New ministry opportunity! An individual or team is needed to organize and operate the church picnic. This is a one-time commitment for a project of short duration. Organizers will have flexibility in setting the date, the location and the content of the picnic. If you enjoy the picnic, get involved so that we have one this year! Please contact Rev. Julie March (725-3840) or Dave Nelson of the Equipping Team if you would like to learn more.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce Don and Patti Twellman to Trinity.Don and Patti have lived in the St. Louis area for the last 45 years. They have two grown children and 5 grandchildren. Their greatest joy is being with their family.Don and Patti are both beyond retirement age but are still happily working. Don is a car salesman for Paul Cerame and Patti works part time for Work Safe Products. Both are huge Cardinal fans. Patti also enjoys needlepoint and belongs to a Monday evening needlepoint circle. They visited Trinity last Christmas Eve for the "no shushing" service and have been attending ever since.Please join me in welcoming two very special people to us to our Trinity family.
- Cheryl and Reed Evans
Richard Hatch was born in Piedmont, MO, the son of a railroad man. He grew up in University City near Pagedale and entered the Seebees during WWII. He served in the St. Thomas, Virgin Islands as a Sergeant in the Seebees, loading and unloading war cargo. He graduated from SW Missouri State in Springfield, MO, studying speech, history and art. But instead of a planned teaching career, he ended up selling, tuning and repairing pianos. For the past 35 years, he has operated a piano business from his small office and plant by his house in U City. He has a few spinets he'd love to sell! He enjoys swimming 3 times a week at the YMCA.
- Art Platt
April 27 through May 18 we will have a series of four classes on the arts and spirituality.
...when you are in the Dining Room. Take a look at some options created by member and graphic designer Sharon Christopher. It is time to update our logo and letterhead.
The Green Team is planning a special giving opportunity for Mother's Day. This year, instead of donating the live plants to a St. Louis area public garden, the donations will beautify our very own Trinity gardens. Fill out the form in the pew pad to make a donation in honor of the mother(s) of your choice. Please note that you will not be ordering a specific live plant as we will not be purchasing plants in time for a Mother's Day sanctuary display. Rather we will wait to choose and purchase the plants after we have a definite landscape plan. This leaves the opportunity for anyone who would like to contribute a floral arrangement for the Communion Table on Mother's Day to do so.
Sunday May 3, 8pm in the Sanctuary. The concert includes a world premiere of a new work by St. Louis composer Barbara Harbach, as well as pieces inspired by poetry and literature of St. Louis writers.
Commission members, please note that the Worship & Music Commission will meet this upcoming week, Tuesday, April 15th at 7:30 pm.
Our 20-30-something fellowship group will gather at Olivette Lanes after worship on Sunday, April 27th. Come eat some bowling alley snacks (yum!) and bowl with us. Kids will have a lane with bumpers. Call Liz (725-3840) or Carissa for info or to RSVP.
Do you like to shop? Well, then, do we have the opportunity of a lifetime for you! You can shop till you drop for the Winger Food Pantry in May and June. Don't hesitate. Call now for this wonderful opportunity. Contact Stacey Carmen to get all the details.
Shop from Home: If you would rather shop from home for the food pantry, try this on for size! All you need to do is set up an Amazon account through their program called "Subscribe and Save". They will process the order for the food pantry, charge your credit card and ship it directly to us. There is no charge for shipping and there is a 15% discount. You can set it up to automatically order as often as you like. It's that easy. Thanks to Lisa Bernhard for this tip. Contact Stacey Carmen or the office for a list of items we need for the pantry.
Free lecture Monday, April 28 at Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church, 9450 Clayton Rd., 63124 (993-4771). The speaker is Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer prize winning columnist for The New York Times.
...for Trinity members in the news, as well as volunteer opportunities and interesting meetings, lectures, and support groups. Thanks to Wally Klein for keeping it up to date.
During fellowship time on Sunday, April 20th we will celebrate Genny Richmond's 90th birthday.
Trinity built in 2001 and 2003. Trinity can build again! Two blocks east of Grand Boulevard and two north of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. The build will be sponsored by Trinity, the Washington University Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and others. Will we raise $5,000? $10,000? $15,000? For $5,000 we get two build days for Trinity volunteers; we get more days if we raise more. Building will start with four consecutive days in August and then continue on twelve Saturdays. Get your hammers and brushes ready! We need your checkbooks, too. To contribute, make a check payable to Trinity Presbyterian Church and write Habitat on the memo line. Talk to Pat Gibbons for more info.
...will rehearse in the Choir room on Friday, April 25 & May 2 at 7:30 pm (note time change) in preparation for singing in worship on May 4th. All are invited to join.
t's time once again for the St. Louis Marathon. The route encircles our church on Forsyth west of Brentwood and around on Delmar back to downtown, making it hard to get to worship. You cannot drive on or cross Delmar or Forsyth by car. Don't let this stop you from coming! You have two options:
If you know someone who drives to church but does not get email, please tell them of this change in traffic. Thank you and see you Sunday!
...from the Kirk/Merritt reception, the Boys Choir of Kenya, and the "Fun' Raiser".
By now, most of you have received word that our Minister of Music, Paul Vasile, has been hired to be the new Minister of Music at Park Avenue Christian Church in New York City. This is an exciting opportunity for Paul and before he goes, we will have an opportunity to celebrate his ministry with us and send him to his new ministry.
So what about our music ministry when Paul leaves? Our first step will be to find an interim who can guide our music ministry until we hire a permanent Minister of Music. We also will spend some time defining how best to configure that position. And then we will name a search committee who will find our new Minister of Music. If this process unfolds as it has in the past, we will have a new Minister of Music in place by January or February of 2009. In the meantime I encourage everyone to hold onto some great strengths as we move forward in this process:
Please pray for Paul and for the congregation in this time of transition.
Several months ago, I was praying one morning about some concerns I had, when quite suddenly (and not altogether welcome), I began to reflect on Christian Education at Trinity. I tried to ignore these thoughts and put them aside so I could refocus on what I was really there to pray about. However, the thoughts persisted, so I finally decided that I would change the focus of my prayer to Christian education at Trinity. As I prayed, I began to discern a call to lead this commission, but more importantly, I began to discern a vision for what Christian education could be in our church.
Over these past months, I have continued to pray about this and to pay attention to what others in the congregation have to say about our Christian education. As I continued to listen and discern, I realized that "Christian Education" did not accurately describe the vision as I had been perceiving it. Through more discussion with others, especially our commission, we came to an agreement to replace "Christian Education" with "Spiritual Growth." Spiritual Growth pertains to all of the Trinity family, from the youngest to the oldest, and it occurs in a plethora of times and places. We all experience spiritual growth throughout our lives, and the term connotes the idea of continual discovery of our own faith, not a molding into one specific idea of God.
As we move forward towards the Spiritual Growth into which God calls us, I invite anyone interested to contact me with dreams, visions, hopes, and/or questions.
When I feel frustrated at church or with the stresses of home, I try to look for God-Sightings: examples of God at work in our lives that remind my sometimes-cynical self of God's presence. I encountered a bevy of God Sightings when I decided to interview some of our younger Trinity kids about their experiences in worship.
I decided I needed to talk with other kids after our 6-year-old son Karl came home from the Ash Wednesday service this year. Walking home with Dave, Karl began crying. When Dave asked why, he said, "It's the song Paul taught us." ("Take, O take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be; Set your seal upon my heart and live in me.") When Dave asked him to explain, he simply said, "It made me happy. The song means that I don't have to be 'fancy' for God to love me. He loves me just the way I am." Well, I'm biased, but I think that's a pretty succinct summary of God's message - one that I, and probably many of us, need to remember.
Karl's getting something out of worship - at least that time. What about other kids? For the past six months, we've been welcoming kids aged kindergarten and older to join us for the entire worship service. We see them sometimes sitting intently, sometimes squirming and playing with their worship bags. Are we reaching them or are the messages going over their heads? Are they bored or engaged? Christian Education Director Susan Hayes and I set out to talk with some of our younger members (ages 5 through 11). We hope to talk with some of the older kids at a later date. We simply asked them to tell us what they particularly liked about worshipping, what stuck out in their minds, and what they might like to do differently to be even more involved.
Our kindergarteners are paying attention and like different aspects of the service: Tati Pontious likes the music in worship the most while Evan Hasler waits for Dr. Dan to tell a joke. Peter McKown looks forward to playing with the play-doh and the different sorts of music Paul introduces us to. Karl Nelson also loves the music in church; he likes to both sing and listen. Karl especially enjoys the days when we celebrate the sacraments: baptism and communion. He loves communion Sunday and the way "we all do it together."
I remember vividly sitting behind Peter McKown one Sunday, right up front. He knelt on the floor and was drawing on a pad of paper. Dan was preaching and I doubted that Peter was getting much out of this "grown-up" part of the service. But then I noticed that, as Peter stuck stickers into his little notebook while facing the "wrong" direction, he was having a conversation with Dan. He would smile and laugh when something struck him as funny. And he would make comments back to Dan as Dan asked questions. Peter participates in his own way.
Our older kids have opinions to share as well. Tessa O'Bryan (3rd grade) has found the "special days" particularly fun, those days where worship includes celebrations or special recognitions. Her 11-year-old brother, Hayden, is drawn in by the visuals - the purple banner and the candleholders on either side of the chancel. He also loves singing Paul's "Glory, Glory, Halleluiah" response. "I like Church," he says, and especially liked the Blessing of the Animals service. He admits he "doesn't notice the sermon too much," but that his ears do perk up when he hears familiar words or phrases that were taught in Sunday school just before church. Makenna Martin (10) loves how we decorate for Christmas, wishes the sermons were shorter or that we could add "kid comedy" or some drama to the service, and thinks "something special for the kids would be fun."
Makenna, like many of the other kids, feels honored to serve as a liturgist. "Oh my gosh, it is so fun to read!" agrees Hayden. Jacob Anderson-Little wishes he could read every other Sunday and wants to have communion weekly.
Our kids are not just passive participants in worship. They are using all their senses to join in in different ways. What types of worship experiences can we create that will continue to engage our youngest? What new approaches might we consider to even more fully integrate them into our services? How can we support parents as they work to help their kids get the most our of our worship time together? No need to be "fancy" here: we can learn from the kids and they can learn from us. Let's keep the process going. Feel free to talk with Susan Hayes, Stacy Shupe and other members of the Spiritual Growth Commission with ideas, thoughts and concerns.
Family Wellness Series
March 30 Family Health and Wellness - Charlotte Landrum
April 6 Parenting as Spiritual Journey - Rev Deborah Patterson
April 13 Bullying Video Series, Karen Mayberry
April 20 Internet Safety - Todd Mayberry
The Arts and Spirituality Series
April 27 Paul Vasile will present the class and reflect about how music and faith have come together for him. This is an especially timely topic for Paul to share as he prepares to leave for his new position in New York City.
May 11 and May 18 Stephanie Sigala, a dynamic presenter and recently retired St Louis Art Museum staff member, will talk on visual art and spirituality using examples from the St Louis Art Museum collection.
The May 4 class is still a work in progress. More information will be provided on all these classes as the dates approach.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a snow day. School plans, work plans, and family plans were all thrown askew. On the website that I track our journey with cancer, I took the opportunity to reflect on having your plans messed up - and discovering a new way forward.
We have had a lot of weather in St. Louis this winter - at least three or four snow days and some other days when heavy snow threatened. These snow days are always a pain because they mean we have to cancel and rearrange a lot of plans. It is usually a real bother. But snow days also have their charms. They break the rhythm of life that we so take for granted, and they invite us to experience things anew. Snow days cause us to slow down and take note of beauty that we otherwise might miss. They also call forth ingenuity for getting by - you don't just whip out to the store because you are missing some ingredient.
This life of altered plans has much in common with our experience with cancer. Our rhythm has been completely thrown out of whack, our plans have been skewed, what we took for granted we no longer do. And yet, like a snow day, this ordeal has invited us to see things - beautiful things, meaningful things - with new eyes. We have a new appreciation for family and friends, we have a deeper experience of the power of love and the power of prayer, we have a profound awareness of the gift of each day - whether it snows or not.
We don't control cancer any more than we control the weather. But we do have choices - choices to receive the blessings and gifts that see us through and help us live into a new season.
May this season of Eastertide be a time for you to rediscover the deeper patterns of your life and rediscover the blessing of having your life interrupted by God's presence and grace.
Ever been told to go jump in a lake? Well, it turns out that a lot of people want me to!!! On March 1, 2008, I took a plunge (Polar Plunge, that is) into Carlyle Lake to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois. Thanks to the generous donations of my family and friends, including many members of Trinity, I was able to raise $2,150. If you missed me this year, don't worry...you can sponsor me next year, as I plan on "Freezin' for a Reason" once again!!!
Trinity Presbyterian Church has a scholarship fund established in memory of Jimmy Scholin and Todd Weems, two sons of Trinity who tragically died at early ages. Over the years, friends and members of Trinity have contributed to the fund. All Trinity members who are graduating seniors or will be continuing in college next year are encouraged to apply. This year our application process will be conducted on-line. If you are interested in applying or if you know someone who is eligible, please use this web address: http://trinityequipping.wufoo.com/forms/scholinweems-scholarship-application-form/
Scholarships will be awarded in early June.
Requests have been pouring in (well, two poured in, anyway) for the lyrics from the song I sang at the "Fun'Raiser"...
I wrote this song several years ago during the heyday of the "boy bands", when groups like the Backstreet Boys and N'SYNC were popular.
I graciously offered to sell this song to those groups, and they politely declined.
When I persisted, they not-quite-so-politely suggested that perhaps I was a little too old to be writing songs for their target demographic of prepubescent girls.
When I continued to insist that my song would be a huge hit that would deliver untold riches to all involved, they not-very-politely-at-all asked their legal representatives to reply, using terms like "cease" and "desist" and "temporary restraining order" and "no, Justin Timberlake would def definitely not like to "hang with me" when the N'SYNC tour comes to St. Louis."
So, we agreed to disagree.
Their loss is your gain, because tonight: the world premiere of "Presbyterian Girl"...
You saw me standing in the vestibule.
I saw you see me so I tried to look cool, girl.
Wearing a choir robe, that's not easy to do
but in that moment I knew, girl
I would congregate with you, girl.I asked you to the pot-luck dinner that night.
We broke into smaller groups for discussion, as I'd hoped that we might.
I must admit that my knees got trembly
when you whispered an aside about the General Assembly.You're my Presbyterian Girl
My eyes were bleary, and girl you brought the light.
My Presbyterian Girl.
I had a theory, and girl you proved me right.Your views on church polity are of the highest quality.
You're my Presbyterian Girl.Yeah, girl.
You're my Presbyterian Girl, girl.
It's like John Calvin said in "Institutes of the Christian Religion", his seminal treatise on systematic Protestant theology: "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."
Yeah, girl... I'm deep.
But I digress... I just find it hard to put into words what you mean to me, girl.
If there's still any doubt for you, girl,
Let me spell it out for you, girl..."P" is for "pastor". I'll never get past her, and if I ever lost her, it would be a disaster.
"R" is for "religion". I don't mean to be blasphemous, but if someone comes between us, they'll be gettin' a funeral mass from us.
"E" is for "evangelism" - Spreadin' the word.
Girl, when you're the liturgist, it's the sweetest sound I've ever heard."S" is for "Session", our church's ruling body.
You've got a body that rules, girl - You know you're a hottie!"B" is for "Bible" - Genesis to Revelation.
"Y" is for "You" - God's most wonderful creation.
"T" is for "Trinity" - Our congregation.
"E-R-I-A-N", that rhymes with "B-R-I-A-N", and you know, girl, that's a beautiful thang!You're my Presbyterian Girl.
The skies were dreary, and girl, you brought the sun.
My Presbyterian Girl.
In my Book of Order, girl, you're number one.
Each elder and deacon knows of what I'm speakin'.
You're my Presbyterian Girl.
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. Don't 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.
"When he had said this, Jesus cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out." The dead man came out,
his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his head wrapped with a cloth.
Jesus said to them,'Unbind him, and let him go' John 11:43-44
On Sunday, March 9, Trinity Presbyterian Church celebrated the gifts of women to the church. This annual celebration is part of the calendar of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and celebrates not only the contribution of women through the years, in many and varied ways, but also the gifts of women who are ordained Deacons, Elders and Pastors. In the sermon, titled "Coming or Not," The Rev. Martha Brunell contrasted the story of Lazarus with our own lives. This dramatic story from John's Gospel tells of Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, three of Jesus' very close friends. Martha, and later Mary, are two of the first to declare that Jesus is Christ, the son of God, and that he has the power to raise Lazarus from death and the tomb.
In what way are we bound and tied like Lazarus, by our fears, our memories and our actions, and how can this story of a dead man coming to life and loosing his bonds also pertain to us, here and now? As a part of our worship, over 100 people took strips of cotton cloth, wrote on those cloths the things that were binding them from real life in Christ, and brought them up to put on the Baptismal Font. These cloths were then joined together, putting all our prayers and supplications in one great plea, and draped on the cross in the Trinity chancel. We seek freedom from guilt and pain, from self-absorption and the things in our past we cannot forget, and from many other heavy burdens that we have now given to Christ. In Holy Week, we again celebrated Jesus' victory over death and the saving and freeing power of the Trinity to work again in our lives. Thanks be to God!
We left on a jet plane
don't know when we'll be back again...
Here's all you need to know!
6 bags, 3 carry-ons
3 dogs and 1 cat
Kim, Do and Mark
took the Mulkiteo Ferry
arrived on Whidbey Island
greeted by Kitty and Janny
Hooray!!
Day 1
3 blue herons
2 eagles
1 seal
5 deer
sunshine - fog
20 ducks of assorted kind
sea gulls
1 glorious rainbow!
New home purchased, closing on March 26 -
3622 Dandelion Lane
Clinton, WA 98236
To our pew buddies -- we miss you!!
Love Do and Kim
On Thursday, February 14, the Trinity Retirees visited St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in North St. Louis. On this cold, blustery day we enjoyed a tour of the church given by the Pastor, Fr. Marek Bozek, who described the waves of Polish immigrants who came to St. Louis in the 1870's through 1900. St. Stanislaus became the first Polish parish in 1878, and the cornerstone was laid for the current church in 1880. The building was restored after a fire in 1928, and was completely restored in the 1970's for the 100th anniversary. In 1979, St. Stanislaus Kostka was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fr. Bozek showed us the magnificent stained glass windows, which are original, that were made here in St. Louis. We also admired the painted frescos of scenes of the life of Christ and his mother Mary. All of the lettering on the windows and frescos is, of course, in Polish. The Church also has a number of statues of Saints, including two that were rescued from other Polish churches that have been closed.
Also of note are the Stations of the Cross, telling the story of Christ's Passion, that are on the walls of the church. These are especially important to members during Holy Week, as they remember Jesus' trial, crucifixion and resurrection, and walk with Christ through those days. The group also enjoyed hearing the story of the Black Madonna, a famous Polish icon. This ancient painting has a long history, and is now in a monastery in Poland, but a very old shrine at St. Stan's honoring the Black Madonna holds a large reproduction of the original painting.
After our tour, we adjourned to the nearby Schlafly's Taproom for lunch.
Playing charades, painting with q-tips and dressing-up in costumes - we are learning about art history ... really. As adults, we visit art museums knowing that we can't touch anything and that it is best to whisper so as not to disturb anyone. We slowly walk through the galleries gazing at the works on display, and sometimes think if we just knew a little bit more about what we were looking at the experience would be more meaningful. When presented with an art masterpiece, children see colors, patterns, hidden pictures, and characters that have stories to tell. ArtMuse for Kids celebrates the playful vision of children while at the same time teaching them the "little bit more" about art history that we sometimes wish we knew as adults.
ArtMuse for Kids is a unique art history program for children aged 5-10. Created by an art historian, each workshop combines imaginative activities and creative projects to explore masterpieces of art and to develop skills that inspire a life-long appreciation of the visual arts.
In the fall of 2007, ArtMuse visited Trinity with two well-attended workshops. In September, we played I-spy while exploring a diverse selection of portrait masterpieces. In November, we all walked like Egyptians while learning about figural sculpture.
In partnership with Trinity, ArtMuse for Kids will begin ongoing workshops in April. Trinity's welcoming environment and dedicated staff make it an ideal venue. I am well aware of the many programs Trinity already offers its members and the larger community that allow for musical, artistic and spiritual expression. ArtMuse will be a great complement to these opportunities.
Saturday, April 26, 1:00-2:15 - Cubism with Braque and Picasso
Sunday, May 4, 1:00-2:15 - Art, Nature, Sculpture and Andy Goldsworthy
Saturday, May 10, 1:00-2:15 - Impressions of Nature: Monet at Giverny
Registration is required, fees apply, limited scholarships available. For more information, call me at (314) 779-9231 or visit ArtMuse online at www.artmuseforkids.org.
Our heartfelt thanks to all who sent cards and made visits to our mother, Margaret Smith, while she was at Surrey Place. Thank you, also, for the expressions of sympathy after her death. - Judy Thomsen, Jerry Smith and our families
Thank you! The senior high youth would like to thank everyone who attended the football family night, bid on auction items, or donated auction items. The congregation's support helped raise around $1800 toward mission trip and Montreat youth conference. Winning bidders should have received a letter in the mail detailing the items that they won and amount owed. All non-perishable items are available in the church office for pick up. Thank you once again for the continued support. - Rhonda Dunbar