- Jenn Clodi

We have decided to consolidate Church information into the one Trinity News newsletter (including a calendar) that members will receive at the beginning of each month. Now that updated calendar information is always available on the Trinity website (www.trinityucity.org) and in the expanded content of the weekly bulletin insert, current information is readily accessible. This change will result in a savings of time for office staff and the cost of an extra mailing a month. For those members who are unable to attend regularly, we would be happy to mail to them a copy of the bulletin insert. If you would like to receive bulletin inserts by mail, please contact the office, 314-725-3840.

Would you like to grow in your faith? Would you like to get to know other Trinity members? Would you like to serve God with your talents and passion? Joining a commission at Trinity is a great way to accomplish all three of these goals. Trinity currently has seven commissions that are involved in most aspects of the church's ministry: Christian Education, Worship, Evangelism, Mission, Buildings and Grounds, Finance and Stewardship, and Personnel. We are holding a Commission Extravaganza in the Dining Room Wednesday, March 5 at 7:30pm. We will open with a short Bible study and then most of the commissions will gather, get organized, and discuss their work for the coming year (Facilities and Personnel are currently at capacity so they won't be meeting on the 5th). New and current commission members are encouraged to come on March 5 as we chart our course for the months to come. Please call or email Dan if you have any questions.

Some congregation members have already responded to Do Kirk and Keith Fischer's invitation to all of us to write and read peace prayers on Sunday mornings. If you feel called to participate in this aspect of our service, please contact the Church office or speak to Dan or Julie with any questions.

The Session has agreed that the front row pew that was removed years ago to accommodate the grand piano can be dispensed with to free up needed storage space. The pew, slightly curved, is in two parts, each about 11 ½ feet long. They can be reattached to each other or each fitted with new end pieces. You would need to transport the piece/s yourself. Please contact Liz in the office (725-3840) with further questions.

Copies of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy 2008 Narrative Budget are available in the Narthex.

From the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Rapid Information Network email list...

...(down the hall from the Church Office) to see samples of member Judy Giraud's photography. The Gallery is one way we can share with each other our passions and gifts and get to know each other better. Please notify the office if you have something you would like to share.

Congratulations and thank you to Chris and Stacey Carman, who will be taking over as coordinators of the Winger Food Pantry ministry! And thank you to the scores of other people who have continued to heed the call to complete the other duties that keep the pantry running.

A Sending reception will be held in the dining room following worship on Sunday, February 24th for Do Kirk and Kim and Mark Merritt, who, after decades of faithful membership in the church, are moving to Whidbey Island, WA. Please plan to join us for this celebration!

The Clayton Silver Strings is a string orchestra made up of older adult amateur musicians. Sunday afternoon, February 10 at 3 p.m. they will a perform a concert here at Trinity featuring Bizet's Carmen suite, highlights from Copland's Rodeo, Telemann's Masquerade and other light classics. Entry is free and all are welcomed to attend.

There are two ways you can help us save postage--please pick up your directory (one per family please) in the Narthex so we do not need to mail them. Also, consider receiving your monthly Trinity News via email or on the website. These options will be available soon. If you haven't yet, let the office know if you are interested in email or web instead of snail mail (tpcucity@swbell.net; 725-3840).

An Ash Wednesday Service will be held in the Weems Chapel on Wednesday, February 6th at 7 pm. Start your Lenten journey with a time of meditation, scripture, communion and ashes. No childcare is offered during this service.

The Church phone system now has a choice on the main menu (option 7) where we will mention cancellation updates when we have bad weather. We will also place cancellation information on the Church website calendar. Option 6 is now our Concert Series update line.

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

Beginning Step

Ash Wednesday Worship - February 6, 7 p.m. We begin our Lenten journey with a time of meditation, scripture, communion and ashes. This first step reminds us of our need for God and God's faithfulness in meeting our needs.

Intermediate Steps

Sunday education and worship - Every Sunday, education at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:30 a.m. Throughout Lent our adult education offering will be the lectionary-based Seasons of the Spirit where we will inhabit the scripture for the morning. We then move to worship where that scripture will become the focus for our praise of God.

Concluding Steps

• Palm Sunday, March 16. Palm Sunday is a moment of joy that is overshadowed by the cross. It is not only a crucial part of our faith story but of our life story - the mingling of joy and sorrow.
• Maundy Thursday, March 20, 6:00 p.m. We share a meal and share the Lord's Meal. We have fellowship with one another and we have fellowship with our Savior. We tell the story and we live the story.
• Good Friday, March 21, 7:30 p.m. A haunting service of shadows and agony. A beautiful service of hope and the light shining in the darkness. It feels like the end of the journey, but...

A New Journey Begins -

Easter, March 23, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.. "O death, where is thy victory? O grave, where is thy sting?" The Journey of Lent is not the final chapter, but gives way to a new journey, a new chapter; it leads to new life. We celebrate Jesus' rising from the grave, and our own rising to new possibilities and new beginnings.

"Parenting with Grace" led by Rev Dr. Deborah Patterson will be our Adult Education Offering for Sunday February 3, from 9:30-10:25. Dr. Patterson is the Executive Director for the International Parish Nurse Resource Center and a busy mom. Come and share the parenting journey with others as we talk about discipline, boundary setting, behavior issues and the sure and solid presence of God throughout. If you live with kids or grandkids this gathering is for you!

Seasons of the Spirit led by Dr. Dan and Pastor Julie will resume on February 10, the first Sunday of Lent, and continue through Palm Sunday. This Lenten study invites us to discover God's steadfast love, which surrounds us intimately in all of our times, and beyond time. This season also encourages us to join our testimony, in word and deed, to that of the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

- Dr. Daniel Anderson-Little, Pastor

(This article is adapted from a journal entry that I wrote on the website that tracks Linda's journey with cancer. If you would like to read the journal, go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/lindaandersonlittle.)

"Linda completed her second round of chemotherapy today. The whole thing was done in about 2 1/2 hours and other than a painful stick for the IV, it wasn't bad at all. My dad, who accompanied her to the treatment brought her home and Linda rested. Her nausea is a little more pronounced than the first time and she is, of course, tired.

While Linda was at chemo, I went and sat in a restaurant by myself. It felt good to have some space to think and reflect - the really good Middle Eastern food and wonderful Canadian beer (La Fin du Monde) hit the spot. I found the whole event restorative. One of the hard things about this process is its relentless quality. Linda was feeling better at the end of Round 1 and then we plunge in to Round 2. Our kids find it difficult to have meals sent in to the house because it is such a obvious reminder that we are living with CANCER. That is even true for grandparents visiting. They love seeing their grandparents, but let's face it, they are here now because of CANCER. But then again, how blessed we are to have congregations and friends who provide meals for us, and family who can and will stay with us and help us all to heal. When I think about it, much of life is relentless - what matters is how we deal with it, and perhaps even more, who is with us as we muddle our way through dealing with it. That is what I am learning over and over again through this time - it is not Linda's strength or my strength that sees us through, but a collective strength that is gathered from so many places. Did you know that we are on prayer lists of churches that we don't know or even know about! So today I am thankful for companions in the midst of relentlessness and for small spaces to find refreshment and renewal."

As I reread this journal entry, it seems to me that my experience (which wasn't planned but one that I stumbled into because I forgot to make a lunch) serves as an invitation to Lent. Sometimes we think of Lent as the season that leads up to Easter - sort of like Advent prepares us for Christmas. But Lent is not really a season of preparation; it is its own season with its own possibilities, its own rhythms, its own power. During Lent we walk with Jesus as he spends his time in the wilderness. I usually think of this as a stark time, a desolate time. But Jesus often went to the wilderness like I went to the restaurant while Linda had chemo - as a way to disconnect from the demands of life and reconnect with God. During Lent we often seek ways to deny ourselves, to fast from food. But Lent and wilderness are also times and places of restoration, of refreshment and renewal. Not the refreshment that comes from material abundance, but the refreshment that comes from encountering God and being filled by God.

This Lent, my prayer is that you find simple, unexpected places of refreshment and renewal. It may be during the quiet reflective service on Ash Wednesday, or a walk in the park, or in conversation with a friend. It can happen anywhere - all we need to be aware of is our need for God. These times powerfully remind us of our neediness and even more powerfully remind us God's willingness to provide our every need. May your Lent be full of small spaces and surprising encounters with the holy.

- Nancy Wagoner

Soon Pat Courtney, Bob and I will depart for Antigua, Guatemala for a mission work "build" with the God's Child Project. This time will be different, though, as we know the participants we'll travel and work with, and we'll know the city and its people to some degree. I return because of our experience last year, the faces of the children who again will melt our hearts, the sights of the city - both the impoverished parts and the tourist places, and the gratitude of all who we met - and hope that Pat will be moved too, on his first trip! The work will be tiring (what day laborer doesn't come home at the end of a day, exhausted?) but also rewarding.

If you would like to contribute new (or gently used) infants or children's clothing, shoes, or underwear, personal health care items, or even a cash donation which can easily be converted to local currency (which will be used there to purchase food, pillows and blankets or toys for the family whose house we will build) please bring items to the church by February 3rd. There will be a basket in the dining room for your donations beginning January 27^th, and we will be in the dining room after worship on the third to collect any donations. On February 10^th we will pack the items at Clayton Methodist Church after a commissioning service which we will attend with the group. Our departure from St. Louis will be on February 19^th. Thank you in advance for your prayers and support.

Remember...even one seemingly tiny action can make all the difference.

- Joy Pipes

A big thank you to everyone who has been supporting me with visits, phone calls and prayers after my heart attack and stroke on December 23. I have been in and out of Barnes and Barnes Extended Care a few times since then. I hope to return to Extended Care shortly to build up strength and then move to my new apartment (San Luis Apartments are being torn down!). Your support means so much to me.

- Paul Vasile, Minister of Music

Enjoy an evening of fabulous music and laughs on February 23 at 7:30 p.m. A special Musical "Fun'Raiser" will feature the diverse musical talents of our congregation:

• A new take on "My Favorite Things" by Laura Brady and Cricket Gordon
• MC Headmess (aka Henry Biggs) performs his brainy rhymes and busts a move
• A new piece by Trinity's resident songwriter, Brian Schroer
• Connie Toretta brings her soulful voice to some Jazz standards
• Duo-organists performing selections from PDQ Bach's "Little Pickle Book"
• The FunRaiser Choir sings Broadway, Spirituals and more
• A medley from "Wicked" sung by Amanda Meinen and Jenn Courtney
• Old-time Gospel music by Karen Coletti and friends
• Choir "a-robe-ics" and a preview of this year's top designs at Choir Robe Fashion Show

And much, much more...

All proceeds will help to purchase new robes for our choirs. The current robes, over 25 years old, are ready to be retired. We hope to purchase ones that are more comfortable and better reflect the diversity and hospitality of our music ministry. The concert is open to the public; a donation of $20 is suggested but gifts of all sizes are welcomed. Don't let cost keep you from coming to an event that you will not forget (hopefully for good reasons!). If you can't attend but would like to make a donation, checks earmarked "Choir Robes" can be put in the offering plate or sent to the church office. We look forward to seeing many of you on February 23 at 7:30 p.m.

[P.S. COCA has a theater performance at 8 p.m. the same evening. Come early to get a good seat!]

Music from Handel Cantatas and Oratorios - Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m. $10 adults, $7 seniors and students. Instrumentalists and vocalists from St. Louis Baroque join acclaimed countertenor, Jay Carter, in a program of arias and choruses from Handel's oratorios and cantatas.

Saint Louis Symphony Family Concert - Saturday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. Free and open to the public.

This special educational concert features musicians from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra performing selections that will inspire, enrich and awaken children's love for music.

Imrat Khan in Concert - Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. $15 adults, $10 students/seniors. You don't want to miss this performance by one of the world's finest Indian musicians. His breathtaking virtuosity communicates a generous humanity that touches audiences and turns each performance into an unforgettable experience.

Cricket Gordon

When the music from Amahl and the Night Visitors began to play on the radio the Saturday morning after Christmas, I found my eyes brimming with tears as memories from twenty years ago flooded my mind. That Christmas, I was thrilled to be singing in the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church's production of Amahl. (I was third countrywoman from the left, carrying a basket of fruit.) I'd always loved the opera, but that year the story took on a greater significance because I had a child who was nearly six years old and couldn't walk. Suddenly, Amahl's mother's actions took on a whole different meaning to me. I could see myself in her place. I could feel the despair and the longing for a way to make her (and my) child whole. At the end of the opera, I found myself in the narthex of the church, sobbing. Prior to that, every Christmas Eve, I would whisper in Anna's ear, "maybe this year is the year you will learn to walk." She'd smile and roll over to sleep.

As the years went by, I found myself using snippets of the songs from Amahl in our daily routines, sometimes not so appropriately. For instance, Anna would call out from the bathroom, "I'm done." I'd respond with, "Are you sure, sure, sure?" To which she would echo, "Sure, sure, sure." I remember thinking that that was probably not such a good idea, but she loved it.

Another phrase we have all used was, "This is my box. This is my box. I never travel without my box!" For every trip to Minnesota, college, or camping, someone in the family would start singing those phrases. When Anna would hand me something, I would sing, "Thank you, thank you, thank you kindly, sir." She'd reply, "Thank you, thank you, thank you kindly too." Once Anna started walking, she also started dancing - mostly in place - but her body swayed to the music. We'd sing together, "I can sing! I can dance!"

Saturday, I wept, partly because of the memories - Anna, like Amahl, finally walked. But now, the ending of the story tugged at my heart strings; when Amahl is leaving, his mother sings, "I will miss you very, very much." Anna may be leaving us to begin a new chapter in her life. She may be entering a group home in the near future, if we can find one that is a good fit for her. And although she won't be leaving town and won't be that far away, I will still miss her very, very much.

- Keith Fischer, Stewardship Chair

At its January meeting, the Session approved the church's budget for 2008. Unfortunately, instead of decreasing in 2008, our budget deficit - the amount we must take from "church savings" to balance the shortfall of income available to pay our expenses - will increase in 2008. From a shortfall of $75,000 in 2005, we had decreased our budgeted deficit to $19,500 in 2007, and our goal was to decrease it further in 2008. Instead, the deficit in the 2008 budget is projected at $55,500.

The main reason for this is decreased pledging in 2008. In 2007 we received 111 pledges for $349,020. For 2008 we received 96 pledges for $340,309. Based on the previous two years, we had projected an 8% increase in pledges to $376,942. Although 34 pledging units increased their pledges and there were 8 new pledges, 23 units who had pledged in 2007 did not pledge in 2008, and 9 units reduced their pledges. The net result was fewer pledges for less total income than in 2007. One positive trend was an increase in the average pledge to $3545 from $3144.

Another positive was an increase of the Endowment Fund's contribution to the budget from $80,000 to $81,200. Including income from church savings, loose offerings, building use revenue, and individuals' per capita contributions, total income for 2008 is budgeted at $526,000.

Total expenses are projected to be $581,500, leaving a $55,500 deficit. Personnel expenses (salaries, pension, insurance, FICA) comprise two-thirds of the budgeted expenses. Mission is 12.5% and building expenses are 21%. This leaves little wiggle room to decrease the budget, although at its January meeting, the Session did make some reductions.

I do not want to leave the impression that our church is on the brink of financial ruin. We have $560,000 in "church savings" (primarily proceeds from the sale of capital assets such as the apartment building) and our Endowment is over $1,600,000. As Dr. Dan said at the Annual Meeting, Trinity rests on a foundation of great faithfulness. Still, deficit spending has limits, and next year will present additional challenges. In 2009 the Endowment Fund grant to fund the Ministry of Equipping will expire. The Session will continue to monitor developments this year. If this year's trend of reduced pledges continues, serious choices may have to be made.

Copies of the budget are available at church.

The Mission Fair Team - Our latest Mission Fair, Trinity in Action, was a great success, and we are already planning an expanded mission event for 2008. Get on the bandwagon now to help us spread the word about mission in our church and community. Call Dave Nelson or Lisa Bernhard for more information.

A New Habitat for Humanity Building Project - 2008 is the year for Trinity to help build another Habitat House. Do you have building skills? Can you paint? How about sweeping? You are needed to work and/or donate funds to build a house for a family in need of a home. Pat Gibbons can tell you all you need to know.

Invite Your Friends Into Ministry - Do you like to talk to people about their gifts and passions? Would you like to be interviewed? The Ministry Discovery team wants to meet with all our members to discover where they can serve God through the Church. Call Norma Vavra or Julie March to find out more.

Friendship and Fellowship - We have so many good events at Trinity that bring us all together for fellowship, sharing, and working together. Join the new Events Coordination Team to help coordinate these events as we build the Body of Christ together at Trinity. Contact Julie March or Lisa Bernhard to get involved.

The Green Team - Flowers, plants, trees, bushes and gardening, we do it all. The Green Team needs your enthusiasm and time to insure that our beautiful sanctuary is adorned for worship, and your green thumb to create lovely flower gardens outside the church. Luise Hoffman and Diana Gray are in charge of this team. (See below.)

The Equipping Ministry Team connects people to the ministries they love. We hope you will hear God's call to service as we "equip the saints for the work of ministry to build up the Body of Christ," which is all of us, right now, at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

- Diana Gray

The Green Team would like to remind the Trinity congregation that it is a new year, and that means new opportunities to contribute to the beautification of the chancel for Sunday worship. A brand new Green Team calendar is now in place across from the library door to facilitate individuals signing up for communion table or other chancel decorations. If you wish to donate a floral arrangement on a given Sunday, please indicate such by writing your name by that Sunday on the calendar. Please indicate if you intend to honor a specific individual or event with the floral display. The Green Team will order the floral arrangement for you. If you have specific flowers, colors or theme in mind, please indicate so as you sign up. We will contact you if we need further information. The minimum price for a floral arrangement is $50.00 from our current supplier, Schnucks Floral by Design. Please let us know if you wish to contribute more than the minimum amount. We encourage multiple individuals or families to partner for such orders in order to reduce family unit costs.

Another option for Sunday chancel decorations is for individuals to donate flowers or plants from their gardens during the spring, summer and fall. Please contact a Green Team member if you wish to do this in addition to indicating such on the sign-up calendar. The Green Team currently consists of Diana Gray, Luise Hoffman and Do Kirk. We are seeking the assistance of other Trinity members who wish to join the Green Team. Please contact one of us, Julie March or Liz Nelson if your "green" thumb is feeling called to a new (and fun) mission.

- Ryanne Tilley

Meet Moses Howell. Moses celebrated his 51st birthday this year, and those who know him well will tell you he is a hard worker, an excellent cook, a sharp dresser and he loves to dance. He is also a huge martial arts fan. But Moses also has a mental illness, and this has made living independently difficult. With no source of income and no place to live, he spent most of his early adult life struggling to find the right medications and a way to manage his mental illness.

And then Moses came to Independence Center. Independence Center is a rehabilitation center for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. For more than 26 years, the Center has helped people like Moses regain control of their lives - providing programs and services they need to be active and contributing members of our community, and to live a life of independence, with dignity. These programs include psychiatric rehabilitation, employment readiness and placement, housing assistance, life skills training, educational assistance, social programs and training on how to live a healthy lifestyle. "People come to us because they want to have a better future, one that is not solely defined by their illness," says Jennifer Higginbotham, Assistant Director at Independence Center and Deacon at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

And the Center's ability to provide these critical programs and services has recently taken a giant leap forward. In fall 2007, Independence Center combined its clubhouse operations into one new, expanded facility - West End Place, located in St. Louis's Central West End. This newly renovated 50,000 square-foot facility offers bright, light-filled and welcoming spaces - a sharp contrast to many mental health facilities of the past.

West End Place is more than just a new building - it represents opportunity and the potential of each member. Members (participants) like Moses work side-by-side with staff to run the clubhouse, giving them ownership as well as a place to come every day where they can contribute. Moses works in the new Arch View Café, the Center's dining room, snack bar and commercial kitchen, and whether he is planning that month's menu, ordering supplies, waiting on tables or washing dishes, he knows he has spent his day doing something important and meaningful to the people around him. He knows he is also learning important skills that he can use in a job in the community.

These work opportunities within West End Place are the backbone of the Center's employment program, which aims to translate the skills and experience members get by working at the Center into real job opportunities and work experiences in the community. And West End Place has allowed exciting new expansions to this program.

West End Place's state-of-the-art business center mirrors retail copy centers, enabling members to learn valuable customer service skills using the latest copy and print equipment. Members working in the restaurant and snack bar learn how to multitask using commercial kitchen equipment and how to be a part of a hospitality team. The enhanced resale shop - open to the public - allows members to hone their retail service skills. The flower shop and horticulture center give members an opportunity to learn about organic gardening, horticulture and retail floral operations. When Independence Center approaches an employer in the St. Louis community about giving a member a chance to work in one of their open positions, they can be assured that members are ready, willing and able to do the job.

In addition to the technology and employment program expansion, West End Place incorporates an enhanced Wellness Center, a critical resource for addressing the growing physical and healthy lifestyle issues associated with mental illnesses. It includes spacious areas dedicated to weights and cardio equipment, a separate studio for a wide range of classes such as yoga, African dance and aerobics, and training rooms for discussion groups and classes in nutrition, smoking cessation and healthy living.

Since consolidating, average daily attendance has increased from 180 to almost 210 members per day, and more than 1,000 new friends of the agency have visited and toured West End Place, representing every aspect of the mental health, business, and nonprofit communities. Through the Center and its new home, visitors are beginning to view people with mental illnesses differently. Even more importantly, members see themselves differently.

Moses now has a safe, affordable place to live, he has assistance with his medications and managing his illness, and he has a place where he can come every day to work, make friends and find a community that is committed to supporting him in his goals for building a life for himself. And he is not alone. More than 1,000 adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses build roads to independence at Independence Center each year. Trinity Presbyterian Church has been a generous and faithful supporter of Independence Center over the years, and the important work to be done would not be possible without you. The generosity and concern of the Church and its members have made a real difference in the lives of the most vulnerable citizens in our community. If you are interested in supporting the Center or getting involved, there is a wide range of opportunities.

• If you own or work for a company that has part-time, entry-level job openings and you are interested in seeing if you can become a part of Independence Center's Transitional Employment program, please call 314-880-5408.
• To donate gently used clothing, furniture or household items to or shop at the CLUBHOUSE SHOP, the Center's upscale resale store, call 314-533-4245.

To support the Center financially, please visit www.independencecenter.org to donate online or call 314-880-5402.

If you would like to learn more about Independence Center, please contact Trinity Deacon and IC Assistant Director Jennifer Higginbotham at (314) 880-5408.

The Presbytery requires a payment of $22 for each adult or confirmed member of our congregation. This is called the "per capita" assessment and is paid by Trinity every year. Knowing that we are working with a deficit in the budget this year, you are encouraged to consider paying your own per capita fee (made out to Trinity Presbyterian Church) to help defray the cost of this budget item.

On May 18th, which is Confirmation Sunday and Trinity Sunday, we will all re-affirm our membership at Trinity with a celebration in worship and an opportunity to pay our assessment, but payment is gladly accepted throughout the year in the church office!