- Dan Anderson-Little

- Barbara Battin - from the Witherspoon Society web site

The Session met on June 1. Here are some of the highlights and decisions of that meeting:

• The Session had a lengthy and searching discussion about budget matters at Trinity. The Session has set a goal of a $25,000 swing in the budget (made up in part by an increase in giving and in part by a decrease in spending). This goal will reduce our deficit by one third. The Session is confident that this reduction in the deficit can be achieved as all members of the church continue to share in our ministry together.
• The Adult Education program for the Fall was discussed. Tom Peters will lead a four week session on a video produced by the Covenant Network. Dr. Preman Niles will lead a four week course after that. Throughout those ten weeks, the Rev. Dan Anderson-Little will lead a discussion class on "Friedman's Fables" a wonderful book of fables which help us reflect on our living and relationships.
• The Christian Education Commission reminded the Session that the All-Church Retreat is coming up on August 27 and 28 and that sign-ups are starting at the beginning of June. This promises to be a wonderful event!
• The Session received resignations from the Session from Larry Newberry and Bob Wagoner.
• The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for the purpose of electing officers to fill out unexpired terms on the Session and the Board of Deacons.
• The Rev. Dan Anderson-Little has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Covenant Network. The Session voted to pay for his travel expenses to Covenant Network Board meetings in 2005.

Vacation, Study Leave, and Church Trip Schedule for Trinity Staff this summer:

The Rev. Dan Anderson-Little - Vacation: June 7 - June 11; July 18 - August 9 (includes one week of Study leave)

Janet Chester - Mission Trip: June 10 - June 18; Montreat: July 23 - 30

Karon Bilbrey - Vacation: September 26-30

This summer Trinity will be conducting a Listening Campaign as a part of the process of joining the Mid-County Cluster of Metropolitan Congregations United. Over the next several months, members of Trinity will meet in one-on-one interviews: a conversation in depth. This is an opportunity to hear stories people have to tell and the issues they are passionate about. We hope to interview about half the members of Trinity during this time. We will be contacting some of you to be listeners and others to be interviewed. If you are contacted, please consider this opportunity to learn more about members of Trinity or to add your story.

Later this fall, all of the information in the interviews will be gathered and summarized and then reported back to the Congregation. It will also be taken to the Mid-County cluster, which will move ahead to consider the top 2 or 3 community issues and actions to be taken. If you have questions about this or want to participate, contact John Roman or Melissa Kreishman.

- Do Kirk

- Karen Coletti

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

This summer we have planned worship that will not only enable us to praise God, but to grow in our faith as well. Each week, the focus of the service will be a different part of worship. The purpose of this focus is not so much to teach about the various parts of worship (although that will happen as well); rather it is to explore how each part of worship invites us into a deeper relationship with God. Throughout the summer we will explore these parts of worship and discover how they give voice to our faith and help us stay centered in God. There will be many opportunities for members to share their musical and artistic gifts throughout the summer.

The Schedule - Worship as Invitation

May 29 - Prelude

June 5 - Gathering: The Greeting, the Announcements, and the Call to Worship. The Summer Choir will sing.

June 12 - Confession and Assurance of Pardon

June 19 - Praise: Response after Assurance. The summer choir will sing.

June 26 - Passing of the Peace. The service will begin with a Hymn Sing.

July 3 - Scripture

July 10 - Proclamation of the Word: The Sermon and Anthems. The Summer Choir will sing.

July 17 - Affirmation of Faith.

July 24 - Prayers of the People. We will have a guest preacher. The summer choir will sing.

July 31 - Hymns. Paul Vasile will preach. The service will begin with a Hymn Sing.

August 7 - Communion. We will have a guest preacher this day.

August 14 - Offering. The summer choir will sing.

August 21 - Benediction. The service this day will begin with a Hymn Sing.

- Janet Chester, Director of Christian Education

- Janet Chester

Mountains... North Carolina... Singing... Energizers... Keynote... Small Groups... Worship... Recreation... Meet lots of new people... Grow closer to God!

This year six youth from Trinity will attend Montreat Youth Conference in North Carolina the week of July 24-30. This year the group has the opportunity to travel to and from North Carolina with other youth groups from around our presbytery who will also be attending the conference the same week. There will be about 25 people from our presbytery participating in the conference that week. Not only will they be able to build relationships with youth from churches all over the nation who attend, but they will have the opportunity to build some relationships with youth in churches in their own backyard in the St. Louis area. This opportunity is a result of intentional efforts to bring the youth of our presbytery together more often. These efforts have been made by the youth and their youth directors in the area since last summer's Youth Triennium! Please keep Kirsten Campbell, Brian Min, Zach Roman, Jamie Schoeberlein, Maggie Schoeberlein, and Becky Serfass from Trinity, as well as the other youth and adults from our presbytery in your prayers.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

There are some wonderful opportunities to participate in Trinity's music ministry this summer. The Summer Choir will sing on June 5, June 19, July 10, July 24, and August 14. Everyone is welcome to sing on these Sundays, regardless of musical experience or ability. Simply come to rehearsal at 8:30 a.m. that morning and learn an easy anthem.

On selected days during the summer we will have a hymn sing as a prelude to worship.These are great opportunities to sing beloved older hymns and explore newer tunes and texts.Hymn sings will be held 10 minutes prior to the service on June 26, July 31 and August 21.

There will also be an opportunity for you to learn how to ring handbells this summer. A series of rehearsals will be held on June 29, July 6, July 13 and July 20. These rehearsals will focus on basic ringing technique and note reading, culminating in a performance in worship on Sunday, July 24. Please contact me if you would are interested or if you have any questions.

- Diane O'Brien

Pasos de Fe or "Steps of Faith" is the name of the mission site on the border of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. The name could not be more appropriate. We were certainly stepping out in faith as we crossed the border into Mexico. We had no idea what to expect. Here we were a group of middle age, middle class "gringos" going to spend a week, not in a hotel on the beach at Cancun, but at a small church on a dirt road just across the border.

We were eight people, only one of us bilingual, one speaking little English and the rest speaking little Spanish. Would we be able to communicate enough with each other and with the Mexicans to feel comfortable? We were mostly middle aged. Would we be able to do construction work for a week? We're used to our own beds. Where would we sleep? We have particular eating habits. What would the food be like? What would the weather be? And on and on...

In faith and with our myriad of questions we crossed the border... and found ourselves at home. It's hard to describe, but it's like going to a family reunion and meeting cousins you haven't met before but with whom you find you have much in common because after all, you're family. Juan Pablo, Yolanda, Jaime, Mave, Luz, Victor, and the others are our brothers and sisters in Christ and they welcomed us as family. We worked together, ate together, laughed together, worshipped together. By the end of the week we had accomplished far more than anyone anticipated with regards to construction, we helped cook and ate fabulous food, we had comfortable accommodations and we communicated well enough to do even a one day vacation Bible school with the children of the neighborhood.

As the song says "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored and they'll know we are Christians by our love".

- Art Platt

• Recipe: 20 gals. white paint (4X5 gal. buckets), 20X20 kilo bags of white stucco (plenty of water to mix), assorted sheets of textured dry wall (masonite), plus lots of tools, brushes, trowels, screws, etc.
• Job: Re-do pastor's living quarters - living room, kitchen, bathroom - ceiling repair, shelving, shower walls rebuilt, and everything painted. Stucco dining hall wall and pastor's house first floor. Paint outside of pastor's house, first and second floors, one compound wall and gate.
• Schedule: 35+ hours labor (15 hours sightseeing and shopping - of course!)
• Results: We prevailed and got it done under the direction of great straw bosses, Todd and Jaime (U.S. and Mexican Coordinators of the Presbyterian Border Ministry, Pasos de Fe).

I hope I speak for all eight of us when I say we were filled with joy working hard hand-in-hand with our Mexican hosts from the Verdad y Fe (Truth and Faith) congregation and their pastor, Rev. Juan Pablo Guitierrez. We were on the receiving end of lots of love appreciation and hospitality in Christ's name.

- Margy Brown

I think the thing that impressed me most about Anapra was the lack of squalor. The roads were terrible, there were almost no public services, most houses didn't have plumbing but the children were clean.

We had come to see a small Presbyterian mission, Monte Santo, in Anapra, a very poor section of Juarez. It had a small sanctuary, a new Christian Education building about the size of a trailer with three classrooms where they hoped to start a preschool and a slightly larger community building where they feed the local children on the weekends. There didn't appear to be any restrooms and the houses nearby had outhouses. A church in El Paso pays for the free lunch for the children on Saturday and the mission provides it on Sunday. It costs about $50 to feed the children lunch.

Todd [the U.S. Coordinator] told us that people could buy a piece of land for $1,500 in Anapra and that they would initially build a house out of wooden pallets and tar paper on a corner of their land. Then as they save up funds, they build a concrete house in the center of the lot.

While we were looking at the church, which was closed, a woman and her daughter came up to greet us. She introduced herself as a member of the church. Her husband works in a factory and his job requires him to leave home at 4:00 a.m. and he doesn't return until 8:00 p.m. because he has to walk a good distance to catch the bus that takes him to the factory and then works a 10-hour day. When asked where she lived, she pointed to her house with pride. It has no plumbing but there are two cisterns that the city fills weekly with water. Her daughter was wearing a white shirt that was spotless. Diane admired the little girl's earring and as we were leaving the little girl came after us to give Diane the earrings.

These people have a very hard life but there didn't seem to be a lot of self-pity or hopelessness. Just hardworking people trying to make the best of what they had.

- Tom Cobb

Being part of the first adult mission trip from Trinity was a significant event for me in both my life and my faith. Over the years as we helped provide resources and guidance to the senior highs for their mission trips, I asked why there was not such an opportunity for adults. Thus, when the trip was announced, I felt I needed to be part of the experience.

In reflecting on the trip - the work, the opportunities to learn more about this border city and its inherent problems, the opportunities to meet and work with people from the local church, and the social times surrounding food - I was most interested in the Sunday morning service and the Wednesday evening Bible study we attended. While both services were different from worship experiences I usually choose for myself, I was struck by two things which made them meaningful and important to me. First was the realization that for these people in this place at this time, this was an important spiritual and emotional event. They sang, read scripture, prayed, and heard the word with an intensity of spiritual feeling and understanding that showed how truly they believed and lived what they were singing, saying and praying. This was even evident at the end of the service when they warmly greeted us and seemed genuinely pleased we were there to be a part of their lives and work.

Second, I found it interesting that the texts for both services dealt with a concept it seems to me that we seldom discuss within our own church culture - the existence of evil in the world, both as a concept and an actual presence in the guise of Satan, and the importance of fighting against both. I'm not sure why I was struck by this, but I wondered if it had to do with the difference between a group of Christians living in a community that lacked basic necessities such as paved streets, potable water, and adequate jobs and employment and our own far more middle-class lifestyle. Perhaps our advantages insulate us from the reality of evil and make it easier for us to avoid seeing it except in extreme moments and situations.

- Clarissa Valdivia

How wonderful the experience of getting to know the brothers and sisters I traveled with to Mexico and seeing the way in which they serve God! It has helped me greatly in my spiritual life.

One particular experience that made a big impression on me during the trip was the visit to the border to see for ourselves where the Rio Grande is crossed. When we got there I could not believe it. I could feel my heart palpitating with fear. In my mind I could see my brothers and sisters exhausted from thirst, dying on the desert with their hopes crushed. "How long loving God will the suffering continue for these poor undocumented ones who are only looking for sustenance" I asked. I am very grateful to God that he did not permit me to cross the border this way with my 6-year-old little girl. Because 15 years ago I decided to do whatever was necessary to help my daughter, in my anguish I was forced to consider coming to Mexico to try to cross the border. I realize today how blessed I am by God and that God has always been with me.

- Ann Fischer

When Diane O'Brien said that one of the things she wanted to do on the mission trip was take cooking lessons, my first reaction was "Come on, Diane, get serious." Just another proof, if any were needed, of the superiority of God's wisdom to mine. Cooking with the women of the Verdad y Fe congregation was truly one of the highlights of the trip!

Those of you who know my cooking skills (ask Dave Versprille about Thanksgiving gravy!) know that advanced techniques were probably not the attraction for me. What was wonderful was a remarkable opportunity for fellowship and getting to know people, which is often difficult if you do not share a language. With Diane interpreting and lots of sign language and smiles, we were able to participate in a process so basic to any culture - food preparation. What fun!

Our teachers - Yolanda, Mave, Luz, and many others - worked with a skill that is a joy to watch. We tried to write down recipes. (How much is a "handful" or "until if feels right"?) But mostly we just enjoyed both the process and the delicious results. One day Clarissa also led us through several Peruvian dishes, a treat for Mexicans and Missourians alike. So, we learned to roll flautas, to put lime juice on watermelon, to press tortillas and to fold empanadas. When it came to making tamales, however, we went down in flames. Turns out that tamales are so labor intensive that they are only made for special meals a few times a year. We watched our hermanas deftly spread the maize mixture on corn husk after corn husk. Then we began. And began again. And began again. While they turned out dozens we struggled to get the stuff to adhere to just one husk. We have a deep new appreciation for The Tamale - and for the skills and generosity and good humor of our Mexican sisters.

- Jim Person

Three weeks after my return from Juarez while writing this impression of my trip to Verdad y Fe, I am staring at a scrap of white, black and orange crepe paper from the piata that was part of my birthday celebration in Mexico. I have memories of being blindfolded, being given the stick, and wildly swinging at the huge paper fish that was dangling from a rope strung across the driveway while the group sang a traditional "piata" song. I have never had a birthday celebration quite like this before!

As it turned out, it wasn't just my birthday but also that of the Pablo, the pastor's son. That evening things seemed amazingly normal - we were just a group of friends celebrating a couple of birthdays, but the setting made it somewhat odd. Hearing Gonzo, the "watch goose" across the dirt street calling out one of his many warnings reminded me that we were not in St Louis anymore. It focused for me that though we may be from different cultures, economic circumstances, and countries by chance of birth how we are still very much alike. That evening I saw the hand of God as Pablo and I - two preachers' kids - had serendipitously come together to celebrate the anniversary of our births.

- Ruth Cobb

As in any country or culture, it was easy to be captivated by the children we encountered in Juarez. Some easily wrapped us around their little fingers - just ask Margy, Ann or Diane. We were privileged to be around the darling 2-1/2 year old of the Mexican Coordinator almost every day. In looking back, I can only be amazed (and gratified) to realize that every child does not have to be entertained all the time by a computer, television, or video game. This little girl played so well by herself or with her friend, Lobo, the "church dog."

Before our group left St. Louis, we decided we would not plan an activity for the children because 1) they would be in school during the day, and 2) they probably would not want to do something with a group of adults. WRONG. In church the day after we arrived, one of the parents asked if something was planned for the children. Thankfully, Diane answered that we would talk about it and get word out to them.

We decided to have something on Thursday afternoon after school. This would allow us to get our "act" together and spread the word at the Wednesday evening prayer service. An outline for the two hours was planned and craft and food supplies purchased. Someone suggested that 10-20 children might come. At 3 p.m. Thursday, we were putting the finishing touches on our plans. At 3:15 three little girls showed up. Margy and I were working on an idea for rainbows the children could make and take home while Diane was deciding how to present the Noah's Ark story. The rest of the group were keeping tabs on arriving children.

We began by trying to teach them an action song, discovering that what was only one syllable in English might be three in Spanish! Next Diane presented an action-packed version of Noah's Ark with each of us being an animal and making sounds of rain and thunder. This led into making the rainbows and other artistic expressions. Each completed a rainbow to take home. We also explained that, at Trinity, every baby who is baptized receives a rainbow. We had 12 children attend that day ranging in ages of about 5 to 12.

We were all glad the parent asked in church if something was planned for the children. In fact, the next afternoon, several other children appeared and asked if something was going on that afternoon!

- Janet Hoyne

Many of you may have noticed that coffee is now being offered in the Narthex immediately following the service. This is intended not to take away from Christian Education programs but to provide a fellowship time for those who do not stay for Adult Education offerings.

Beginning May 29th tea, lemonade and a treat will also be available. To facilitate socializing and enjoying each other's company, some changes have been made. The table with literature has been moved against the wall by the staircase. In its former position it created a path directing people out the door. Two small tables and eight chairs have been added which will be moved outside when weather permits. Also the Narthex room has been cleaned and is available for socializing.

Please join us after the worship service in the Narthex and the front steps on Sundays.

- Dan Anderson-Little