- Stacy Shupe

"Mainline" American churches have historically affirmed that the gospel of Jesus Christ calls all who follow him to promote economic justice, work for peace, care for the environment and insist on equal treatment for all God's children. In recent years, however, in the face of financial cutbacks and internal controversies, several of these churches have reduced their commitment to social ministries and muted their public voice.

On the weekend of March 28-30, Eden Theological Seminary and Equal Partners in Faith will be sponsoring JusticeWorks, a conference to renew the church's social witness. It will be held at Union Avenue Church of Christ and will include speakers, workshops, and worship. Attendees will collaborate with others to increase the social justice work of churches.

If you are interested in attending this conference, you can pick up a brochure in the narthex or learn more at www.eden.edu/justiceworks.html. I would like to get a Trinity group to attend together. Call me at 752-5649 if you have questions or plan to attend. I hope to see you there!

Lenten packets will be available starting Ash Wednesday with resources for you to do together at home during Lent. This is a wonderful way to pass your faith on, learn and grow together!

- Charlotte Landrum

Thanks to all who made our recent Deacon Sunday a success. For those who were unable to attend, January 12 was very informative for deacons and members alike. Several deacons participated in the regular service.

For adult education, we all met in the dining room. At each table were one deacon and several members of the congregation. First the deacons explained what it is we do, and then had a question and answer period in which ideas were shared and suggestions were made as to how the deacons could be more helpful. We got some very creative ideas from the congregation. Many of the suggestions will be put into use in the near future.

With your help, the deacons will continue to improve their relationship with members of the congregation. Ours is a caring ministry , but our goal is to guide others down this path. If you are interested in helping out, either through visitations, sending cards, or just making a phone call or two, please contact one of the deacons. The more people we have involved, the better our mission will be accomplished.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

I have a hunch that the organ is a part of our worship service that we tend to take for granted. We come each week, assuming that we will hear gentle sounds floating out of the organ loft, that the instrument will support our singing and that its flourish will end the service. But have you ever had an opportunity to listen to the organ on its own - to hear the unique colors, textures, and dynamics that it is capable of? Have you ever thought about the spiritual significance of the instrument, or how music written for the organ can become a devotional tool, helping us to experience God's presence in new ways?

This Lent, you are invited to a unique Adult Education course focused on the pipe organ. For five weeks, I will give participants a personal introduction to the pipe organ as a musical instrument and will focus on its ability to make powerful and compelling spiritual statements. The class will include singing, questions and discussion, and a small group will be invited to sit in the organ loft each week, offering a more intimate experience of the instrument.

Topics and music covered in the course will include:

• The Organ as Instrument An opportunity to learn about the various parts of the instrument and to experience its colors and textures. We'll take a guided tour through the organ using a variety of musical examples, including Henry Purcell's Trumpet Tune, Bless the Child by Dan Locklair, Buxtehude's Ciacona in E minor and Gigout's Grand Chur Dialogu among others.
• The Organ as Poet Experience the rich imagery and emotion of the Psalms through music. Hear settings of Psalm 23 and Psalm 118, as well Bach's well-known Fugue on 'St. Anne'.
• The Organ as Prophet Just as the Old Testament prophets used striking language to grab their listener's attention, this class will feature challenging and provocative organ works. We'll hear raucous tunes by Ronald Arnatt, Dennis Lovinfosse and Daniel Pinkham.
• The Organ as Evangelist Hear how the organ can tell the "old, old story" in fun and delightful ways. We'll hear the humorous Variations on a Sunday School Tune by Virgil Thompson, gospel preludes by William Bolcom, an energetic work by Dan Locklair and an improvisation or two.
• The Organ as Theologian This class will feature organ literature that makes a powerful statement about the nature and essence of God. We will conclude the class with works Bach's Fantasia in G Major, Messiaen's Dieu parmi nous and a new composition, How Great is the Love.

If you have always wanted to know more about the organ and music written for the instrument, this course is a great place to start. This is also a great opportunity to learn how to listen spiritually - with hearts open to the deeper truths that inspired these great pieces of music.

Get out your grey Habitat t-shirts, paint brushes, and nails! We'll soon be in the building business again. Session recently approved Trinity's second Habitat for Humanity project - this time as part of the Ecumenical Housing Partnership, a joint effort with Our Lady of the Pillars, Sacred Heart of Valley Park, and St. Peters Episcopal churches. All four churches will contribute money and volunteers. The organizing group hopes to begin construction this spring and to finish within thirteen Saturdays of work.

Session also approved a special campaign to raise $10,000 to fund our portion of the project. A special feature of this campaign will be the Endowment Fund Board's commitment to a matching-fund plan. Each $3 contributed to the campaign will be matched by $1 from the Endowment Fund, up to $2500.

Look for more news soon about ways you can be involved in this effort.

- Bob Wagoner

On Wednesday January 22, 14 hardy individuals braved icy cold to attend the first meeting of a group focused on understanding the objectives of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians and how Trinity might benefit from joining that national organization. Twenty-four other people were unable to attend that evening but wanted to participate. Trinity's Pastor Emeritus, Don Weems, also shared his experiences over the years in shaping Trinity's ministry of welcome and inclusion and in leading various Presbytery debates over amendments before the General Assembly. His comments provided great insight and helped in understanding where we had been and where we might head.

After much questioning and discussion, those present unanimously agreed to recommend to the Session that Trinity become an official member of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. Membership involves minimal annual dues and also affirmation of the Network's Call to Covenant Community. It was felt that joining this organization could establish a communications path through which we could witness and "tell our story" of welcome and inclusion, as well as share in the Network's resources.

The following excerpt is from the official web-site description of the Covenant Network:

For many at the Trinity meeting, asking that Session approve joining the Network was a "no-brainer." We believe its motto "...Toward a church as generous and just as God's grace" is totally in line with the expressed ministry of Trinity Presbyterian Church.Reasons for selecting this particular organization include its strong foundation in the biblical and theological basis behind its tenets, its avoidance of divisive name-calling and finger-pointing, and its continuing efforts to establish dialogues focusing on keeping the PCUSA together.

At its regular meeting on February 5, Session approved Trinity's joining the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. The Trinity group will meet again to establish specific goals and objectives for the coming year, and create an organizational structure. Some potential activities include working with other member churches in the Presbytery to form a local Covenant Network, providing educational opportunities for Trinity and the community on issues addressed by the network, and establishing ongoing communication with others who have differing views on the issues of inclusivity and ordination. Anyone interested in these activities who would like to be included in future meetings should contact me, or send an e-mail to stlwags@aol.com.

For additional information regarding the Covenant Network including their current quarterly newsletter, go to the web site www.covenantnetwork.org.

A Call to Covenant Community

As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), in reliance on the promise of God's grace, we make the following affirmations about our faith and our church:

We affirm faith in Jesus Christ who proclaimed the reign of God by preaching good news to the poor, binding up the broken-hearted and calling all to repent and believe the good news. It is Christ whose life and ministry form and discipline all we say and do.

The church we seek to strengthen is built upon the hospitality of Jesus, who said, "Whoever comes to me I will not cast out." The good news of the gospel is that all -- those who are near and those who were far off -- are invited; all are members of the household and citizens of the realm of God. No one has a claim on this invitation and none of us becomes worthy, even by sincere effort to live according to God's will. Grateful for our own inclusion, we carry out the mission of the church to extend God's hospitality to a broken and fearful and lonely world.

The people of God are called to be "light to the nations." As God's people, we have a commission rather than a privilege. We believe that the place of the church is in the world and for the world: living the good news, proclaiming grace, working with others for justice, freedom and peace. Thus Christian faith has an inevitable public and political dimension. Because we believe that God is at work in culture and community beyond the church, the church need not be afraid to look and listen for God's voice from outside its own sphere.

The words of scripture provide life and nourishment; as the psalmist says, they are desirable, delicious, sweet. The Bible is the evidence of God's long, patient and persistent relationship with communities and persons of faith. It is the one true, reliable witness to God's self-giving in Jesus Christ. The process of discerning God's Word in the words of scripture depends on the faithful reading of the Bible by those who seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are committed to the ongoing task of finding in scripture God's call to live out the Christian life in our day and time. We embrace gifts of scholarship, research and dialogue as we seek to understand the Bible's relevance to the ever-changing needs of the world and to circumstances which scripture does not explicitly address.

We seek the gift of unity among all who confess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord. Unity is Christ's prayer for those who would follow him, "so that the world might believe." We hope to maintain communion fellowship with all whose lives are guided by the Christian creeds and by the confessions of Reformed faith. We pledge to strengthen our ties to those who are at risk of being excluded by recent legislative actions of our church. We also want to live in unity with those whose views are different from ours.

Because nothing in life or death can separate us from God's love, we pray that the issues before us will not separate us from one another.

Covenant Statement

Therefore we covenant together to:

1. welcome, in the name of Christ, all whom God calls into community and leadership in God's church
2. reach out in solidarity and compassion to all who are wounded or excluded by recent legislative actions of our church
3. continue to be faithful to the Presbyterian Church (USA), supporting its mission in Christ's name to God's world
4. reaffirm our denomination's historic understanding that "God alone is Lord of the conscience" (G-1.0301) both for ourselves and for those with whom we disagree
5. trust sessions and presbyteries to ordain those called by God, through the voice of the church, who are "persons of strong faith, dedicated discipleship, and love of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord" and whose "manner of life demonstrates the Christian gospel in the church and the world" (G-6.0106a)
6. seek pastoral and theological solutions to division in the church
7. maintain dialogue, study, and prayer in the spirit of Christ with those with whom we differ, seeking to understand the deeper roots of our disagreements
8. seek God's will for the Church through the presence of Christ, the study of scripture, the guidance of our historic confessions, and the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit
9. encourage officers and governing bodies of the church to join us in this covenant

As we covenant together in Christ, we commit ourselves to encourage one another through prayer, counsel, and mutual support, through times of challenge, controversy, and hope.

- Betty Burnett

Paul Devine has a short motto: Yes. "When you say 'yes' to God, everything falls into place," he says. "Doors open, bells ring, and the parade starts."

Saying yes - and acting on it - brings the risk of failure, of course. But who's keeping score? It may be 7 to 0 today, but tomorrow's a whole new ballgame.

Paul's "yes" right now is to the lay ministry, a program forged by the Presbytery to fill the gap between ordained ministry and deacons. "Many small churches cannot afford a full-time pastor," he says. "And many large ones need a part-time assistant, so here we are, ready and able to help out where we can. God has a way of matching up the need and the servant."

This will be Paul's third career. He hasn't jettisoned the other two, but added to them. His first love was the theater, which he discovered as an undergraduate at Saint Louis U. Bolstered by his wife, Michele, he struck out for southern California to follow his dream of acting. "That was a big risk," he said. "We had no jobs, very little money, and a baby. But, miraculously, I found an acting job right away."

When the bright lights of the theater began to dim after a year of steady but poorly paid work, Paul and Michele decided to move back to St. Louis, where Paul began his second career: law, again at Saint Louis U.

"I was totally unchurched then," he says. "I was raised a Roman Catholic with Irish parents named Mary and Joseph, how could I be otherwise? but the rigidity of doctrine then was much too constrictive for me. When a diocesan priest tried to explain to me while I was in college who gets to heaven and who doesn't, I left. I don't have time for anything that drives a wedge between people. My idea of Christianity is inclusive, not exclusive."

Back in St. Louis studying law, he wanted a place to sing. At the suggestion of his wife and mother-in-law, he joined the choir at Trinity, "to sing only," he emphasizes. "I had no intention of listening to the sermons." But he couldn't help overhearing what Don Weems was saying. One World Communion Sunday he heard the words, "This is the Lord's table, all who come are welcome."

This struck a note, then a chord and a whole song of liberation. "I thought then there might be others who wanted the same sense of inclusion and I became deeply interested in Trinity even though I questioned massive doses of Christian theology. What does 'Trinity' mean anyway? Don was delighted I questioned so much. 'We need you,' he said. 'You will challenge our faith.'"

Paul likes to issue his challenges through the medium of drama, with staged plays or monologues. "Using theater is a way to invite people into the immediacy of experiencing Spirit. Music is another. Both can empower people. And neither has to be 'religious' to do this."

"Empowerment and blessing are two things everyone needs and Christians can offer them. I think we should concentrate on how we can empower and bless ourselves and everyone we come in contact with."

Spiritual growth, says Paul, involves reaching beyond ourselves. He thinks Trinity can branch out to the community in a variety of ways, beyond Sunday morning at 9:30.

"We know that traditional services can be a barrier to growth. If we step across that barrier, we may be surprised by Grace."

Crossing the barrier may mean hosting community meals with an open mike, offering Sunday afternoon musicals, Saturday night drama, or small group prayer services. "An open mike symbolizes the scariness of allowing freedom of expression," Paul says with a grin. "Can we even imagine a church gathering that not only does self-censure, but invites honest feelings? If we can say yes to that, we can grow beyond our wildest dreams. The way I see it, we simply need to have faith that when we invite people, that they will come. If we welcome them with blessings and open arms, in the Holy Spirit, they will stay."

- Jenn Courtney

In the summer of 1999, five women - Kathy Fugate, Amalia LaViolette, Kay Love, Connie Mulch, and I - became fast friends during a production of Noel Coward's Bittersweet with the Hawthorne Players of Florissant. Since then, we have sung together in a few different configurations, but have always wanted to do a show with all five of us together again. Eventually we realized we should stop waiting to be cast in the same show and take the matter into our own hands. So we set to work last summer, choosing music and plotting out rehearsal schedules. Finally the time has come.

I am honored to invite you all to "The Jeweltones in Concert" here at Trinity! It will be a program of mostly Broadway music, plus a little opera and gospel, with all sorts of arrangements ranging from solos to pieces in five-part harmony. We are pleased to be joined by Paul Vasile on piano, Doug Potts on keyboard, and Jim Guglielmo on drums. The concert will be at Trinity on Saturday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, and can be purchased from me in advance or at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Duckie De Mere Scholarship Fund, which is administered by the Hawthorne Players, the group which brought us together.

I'd like to thank you, my Trinity family, for always being so supportive of me. It makes it even more meaningful to me to have this concert in my own church home! Please feel free to call me at 991-8605 with any questions. And, of course, invite lots of friends!

- Harold Glad, Chair

During the past several years the Church and Community Commission has overseen Trinity's financial contributions to over 30 different groups and agencies, most of them local. (See 2002 Annual Report.) This year there have been a number of additional requests for funding. Consequently, a process led by Jerry Royce will undertake the task of evaluating what additional agencies or groups might be funded and what budget modifications will be necessary.

We hope to develop valid criteria for providing continuing and/or new support. Those criteria will likely focus on a number of questions such as:

• What is the mission of the agency?
• What general population will be served and how many individuals will benefit?
• Approximately what is the annual budget of the agency and what are the budget sources?
• Approximately what is the annual budget of the agency and what are the budget sources?

We are also interested in your personal opinions (pro or con) regarding a particular charitable agency or group. Please drop a note to the Commission at the church office or call me directly at 314-567-6231.

- Margy Brown, Clerk of Session

• Session approved Trinity's joining the Covenant Network of Presbyterians.
• Session approved Trinity's participation in a partnership to build a Habitat for Humanity House.
• Pastor Dan Anderson-Little distributed a State of the Church Report suggesting that we commit to numerical growth achieved through focusing on spiritual growth and fellowship.
• The Food Pantry served 1175 people last year. We received 64 cases of food from the Boy Scouts and expect more. The Pantry could use someone with an SUV or pickup to help get food.
• Youth have started fund raising for their trips. Ten are signed up for the Mission trip and seven for the Montreat trip.
• The Corporate Affairs Commission presented budget changes. Session thanked Linde Baechle, Joanne Roman, and the Corporate Affairs Commission for hard work on the 2003 budget.
• The Personnel Commission shared the Pastors goals from 2002; they will ask for commission chairs input on goals for next year.

- Beth Early

The Frauenkirche of Dresden Germany WILL have a stone donated by the people from Trinity! Our goal of $2000, raised mostly in dimes, was achieved before the anniversary of the bombing which destroyed it, February 13. As I handed over the ice cream container filled with coins and bills to the teller at the bank on that day and thought about the amount which I gave to him, it suddenly dawned on me that on 2/13 we honored our pledge with $213. We were meant to do this project!

Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a success. We will continue to collect dimes because we've gotten in the habit of doing so, knowing that even the smallest amount can add up to something magnificent.

Worship on February 15 was enriched by the beautiful music of the Trio Eclectique. An ensemble that has performed widely in the St. Louis area, the trio is comprised of Elsie Parker, clarinet, Christine Fleming, cello, and Paul Vasile, piano. As the name "eclectic" implies, the group draws its inspiration from the best of many diverse instruments, cultures, and musical sources. Their repertoire includes works by Brahms and Beethoven, lesser-known composers of the 19th century, as well as contemporary composers.

The trio will perform a recital at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church on Sunday, March 2 at 5 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.