Trinity Tidings An Inviting Community Following Christ For Life

Volume 52, Issue 2 February 2018

Heart Speaks to Heart Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up . . . and went

off to a solitary place, where he prayed. —Mark 1:35

It was past my bedtime and I wasn't very interested in sleeping, but I was finally in my

pajamas and reluctantly getting in bed when I heard a sound I didn't quite recognize. It

was my mother's voice, of that I was fairly sure, yet it didn't quite sound like her voice. I

pulled back the covers, got out of bed and walked out of my bedroom. Down the hall I

could hear the sound more clearly; it was my mother, but her voice sounded strange to me.

I walked down the hall, following her voice and pushing open the bedroom door, I found

her.

At the end of a long day of work followed by the evening responsibilities of being a

mother and wife in the 1960's, my exhausted mother was coming to the end of her day. As

I crept around the half-opened door, my mother's voice was muffled by her hands that

were clasped in front of her face. She was kneeling by the bed; her voice, full of emotion,

was softly, but earnestly, calling out. Not calling out to me. Calling out to the One in

whom she trusted most deeply. Though I was too young to understand it, I now realize

that I had entered into a holy space. There was something going on in that conversation

that was greater than what met the human eye. My mother was praying.

Over this past Christmas we were able to be with my 94-year-old mother for a couple

days. Though her memory has been diminished by the years, she told me on more than

one occasion, "I pray for you, son." I have no doubts that she does pray for me

(and everyone else that she loves) because the conversation that has been the longest in

my my mother's life is the one that she's had with God. I have come to realize, as I have

had my own struggles in becoming a prayerful person, that when I saw Mom talking with

God, it was not so much a great and mystical mystery as much as it was a friendship. A

friendship where she opened her heart to Jesus and tried to also listen for what the Holy

Spirit might be saying in return.

This month, as we begin again the Lenten season I'm trying to follow my mother's

example and learn more about that holy conversation that is as simple as heart speaking to

heart. During this Lent, may you and I grow in our friendship with the God revealed in

Jesus Christ made know by the Holy Spirit! If we will all give a bit of extra time to

converse with this gracious God through Lent, we will have great reason to be...

Hoping Big,

Greg

Staff

Pastor/Head of Staff

The Rev. Dr. Gregory

C. Faulkner

Associate Pastor

The Rev. Ms. Sarah

Craven

Parish Associate

The Rev. Mr. Barry

Gruver

Director of

Music

Lisa Marcelli

Interim Music

Associate

Brain Kain

Church Treasurer

Debby Talbott

Office Manager

Sue Nork

Media Associate

Alysia Sieh Badskey

Membership

Associate

Pam Dougherty

Property Manger

Larry Hall

Director of

Nursery School

Marina Pappas

2

Session of Elders

Clerk of Session

Margery Sly

Adult Ministries

Larry Miller

Children’s Ministries

Nancy Roberts

Finance & Stewardship

Donna Croker

Membership

Chris Parsons

Mission & Outreach

Julie Blair

Personnel

Brian Dougherty

Property & Buildings

Walt Steinle

Worship & Music

Steve Talbott

Youth Ministries

Donna Allen

Strategy Committee

Margery Sly

Technology Committee

Tom Earp

Deacons

Moderator of Deacons

Mike D’Amico

Committee Chairs

Assistance

Jenny Leitinger,

Hersch Craven

Fellowship

Rob Bailey

Service

Randy Southworth

Visitation

Audrey Azevedo

Trinity News and Notes

In Memoriam Dorothy J. Cunliffe

United with Trinity January 13, 1963; Died January 28, 2018

Sympathies We extend our sympathies to Ed Cunliffe and family on the death of his wife,

Dorothy Cunliffe, to John Young on the death of his mother, Jean Young, and

to Pam Dougherty and Pat Weikart on the death of their cousin,

Diana Versprille.

Baptisms We rejoice with Lexi and Kyle Azevedo on the baptism of their son,

Gunnar Yeagley Azevedo.

Session Update

At its stated meeting on January 15, 2018, the Session:

Concluded discussion of the Great Ends of the Church to inform strategic

planning.

Approved the monthly membership count of 704.

Received an update about the outstanding staff and volunteer response to a leak

from a broken pipe in the basement.

Discussed the outcome of the 2017 budget year and reviewed the proposed

2018 budget.

Scheduled an Order of the Day at the February meeting to discuss use of the

$5000 every congregation in the Presbytery received from Presbytery to develop

new mission in the local community.

Scheduled an Order of the Day at the March meeting to discuss ways to fund

mission.

Set the date of February 17 for the officers’ retreat.

Voted to receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering on Palm Sunday.

Prayed for members and friends.

- Margery N. Sly, Clerk of Session

Adult Ministries: SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG: WORSHIP FROM ANCIENT JERUSALEM AND CONTEMPORARY EDINBURGH We are thrilled to have Rev. Faulkner speak to us about his travels from his summer sabbatical. The dates will be: February 18, 25, March 4, 11, and 18 -- Location will be announced via flyers & work and worship Grab some coffee and join us at 11 am. It is a wonderful time for fellowship and getting to know our members on a more personal level. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come.

3

4

Trinity’s Music News

Adult Choir Rehearsal Wednesdays at 7:30 pm

Adult Bell Rehearsal Wednesdays at 6:30 pm

Children’s Rehearsals Cherub Choir – Pre-K and Kindergarten;

Thursday 4:30-5:00pm

Carol Choir – 1st and 2nd grade;

Thursday 5:00-5:40pm

Team Choir – 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade; Thursday 5:40-6:20pm

Team Bells – 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade; Thursday 6:20-6:50pm

Youth Rehearsals Youth Choir – 6th -12th grade; Sundays 10:50am-11:30am

Youth Bell Ensemble 6th -12th grade; Sundays 11:30-noon

Youth Instrumental Ensemble 6th -12th grade;

Rehearsal Dates to be Announced

Trinity Band and

Mahalo Ukulele Band Rehearsal Dates to be Announced

YOU CAN MAKE MUSIC AT TRINITY! Please call the church office at 428-2050 or e-mail Lisa Marcelli,

Director of Music, at lisa.marcelli@trinpres.org for more information.

5

6

Children's Ministries We would like to thank the congregation for being so generous in their

response to the collection of hygiene products and for all of the hats,

mittens and scarves that were collected during the holiday season. We

collected over 800 hygiene products, thanks in part to the PW for

collecting the products as their Mission project at the December dinner.

This totaled over $1,000.00 worth of the various items that will go the

Presbyterian Disaster program.

We also collected a large number of hats, mittens and scarves that will

be delivered to the Cathedral Kitchen. Thanks to all who knitted or

bought these items. Thanks also to the Nursery School who helped us

in this collection. It is wonderful to be part of such a caring and giving

congregation.

Nursery School

Registration is in full swing at Trinity Nursery School. Our classes are filling up for the 2018-19 school year.

This good news is a reflection of our school, faculty and families of TNS! The word is out that we offer a

fine early childhood program with strong Christian values lead by kind, nurturing and experienced teachers.

I would encourage you to call and schedule an appointment for a tour and watch our school in action. This is

a perfect way to get to know our program first hand and ask any questions that you might have.

In January we saw snowflakes, snowmen and winter white all over the hallways

and inside the classrooms. Now with February fast approaching, we are

beginning to see red as we near Valentine’s Day and celebrate our friendships and

love for our families. The teachers will be sure to use the upcoming holiday to

practice name writing on letters, cards and projects, as we get ready to send

Valentine’s Day greetings! I know that all the classes will be crafting groundhogs

in anticipation of Groundhog Day. We look forward to admiring all their

handiwork as we await the prediction of our groundhog friend! We all hope he

forecasts an early spring and an end to this cold weather! -Marina Pappas, 856-795-3123

2018-19 Class offerings:

Toddler Time: Fridays 9:45-11:15am

2 1/2 year old: Mon & Wed, Tues & Thurs, or Mon-Thurs 9- 11:30am

3 year old : Mon, Wed, & Fri, Tues & Thurs, or Mon-Fri 9- 11:30am

4 year old: Mon-Thurs. 9-11:30am, or Mon-Friday. 9-11:30am

Early Birds: 8:30-9:00am available daily

Lunch Bunch:11:30 -12:30 pm available daily

Extended Day & Trinity Enrichment Program: 3 & 4 year olds: Mon/Wed/Fri from

12:30-1:30.

7

Who: Trinity’s Teens and Tweens (6th-12th grades)

When: Once a month

Where: Trinity and the community

Next Mixers & Mission:

2/11/18- Noon- Lunch & a Craft with the

residents of R&M Boarding Home.

Transportation provided.

4/15/18- Noon- Lunch followed by Trinity

scavenger hunt.

Making Sandwiches for Cathedral Kitchen

8

Care n’ Share Care n’ Share got off to a slow start in January with several days off due to snow, low temperatures and a flood! Hopefully, February will be better with no holidays or days off! Our regular hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the "first Saturday of the month (Feb. 3) from 10 am to 1 pm. Your donation items can be dropped off during those hours and also on Sunday mornings following the 9:30 Worship service. Please make sure that all items (clothing, toys, housewares) are clean and serviceable. (no rips, stains, missing pieces, etc.) When dropping off, feel free to browse and shop! We are still accepting winter clothing until early March..TBA. The Care n’ Share Shop donated $19,000 to local missions in 2017. Read about it in Trinity's Annual Report. None of this is possible without our dedicated volunteers and the quality items that are donated!

Library Corner This year Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday coincide. Trinity Library will commemorate both occasions. For children, we have purchased some new books that celebrate Valentine’s Day. For adults, we have books which offer different perspectives and reflections for the Lenten season. Each contains a devotion for each day of Lent as well as questions for reflection. The books described below are located on the display cart. Other books about Easter can be found on the shelves, sections 232-242 located on the left wall in the library.

The Journey to Jerusalem

A Story of Jesus’ Last Days By John Pritchard This book is a new addition to our library’s Easter collection. In it, the author follows Luke’s account of Jesus’ journey as it begins in in Luke

9:51: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Each daily

devotional is based, step by step, on the Biblical description of Jesus’ life as found in the Gospel of Luke. A unique feature of the book is that it is an imaginative retelling of the story as seen through the eyes of the disciple John. This results in a very engaging, down-to-earth style of writing which creates a compelling picture of what it might have been like to follow Jesus on his journey: “It was strange being around Jesus. I could never work out how he came up with such brilliant stories. He did it again and again as we headed south.”

Lent for Everyone

Matthew, Year A By N.T. Wright In this book, popular Biblical scholar and author N.T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, with a brief description and prayer for each day of

Lent. His approach encourages readers to think about how the Scriptural text is relevant to their own lives. By the end of the book, readers will have been through the entire chapter of Matthew, along with Psalm readings for each of the Sundays.

Meeting God in Paul Reflections for the Season of Lent By Rowan Williams n this book, Rowan Williams explains the essential meaning and purpose of Paul’s letters. As a background to this understanding, he describes the social world of Paul and the “dangerous newness” of Christianity at the time. A reading guide includes Biblical passages for each day of Lent and a reflection and prayer for each Sunday.

Ashes to Easter

Lenten Meditations By Robert F. Morneau The readings in this book are short (about 2 pages). They each begin with a Gospel passage and include a selection of poetry.

Care n’ Share

9

Providing for The Future- Stewardship Talk As given by Bill Kain in church in November of 2017

My name is Bill Kain and this year I’m the chairman of the Finance and Stewardship Committee on the

Session of Trinity Presbyterian Church. We are concluding our 4 weeks of discussion on the 2017

Stewardship Campaign; Honoring the Past; Serving the Present; and Providing for the Future.

Three weeks ago, Donna Croker kicked off the campaign by introducing the campaign theme, thank-you

Donna!

Two weeks ago, Bill Stockwell spoke about Honoring the Past with reflections from his experiences as

being a son of one of the original founding family members of 60 years. At the conclusion of his talk, I

was ready to write him in for Governor of New Jersey!! Thank-you Bill!

Last week, Margaret Gammie spoke about Serving the Present and her reflections of being a young girl

in church musical productions and how that’s led her to be involved in many activities in the church,

including the choir. OK, get ready for the 3 hour Stewardship talk!! Thank-you Margaret!

But if you are a visitor or new member of the church or you just forgot what Stewardship is, I’ve taken

the definition right off our Website. Stewardship is the responsibility to maintain and use wisely the

gifts that God has bestowed on us to take care of His Creation…. stewardship is essentially a

spiritual exercise, an issue of faith development expressed in generosity and commitment to

supporting Christ's work in the world. The Stewardship Campaign at Trinity will culminate in the

request of a financial pledge from every member of the church.

Providing for the Future, I must take a moment to thank this congregation through God’s

will, for providing the last 36 years of pledges. It’s during that time period that my mother; Ruth

Kain-Palmer, Karen, my wife and I have been members of this church. We’ve raised three children, who

have enjoyed the church school, commissioning classes for membership, made lifelong friendships, one

was married here and two are full time members of the church. Lisa is on the church staff as Director of

Music and Brian’s wife, Becky is the Music Associate.

Together with Joe and Brian, they are raising their children in the same Presbyterian Church here at

Trinity. The older girls, Olivia, Cate and Leah are now members and have recently gone on Mission trips

to West Virginia as well as Trienniums. The pictures of the last mission trip were shown last Sunday at

the Senior High Breakfast!

The younger boys, Henry and Milo have attended Trinity Nursery School and are a part of the Cherub and

Carol choirs. All of the children have attended the church school on Sundays.

This is not a unique story as all of our friends here at Trinity can tell similar ones. But this experience was

all based upon the worship and leadership of Pastors, Associate Pastors, Musical directors and Church

staff past and present. Thank-you Trinity for the financial support which has educated all of our

families.

Trinity’s vision for the future Trinity’s vision for the future is very easy to understand and if you want to read more about it, just look at

the back of every Work and Worship Program. You received one when you came into church from the

ushers. continued on next page...

10

There are 6 bullets which define our Vision and Values. These are not my definitions; they were derived

from days of work by the Session of this Church in 2011. The three key elements of our vision are

worship, serving others and life-long learning.

How our budget reflects the vision The Finance and Stewardship committee takes the financial pledges which the members will provide next

Sunday and along with the Session, approves a budget focused on the church’s vision. The Committee

members are Donna Croker (session member and Stewardship Campaign Chair), along with Rev. Dr.

Greg Faulkner, Stan Applegate (former chair of Finance and Stewardship), Brad Ritchie (Investment

guru), John Young (former everything, including the facilitator of the session which established the vision

in 2011) and Debby Talbot the Treasurer of the Church. She is the only one in the church who handles

member’s pledges. The pledge information is closely held.

The committee (thanks to Stan Applegate) broke down this year’s 2017 budget in the three terms of the

church’s vision; worship, serving others and life-long learning. Worship equals 48%; Sunday

worship, Presbyterian Womens’ Circles, and Bible Study are examples. Serving Others equals 23%;

Supporting the Presbytery, General Assembly, Synod, Youth and Adult Mission Trips and Care’ n Share,

Peacemaking/One Great Hour of sharing donations are included in the budget. Other mission activities

(not in the budget) include Presbyterian Women initiatives, Deacon giving, Cherry Hill Food Pantry,

CROP Walk and Disaster donations are examples. Lastly Life Long Learning equals 29% - Church

School, Commissioning Classes, Senior Highs, New Member Classes, Adult Education, Cancer and

Conversation Group, and Nursery School are examples. We hope this will help you understand the overall

projection of how Trinity spends its money vs. the 79 line items in the 2017 Operating Budget.

The 2018 Pledging Request The financial goals for 2018 are focused on reaffirming our vision. It will also include the Solar Panel

initiative. This initiative will add Solar Panels on the rear of the Office and Fellowship Hall and will

generate 38KW of power yearly. It will save 28.4 tons of CO2 emissions or the equivalent to driving

67,173 miles. That’s a couple of times around the earth!! This will begin to reduce the electrical bill at

Trinity and ultimately, we’ll receive its full benefit in five years after the system has been fully paid. This

is truly a future vision as the system is warranted for 25 Years!!

In the meantime, we’ll continue to invest in the music program, grow mission, support youth programs,

reduce reliance on our reserves and support Cost of Living and inflation. The request to the membership

will be to increase their pledge from last year by 7.5%. God willing and with your prayerful

consideration, we can achieve this goal. We would like for every member to make a pledge, if at all

possible. If you haven’t made a pledge in the past, please consider a dollar a week or $52 yearly pledge.

Here is why, God will bless you beyond what you can imagine and two, we can’t put together a budget

without the support of the pledges. Again, I can’t thank-you enough for your support.

Mechanics of Pledging with pledge card In conclusion, this week, all church members will receive a letter from the Finance and Stewardship

Committee (Thanks Debby!) Included in the letter will be a pledge card. After saying a prayer, please

generously complete the card and bring it with you next week or mail it back to the church office. It’s

that simple.

As we look forward as a congregation, I hope to see more colored pictures from the next generation as we

all try to do God’s work through Christ.

Thank-you, God bless you and Amen.

11

PW February 2018 Circle Meetings Monday, February 19th

1:00 p.m. Deborah Circle Home of Barbara Cardea

1:00 p.m. Priscilla Circle TBD

7:00 p.m. Ruth Circle Home of Roberta Ritchie

Tuesday, February 20th

7.00 p.m. Hannah Circle TBD

7:00 p.m. Shiphrah Circle Home of Patti Baechlor

7:15 p.m. Rebekah Circle Home of Elissa Goss

Wednesday, February 21st

9.30 a.m. Miriam Circle Witherspoon

PW Spring Bus Trip-NYC!

Enjoy the excitement and energy of New York City without the transportation hassles. The

semi-annual New York bus trip, sponsored by Trinity’s PW, returns on Wednesday, April 11.

Trinity members and friends are invited to create their own New York adventure by participating

in this transportation only bus trip to New York. Pick up will be from the Trinity parking lot at

8:00 a.m. and return to Trinity will be in the 7:30-8:00 p.m. range. Whether you decide to tour a

museum, catch a show, sight-see or shop, the two drop-off/ pick-up spots in New York, one in

the Times Square area, the other in the Canal Street area, will provide interesting options.

The price of this transportation only trip to New York is $35. Ticket sales for the bus trip

begin on Sunday, Feb. 11, and will continue through the month of March or until the bus is

filled.

Look for the ticket table in Fellowship Hall after the 9:30 service. Money or checks should be made out to

"Trinity Church” (memo line -Bus Trip), and will be due at the time of sign up. If you have any

question, call Linda Thorpe at 856-428-6233 or Bonnie Jones at 856-983-1197 for more information.

12

Daytime Men’s Group

The Trinity Daytime Men’s group is inviting all seniors ( male and

female ) to join us on February 20th 2018 @ 10 AM in the Witherspoon

Center for a presentation on what all seniors have available to them thru

the Township programs for Seniors. Many of the programs have been a

well kept secret but now they are actively communicating just how much

fun and educational they are for seniors. Don’t miss this chance to learn about these programs and ask

questions on how you can get involved.

Come a little early and enjoy good coffee, tea and some sweet treats. AND start your SUPER COLOSSAL

DAY and the upward curve. See you Tuesday February 20th.

WE ARE PILGRIMS! Join Dr. Faulkner for a Holy Land Pilgrimage

The sermon I gave the Sunday before leaving for my sabbatical, made the claim

that as baptized followers of Jesus Christ, we are all pilgrims. A pilgrim is one

who goes on a journey to visit places of religious and spiritual significance.

Christians have been making pilgrimages to the Holy Land for well over 18

centuries; such a journey is emblematic that we are traveling through this world

toward our true Home, which is God.

On Sunday, February 4 at 10:30 you are invited to join Dr. Faulkner at the

Senior High Breakfast, which will be held in the Community Room. Following

breakfast there will be an informational meeting for all those interested in making

a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in June, 2019. It is true: we are all spiritual

pilgrims. If you would like to also be pilgrims who get dusty on the ancient roads of Israel/Palestine, come

find out more on February 4th.

13

14

Lord, I Want to Be a Christian! Soup & Sound Lenten Study

Following each Soup & Sound concert, Dr. Faulkner will be

leading a discussion on what it means to be a Christian. Our

conversation will be centered around the writings of John

Calvin (1509-1564). Though Calvin wrote well over 400 years

ago, his insights in what it means to be a disciple of Christ are

still amazingly perceptive. Join Rev. Faulkner in the Hospital-

ity Room immediately following the S&S concert for an open

and lively discussion. (Books are being purchased ahead of time

so please let Greg know if you plan to participate so a book will

be available for you.)

15

SUNDAY 9:30 Worship Service 9:30 Church School, Nursery-Gr. 6 10:50 Youth Choir 11 am Adult Ed—Witherspoon 11:30am Youth Bells 7 pm Senior High Fellowship (SHF) - Witherspoon MONDAY 7 pm Boy Scouts—Witherspoon

TUESDAY 10 am-1 pm Care ‘n Share Shop 7:30 BASIC– 1st and 3rd Tuesday WEDNESDAY 6:15 pm Commissioning—Witherspoon 7:00 pm Cub Scouts—Community Room 7:30 pm Adult Choir

THURSDAY 10 am–1 pm Care ‘n Share Shop 12 pm Alzheimer’s Support Group— 6:30 pm AA, Witherspoon 8:00 pm AA, Witherspoon Thursday Children’s Choirs 4:30-5:00 pm Cherub Choir 5:00-5:40 pm Carol Choir 5:40-6:20 pm TEAM Choir 6:20-6:50 pm TEAM Bells

February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 PW Board Meeting 7pm

2 3 PW Retreat 9am-4pm at Medford Leas Care n’ Share 10am-1pm

4 Communion 9:30am Sr. High Breakfast 10am (Holy Land Info) Ukulele 11:30am

5 6pm Strategy 7pm Session

6 7 No Choir/Bells Comedy Night at PJs 8pm

8

9 10

11 Congregational Meeting 10:30am Mission & Mixers at R&K 12pm

12 13 14 Ash Wednesday Soup 12pm Service 12:30pm Service 7:00pm

15 16 Nursery School Closed

17 Officer Retreat 8:30am-3pm

18 1st Sunday in Lent Adult Ed 11am

19 President’s Day Office/NS Closed Deborah 1pm Priscilla 1pm Ruth 7pm

20 Men’s Group 10am Hannah 7pm Shiphrah 7pm Rebekah 7pm

21 Miriam Circle 9:30am Soup & Sound 12pm Lent Study 1pm

22 23 30 Hour Famine-

24 30 Hour Famine

25

26 27 28 Soup & Sound 12pm Lent Study 1pm

16

Trinity Presbyterian Church (USA) 499 Route 70 East Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2462

Next Tidings deadline is February 15 for March Issue

Sunday Worship

9:30am

Church Office

9 am-4 pm M-TH

(856) 428-2050

Fax

(856) 795-8471

E-Mail

trinpres@trinpres.org

Website

www.trinpres.org