Trinity member Russ Kramer died this past Sunday, November 19. His passing was peaceful and he was surrounded by his family. Russ had suffered with Parkinson's Disease for many years and served faithfully for decades as a door opener and greeter at Trinity. Services for Russ are this Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 11:30 am at the Kutis Funeral Home at 10151 Gravois. Visitation is from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Burial is at Resurrection Cemetery. Please hold Carol and Cathy and the Kramer family in your prayers.

Tim Rand

As point of reference, I recently watched The Motorcycle Diaries. Its a wonderful tale of two guys in the prime of their youth heading off in scearch of adventure. Ernesto and Alberto leave from Buenos Aires with a plan to travel over 8,000 miles to the northern most tip of South America, in Venezeulea. They have a plan, but in the process, they are profoundly changed. Changed well beyond their expectations.

25 years ago, Barb and I set off on adventure. We each had visions of where life would take us, we were in the prime of our youth. Since then, our lives together have profoundly changed us. Changed us well beyond our expectations. Everyone of you in this church has been part of that adventure with us since we were married here that August day. We now continue our adventure as we head to Florida. To us, it is truly crossing a frontier. We are no longer in the prime of our youth, but we are crossing to a foreign land. I'm reminded of the Psalm verse: How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? (Ps. 137:4) We honestly don't know the answer to that question. Over the past 5 months we have been seeking the answer and I expect it will be many months more before we have even a glimpse of that song. And yet, I know that the Lord's song is playing there just as surely. As Ernesto and Alberto cross from Argentina to Chile, Ernesto writes:

What do we leave behind when we cross a frontier? Each moment seems split in two: Melancholy for what is left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.

I cannot deny that there is some excitement I feel about this adventure ahead. Its surely easier for me to feel it because I've been down there more than Barb. Yet for both of us the melancholy is substantial. We are leaving a group of deep friends, loved friends, cherished friends. This uprooting has taught me more than I expected about lonesomeness and separation. We all need people, friends, family and fellow voyagers, around us. You make us whole. You complete us. I know I speak for Barb when I say that none of you will be replaced.

We've both said we don't plan to die in Florida. So it's clearly a move thats as temporary (or permanent) as anything else in life we all do. What will make it exciting and fulfilling will be the people we meet along the journey. Change happens every day of our lives. Just as we will be seeking new friends and acquaintances, others will take our place in that pew over there. Be open to them. Realize that they are on a journey like we are and invite them to fill the emptyness we leave behind. Similarly, we ask that you pray on our behalf that others invite us into their lives.

We extend an open and sincere invitation to each and everyone that you come visit us. Come escape the cold and snow this winter. Really, we ARE inviting you. Just call. As well, keep the connections alive and we will try to do the same. You can see the movie to understand how Enersto and Alberto are changed and who they become. To see the change in Barb and me, you will have to keep in touch. We hope you do. We are God's church and his love binds us together. Inextricably together.

Now back to the movie. At the end, Ernesto is again writing:

... Its about two lives running parallel for a while, with common aspirations and similar dreams. Was our view too narrow, too biased, too hasty? Were our conclusions too rigid?

Maybe.

Wandering around our America has changed me more than I thought. I am not me any more, at least I'm not the same me I was.

I know we won't be the same we we were. This has already changed us. More than we thought. Better or worse, we can't judge yet. Our lives, yours and ours, Barb's and mine, have run in parallel for some time now. I know we have common aspirations and similar aspirations.

I pray that our view be wide and unbiased. I pray that our conclusions be open and flexible. I pray that we find a way to sing the Lord's song in that foreign land. Yes, the journey will change us. Change is good.

May the Lord bless each of you.

Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

Join us on Sunday, November 12, as we rededicate Trinity's pipe organ and celebrate the gift of music, which enriches and enlivens our faith! The instrument will be named the Scholin Memorial Organ, honoring C. Albert Scholin, whose generous musical gifts made a lasting impression on this congregation. He served as Organist and Choirmaster from 1934 to 1958, establishing a strong and vibrant music ministry. He was also a noted composer of choral music. Ray (Albert's son) and Ginny Scholin have been faithful leaders in our congregation. Ray chaired the committee that purchased our Casavant organ in 1970. He has also served as honorary chair of the current Organ Fundraising Team and his family's generosity helped to ensure the success of our fundraising efforts.

The rededication service will provide many opportunities to hear the newly improved and refurbished instrument: as a soloist, leading our congregational singing, and accompanying the choir. In addition, I have composed a new choral anthem based on 2 Chronicles 5:11-14, which describes the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem and the powerful music that accompanied that event. The piece provides an opportunity for us to sing as a congregation, "For God is good; for God's mercy endureth for ever." What fitting words to help us celebrate the gift of music and the ways it draws us closer to our loving Creator.

The Organ Fundraising Team extends deepest thanks to the many members and friends of Trinity who have made gifts and pledges to support the organ repair and restoration. We are also deeply grateful for the significant lead gifts of the Endowment Board and Corporate Affairs Commission.

Join us as we celebrate this exciting event! Also note that there will be an Organ Rededication Recital on Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. as part of our "Reverberations" concert series.

Tom Zajac, an internationally known player of recorder, bagpipes, sackbut (Renaissance slide trombone) and hurdy gurdy will perform at Trinity's first "Reverberations" concert on Sunday, November 12 at 4 p.m.

Zajac will bring his usual flair to unusual pieces from the early Italian Baroque as well as Renaissance periods. He will play recorder and bagpipes with St. Louis' Kingsbury Ensemble, including Maryse Carlin on harpsichord; Mark Thayer, violin; Ken Kulosa, cello, and Henry Skolnick, bassoon.

Zajac also is a guest of the St. Louis Recorder Society. On Saturday, November 11, the day before the concert, he will conduct a workshop at the University of St. Louis Music Department, on the UMSL campus, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is sponsored by the St. Louis Recorder Society. Call 314-966-2169 for more information or email wlong@umsl.edu.

All Reverberations programs are free and open to the public. Please pick up concert brochures for more information - and share them with others!

Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

Each year, churches around the world have a focused time of stewardship. At this time we examine what ministry God is calling us to in the coming year and we ask the congregation to commit to support that ministry with time, talent, and treasure. There are times when this important season can feel burdensome. Those working on the budget worry about rising costs and wonder whether the congregation will be able to support the plans that we are making. On the other side, members can weary of appeals for money. But this year, I want to invite all of us into an different way of approaching stewardship.

In the Book of Order (our denomination's constitution), we read: The session has the responsibility and power to challenge the people of God with the privilege of responsible Christian stewardship of money and time and talents. Every time I read that sentence, I have to reread it: we are all challenged with the privilege of Christian stewardship. I think I stop when I read that because I expect it to say "the obligation of Christian stewardship." But it says privilege. Why privilege? And how is stewardship a privilege?

I believe that our Book of Order calls stewardship a privilege because it helps us live a life more centered in God. When we make our pledges once a year and our offerings on a weekly basis, we are saying something deeply important about who we are and who God is. When we make an offering, not to the church, but to God, we are saying that our money, our values, and our lives are grounded in the God whose giving knows no ending. We are saying that while we live in a culture that places the greater value on having more, our value lies in a God who has given us everything.

The other reason that our Book of Order calls stewardship a privilege and not an obligation is because stewardship for the Christian is rooted in thanksgiving. We don't give to the church to support the budget; we don't give to the church as a way to shoulder our portion of the cost of having a church. Rather, we give to God through the church as a way to say "Thank you." We give to God through the church, to acknowledge that it is in God that we live and move and have our being.

This year as you consider your pledge, I invite you not to simply fill out a number, but pray as you do and to ask yourself, what privilege does this represent? You may find that stewardship is one of your favorite times of the year because in a significant and tangible way it gives you the opportunity, no the privilege, to express your gratitude to God.

Trinity Church will host a community flu clinic on Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 12-4pm in the Dining Room. $25 cash or check, or Medicare Part B and a few other insurances can be billed.

The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Christ, some of the other great Jewish teachers, Buddha, all preached it. Their followers forgot it. What is the trouble between capital and labor, what is the trouble in many of our communities, but rather a universal forgetting that this teaching is one of our first obligations. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Is religion helping to make our world more peaceful or more violent? What do the major world religions really promote? Join the Adult Education Planning Team in probing and broadening our understanding of several world religions. We will be introduced to the basic tenets of each religion and then discuss how that religion relates to or differs from our religious beliefs. We will formulate questions to give experts of those religions to address during a spring post-Easter class offering. This class will meet in Room 206.

• Oct. 29 Judaism led by Do Kirk and friend
• Nov. 5 Islam led by Darrell and Karen Mayberry
• Nov. 12 Hinduism led by Suzanne Trotter and friends
• Nov. 19 Buddhism led by Ken Kelton and Pat Gibbons
• Nov. 26 Interfaith Dialogue led by Tina Newberry

As your new Minister of Equipping, I'm delighted to have an opportunity to introduce myself to you, and tell you a little about my life that led me to this ministry. I was born and brought up in Springfield, MO, and was blessed to be a part of a family that was very active at First & Calvary Presbyterian Church. My parents were elders and teachers, and we all spent many hours at church. I especially enjoyed youth choir as a young person, and when I moved away from home was drawn to continue my life in the church wherever I was.

As a teenager growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, I was shocked and horrified by the violence faced by African Americans seeking freedom and equal rights during peaceful protests and demonstrations. I was proud of the Presbyterian Church for its active participation in protesting the evils of racism in our culture. This not only continued my involvement in the church, but also led me to pursue a degree in Black History at Missouri State University in Springfield.

During this time I met my husband, Rev. Dr. Curtis March, and we married in 1972. Curt and I put our two families together for a grand total of six children, so much of my life at that time was also spent as mother, helper, confidante and cook. Our children are all adults now, and scattered around the country. Curt served a long ministry in the Presbyterian Church, and is now retired. His last pastorate was at First & Calvary, where he was Associate Pastor of Evangelism and Pastoral Care for 27 years.

During what I now refer to as my "former life," I taught American and Black History at Missouri State University in Springfield, and directed the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County. This was very satisfying work, but after 20 years I left both of these jobs to answer God's call to ministry. I was very active at First & Calvary and became involved in studying and leading classes and retreats in prayer and spirituality. This ultimately led me to Eden Theological Seminary, the school from which I graduated in May of this year with a M.Div. degree.

I believe that God has led me to this place at this time, and I am tremendously excited to meld my experiences with yours as we all find our own unique call to ministry. Through prayer and discernment I have learned that throughout our lives we are formed spiritually by God. In my own experience it was through experiencing God that I discovered who I really was and what God called me to do. We all feel this call, but don't always recognize it. St. Augustine wrote, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you," and much later Albert Schweitzer prayed, "We will learn through our own experience who God is." Through prayerful equipping ministry it is possible for all of us to come together as the family of God to build up Christ's Body, the Church.

In Christ's Love,
Julie March

Sandy Norkaitis

The Winger Food Pantry would again like to give a Thanksgiving turkey to our food pantry clients. Last year our congregation donated 50 turkeys. We would like to match that number again this year. We will be giving turkeys out on Wednesday, November 15, eight days ahead of Thanksgiving. Most of our clients have small families, four people or less, so we would appreciate receiving 9-12 pound turkeys. Turkey breasts are also a very good option because of their size.

Since many of the Thanksgiving ads do not come out until November 13, Aldi's is a good place to look for a turkey to donate. Please bring your turkey to church no later than November 13. Thank you very much. Our clients very much look forward to "turkey day." If you have any questions, please call me at 863-7699.

Roberta Middlekamp

Leo and Lois Eason have been married for 58 years. Leo is retired as Director of Business School Placement at Washington University, a position he held for 32 years. Soon afterward, Lois retired from teaching math at Clayton High School. She had previously taught math at University City Junior High School and Normandy High School. Her teaching career spanned 36 years. Like many retirees, Leo and Lois have spent most of their winters in Florida and some in south Texas.

I've known Lois for about 11 years. Lois, Trinity member Vera Morrow and I played bridge together at Washington University Woman's Club. Almost two years ago, following our bridge game, Lois mentioned that they had been attending a Presbyterian Church in Florida and they were looking for a similar church home in St. Louis. Did Vera or I know of any? We immediately invited them to visit Trinity. They attended the next Sunday and were greeted warmly by former students and co-workers who recognized them!

Leo grew up in Belleville, Illinois, and received his BS degree from SIU Carbondale. He served 4+ years in the Air Force during World War II and saw action in the Pacific. Returning to civilian life, he taught 8th grade in a small Illinois town before pursuing a Master's Degree at Washington University, where he met Lois.

Lois, who grew up in Percy, Illinois, also has a BS degree from SIU Carbondale. She taught high school math and English for four years before entering the Master's program at Washington University.

Lois and Leo are modest about their volunteer activities. They support Kwanis Club and Camp Wyman, to name a few. They love the out-of-doors and have taught bird-watching and bird identification. They also helped sponsor a Vietnamese family, with whom they have become life-long friends. I have found them both to be kind, compassionate and spiritual. I know they will be a great asset to our Trinity family!

Karen Coletti, Director of Christian Education

Well, what do we think - too tight? too loose? Is it comfortable? Does it need some alteration? Is it an improvement?

Are we discussing a new suit of clothing? Not exactly. The suit we want to review is our time suit - our Sunday morning schedule. We made a change, effective this fall. We increased the fellowship time after worship ends and moved the start of education up to 11:00 a.m., with the hopes that worship and fellowship would be relieved of feeling rushed.

So now let's talk about the new schedule. What is better, or worse, with the new time frame? What would bring more improvement?

Please, if you have ideas, talk to someone on the task force who studied our Sunday morning and made reports and recommendations to Session throughout last year, so that we may keep growing

Sandy Norkaitis

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 two mission opportunities:

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

The group from CMA (the church that former Trinity member Mike Osborn now attends) will stay overnight at Trinity on Friday, November 3, before continuing to New Orleans on Saturday. They will also stay at Trinity on their return trip on November 11. Air mattresses are needed for both overnights. If you can loan some, please contact me at dobrien@eden.edu or 314-993-0396.

In New Orleans, the mission group will be staying at the First Presbyterian Church (FPC) which has four or five rooms used for dorm rooms, five showers and a fellowship room. It has tools aplenty, a nice kitchen and a washer and dryer. If you would like to join this group, your cost is approximately $125 per person for transportation, room and board.

2. 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.

Contact me at dobrien@eden.edu or 314-993-0396 ASAP if you would like to participate. Spaces are going fast!

Ken was named the Arthur Holly Compton Professor in Arts and Sciences at Washington University on October 17 in an installation ceremony on campus. Many Trinity members helped Ken and his colleagues and family celebrate the day. Ken was also named Chair of the Physics Department at the university.

Do Kirk

Are you aware of all the ways you can find out what is happening at Trinity?

• Trinity News - our monthly newsletter. Trinity News, edited by Ann Fischer, offers information about current happenings as well as features and reflections. It is also available on our website in Adobe Reader format so you can read it before it arrives in the mail.
• The Good News - our mid-month newsletter put together by Liz Nelson. Formerly the "Refrigerator Edition," this calendar-based publication focuses on upcoming events in worship, music, children's and adult education, 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; 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, outside the church office, we add the GIANT calendar one-stop information site. Please check it out and let us know what you think! Sign up to help maintain and enhance our new calendar. This is a ministry connecting us to one another and to the community.

Karen Coletti

All around us we find God's great creation, and therein amazing nurturing beauty, as well as crippling events of devastation. We find ourselves imitating God's wonders - hence our children's center built on the Creation theme - as well as continually rearranging our own person-creations - call it home improvement, or perhaps art? - in our pilgrimage for authenticity and discipleship. I think and work in these contexts, for I believe that we are in relationship not only with each other, but with our surroundings.

Which brings me to a Christian Education spotlight on space: come and enjoy getting acquainted with our learn-and-grow areas.

• Our thicket has new purple rugs. We named it the bed of violets in our forest, where the flowers the children made are also visible.
• See our prayer flags flying overhead and our pictures on the Trinity Kids display board.
• Our preschool room was painted a soft new yellow by Birty. Miss Do cleaned and rearranged the materials and the rugs are now green and flowered. Cheerful room - happy children.
• Our Confirmation class spilled their wonderful water world outside their door. See the waves and fish?
• Our 5th and 6th graders, with the high schoolers' help, are planning a decorating/work day for their classroom, to be held after church on November 5, and everyone (you, too) can come and help, as our young people learn to self-direct their fellowship environment.
• The world outside, our own outdoor yard, is classroom now too, as we have cleared the hedges and added a bench and flower pots to the Kingsland Side Sanctuary doorway. The children will make their own "sit-upon" mats so we can have class time in our own outdoor corner; in the spring we'll plant container flower gardens. Adults welcome,,too!

Our first learning unit this fall for the Thicket children has been the Moses story of the journey of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. It is but one journey of the many travels we are all part of, always in search, as was Moses, of new space and new grace.

Do Kirk

Check out the wonderful displays in the new hallway gallery between the Chapel and the Choir Room!

• Sarah Schmidt's fascinating photography - this is just one of the many areas of creativity for Sarah.
• Barbara Rand's "Playing with Clay." Barb's creativity touches everything she does. Her jewelry line "Strands" is breath-taking.
• Nancy Wagner's off-loom weaving. Besides Nancy's weavings, her poetry is beautiful and profound.
• "The Way We Were..." Old photos of the construction changing the old gymnasium into our current dining room on the first floor and Chapel on the second floor, circa 1950. Also, the Sanctuary before changes were made in 1970. Fun!
• Our children's interpretations of Creation:
• ­Mary Ann Cahoon fashioned ocean, desert, firmament, and an angel. Every strand of yarn and every feather was chosen and placed with such care, such beauty.
• Lauren Carter-Early created and used mostly shades of blue for the oceans, finishing her work with a rainbow so vivid.
• ­Calvin Schroer struggled to get the nest and dove to stay mounted. He persevered - the blue background was a perfect finish.
• ­An unknown artist created the light of the world in all shades of yellow and gold. Beautiful!
• Sheila Kelley created the Garden of Eden, taking such care with each choice of lace and ribbon for each flower. The centers of each blossom were wrapped or sewn. Superb!

Betty Burnett

Some years ago an acquaintance invited me to attend a house-warming with her. It was a brand-new typical West County house, but it wasn't in West County. It was in the city, north of Delmar, on a distressed street dotted with boarded-up buildings, overgrown lawns, and broken sidewalks. The new house had no bars on the windows and no extraordinary locks. Two newish cars sat in the driveway, as if they'd always be there. The white homeowners were sending their children to the neighborhood public school, which was almost 100 percent African-American. What was the deal?

The deal was simple. They were members of the New City Church (PCA), which has a vigorous Restore St. Louis Ministry committed to racial and cultural reconciliation. The congregation puts their considerable energy into a half dozen programs - tutoring, mentoring, repairing homes, landscaping, financial counseling, support for single moms; they even have an auto ministry for sick cars. A fairly new program is POR, People of Refuge, which reaches out to new immigrants and refugees.

New City Fellowship is located at 1483 82nd St. in the old St. Joseph School for the Deaf building. Their web site is: http://restorestlouis.org/index.asp. They are seeking volunteers for all their ministries.

We often receive notice of events in the wider community that may be of interest to Trinity members. Betty Burnett is particularly interested in tracking these. When space permits, we will include them. If you have information you'd like to share, please contact Betty (bettyburnett@msn.com) or Ann Fischer (afischer5@sbcglobal.net)

November 3 (Friday), 6:30 p.m. - Art and Soul Cafe at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust. For more information, www.artandsoulcafe.org.

November 20-22, 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. - Women's Ordination Quilt Display at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church, 9450 Clayton Road. Ladue Chapel is sponsoring a display of quilts celebrating the ordination of women in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The quilts were designed and created by the Rev. Susan Barnes, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Baker City, Oregon, and are currently traveling around the country. www.laduechapel.org.

The Adult Education Team is planning book discussion groups to warm up the cold months of January and February. Have a book to suggest? Want to help lead a group? Call the Church Office: 725-3840.

This is a list of Trinity Members 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.