voices to God singing "Joy to the World." The service concludes at midnight. Childcare is provided.
These services are excellent opportunities to invite friends who do not have a church home. They are also important times for this congregation to gather together on this most holy of nights. I encourage you to attend either or both of these services. I hope to see you at church on the 24th!
Advent is a time of readiness - a time of preparing for the coming of the Christ child into our lives and into the life of the world. How do you get ready? What rituals, what practices have been important to you over the years as you ready your heart to receive Jesus?
During the four Sundays of Advent, every worshipper will have the opportunity to share some of the ways that he or she gets ready for Christmas. At the beginning of each service, you will receive a note card with a question on it (each Sunday everyone will get the same question and all of the questions will be about our Advent preparations). At the time of the lighting of the Advent candle a family in the church (and remember: family can be one person or a large group) will share with the congregation one of their preparations during Advent. All worshippers will then be given the opportunity to write down their own preparations. These cards will be collected and hung on Christmas trees in the Dining Room. During Fellowship time, you are encouraged to read what others have written and talk to them.
This idea was put forward by the Implementation Team. It is their hope that this opportunity will enable members to share faith stories and build community.
Following the worship service on December 8, we will decorate our church, inside and out. Join us as we hang the greens and make our church beautiful for Advent and Christmas. Childcare will be provided for nursery and preschool children. Activities will be provided for children pre-K through grade 5 in the Children's Center. Children must be accompanied by at least one parent. Lunch will be served by Parish Life in the dining room beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Poinsettias must be ordered by December 1. Red and white poinsettias are offered this year and order forms are in the church office, Trinity News, and the pew pads.
In 1974, Trinity had its first Jesse Tree Service. The service got its name from Jesse, one of Jesus' ancestors and the father of King David. God promised that the Savior of the World would be born from this line. The scripture from Isaiah 11:1 says "A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse."
During the past 27 years about 250 family units have participated by making an ornament based on scripture for our barren tree. And for just about all of those services Harold Glad has graciously provided the tree!
This tree told the story of our roots and our faith. We have had ornaments depicting the Creation, Adam and Eve, rainbows and arks for Noah, lamps and ladders and ravens for Samuel, Jacob, and Elijah. There have been many varieties for Moses and the Law, roses, shepherds' crooks, a shepherd's glove and many sheep. And we've had ornaments for the birth of Jesus and angels of many sizes and shapes! Many of these ornaments are displayed year after year in the dining room and will continue to be hung yearly during Advent for all to enjoy.
This year we will have our final service featuring ornaments from different groups of the church - the Deacons, the choirs, the church school, confirmation class, Senior Highs, and the Kingshighway founders. We hope all will plan on attending this service of worship and celebrate as a family of faith our common heritage.
Michael Moran
is a CPA who recently retired from Ralston Purina Co. He grew up in St.
Louis and attended Catholic schools. He has four grown children, three
sons and one daughter. He was introduced to Trinity by Hyran Son, his
significant other. He enjoys photography, hiking and golf.
Stacy Shupe
is an elementary school teacher who was born in University City but
moved away for a number of years, living in Houston and Ohio. She is
already singing in the choir and active in the young adult fellowship.
She also volunteers at the Institute for Peace and Justice. She enjoys collecting stamps, swimming and the Cardinals.
Jim Person
is a project manager at American Express. He is married to Diane
O'Brien and has two children: a daughter who teaches in the Washington
D.C. area and a son in college. He has been active at Trinity for some
time and is the co-leader of a pilot small group. His father is a
Presbyterian minister and his grandparents were missionaries in China.
Jim enjoys cooking and gardening.
Ann and John Turner
- John works for Bank of America in investments and is pursuing a
Masters degree at Washington University. Ann is raising their daughter
Grace, who is almost two, and they are expecting a son in January. Update: Charlie was born January 14, 2003.
John grew up in Houston. They met when they both lived in Chicago and
they moved to Charlotte briefly before moving to St. Louis.
Janet and Sean Mote have also joined Trinity. You already know Janet, our Director of Christian Education. Sean is a web developer with Southwestern Bell. They both lived in a number of places as children. Janet and Sean have known each other for 15 years and have been married for 4 years. They live in Fenton with two dogs in a house that they built.
This year we have the opportunity to usher in the season with a special Festival of Advent and Christmas Music on Sunday, December 15 at 6:30 p.m. Come to hear well-loved carols sung by special vocal ensembles, festive selections rung by the handbell choir, a preformance by our children's choirs, and other well-loved holiday selections. We'll journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, hear the sounds of the angels (and sing with them), sing tender lullabies to the infant Jesus, and then ring out the good news of Christ's birth! The program will last approxiamately 40 minutes and will be followed by cookies, cake, and cider.
Childcare will be available for children 4 1/2 and younger. Older children won't want to miss the opportunity to sing and participate in this fun, intergenerational event. We hope that you will mark your calendar and plan to join us in this special celebration!
The Festival Choir graced our World Communion and All Saints' services with inspiring music! Join them as they sing again for the Jesse Tree Service and on Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday. Remember, the choir is open to everyone who would like to sing. No audition is necessary! Rehearsal information is included below.
- We'll sing a beautiful setting of "Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree" and "Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming" on Sunday, December 15. Rehearse on Sunday, December 8 after Christian Education or Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. Warm-up is at 8:30 a;m. on the morning of the 15th.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday will feature South African Freedom songs, including "We Are Marching in the Light of God" and "Send Me, Lord". Rehearse with us on Sunday, January 12 after Christian Education or Wednesday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. Warm-up is at 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the 19th.
- Deacons' Sunday: On January 12, we will celebrate Deacons' Sunday. Over the past year, the Deacons have reorganized so they can more effectively lead this church's ministry of compassion. Throughout the morning of January 12, you will have the chance to hear about their plans ahd how every member can be a part of this vital ministry. Deacons will serve as liturgists, share a Minute for Mission, and the sermon will lift up this important ministry. During the education hour, they will have the opportunity to hear from you. We will all gather in the Dining Room and have discussion around the tables. At least one deacon will be present at each table. This will enable them to hear from you, to gather your thoughts and ideas so they can better lead the congregation in the ministry of compassion. Make plans to attend!
- Martin Luther King Celebration - January 19
- Congregational Meeting - January 19
Advent turns us toward Bethlehem. Below is a letter from Presbyterian missionaries living today in the land of Jesus' birth. See www.pcusa.org/missionconnections for more information about the Sanders and Presbyterian mission work.
October 11, 2002
God is our refuge and our strength,
a very present help in trouble...
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields with fire.
"Be still and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth."
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
- Psalm 46
It was a restless night for us, the hours perforated by bursts of gunfire, the heavy grinding of tanks, and Hebrew-accented Arabic barked from military loudspeakers. We had finally drifted off when the blast literally shook us out of bed. As we grabbed for the camera and some borrowed slippers, our host rushed into the room to see if we were OK and if the windows were broken.
"Whose house is that?" exclaimed his wife, staring out the window as she held their startled sleepy boys. We ran up to the second floor to get a better look, and saw tanks rumble away from a neighboring home engulfed in flames. After the flames were put out and the tanks gone, we went to see what had happened. Our friend consoled neighbors who had been aroused at 3:00 a.m. and ordered to evacuate their home and stand in the street, hence the interminable loudspeaker announcements in the night.For the next few hours, scores of neighbors - men women and children - waited as soldiers set explosives in a nearby building - we were told the as-yet uninhabited new home of a Hamas activist's father.
The blast broke windows, destroyed grape arbors, sent metal doors through fences, and damaged stone walls of the neighbors' homes. No one was hurt, but everyone was shaken, including us. A typical Sunday morning in Jenin.
Hardly a week earlier, and only a few blocks away, one of our eleventh-grade students was doing her homework in the room she shares with her younger two sisters. Tanks rumbled through the street below, announcing curfew and sending off warning shots. Suddenly the "warning" shots burst through her bedroom window, shattering glass over her sister's bed, flying across the room and lodging in her bookshelf and wall. Our student was not hurt, but she and her family were very shaken. Across town, another student was not so lucky, shot in the side as he opened a window during curfew. Repeatedly denied access to medical care, Mohammad Zeid was 16 years old when he bled to death. Another quiet news day in the "Holy" Land.
Amid the uproar of war, where is the place of refuge?
Nablus, the biblical city of refuge known as Shechem, has been under a suffocating curfew for almost four months. Schools have been open barely a few days in the last month. The same is true of businesses and places of worship. Marthame spent three days there, helping to insure the delivery of emergency supplies, particulary medicine and food, to a city cut off from the world and from itself.
The support of international aid agencies, even with the explicit permission of the Israeli military, is not always enough to guarantee arrival - two other deliveries from Save the Children and Caritas were turned back this week.
It was there that another pre-dawn blast rousted us from our beds and away from the windows. Even though our friends in Nablus have gone through much worse this spring and summer, they and their kids were still shaken by this explosion. Through slats in the shutters, we watched tanks prowling the deserted streets, their gun turrets moving ominously and firing regularly, their loudspeakers broadcasting the morning order: "Stay in your homes or you will be shot." There isn't even safety at home in the haven of the Anglican church compound - its outer wall has been demolished by Israeli tanks, its windows broken by bullets and the deafening booms that accompany tanks and F-16s. The twin mountains of Gerizim and Ebal that surround Nablus echo and tremble with the sound. It feels like they're moving closer together, such is the claustrophobia. When Marthame left that shattered, burnt hull of a city, it was by ambulance through the deserted streets. Emergency vehicles are one of the few ways to get in or out or around in Nablus. And even these are no guarantee of safety. In the last two years, the Israeli military has attacked Palestinian ambulances 205 times, killing or injuring 182 medical personnel, including the head of the Red Crescent office in Jenin.
Amid the uproar of war, where is the place of refuge?
As we write this, news comes of another suicide bombing in Israel, killing at least one woman. The man tried to enter a bus near Tel Aviv intending to blow up himself and all its passengers, probably in revenge for the 16 killed in Gaza earlier this week. Luckily, the brave driver and some passengers were able to stop him, holding him down to keep him from detonating his explosive belt and allowing passengers to run away. Most escaped with their lives. Fear permeates Jewish Israel. When and where will the next bomb be? On the bus? At the restaurant? At university?
Amid the uproar of war, where is the place of refuge?
It has been proven to humanity time and time again, both here and elsewhere, that refuge cannot be found in our nations, our homes, our institutions, even in our places of worship. These are fleeting and vulnerable; they totter and tremble. Our real refuge cannot be found not in the Holy Land, but rather in the presence of the Holy One. Amid the beating drums of war, the rumbling of tanks, the blasts of bombs, the blaring of news, we are instructed to be still and know that God is God, that God breaks the bow and shatters the spear of war, that God wreaks desolations on the war-makers of the earth. In a world of refugees, let us take refuge in the psalm and solace in this promise. Let it give us courage to be among the peacemakers of the world. We will be richly blessed.
Salaam al-Masiih (peace of Christ),
Marthame and Elizabeth