- Nancy Wagner
From 'Embers', copyright 2004

- Janet Mote, Director of Christian Education

Confirmation Sunday is May 22^nd! We will welcome four new 8^th graders into our membership - Wyndham Ferris, Branden Gary, Jamie Schoeberlein, and Anna Swearingen. These students have completed a two-year confirmation class. Ask them about turtles and faith, to tell you about their prayer flags, or to show you their classroom and the murals of church history and the person of Jesus.

Also on May 22^nd in worship we will celebrate our teachers who have taught various Christian education classes this year.

After worship that morning join us for a beautiful reception for both our confirmation students and teachers!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

...Branden, Anna, Jamie and Wyndham, four 8th grade youth that will be completing their two year confirmation experience this May. They are a strong and enthusiastic group of kids who are willing to share their questions, doubts and knowledge about their faith and life experiences all the time. They are very diverse, helping the entire class experience this faith journey through their humor, gentleness, intelligence and humanness.

We are blessed to have these young people of faith among us...

- Kim Merritt

May 1 - Third in "Moral Values" sermon series: Environmental Care

May 8 - Fourth in "Moral Values" sermon series: Poverty

May 15 - Pentecost - What does the street outside of the house where the disciples were on Pentecost, Delmar Boulevard, and the Yellow Brick Road have in common? Come and find out!

May 22 - Confirmation Sunday. In addition to confirming our 8^th Graders, we will also celebrate the ministry of our Christian education workers, and the Trinity Choir.

Please volunteer to lead Worship School during the month of May. Worship School is during the second half of worship each Sunday when the children Pre K -2^nd grade leave worship for a brief lesson. It is a one week commitment, lessons are written and mailed to you, and supplies are set out for you. If you would like to volunteer sign up in the Narthex, God's Creation, or contact Janet at church 314-725-3840.

During the summer months of June, July, and August, Worship School will be SUMMER IN THE CATACOMBS where children Pre K - 2^nd grade will light their lanterns, find their way to the catacombs and different Christians will come visit each week to share their stories. We are looking for adult volunteers to assist each week. Children 3^rd grade and older may sign up to help build the catacombs as well as assist each week. To volunteer, please sign up downstairs in God's Creation or contact Do Kirk at 314-996-2680.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

The Organ Fundraising Campaign is off to a wonderful start.To date we have pledges andfor over $18,500 towards the goal of $35,000 to be raised from individual congregational gifts.

As we near the end of the first phase of fundraising, we encourage you to make a gift or pledge that will help to ensure the success of our efforts.we have set an ambitious goal, we are confident that the generosity of the Trinity congregation will provide the needed funds to repair and restore our pipe organ to even better shape than when it was built.

Additional pledge cards and envelopes are available in the Narthex, in case you have lost or misplaced yours.We ask that you return them as soon as possible, so that we can move forward with a secure financial footing. If you would like additional information or have questions regarding the upcoming repairs or our fundraising efforts, please contact me.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

After worship a few weeks ago, a proud parent came to show me a picture that his child had drawn that morning. Inspired by the early music ensemble that played, she had filled the page with elegant designs, bright colors and violins floating in the sky. I couldn't help but think that this perfectly captured the spirit of the music that was shared - lively and exciting, performed with great skill and imagination, and given so generously and graciously!

The past year has been filled with many similar moments: the exuberance of the Boy's Choir of Kenya, passionate cellists and string players, the consoling tones of the French horn during Lent, raucous bagpipes on Reformation Sunday, guitars of all shapes and sizes, and so many others. These offerings of praise have embodied God's Word for us; they have brought color, shape and energy to our worship; they have deeply connected us to the creative Spirit. All of this is due to you! Your gifts to the Psalm 150 Fund provided the resources for these wonderful and diverse opportunities!

As we kick-off our campaign on May 8, I encourage you to again give joyfully and generously to this special offering. The Psalm 150 Fund is such an important part of our ongoing music ministry. It provides for guest musicians throughout the year and also gives support to creative and meaningful musical endeavors that enrich and strengthen our faith. These financial resources also allow us to continue reaching out to our community, building connections locally, nationally and globally. In the next weeks you will receive a letter and offering envelope that can be returned to the church office or placed in the offering plate on Sunday morning. Thank you, as always, for your enthusiastic support!

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

From April 17 to May 8, I have been preaching a series of sermons on "moral values." As I have said each week, the intent of these sermons is not to assert a single Christian or Presbyterian or Trinity perspective on these issues, but to help all of us engage more fully and faithfully in these important discussions. The sermons are designed to help each of us frame these moral issues and to draw on the rich resources of scripture and our tradition as we do so.

The sermon series leaves one important question untouched, however, that I want to address here: How do we bring our moral perspectives and opinions to bear in public. It is one thing to hold deep convictions about important moral issues; it is another to share our convictions in hopes of shaping public opinion and policy.

Before suggesting ways to bring our moral voice to the public arena, I want to speak briefly about the hope for a new moral voice to rise up. Many of us look to a charismatic leader to articulate the deep values that we hold. In the 1950s and 1960s Martin Luther King, Jr. was such a leader for millions of Americans. At various times in our nation's history, such compelling leaders have arisen.

While such leaders can be critical to advancing justice and human well-being, I think it is a mistake to wait for such a leader to appear. The power of the civil rights movement was not the leaders, but the millions of men and women, black and white, Christian and Jewish, who mobilized to make their voices heard. In an era when so many of us feel disempowered to make a difference, I think it is especially critical for Christians to be proactive and share our moral convictions with the community, the nation, and the world.

So how do we make a difference? I would offer three approaches:

1. Act as a Christian citizen. When I lived in London, England in the 1980s, the church where I worked had a sign out front during election season. It read: Vote - not for the person who will do the most for you, but for the person who will do the most for others. The sign did not tell voters how to vote (although given the strong Labour leanings of the community, the implication was clear!); rather it encouraged (even insisted) that we bring our moral voice to the public square by voting in ways that are consistent with our understanding of morality.

Sometimes many of us feel like we have to choose between the lesser of two evils - that no candidate represents our moral convictions. In such cases we can reexamine our moral beliefs and determine which ones are most important to us; we can make sure we raise questions of candidates; we can run for office ourselves to make sure our moral voice is heard.

2. Act as a Christian consumer. Every purchase we make is a moral decision. With our dollars we can support fair or unfair labor practices; we can help the environment of hurt it; we can express our values, not only our personal values, but our social values. Being a moral consumer doesn't imply one set of behaviors, but it does mean that we realize that no consumer is an island - that in an age of globalization, we are all interconnected.

3. Invite others to be engaged by Trinity's moral voice. The Trinity congregation does not speak with one voice on moral issues. But we are one body that seeks to understand, to discern, and enact God's will. We value openness, inclusiveness, and justice.

While it is always important for us to struggle with these issues as a congregation, part of our contribution to our community and our nation is widening the circle of participants in that conversation. We can do this by inviting friends, neighbors and coworkers to our worship (a place where we give voice to our moral convictions and values), to our Christian Education (our Faith and Science series being an excellent example of how Trinity wrestles with moral issues), and to other gatherings of members. This will mean that we must always plan worship, education and fellowship not only with the needs of our members in mind, but with others in mind as well.

Jesus calls us to be light and salt in the world. If we don't engage the world with our convictions and conversations we will never fulfill that call. I believe that as a congregation we have much to contribute to this ongoing dialogue.

May our voices ring out in our words and our deeds.

Claire Santoro, who has grown up at Trinity, was recently named a semi-finalist in the Presidential Scholars program.

Presidential Scholars candidates are selected by their SAT or ACT scores. This year there were over 2700 candidates, and there are now 550 semifinalists (ten from Missouri). Semifinalists, and then finalists, are chosen by a national committee based on their academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and the quality and content of an essay.

There will be two finalists (one male, one female) from each state, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and US citizens in foreign countries, adding up to no more than 121 scholars. The finalists will be announced in May, and during June they will travel to Washington DC to receive the award.

Claire writes about herself: "Next year I will be going to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. I'm really undecided about what I want to do, but I am considering some combination of environmental science and public policy. Related to that, I am going to be an intern at a marine science 'camp' in Rhode Island in July. When not busy with school, I play varsity field hockey and soccer, and I am a lawyer on the University City varsity mock trial team. My team came in first in the St. Louis region and second in the state. I also dance as a part of 'Tapping Gravity,' a tap dance and juggling performance group that three friends and I started four years ago." Congratulations, Claire!

- Cheryl Evans

Want to see an interesting film that ties in with the scientific lecture series we are now enjoying in our Adult Education class? Next time you are looking to rent a movie, you might want to check this one out.

What the heck is quantum physics? Well, I thought I knew a little about it until I saw What the #$*! Do We Know!? Simply put, this film is fun and fascinating, not to mention thought-provoking. It tries to explain the many elements of quantum physics. I found quantum physics to shed more light on the existence of God and what our spiritual existence really means. If there is a way to explain why we are and who we are, then this film may offer some answers. "Ponder that!"

- Nancy Wagoner

It would be hard for me to imagine that there is not a single person in this congregation who has not, in some way, been affected by the terrible disease of breast cancer. Maybe you had a mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend or friend of a friend who has or has had the disease. There still is no cure, only victims and survivors.

I am going to try to help with a cure, and I would like to ask for your help. On September 16th, 17th and 18th I will participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago.

We will walk 60 miles over a 3-day period and I'm looking forward to the challenge, to meeting new friends, and maybe making a difference. I would like to ask for your support, both financially and emotionally, for you are my family, and you have been with me so many times throughout my years at Trinity. Many of you know that my daughter Sarah works for the company that produces these walks. It was she who convinced me to do it. She knows I liked to walk, and this would be for a good cause,. So I'm going to give it a try!

Of the money raised by this event, 85% will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, one of the world's leading cancer organizations; 15% will benefit the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, which will provide support for breast cancer research, treatment, prevention and education.

If you would like to be one of my sponsors I will have sponsor sheets in the Narthex Room at church or you can call me for one (863-2328). Thank you in advance! ! !

Greetings, my name is Tim Barklage. For any of you who don't know me well, I'll provide a brief introduction in a bit. But first the purpose of this article is to get you excited about mission work at Trinity. You may have participated in a survey that was given to the congregation at Palm Sunday and Easter. This information will be used better tell the story of Trinity's ministry. For any of you who did not participate in the survey, I'd like to hear from you.

So back to me. I joined Trinity a few years back around the same time that Nancy and I were married in the church. When not running the Product Development team at SAVVIS Inc, you'd likely find me training for the next marathon/triathlon or working on our 109-year-old home in the Shaw neighborhood. We recently acquired another property in the neighborhood, but this one is a baby - it's only about 95 years old. This summer it will transform from a four-family shotgun into two town homes. If you have spent any time around us, you'll quickly find that we both have an incurable wanderlust. Last summer we spent three weeks in East Africa. This summer we are planning a trip to Peru for two weeks of white water rafting and mountain trekking.

If that has not worn you out, I have also volunteered for Big Brothers and Big Sisters for the past six years. My little brother is a fourteen-year-old who is afflicted with bipolar disorder and ADHD. While our time together can sometimes be a challenge, we always learn something from each other and our lives continue to be enriched by our relationship.

The reason I mention this is because I know there are so many other similar stories at Trinity. I'd not only like to further publicize the mission work that we do as a church, but also to tell the stories that individuals are doing which have a positive effect on the world outside of the Trinity community. Below are some ideas which have already been discussed.

• Newsletter - I think it would be wonderful to have a regular feature in the newsletter which focuses on one of the many stories. It could range anywhere from a profile on a beneficiary of the food pantry to an outside organization where one of our members volunteers
• Bulletins - How about a Trinity in Action blurb each week? Another angle might be a Did You Know blurb. The idea is to bring mission to the top of everyone's awareness.
• Bulletin Board - Wouldn't it be great if the first thing a visitor sees when walking into the doors of Trinity is not only a welcoming usher but also a prominent bulletin board which features a Mission of the Month story. I also envision a permanent fact sheet which outlines the level to which Trinity is committed to social justice. For instance X% of annual budget is mission related, X% of members volunteer time to agencies outside of Trinity, etc. etc.
• Worship - Dan has agreed to explore the idea of having a service or two during the year which focuses heavily on mission stories. People could come up to the podium and share their stories and inspire others to become involved where their passions lead them.
• Website - Post all of this great stuff to our web site.

If you are energized and excited by these ideas or have others of your own, I encourage you to participate in whatever way inspires you. If you have a story to tell, the community would appreciate hearing it.

You can reach me by e-mailing me at tbarklage@hotmail.com or calling me at 314-865-2037.

From: "David" aikani@yahoo.com
Subject: introduction/re-introduction

Greetings, having just discovered that Trinity has a Yahoo group, I thought I'd take the time to introduce/re-introduce myself. I'm David Wagner. I first joined Trinity as a child. I remember Sunday school in the assembly room, confirmation class taught by my (now) step father, Earl Mulley, jr. high and sr. high youth groups, much more sporadic attendance after college, as my work schedule was usually night shift. Much more frequent attendance after returning after graduating law school.

Anyway, I moved from St. Louis to Pago Pago, American Samoa in 2000. I work now for Uunai Legal Services, the only provider of free legal aid to low income individuals, and over the last few years have mainly worked representing survivors of domestic violence.

There is truly no church home for me here. The Samoa's are the bible belt of the South Pacific, but for many many reasons, the churches here, well, for now let's just say I have big problems with them.

Personal stuff, for those of you who may have known me way back when, I'm married now, to a Samoan woman I met here. We recently purchased and are currently living on a 41-foot live-aboard sailboat (slowly, oh so slowly restoring it). I have a five-year-old step daughter who is truly a delight, and we are expecting a new child sometime around the end of may.

I look forward to joining in the discussions on these boards [the Trinity internet group].

Peace,
David

It's the first thing I see as I round the corner --
A truck so big it could hold the whole house,
   not just the lamps and rugs
   and neatly marked boxes
   still to be heaved inside.

Anne-Marie stands on the stoop, smiling goodbye.
Trying, I think, to narrow her focus,
   trying not to see so clearly
   the tulips and tiny hyacinths
   crowning a garden she's loved so well.
Eyes already on Vermont, she waves.

I wave back, forwarding address in hand,
   blue marks a promise, but pale.
My focus will diffuse with time, I suppose.
   I'll e-mail, perhaps phone
   with news of the street.
   She'll find friends and new hostas to mulch.

Just now, though, on a day strangely bursting
   with redbuds and sunshine and leaving,
   I wish there weren't quite so much
   space to fill with fare well.

- Ann Fischer

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ed.'s note: This poem evolved several years ago when a neighbor moved to Vermont. Perhaps others also have similar feelings when we send people who have become important to us - people like Dawn and Jim Mahoney and Clarissa Valdivia - on their ways. Remember that you are always a part of us. And that the Trinity News email box is always hungry. Vaya con Dios!