Diane O'Brien

Read it on the web site, or click here to download in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format.

Betty Burnett

Does stewardship extend to the sky? Does "the least of these" refer to moss and lichens, elk herds and eagles? What is "eco-justice"?

Sunday, October 8 at 7 p.m., Trinity will host a showing of "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's fascinating documentary on global warming. Gore is a man on a mission, and as he states at the end of the film, caring for the earth is a religious, spiritual, ethical and humanitarian necessity.

Eco-Justice Ministries, with the Interfaith Power and Light Campaign, are sponsoring the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" in churches throughout the nation the first week in October. From Seattle to Bangor, Christians along with other religious peoples will be pondering their role in cooling down our planet and maintaining its health.

The film is rated PG - there are some disturbing images for young children. Everyone is welcome - Trinity IDs not required. A light supper, catered by the O'Brien-Person team, will be provided at a modest cost at 6 p.m. Popcorn will be served during the show. (Bring your own Jujubes.) A discussion will follow.

Please RSVP to the church office (314-725-3840) if you plan to come.

Adult Ed Series on Aging & Relating Continues

October 1 and 8 - "Caregiving 101"

Led by Liz Nelson, LCSW and former OASIS Person to Person program manager. Liz will provide us with practical guidance on how to really meet the needs of aging adults.

October 15 - "Financial and Legal Factors for the Future"

Led by Terry Crow, professional financial planner and lawyer. Terry will help us consider the financial and legal factors involved in planning for the future.

Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

I am pleased to announce the second season of Reverberations,a unique and exciting concert series hosted by Trinity! There are few concert venues in Saint Louis where you will find such a wide variety of music played by such talented and passionate musicians. Additionally, this series is offered as a gift to our community and every event is free and open to the public!

Come to hear sounds that you know and love - Romantic chamber music, an organ recital or Early Music performance. Widen your horizons and experience something new and unfamiliar - African pop music or an electric guitar ensemble. And this year we are offering an educational concert, geared to help our youngest listeners grow in their understanding of music.

A brochure with detailed information on the series will be arriving in your mailbox shortly, but here's a quick rundown:

Sunday, November 12 at 4 p.m. - The Virtuoso Recorder Tom Zajac and the Kingsbury Ensemble perform works for recorder and baroque bagpipes.

Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m.. - Organ Rededication Recital: Paul Vasile performs an eclectic program celebrating the return of Trinity's Casavant pipe organ.

Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. - The Three Ladies of Ferrara: A sampling of 16th century music for voice and plucked strings from northern Italy.

Saturday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m. - An African Highlife Mass: A fusion of traditional West African music and western jazz and popular music styles. The mass will also be performed Sunday, February 11 at 3:00 p.m. at Missouri Botanical Garden's Schoenberg Auditorium

Saturday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. - Guitar Circus: Ensemble featuring electric guitars, tuba and percussion.

Saturday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m.- Children's Concert and Instrument "Petting Zoo": Students from the Community Music School of Webster Groves will perform.

Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. - Chamber Music for Five Saint Louis Symphony musicians perform the Schubert String Quintet and more.

Sunday, May 20 at 4 p.m. - The St. Louis Trombone Quartet (aka The Original Boneheads): Trombonists who will amaze you with their performances of a wide variety of musical styles.

I strongly encourage you to spread the word about the series among your friends and colleagues. And if you would like to support the series by serving as a greeter, usher or assisting with a reception, please let me know.

I look forward to seeing you at many of our Reverberations concerts this season!

Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

I remember one of the many questions I received last March, just before the pipe organ was disassembled for repairs: "How are we going to worship for six months without it?" I had a few doubts myself, but looking back at the late spring and summer I am pleased to say that we did it! Some aspects of the experience really stand out:

• Flexibility - The Trinity congregation has shown an amazing openness to change. In the past months we've adapted to various worship locations - a huge shift! We've gone without hymnals, which has meant a change in approach to singing (more ear-focused, less eye-focused).
• Variety - During the organ repair, we continued to expand our worship vocabulary, to find new and meaningful ways to pray and sing from the heart. We've continued to incorporate instruments, handbells, new responses and other additions on a regular basis.
• Quality - I believe the energy and quality of our congregation's singing have improved without the organ. Our ears are open to each other in a way that they weren't before.

The wait is almost over and it won't be long before we hear the organ again. Casavant began reinstalling the instrument on Tuesday, September 26 and should be completed by October 7. Then the instrument will be tuned, revoiced and ready to lead worship by early November. Two events will help us celebrate its arrival:

• On Sunday, November 12 we will rededicate the Scholin Memorial Organ in worship. We will thank God for the generosity of those who enabled the repairs and give thanks for the gift of music, which sustains and enlivens our faith! A special anthem for organ and choir is being written and, as you would expect, there will be plenty of organ music!
• On Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m., I will play a rededicatory recital as part of our Reverberations Concert Series. This is an opportunity to share the instrument with the St. Louis community. You are strongly encouraged to invite your family and friends to this exciting event.

I am quite confident that you will hear a noticeable difference in the tone and character of the organ when it returns. This is an exciting time for Trinity's music ministry and I would like to thank you, once again, for your support!

Diane O'Brien

One year later... and survivors of Hurricane Katrina continue to rebuild their lives and redefine their understanding of home and community. Members and friends of Trinity are invited to partner with the survivors and others in this endeavor. We have two trips in the works:

November 4 - 10, 2006 - Joint Mission Trip to New Orleans with Church of the Master, Omaha, Nebraska

Trinity has been invited to join Church of the Master (CMA) from Omaha, Nebraska, on a mission trip to New Orleans. (CMA is the church that former Trinity member Mike Osborn now attends.)

The group from CMA will arrive in St. Louis late on Friday, November 3, and will stay at the church overnight before continuing on to New Orleans on Saturday morning on a bus owned by CMA. In New Orleans, the mission group will be staying at the First Presbyterian Church (FPC) and working from there.

The church has four or five rooms used for dorm rooms, five showers and a fellowship. It has tools aplenty, a nice kitchen and a washer and dryer. Some of you may remember seeing pictures of the FPC New Orleans and its pastor, Cliff Nunn, taken when our group visited there last year.

Your cost: approximately $125 per person for transportation, room and board.

January 1 - 6, 2007 - Trinity Mission Trip to New Orleans

In the wake of Katrina, the historic St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church (SCAPC) created a program called RHINO (Rebuilding Hope In New Orleans). We'll travel to New Orleans on New Year's Day (Monday)to work with RHINO in New Orleans and return on the following Saturday, January 6.

Volunteers will share a house converted to a dormitory adjacent to SCAPC in the historic New Orleans Garden District and will drive to the worksite daily. We're not certain if we'll be doing demolition-yes, amazingly, demolition is still going on-or construction. If we do construction, the intention is to work with Habitat for Humanity who will teach us the required skills and supply some of the tools.

Your cost: approximately $125 per person for transportation, room and board.

Please contact Diane O'Brien at dobrien@eden.edu or 314-993-0396 ASAP if you would like to participate - spaces are going fast!

Your Equipping Ministry Team

The Gallery

The Gallery is an ever-changing display of the creations of the Artists among us, and the Artists in our community. Their work will share stories and pictures that connect us - on and on! We invite you to take a stroll down the hallway from the main office to Room 206 and view our beginning efforts.

If you want to be a part of this ever-changing space, please sign-up. Where? In the Gallery, of course.

The Calendar

Trinity's new calendar is the largest communication system in the world! Well, at least the largest one we've ever seen. Its purpose is to let everyone see everything that is happening at Trinity clearly, easily and in one place. We are creating this one-stop spot outside the church office.

website in Adobe Reader format so you can read it before it arrives in the mail.

The Good News - our mid-month newsletter - formerly the Trinity News Refrigerator Edition, this calendar-based publication focuses on upcoming events in worship, music, children's and adult education, and mission and outreach.

Worship Bulletin - each Sunday, the bulletin lists events happening the following week, as well as previews of future special events and educational offerings.

Web Site - http://www.trinityucity.org - Always up to date, thanks to the ministry of webmaster Brian Schroer. Get access to the church's Google calendar, our Yahoo Discussion Group, and subscribe to our RSS feed to get updates immediately.

E-mail - receive quick notification of meetings, special events and information. If you have not given your e-mail address to the office, please do!

Special mailings - postcards, letters, brochures, posters and more with information about special events and ministry opportunities.

And now, we add the GIANT calendar one stop information site. Please check it out, and let us know what you think!

Your Equipping Ministry Team

Nancy Wagoner

Noted author and poet, Trinity member Ann Weems received the prestigious Peaceseeker award for 2005 from the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship at the General Assembly Meeting held in Birmingham, AL. General Assembly is held every two years, thus the award for 2005 was given out this year to a warmly enthusiastic audience at their Peace Breakfast on June 17.

Ann, whose first book, Reaching for Rainbows, was published in 1980, has authored six other books, all mentioned in her framed award. She has also published numerous poems and liturgies used in Worship. She is a sought after speaker, liturgist and Worship leader. While at Trinity Ann immersed herself in the life and Mission of Trinity Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder and a member of the Parish Life Commission and the Worship and Music Commission, where she was Chair of the Family Service Committee. She was active in the Women's Association and was a circle leader for several years. Ann's award reads:

The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Peaceseeker Award

2005

presented to

ANN BARR WEEMS

Out of a firm conviction
That the pen is indeed mightier than the sword
And in genuine gratitude for the multitude of ways
In which your eloquent words, across the years,
have opened a way for peace
into the (often surprised) hearts
and even minds
of all varieties and persuasions
of Presbyterians and far beyond,
teaching us
while Reaching for Rainbows
singing Psalms of Lament
reciting our Family Faith Stories
and Kneeling in Bethlehem - Jerusalem, too
to Search for Shalom
which is the only way to
Put the Amazing Back in Grace
The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Is delighted to name you,
Ann Barr Weems,
Peaceseeker of the Year.

In accepting her award Ann wrote a poem which she read.

"There is but One
whose name is peace -
One whose heart is peace -
whose soul is peace -
whose mind is peace.
And the world knew him not.

And so they killed him
Because they didn't want
To share their bread
And their wine.

Today the world is covered in blood,
But still the Prince of Peace
Calls to us: Follow me.

There is but One
whose name is Peace.
Those who believe
in the midst of violence
in the midst of torture
in the midst of war war war
have no choice
but to shout from the rooftops:
Peace on earth!!

I believe in peace on earth!"

Ann and her husband Don, Pastor Emeritus of Trinity Presbyterian Church, have been married for 50 years. They have three children - Stuart of Atlanta, GA, David of New York City, and Heather

Elliott of St. Louis, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Their son Todd was killed in 1982; all of Trinity mourned.

We have all been moved by the words that Ann has written and congratulate her on this prestigious award!

Sarah Schmidt

Our congregation's second annual retreat at Mound Ridge Presbyterian Camp brought together about 50 Trinity members for a relaxed weekend in a beautiful corner of the Ozarks. Though it was raining when we left St. Louis, the sun was out by the time we pulled into Mound Ridge and continued to shine on us as we walked the nature trails, caught minnows in the knee-deep Meramec River, kayaked, canoed, napped, swam and collected pet rocks on the gravel bar.

The unofficial theme of the weekend was "no schedules," but there were plenty of activities for all ages. On Saturday, a group of 19 voyagers floated down the river for two hours in canoes and inner tubes, and got back to camp just in time to catch Diane O'Brien's adult education session or decorate hot rocks with melted crayons, whichever they preferred! After dinner on Saturday night, Michael Wysession led us in singing at the campfire. On Sunday, we gathered at the dramatic outdoor chapel for worship, marched back to breakfast singing a hymn, made prayer flags and enjoyed another sunny morning before heading back to the city.

For those of you who haven't been, Mound Ridge is a 370-acre camp situated on a wooded hillside, with sleeping cabins, a lodge, a recreation hall, ball field, a dining hall with large screened windows and a beautiful old pine floor, and a central campfire with old stone benches. Above the living area is a swimming pool, and at the bottom of the hill is the river. Leading from place to place are mossy stone-edged paths that look like they've been there since Moses walked the earth. The camp is operated by the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy.

For me, the great value of the retreat is the extended down-time with fellow church members. As a congregation, we are spread out over St. Louis, and many of us don't see each other except on Sunday. It was wonderful to have unhurried time in a pleasant place to get to know everyone a little better.

Many thanks to Christy Thompson and Kathie Cahoon for organizing this unforgettable getaway.

Keith Fischer, Chair, Corporate Affairs Commission

October - crisp autumn days, beautiful Fall colors and stewardship season at Trinity. The common thread here is that these are all gifts of God to us.

The first two are obvious gifts - cool, refreshing days after the hot summer, and the beautiful variety of colors before the drab winter. Stewardship too is a gift from God of the responsibility of the caring for God's earth, its physical resources, animal and plant life, and the sharing of our time, talents, and money with others. In this sharing we serve God and serve God's creation.

On October 8, during worship, we will set the tone of our stewardship season. Kim Merritt and Do Kirk will again lead us to see through the wonder of snow crystals - yes, snow crystals - the community we share and the joy of giving to it and through it to serve God's purpose of stewardship of the earth and its inhabitants. On October 22, we will have an all church stewardship program during education hour with a lunch to follow. Please plan to attend!

Last year the outpouring of generous stewardship giving made possible the funding of an adult mission trip to New Orleans. I can think of no better examples of Faith in Action than our youth, and now adult, mission trips. With our new Equipping Ministry and your continued generosity, prayers and action, we will hopefully expand our mission programs. Prayerfully consider your stewardship pledge that will be received on Commitment Sunday, November 5.

Karen Coletti, Minister of Christian Education

We learn-we grow-we change-all within the gracious love of our Savior.

The Christian Education "stage" is set this fall with learners and teachers. Meet the roster of teachers as we gather in September:

Becca Courtney, Tom Peters, Christy Thompson, Joanne Roman, Liz Nelson, Dave Nelson, Kathie Cahoon, George Salwasser, Stacy Shupe, Sarah Schmidt, Kim Merritt, Mark Merritt, Megan Merritt, Traci O'Bryan, Rhonda Dunbar, Lisa Schmidt, Terry Crow, Christy Schindler, Sue Young, Sarah Hotaling, Linda Min, Jean Merson, Dr. John Morley, Ronald Wolf, Paul Vasile.

Each month in Trinity News, the spotlight will focus on one of our class acts. Curtains up!!

Diane O'Brien

Clarisa Valdivia has been a part of the Person/O'Brien family for the last three years.

She comes to us from Arequipa, Peru where she lives (when not with us) with Juan and their two college-age children Juan Luis and Claudia. Clarisa is a woman of strong faith and courage. She began coming to St. Louis 15 years ago, bringing Claudia to Shriner's Hospital for numerous surgeries on her leg.

In thanksgiving to God for the blessings she has received she has a desire to help others that they may experience God's blessings also. She has participated in both of our adult mission trips and hopes to participate again in the future. She says that she has been overwhelmed by the acceptance she has experienced at Trinity, noting that even though she does not speak much English she feels that she is a part of Trinity and has many friends here.

This is a list of Trinity members and friends who need our prayers. If you would like to be added to the prayer list or know of a member in need of prayer, please call the church office, 314-725-3840.

Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

As many of you know, my mother Joan suffers from a progressive form of dementia that is robbing her of her ability to talk and to make sense of the world. This past April, we put her in a memory care unit that provides for her a safe and caring environment. I am able to visit her and my father in Madison, Wisconsin every two months or so. Each visit, my mother declines a bit more; her confusion is greater and her ability to keep people and things straight keeps diminishing. We visited my mother over Labor Day weekend and she had declined again. And this time, the decline had a startling development: she no longer knew who I was. She knows my father; she knows my sister who lives in Madison; but she doesn't know me. As she interacts with me, I can tell that she knows that I am familiar-one day she thought I was my father; another day she knew somehow I was associated with my brother; but she didn't know me. Given the nature of her disease, I doubt she will ever know me again.

This realization hit me hard when we left from that visit. On the way out of the care center I wept because my mother, the person who had taught me my own name, no longer knows who I am. As many of you have experienced firsthand, it is a hard thing to lose a loved one in stages-especially when that one no longer knows you. We sometimes use the word "lose" when a loved one dies. "I lost my mother this year." But in my experience, my mother has lost me and I am in strange and unfamiliar territory.

When the people of Israel were overrun by the Babylonians and hauled off into exile, they, too, felt that God had lost them. God seemed to have forgotten who they were. They wondered how they could sing the Lord's song in a strange land. It was to this "lost" tribe that God spoke these comforting and amazing words: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. I like that this passage starts with the word "but". That "but" is an interruption-it interrupts our premature conclusion that pain and confusion have had the final word. God's love for us is unshakable; God will never forget us, but knows each of us by name. I have found great comfort in this promise of God as my mother can no longer call me by name. It assures me that I am never lost and it allows me to embrace my mother with tenderness and love and to receive the love that she can give.

...those attending the Equipping Ministry Summit in Colorado, October 15-20: Lisa Bernhard, Dan Anderson-Little, Liz Nelson and our new Minister of Equipping.