TRINITY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

504 S. Westnedge Avenue

Kalamazoo, MI 49007-6004

269-344-6181

www.tlckzoo.com

office@tlckzoo.com

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID

Permit # 575 Kalamazoo, MI

Trinity Staff

Pastor Rev. Ken Johnson

Associate Pastor Rev. Jake Lehman

Organist/Director of Music William Musselman

Children’s Choir/Pianist Sara McGarvey

Office Administrator Katie Grubaugh

Custodian Margaret Stevenson

Bookkeeper Trudi Giffin

Director of Family Ministry Heidi Albertson

Seminary Students Alex Aivars &

Ed Ruble

Sunday School Coordinator

Emily Wright

Trinity Foundation Members

Jerry Molitor

Maridel Greer

Mike Mueller

Jim Allen

Rev. Ken Johnson

Rev. Jake Lehman

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Church Council

President Karen Adams

Secretary Teri Koretsky

Treasurer Mike Mueller

Financial Secretary Don Nelson

Worship & Music Beth Latshaw

Christian Education Jennifer Gougeon-Catarino

Service & Social Ministry Cathy Majia &

Greta Decker

Facilities Shaun Wright

Evangelism, Fellowship Ashley Wineland

& Communications

Stewardship & Finance Bill Sherrod &

Julie Bosley

Library

Carolyn Albert

Mary Bittner

Maryann Hubbell

Missionaries

David Kramer, Tillers, Int.

Eisleben Church, Germany

Larry Yarger, Indonesia

Coraley Wolff, Cambodia

January 2019 – Number 1038

Worship Services

Sundays at 8:30 and 11:00am

The new chart for Altar flowers will be up soon in the Fellowship Hall. The

flowers are a beautiful way to remember or honor a loved one or special event.

Please take a moment to sign up!

Fellowship Time The new chart for hosting a fellowship

time is up . Please consider hosting fellowship to celebrate birthdays,

anniversaries, or any happy occasion with your church family. If you are not able to host, donations of baked

goods are always appreciated. If you have any questions or need help talk to Margaret or Rasma. Thank you!

Many Samaritas ROCK STARS made this possible, including YOU! Thank you for all your support to obtain petition signatures, write letters, share the need with friends/family, and overall being the amazing support that you are for Samaritas! We are so thankful for both yours and our staff’s efforts to step in and work so hard during our positive campaign designed to combat misinformation, advocate for our older foster youth and assist to educate the community on the amazing benefits that ILP provides in both strengthening these youth and ultimately strengthening our community! Thank you!!

Amazing SWELL Members –

Just in case you have not already heard the GOOD NEWS:

Samaritas received unanimous approval from the City of Kalamazoo Planning Commission to

hold our ILP program for older foster youth in the Vine Neighborhood!

Social Ministry - Loaves & Fishes - Christ’s Clothes Closet - Quilters - Swell Foster Kids Backpacks - Christmas Shoeboxes

- Campus Ministry - Health Kits - Salvation Army Gift Tree - SCRIP - Good Samaritan Fund - Crop Hunger Walk - Fair Trade Coffee/Tea/Choc - Samaritas Alma’s Mitten Tree - Open Park Ministry

For more information or to volunteer, contact:

Cathy Mejia cathycmejia@aol.com 269-743-7339 or Greta Decker gretadecker1207@gmail.com 269-381-1537

News from the SCRIP (gift card) Table

Lutheran World Relief: Quilts and Personal Care Kits In 1945, World War II left an estimated one-fifth of the world’s Lutherans homeless. Here in the United States, Lutheran churches in at least 20 states including Michigan mobilized to help in Europe through a new agency called Lutheran World Relief.

Much has changed in over 75 years. But in thousands of congregations, in millions of offerings and in uncounted prayers, U.S. Lutherans continue to support Lutheran World Relief’s work. Today, Lutheran World Relief operates in East and West Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, helping some of the world’s poorest communities build the resilience they need to thrive.

Our congregation supports Lutheran World Relief through two projects, Quilts and Personal Care Kits, which give families around the world some of life’s essentials, as well as a reminder that they are not alone. And the need continues to grow larger each year. You can serve as a faith witness to the global community by helping the Quilters and Personal Care Kit projects. LWR Quilts – How You Can Help Attend meeting the 4th and 5th Thursday of the month, beginning January 24 at 9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship

Hall (no meetings in November or December); you do not need to know how to quilt as there are many jobs that don’t require any skills.

Donate twin size flat sheets; cotton or cotton blend fabric at least 11 inches wide; thread, or yarn; or provide a monetary donation

If you can’t attend the monthly quilting meetings, you can volunteer to sew at home In the fall, packers and movers are needed to get the quilts ready for shipment LWR Personal Care Kits – How You Can Help Donate all or part of a care kit or a monetary donation which includes:

One light-weight bath size towel (52”x27”) in a dark color Two bath size bars of soap (4-5 oz.), any brand, in its original wrapping One adult size toothbrush in its original packaging One sturdy comb One metal nail clippers

Each kit must contain every item – no substitutions or additions are allowed A basket will be in the Fellowship Hall to collect items Contact Liz Menck or Teri Koretsky if you are interested in either of these projects.

SCRIP sales soared to almost $3000 the week of December 2-9! Many bought gift cards for their Salvation Army Angel Tree request tags, SWELL bought VISA cards to use to purchase Christmas gifts for the Samaritas Supported Independent Living youth, the Quilters bought Walmart cards to purchase needed supplies, and lots of folks did some or all of their Christmas shopping at the SCRIP table. This is a tremendous win-win!

Recently SCRIP profits were used to purchase small canned hams for the Pantry to distribute before Christmas. We have also supplied prizes for the Bingo games this year at Ministry with Community. For other uses of SCRIP profits please see the table in our 2018 Annual Report.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and as always - thanks for helping us help others!

WELCA Mission Action

Through November, we were a little more than $8,000 behind on Operating Income. Going into the final month of the year, some people were catching up on pledges and we expect more to come in by year end so that we end the year with a balanced budget.

The 2019 Budget was approved at a congregational meeting on December 9. Thank you to all those that supported the budget.

November Year-To-Date

Unrestricted Income $44,208 $415,400

Operating Expenses $37,114 $423,734

Subtotal: Operating Income $7,094 ($8,334)

Stewardship and Finance Updates

Moving forward, we will be providing a high-level budget update each month so everyone has visibility to our income and expenses throughout the year. As needed, we’ll also provide additional context.

The January project is providing cookies for the Veterans. These must be purchased and left in the original package. Please have these in the church kitchen by January 13. In November the YWCA Domestic Assault Program received $43 worth of personal care items. Also, $71 worth of postage stamps and treats were given for Christmas at the Jail to be delivered for their December use. Thank you for the various ways you continue to bless many people!

In 2018, the quilters completed 210 quilts! The quilts were packed in September and taken to St. Michael Lutheran Church on October 14 by a loving crew from Trinity. The quilts are sent on to Lutheran World Relief for distribution around the world. Trinity also sent 168 personal care kits that had been assembled from contributions from the congregation. We are grateful to ARVCO container company who generously donated new large packing boxes to hold the quilts. The new boxes made our work much easier! Our quilting group of dedicated ladies meets the 4th and 5th Thursday of every month except November and December. We enjoy good fellowship and many hands make the work go easy! On Social Ministry Sunday, a selection of quilts and prayer shawls are displayed on the pews for everyone to enjoy.

Sincerest thanks go to all participants: Nancy Arneson, Diana Ball, Marge Bateman, Pat Broad, Naomi Frisbe, Marianne Fuerst, Ginny Giese, Maridel Greer, Jennifer Gougeon-Catrino, Kathy Hall, Mary Ann Kaczorowski, Betsy Kelly, Lisa Kenz, Teri Koretsky, June Laws, Renee Laws, Lois Litchford, Julie McNee, Joyce Magerlein, Liz Menck, Judy Morison, Sharon Padgett, Margaret Stevenson, Sandy Wallace, Susan Warren and Katie Yarger. Many thanks to Norena Freeberg, Katie, Jaxon and Jason Grubaugh, Janet and Arlen Gullickson, Steve Morris and Carol Menck Skowronski for extended help, especially on transportation day. Hopefully, we have not failed to thank anyone else who was involved in this ministry. God Bless, Liz Menck and Teri Koretsky

Family Ministry

Winter Break Boredom Buster: Minion Party on Thursday, January 3rd from 3pm-7pm It’s time again to bust those winter blues with our Winter Break Boredom Buster. This event is for kids and parents! We’ll do some fun Minion-themed activities, eat pizza, and watch the now classic movie Despicable Me. If you can’t come the whole time, then join us for whatever fits your schedule. Please sign up on our Facebook page or by emailing Heidi (hmfuerst@aol.com) by January 2nd, so I know how many to plan for.

Epiphany Mosaics Sunday, January 20th 12:30pm-2pm Epiphany is the season in the church calendar between Christmas and Lent. It’s the time when the Wise Men followed the Star that led them to Baby Jesus. To celebrate Epiphany, we are inviting a special guest, Gerhard Fuerst, to teach us a little about the history of mosaics in the church. He will then lead us in creating our own star mosaics. As usual, lunch will be provided in the Fellowship Hall. To attend, please sign up through our Family Ministry Facebook page or through email (hmfuerst@aol.com) by Friday, Jan. 18th. Let me know if you have any questions!

Sunday Morning opportunities in January: Infant & Toddler Small Group: All infants and toddlers (along with their parents) are invited to hang out together and enjoy some fun infant/toddler activities, while their parents discuss the craziness of parenting these amazing and unique individuals.

*Dates: Sunday, January 20th Time: 10am-10:40am Place: Family Ministry Rm

Parent Small Group: All parents are invited to hang out together, discuss the joys & concerns of raising faith-filled children, and how God helps us with the adventure that is parenting.

Dates: Sundays, January 13th & 27th Time: 10am-10:40am Place: Family Ministry Rm *There will combined Parent and Sunday School children Epiphany Event on Sunday, January 6th from

9:45am-10:45am! Hope you can join in the fun!!

Upcoming Activities

The Sutherlands will be hosting the January 30s40s Potluck at their house on

January 25 from 6-9pm. The theme is “Breakfast for Dinner”, so everyone is

encouraged to bring your favorite “breakfast-y” dish to share and dress in your

comfiest pajamas!

Men’s Bible Study

normally meets

each month on

the first and third

Wednesdays at

7am in the fellow-

ship hall for breakfast and bible study. Due to the New Year Holiday this

month, we’ll meet just once on Jan 16th.

If you’ve not joined us before, this is a

great way to get involved and kick off

your day with some good fellowship,

food, and discussion!

Children’s Choir will resume on January 16 from 6-6:45pm

with a Pizza Party! There will be another rehearsal

on Sunday, January 27 from 9:40-10:05am.

Young Adult Luncheon If you’re a young adult who has found your way to

Trinity or have stopped in just to explore, we’re so glad

you’re here! In the interest of getting to know you a bit

and giving you the chance to meet other young adults at

Trinity we’re hosting a luncheon after church on

Sunday January 20th at Shakespeare’s. We’ll be there

from 12:30-2ish to provide food and drink, so if you’re

in that 20-30ish age range come out and join us for a

free lunch and the chance to get to know some of your

peers at Trinity!

Theology on Tap – New Year, New You! The New Year is a time when change is in the air! Resolutions abound as people try to eat less,

exercise more, budget better, take up hobbies and who knows what else! In the spirit of those

transitions, for Theology on Tap in January, we’re going to talk about change. Specifically, we’ll

meet at One Well Brewing Co. on Tuesday Jan 22nd from 7-8:30 to take a look at what change

looks like in the bible and how change might be at work in our own lives. See you there!

Wednesday Evening Worship Wednesday Evening Worship will resume on January 9

after taking a brief pause for the Holidays. The Wednesday

service is a wonderful way to step out of your normal

rhythm with a short and relaxed service of prayer,

scripture, and special music provided by local musicians.

Wednesday Evening Bible Study – He Chose the Nails Wednesday evening Bible study will resume on Jan 9 at 6pm in the

lounge with a study from Max Lucado titled “He Chose the Nails”.

This study will lead us from Christmas on the journey towards lent

as we examine what the death of Jesus means for us, and under-

stand more completely the unconditional love of God.

Patti Bosar, Ruth Krueger, Pastor Dale Krueger, Shirley Dragoo, Carol Bosley, Mark Dobbins, Barb Hogg, Chuck VanZoeren, Virginia Bergman, Barb Murrin, Holly Wohlfert, Doreen Emmerich, Bev Mellum, Phyllis Botticher, Lois Litchford and Candie Leonard.

Please pick up your offering envelopes for 2019 from the fellowship Hall if you have not done so yet. They are in alphabetical order. Let the office know if you need any help with your envelopes.

Jennifer Gougeon-Catarino is collecting books to hand out at Ministry with Community. The top requests are: Spiritual,

True Crime, Biographies, James Patterson, and John Grisham. If you have any books you are able to donate, please drop them off in the church office. And thank you to all who have already donated books! The people have really

appreciated having a variety of books and magazines from which to choose and 20-30

books are being handed out each week!

The celebration of Christmas at Trinity is enhanced in many ways by many people.

We are most grateful to our pastors, to Bill Musselman and our choir, to Helen Howes and her faithful team of decorators, to Ashley Wineland and Sara McGarvey and the helpers of our children’s program and to the many more who help behind the scenes.

1- Phyllis Botticher

-Simon Dorow

3 - Jim Lamson

4 – Mary Beth Wood

5 - Jackie Schaefer

6 – Kate Howell

7 – Isabel Mix

- Emma Zimmermann

10 - Carolyn Albert

- Bev Johnson

11 - Suze Breischaft

13 – Larry Sweerin

14 - Anthony Chase

15 – Atticus Bruenjes

16 - Robyn Cassell

17 - Elizabeth Menck

- Quinn Benson

- Karn Erlandson

20 - Natalie Nelson

21- Matthew Sorensen

- Nicholas Ball

22 - Noah Gonzales

- Ken King

23 - Heidi Albertson

- Neil Hurley

- Timothy Keck

24 - Elizabeth Jackson

- Cecelia Aleo-Andrus

- Svend Kloster-Larkey

25 - Bruce Uchimura

- Marcia James

26 - Bill Morison

29 - Bob Rowe

- Liz Morison

31 - Norena Freeberg

1—Lee and

Margaret Russcher

S.W.E.L.L. and Social Ministry would like to thank the members

of Trinity for their generous support of the request for funds to

purchase Christmas gifts for the Samaritas Supported Independent

Living (SIL) youth. $640 was collected in two weeks!

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Boyne Mountain Winter

Reatreat!!!

All Middle School and Sr. High Students are invited as we head to Boyne Mountain Jan 25-27 for a weekend of fun,

fellowship, food, and of course…winter sports and water parks! The church covers lodging and food and asks that you cover your activities and a ‘good faith’ deposit of $25. Sign up and

deposit are due by Jan 13 to secure your spot!

Winter Jam 2019!

It’s cold outside, so come warm up in VanAndel Arena with thousands of other youth at Winter Jam 2019! Winter Jam is a night packed with concerts from a whole lot of well-known Christian bands and is bound to be a fun night together! The concert is on Friday Jan 18th and we’ll

meet at the church at 5:00 to head up to Grand Rapids and will return…pretty late. We’ll cover most of your admission so cost is just

$5 per person + money for a meal on the way there. Sign up by Jamuary 13th if you’re able to go!

Middle School Charge

at Great Wolf Lodge!

Charge is a weekend event for students in 6th-8th grade and is chalked full of music, games, speakers, and fun all de-signed to build your relationships with one another and

God! And as if that weren’t enough, Charge is held at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City so in addition to all the other awesomeness, you get to play in the water park! Charge

takes place March 22-24 and total cost to you is just $60!

Register by Jan 13th to secure your spot!

Germany 2020! Hopefully you’ve heard by now that

Trinity is hosting a trip to Germany in 2020 that will involve a Bike or Bus

trip in addition to the chance to visit the Land of Martin Luther and see

the famous passion play at Oberammergau!

The cost for active youth in grades 6-12 at the time will be just $1000! But you likely have more questions

than that…so we’ll be having an informational Q&A meeting on

Sunday Jan 20 between services. We’ll meet in the youth room at the beginning of the Sunday School hour to talk fundraising, passports, travel tips, and all the nuts and bolts that

you want to know. *Note- If you’re planning to join the Bike tour, you want to register ASAP

as it is filling up quickly!

Confirmation Class is Back!

After a little break for the holidays, starting Jan 9 all students in grades 7-8 are invited to join us for Confirmation

classes in the youth room each Wednesday from 6-6:50pm!

Pancake Breakfast: Save the Date! The youth will be hosting the annual Pre-Lent Pancake Breakfast

on Sunday March 3 between services. Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to be there to help with this fun and important

fund raiser!

Worship Assistants

Lectors Acolytes Greeters Jan 6 8:30 Steve Bittner Helen Spence Beth Belleville, Scott Benson 11:00 Sheree Sorensen David Latshaw, Sierra Campbell Gary and Jan Cramer Jan 13 8:30 Karn Erlandson Jaxon Grubaugh, Anna Schreiner Eric and Lori Cleasby 11:00 Mike Spresser Simon Dorow, Jon Cleasby Donna and Lary Gardner Jan 20 8:30 Nicole Shugars Michelle Yarzebinski Arlen and Janet Gullickson 11:00 Connie Ruch Kaitlyn Albertson John and Cathy Jensen Jan 27 8:30 Emma Shugars Helen Spence Lois Litchford, Liz Menck 11:00 Heather Schripsema David Latshaw Ken and Vickie King

“Fast away the old year passes…Hail the new ye lads and lasses…Fa la la la la…” - Thomas Oliphant (or 16th century Welsh Carolers)

Fast away the old year passes! …This is a sentiment that carries mixed feelings for many of us. For some, the past year has brought wonderful moments of children and grandchildren growing as we’ve created cherished memories with our loved ones and friends. For others,

the year has brought incredible challenges in the form of lost loved ones, illness, financial struggles, and all sorts of other trials. For most of us it’s been a little bit of both. Struggles and joys.

If we’re being honest, this is what life is made of. Struggles and Joys make up the mountains and valleys that are the landscape of our lives. Our call as people of faith is to recognize that no matter what our year has been like or what the year to come may bring, Christ is with us.

Hail the new ye lads and lasses! …Regardless of the joys and struggles that made up our past year, the new year provides a wonderful opportunity to start fresh. As we move out of the Christmas season, we carry with us the reality that God entered into our world in the meekest of places and in the humblest of forms. May this constantly remind us that as much as we feel God’s presence on the mountaintops, God is ever more present in the valleys. Because of God’s tremendous gift of life, new possibilities always lie before us and hope is ever present. So, let us look forward to those joys and struggles this year will bring as we walk together in faith.

God Bless and Happy New Year! Pr. Jake

As our parking lot fills up with snow and on especially busy holidays, our parking spaces become limited and considerations for the elderly, families with very small children, and visitors need to be made.

If you are able, please consider parking across the street in Faith Temple’s parking lot!