The Voice of First Trinity

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Calendar, Serving in April and April Birthdays…see center insert.

In This Issue… The Subversive Cross….………….….3-4 ELCA Helps Lutherans in Japan.…5-6 501 Church Update...……………........7 LSS Expressions of Abundance.…….8 Free Minds Needs Books….............9 All in the Family……….…..….………….10 Planned Giving…………………………....11 Long-term Health Care Myths..12-13 Lifeline Luncheon………………………….14 Announcements…………………………….15 First Trinity Council and Elders….…15

The Voice April 2011

First Trinity

Lutheran Church

309 E Street N.W. Washington, D.C 20001

202-737-4859 Fax 202-628-0571

Email: ftrinity@aol.com

Web Site:

www.firsttrinitydc.org

Pastors: Tom Knoll

Wendy Moen

Office Manager: Anne Sanyi

Published Monthly:

Deadline for next issue is April 10 Send to

office@firsttrinitydc.org

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THE VOICE THE NEWSLETTER OF FIRST TRINITY

LUTHERAN CHURCH

The Subversive Cross

On February 19 nine of us of First Trinity traveled to El Salvador to help build a home for a low income family in partnership with Habitat for Hu-manity and Thrivent Builds. We ar-rived on a beautifully warm Saturday afternoon and spent the rest of the day touring the city of San Salvador. On Sunday morning we had the won-derful opportunity to worship at Res-urrection Lutheran Church where the Pastor is Bishop Medardo Gomez. Bishop Gomez became one of the spiritual leaders of the Salvadorian people after the murder of the Ro-man Catholic Archbishop Romero in 1980.

After church Bishop Gomez invited us to his modest office to talk with him. We asked him about the white cross that hung in the church. He then told us this story. One Sunday in 1989 Bishop Gomez wanted to give his people the opportunity to express their sorrow for the sins of their country, and to declare the hopes and prayers they had for the future. So he invited the people in wor-ship to come up and write down their sins and hopes on a plain white cross. At that time the government was cracking down on guerrilla fighters who had successfully taken control of the neighborhoods surrounding San Salvador. Here the fighters hid among the poor-est of the poor and the government retaliated by bombing these areas and targeting religious leaders as supposed protectors of the guerrilla fighters. On November 16, 1989 the government forces brutally killed six Jesuit priests and two women at the University of Central America. That same day the soldiers came to Resurrection Lu-theran Church to investigate and question, if not worse to kill,

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Bishop Gomez. Fortunately Bishop Gomez had escaped 15 minutes before the soldiers entered the church. The sol-diers destroyed Bishop Gomez’ office and searched the church, seizing the white cross as evidence of subversion. For years the government continued to terrorize Chris-tians. They arrested Lutheran missionaries and clergy across the country. Eventually they were released, but the military kept the white cross. As the cross stood among the soldiers the men read the messages which were written upon it. Their hearts were turned. Now the war was coming to an end and Bishop Gomez returned from exile and was invited to the President’s house. When they met Bishop Gomez used this opportunity to ask the President about the white cross. Some time later the President requested that the write cross be brought to his home. The soldiers turned it over to the Presi-dent and he read the messages and pondered the sins of the government. He was moved to return the cross back to Bishop Gomez and the people of Resurrection Lutheran Church. Today the cross stands in the church and the people see it as a sign of God’s Spirit working in the world. The cross is now known as “the Subversive Cross” as described to us by Bishop Gomez. This cross is a testimony to the power of God and a bea-con of the hope for the people of the community. The next week we began to build a home for a pregnant mother and her husband. (Some pictures are included here.) Somewhat like the witness of the cross, it occurred to me how our little group was a testimony to the power of God’s love bring-ing hope to this very poor community. This was a great experi-

ence and made me so very proud of our group and of First Trinity Lutheran Church. Thanks especially to those who helped to sponsor our trip. Pastor Tom Knoll

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ELCA Helps the Lutherans in Japan

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The president of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Rev. Sumiyuki Wata-nabe, expressed his gratitude to members of the Evangelical Lu-theran Church in America (ELCA) for their response to the massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami. "I am very thankful to Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and members of the ELCA for their prayers and encouragement," Watanabe said. "You can only imagine how encouraged we are as the Japa-nese and, especially, members of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church for these sentiments." At the time of the earthquake and tsunami, Watanabe was in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, attending a Lutheran World Federation-sponsored meeting. Also attending the meeting was the Rev. Y. Franklin Ishida, ELCA area program director for Asia-Pacific Conti-nental Desk. Ishida plans travel to Japan March 20, he said. The Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church is a 22,000-member church, and like the ELCA, is a member of The Lutheran World Federation, a global communion of churches with more than 70 million members. "Those in attendance at this meeting have remembered us in their prayers, and I feel great joy for the Lutheran family. Please continue to remember and pray for us," Watanabe added. Watanabe said the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church plans to develop a relief and recovery plan not just for its members but also for the communities affected, Ishida said. The ELCA will con-tribute to and assist the Japan church with its plans, he said. The Rev. George Oshiba, president of the eastern district of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, reported March 13 that he had made contact with the pastor of Sendai Lutheran Church, the Rev. Hiroaki Fujii. Sendai is a city of more than 1 million people in northern Japan and was near the epicenter of the earthquake and the tsunami. Oshiba reported that Fujii, his family, and all of the children in the congregation's preschool program are safe. However, some of the preschool program's teachers have not been heard from. Cell phones do not work and gasoline supplies are scarce, he said. "The greatest need is food and water," he said. Sendai Lutheran Church has power, but nearby Tsurugaya Lu-theran Church has no electricity, gas or water, Oshiba also

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reported.

The ELCA, along with predecessor churches has worked in Ja-pan since 1892. Currently, there are 22 missionaries serving in Japan, and all are safe. Among them is Dana Dutcher, stationed in Tokyo. She teaches conversational English and works with several ministries of two congregations, Koishikawa Lutheran Church and Hongo Lutheran Church. "The earthquake was quite powerful here in Tokyo, although we have managed to escape any large catastrophes," she told ELCA News. "The aftershocks are still coming here in Tokyo as new earthquakes are still striking around the country." March is spring break and classes were in recess when the earthquake and tsunami struck, she said. Other ministries have stopped for now because most people are staying close to home in the event of another earthquake, Dutcher said. "Now the church is looking into relief efforts and trying to find out in what ways we can help. Our prayers are now focused on Sendai and Fukushima prefectures as they were affected severely in the earthquake and the tsunamis. We are praying that further devastation does not come, but are preparing for the worst," she wrote. ELCA missionaries also serve at a Lutheran seminary and in Lutheran congregations in Tokyo. ELCA missionaries serve on the southern island of Kyushu, providing chaplaincy and parish ser-vices, as well as teaching at Kyushu Lutheran College. The Rev. Daniel Rift, director for the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal, said financial gifts for the ELCA's response to the disaster in Japan can be made to ELCA International Disaster Re-sponse for the Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami Response. One hundred percent of all gifts will go the people most affected. "Please continue to pray for those affected by this disaster," he said. "Your gifts will be used to assist those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by this disaster in Japan and other affected islands. Your prayers and partnership are needed." --- Financial gifts for the Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami can be contributed at http://www.ELCA.org/japanearthquake on the ELCA website. Credit card gifts may be contributed by calling 1-800-638-3522. Gifts designated for the Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami can also be sent to: ELCA Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300. Information about response efforts and the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church can be found at http://www.ELCA.org/disaster and at http://www.ELCA.org/japan on the ELCA website.

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501 Church is busy inviting…reading/watching/discussing…serving and wor-shipping. Our second Worship Preview was on

March 13th and we met at New Course Restaurant. It was a good setting for us and we had a good discussion around love and judgment and what that might mean for us as a growing community of faith. ChurchSecret was our non-traditional way of practicing Confession. ChurchSecret is my version of PostSe-cret.com. PostSecret.com is where people create postcards, writing/drawing creative illustrations of the secret that holds them back…whatever they want to get rid of. This is a pretty popular website and these postcards have been made into books and are quite popular; the PostSecret creator does tours, especially to college campuses – the two in the DC area in early April are sold out! I asked our group to consider writing/drawing their secret on a postcard and putting it in a box confi-dent in God’s love and acceptance for them whatever secret they have been afraid to tell anyone, let go of…we may even reserve the website domain rights to churchsecret.com and see if we use this for our 501 Church community. Our next Worship Preview Events will be on April 17th and May 1st. If you know someone in their 20s and early 30s looking for a faith community doing things differently, please give me their contact information. In February, I talked with 66 different people with the specific intention of telling them and inviting them or someone they knew to participate in 501. Long gone are the days of “build it and they will come” as a successful outreach model. Growing any new community of worship, or business – almost anything where you want to increase your reach, for that matter, takes invitation through personal relationships. Prayer – Please continue to pray for 501 Church and me as we move forward. This is a challenging call and it is powerful and uplifting to know that we are being prayed for…so, one day when you pray for me, send me a short note just telling me that you prayed: wmoen@firsttrinitydc.org Pastor Wendy Moen

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www.lssnca.org United Way #8146

CFC #78343

Pastor Tom Knoll 202-737-4859

tknoll@firsttrinitydc.org

Expressions of Abundance LSS/NCA Annual Benefit Breakfast May 5

Join LSS/NCA in honoring the voices of our neighbors through their personal and inspiring stories. Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS/NCA) cordially invites you to a breakfast celebrating nearly 95 year of Lutheran service in our communities. Hear inspiring, personal stories of tri-umph over adversity and how your support of LSS/NCA’s mission has made a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. We are excited to give a voice to our neighbors who have triumphed over adversity and share with you the good news how Lutherans in our community exhibit God’s grace by making a difference each and every day in the lives of our neighbors who need a hand.

Join us for

Expressions of Abundance Annual Breakfast to Benefit the Mission of LSS/NCA

Thursday, May 5 The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens 9750 Meadlowlark Gardens Ct. Vienna, VA 7:30-8:30 a.m., coffee & registration 7 a.m.

FREE Parking

See your Table Captain Pastor Tom Knoll for more information

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NEEDS BOOKS! The Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop works with 16 and 17 year olds at the DC Jail to introduce them to the transformative power of books and creative writing. By mentor-ing young inmates and connecting them to supportive services throughout their incarceration into re-entry, Free Minds inspires these youth to see their potential and achieve new academic and career goals. Free Minds’ youth are always reading, and we need books to supply them with! Each book you donate makes a very big dif-ference to a young mind in DC. Important guidelines for donated books: 1. Books can be new or used, but they must be PAPER-BACK. 2. Ideal titles (past book club books and books that the youth have found inter-esting and accessible) are listed here: http://www.freemindsbookclub.org/booklist.html. However, Free Minds is extremely grateful for any donations in the following genres: * African American Literature * Urban fiction (for example, Dark by Kenji Jasper, Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah) * Young Adult books with easier reading levels but mature themes (for exam ple, the Bluford Series) * Books in Spanish and with Latino themes (for example, My Bloody Life) * Books on Islamic history and culture * Mysteries (books by Walter Mosley) * Books that deal with issues of poverty, violence, drugs, characters over coming obstacles (for example, Manchild in the Promised Land) * Classics (for example, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill A Mockingbird) * Poetry books ( or example, works of Langston Hughes, Willi Perdomo, and Sonia Sanchez) * Autobiographies (for example, sports heroes, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama) * Fantasy (for example, the Harry Potter books) * Art books (for example, how-to drawing books) * Career books (How to Be a Carpenter, What Do Engineers Do?) * Current GED and SAT books * Graphic novels, cartoon books (especially less violent ones), joke books, brain teasers. Optical illusions are incredibly popular. If you have any questions, please email Juliana@freemindsbookclub.org

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ALL IN THE

FAMILY April 2011

Nice to see Tony Burke in church March 13. He said Iowa City is great and Stacy loves her new job and they are ex-cited about their new addition-a baby in a few months……Look for Pastor Wendy’s mom and aunt the second weekend of April…..501 Church met at New Course Restaurant March 13 at 5:01 p.m. for a worship preview around love, judgment and confession…..Pastor Wendy has been talking to neighborhood groups and other Lutheran colleagues about 501 Church and is grateful for prayers and referrals …… After church On March 13 Chris Cherry, Ian Brown-Gorrell and Stefan Brodd performed a few songs for us from Chris’s upcoming youth musical “The School For Super Heroes Pre-sents Orlando Furioso, The Mu-sical……Thanks to Barbra Scherer for the birthday cake celebrating the March birth-

days…..Bob Frerking is in Bella Vista , Arkansas working with consulting issues in the area of constitutional law and “enjoying sitting in pew.”…… Laura White (pictured below) had a personal visit with the rock star Bon Jovi just before he went onstage for his concert at the Verizon Center. Laura said that he spent about five minutes with her and he could-n’t have been nicer. Lucky Laura. It’s a small world, did you know that our new director of Lifeline Callie Thomas’ mother is the Associate Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis where Kelly Chapman is the senior pastor. Many remember when Kelly was the Director of CFLS back in the late 70’s …Also did you know that our church corner stone from the original 1853 church is built into the en-trance way of CFLS…. Now you know! Van Sigworth

Laura White and Bon Jovi

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PLANNED GIVING IS GOOD STEWARDSHIP If your faith has been an important part of your life, it can be an important part in planning for your death as well. Here are a vari-ety of ways to make planned gifts and leave a legacy for minis-try. Among them: A WILL -- You can designate a specific sum of money, the re-sidual (or what is not specified for other use), or a percentage of your total estate for the ministry of your choice. Real property (such as land or buildings) may also be designated for ministry. A BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION -- Update your 401k, life in-surance policy, or bank account -- and designate a percentage to go to Lutheran ministries upon your death. Get the beneficiary change form from your administrator. AN ANNUITY -- In exchange for cash, securities or other prop-erty, you can receive a tax deduction when you make the gift, guaranteed income for you or a beneficiary for life (or for a desig-nated number of years), and the remainder goes to the ministry you choose. The payment percentage is based upon your age. An-nuity payments can start at the time you create it (if you are at least 65) or can be deferred to start at a later time if you are be-tween 55 and 64. Planned Giving is good stewardship. For assistance, con-tact Alice Benson at Lutheran Planned Giving Metro DC at 301-963-6570 (Gaithersburg, MD), or email alice.benson@elca.org for a no-obligation and private consultation. Alice’s services are free and her sole purpose is to help you plan your estate and/or help you make a planned gift.

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Contact: Greg C H Roemer, FIC E-mail: greg.roemer@thrivent.com

Phone: 202-249-9886

Myths and Misconceptions of Long-term Health Care Even the words long-term health care can sound scary or confusing, but if you have the facts, the term can be reassuring. Here are some com-mon myths and misconceptions from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans to help you make an educated decision about your possible long-term care needs. Misconception: “I’m too young to need to think about long-term care.” Truth: According to a 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 40 percent of people receiving long-term care are working-age adults, between the ages of 18 and 64. Roughly 70 percent of people above age 65 need long-term care at some point, and your odds of needing long-term care increase as you age. Misconception: “I can continue staying home and having family mem-bers take care of me.” Truth: You certainly can. The majority of long-term care is performed in private homes, often by unpaid family members. However, even if family members provide the bulk of long-term care, periodic visits from profes-sionals may still be necessary. And home care has its own costs—besides remodeling (for wheelchair access or hospital-type beds) and transporta-tion costs, family caregivers often see a decrease in their income due to lost work time. Even if home care is viable now, it may not work forever: Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that nearly half of people over age 65 require professional care at some point. Misconception: “I don’t need to plan ahead to finance long-term care. I’ll cover the costs with my regular savings or get it covered by Medicare or Medicaid.” Truth: If you have significant liquid assets at your disposal, you may be able to pay for your long-term care (known as self-insurance). How-ever, according to the Genworth 2009 Cost of Care Survey, long-term care costs are often higher than expected. For example, even in Iowa—one of the most affordable states for long-term care—the average cost for a private room in a nursing facility costs $51,830 a year. Your personal savings may not be enough to cover the costs and still pay for basic living expenses. You also may wipe out the funds you had planned to leave as an inheri-tance.

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Many people believe that Medicare will cover their needs for long-term care—only to discover that this government program offers lim-ited assistance in most cases. “there is a common misperception that Medicare will come to your aid when you need long-term care,” says Julie Murawski, a health products manager for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. “That’s just not true.” In fact, Medicare offers long-term care coverage only under tightly restricted circumstances and usually for a limited amount of time. Here are some things you can do now if you think you may not qualify for this coverage in the future:

Talk to your physician and review “Medicare & You,“ the basic primer available for free at medicare.gov, to learn more about eligibil-ity.

Even if you are eligible for Medicare, the program typically only pays for skilled medical care, such as a registered nurse. If you want to be able to pay someone to cook meals and do light cleaning around the house, you might want to consider long-term care coverage. Find out if potential care facilities allow clients to transition to Medi-caid. In some cases, you can move into your facility of choice and cover costs with your own assets at first, then start using Medicaid af-ter exhausting your own reserves. If your facility of choice does not allow this transition, it’s crucial to know that you may have to move in the future. Misconception: “Long-term care means nursing home.” Truth: Not true. Most long-term care takes place at home—70 percent of the elderly are cared for by family and friends, according to the U.S. De-partment of Health and Human Services.

Now that you have the proper information, the next step is to meet with your fi-nancial representative to learn more about your long-term care options as well as the various ways you might pay for it. Having a plan in place is some-thing that you and your family cannot do without and can give you the peace of mind that you are protected.

Greg Roemer is a Financial Consultant with Thrivent Financial for Luther-ans in He can be reached at 202-249-9886. Thrivent Financial for Lu-therans is a not-for-profit, Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping approximately 2.6 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. This column was pre-pared by Thrivent Financial for use by this representative. Neither Thrivent Financial for Lutherans nor its respective financial associates and employees provide legal or tax advice. For complete details, consult with your tax advisor or attorney. Registered representative for securities offered through Thrivent Investment Man-agement Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, 55415-1665, 1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836), a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member FINRA. Member SIPC.

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j{xÇR April 2, 2011 at 11:30am

j{xÜxR Pier 7 Restaurant Located at 650 Water Street S.W. in Washington D.C. on the corner of Maine Ave. & 7th St. S.W. on Washington D.C.'s waterfront.

j{tàR Lifeline invites you to a luncheon bringing Life- line participants, St. Matthew’s, and First Trinity together to celebrate the spring and enjoying each other’s company.

VÉáàR $25 for Lifeline Participants, $30 for all others We are looking for people willing to give scholar ships to Lifeline participants.

RSVP To Callie Thomas by March 23rd at 202-628-4819 or lifeline@firsttrinitydc.org

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First Trinity Council and Elders President: Barbara Eiden-Molinaro 202-248-1994 Vice President: Greg Nelson 301-263-9574 Minister of Education: Kimberly Orr 225-892-4068 Minister of Financial Resources: Chris Latta 202-320-1886 Treasurer: Jim Hunter 202-962-0260 Secretary: Chris Orvin 843-754-8933 Financial Secretary: Walter Frucht 301-292-1387 Minister of Facilities: Ed Stock 703-256-8174 Minister of Missions: John Priebe 301-341-2788 Ruth Worman 202-413-1458 Minister of Mutual Care: Kent Forde 701-240-0220 Minister of Worship: Amanda Wahlig 404-434-1541 Elders: Donna Suchmann 703-948-6799 John Molinaro 202-248-1994 Jacob Mersing 202-607-1165

Announcements Easter Lillies The sign up sheet for Easter Lillies will be in the narthex until Palm Sunday. If you would like a lilly placed on the Altar on Easter Sunday in honor of someone, please sign up. The lilies are $13 each.

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