Trinity Family
From Pastor Martin
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The first full Trinity Weekly of 2016 picks up right where we left off before the holidays…with a variety of great things! At the top of the list is our Epiphany Cantata which will be presented in both the 8 & 11am worship services this weekend—complete with the Lord’s Supper. At 6pm and 9:30am we’ll be talking about how “Wise Men Still Follow the Star” even when God sends them on a detour.
Check the article about Pam Moksenes who will be around Trinity all Sunday morning to share estate planning tips & tools available to us through Lutheran Church Extension Fund. You’ll also have an opportunity to sign up to “Meet the Neighborhood” on Saturday, Jan 16 with Pastor Martin as go walking about the Lake Eola Heights Historic District from 1 to 2:30 pm. I had such a good time meeting our neighbors back in December with Tony Ramiz and Debbie Holley that we’re inviting anyone who likes meeting people to join us this time. (see details below on both of these opportunities)
Baptism Celebration Weekend is January 16/17. On the weekend when we remember the Baptism of Jesus in worship, we’ll remember our own baptisms in each of the worship services. You have the opportunity to come forward so that the Pastor or an Elder can place water on your forehead and say, “This is a reminder of your baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” What a great time to reconnect with your baptismal sponsors, and to teach your kids what happened at their baptism.
Lutheran Schools Week is coming January 24-31, starting with former LC-MS President, Rev. Jerry Kieschnick, joining us as our guest preacher for Sunday worship services. Even though we’re still not ready for a formal Dedication Day on January 31, we can still celebrate how richly our school ministry is being blessed by the New Century Center, and how we keep striving for excellence as we go through the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation process.
By the way…watch for school registration information for 2016-17. We want you all to be able to help us get word out to potential Trinity School families!
One more time…a big THANK-YOU from all of us who serve at Trinity for the many Christmas greetings, cards & gifts! And to Pastor Zehnder for leading a number of holiday worship services! You all made it a most blessed time of the year! And another BIG THANK-YOU for your faithfulness in supporting Trinity’s ministry with your offerings for all of 2015!.
Now, let’s KEEP GROWING DEEPER in 2016…Sunday School & Confirmation, Youth activities, Adult Bible studies on Sunday and during the week. DIG IN & GROW!
PS: The Wheelchair ramp and gate are now fully functional if you enter the parking lot behind the sanctuary from Ruth Lane. And if you came by during the week, you may have noticed the roofers putting a NEW ROOF on the GYM. The new parking lot was finally accessible enough for them to get to our roof and protect our new gym floor. THANK-YOU, LORD!
Estate and Will Planning — Sunday morning
On Sunday, January 10, 2016, between 9:00 and 11:00 AM (location TBA). Trinity Downtown hosts guest presenter Pam Moksnes, Vice President Gift Planning Services LCEF. Pam will be here to provide encouragement, guidance and direction to Trinity congregation members, guests and staff in the area of estate and will planning. Pam will also assist Trinity with resources and guidance in the establishment of corporate endowments that will benefit Trinity.
Meet the Neighborhood Day
Saturday January 16, from 1 to 2:30 pm we’ll meet at Trinity, in Fellowship Hall, and then head out into our neighborhood. We had such a great time walking through the neighborhood talking with our neighbors on Saturday, Dec 12, with Tony Ramiz and Debbie Holley, that we’re inviting anyone who likes meeting people to join us!. It would be great to have 10-12 folks out visiting in teams of 2-3 at the same time. You can email Debbie Holley (debbieholley59@gmail.com) or Pastor Martin (jim.martin@trinitydowntown.com), or sign up in church this weekend.
Foundations Class Starts Tuesday, January 19th
Led by Pastor Jim Martin, this class meets for 8 weeks, from 7-8:30pm on Trinity’s campus. The first five sessions focus on what Lutherans understand the Bible teaches us about what it means to follow Jesus. The last three sessions focus on what that means for us here at Trinity, and will provide opportunities for you to build friendships and get connected. We welcome anyone with an interest of learning more about learning more & growing in their faith: guests, members, school families, staff, neighbors… all are welcome! (Note: Amazing snacks are provided by our Member Ministry Team).
Game Day Subs
Order your sub sandwiches for the Big Game on Sunday, February 7th! Help the high schoolers raise funds to attend the LCMS National Gathering this summer! Order forms can be found in the main office on Livingston, or in the Narthex. Please return completed form to the office or in the basket in the narthex! Questions? email: trinityhsyouth@gmail.com
Touch-A-Truck, January 23, 9am-1pm
TAT is one of Trinity’s biggest annual community events and fundraisers, organized by the PTL of Trinity Lutheran School with a network of volunteers made up of church members, school families, and staff. Please check out the Volunteer needs for that day and find out where you are able to serve. This is a wonderful opportunity for our church and school family to come together to reach out to the surrounding community for some fantastic family fun. To find out more about where you are needed, please go to our event on Volunteer Spot at http://vols.pt/ThG7Lf Thank you!
Family Science Night, January 28, 6-7:30pm
The Orlando Science Center’s Physical Science Night is coming to Trinity on Thursday, January 28, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Hosted by Trinity’s PTL, this event will take place in the gym and include 15 different science stations, with something to interest kids from VPK all the way through eighth grade. These high interest stations will include topics like Mastering Magnetism, Pop Rockets, Momentum Cars, Motion in the Ocean, Musical Bottles, and The Meltdown, just to name a few. Church and school families, neighbors and friends are welcome to attend! If you are interested in volunteering at the event, please sign up in the CDC or main office on Livingston. Science Center representatives will be on hand to train all volunteers. We hope to see you there!
Angel Tree Success
The success of the 8th annual Trinity Shares Christmas is measured in the eagerness of Trinity members to grab an angel tag, having every requested item returned except one and only one item had to be exchanged, and we were able to contact 13 of the 14 assigned families on our list. For Trinity members, the annual giving tree is an opportunity to serve the least of God’s children who are in prison. Each of the 21 children in these families received two gifts which were to be given as coming from the incarcerated parent; an Angel Tree “Book of Hope”; and a “Come to Bethlehem” cup or booklet from Trinity. Many thanks to the volunteers who helped with this project: Maria Quesada, who contacted a caregiver who spoke only Spanish and followed up by delivering her items; Janine Delehunt and Diann Grover, who sorted food and gifts; Tina Hamilton, Omar & Gladys Dittmer, Sheila Mathews, and Diann Grover, who made deliveries
Five of the incarcerated parents will be released in the next five years; two are in for life; and the others’ release dates range from 2021 to 2052 – hard to imagine what life for the 21 children is like, isn’t it? Please pray for the parents, their children, and their caregivers!
Trinity is Hosting a JV Basketball Tournament – Your Help is Needed
We’re hosting a JV Boys’ basketball tournament on January 29-31, 2016. We are in need of help in a variety of areas to assist in making sure the weekend is enjoyed by all. We need help with scoreboard and scorebook for each game, individual to take entrance fees and welcome our guests as they enter and others to help with our concession area. Details are included in a handout in the Narthex. Please look it over, fill out when and where you are able to serve and return it to the main Livingston office by Thursday, January 14, 2016 or via email to mike.rottmann@trinitydowntown.com. THANK YOU! Michael Rottmann, TLS Athletic Director
The Lutheran Federal Credit Union is open for YOUR business!
So who are we? The Lutheran Federal Credit Union (LFCU) is a federally chartered credit union that serves the LCMS community nationwide. It’s focus is to support those within the LCMS community by offering awesome everyday banking products to fit your needs with low costs and with easy access. The credit union serves also as a sponsorship source for ministry and provides a lower cost option for checking accounts for congregational and LCMS entities.
What We Offer: Checking Accounts, Savings Accounts, Loans (Mortgage, Auto, and Personal), Credit Cards. Find out more at www.lutheranfcu.org or call 314.394.2790. (flyers available in the Narthex)
Bunco Time!
For all the women of Trinity and their female friends and neighbors, Thursday evening, January 14 is set aside for a party. Bunco is a simple game that requires no risk or investment yet gives a return of laughter and friendship. Join us at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Magnolia Building for a snack foodfest before we begin playing at 6:45 p.m. It’s easy to learn and so much fun to play. If you have an even day birthday (2,4,6,8,etc.), bring food or drink to share with the group of 12-15 women If you have an odd day birthday (1,3,5,7,9, etc.) bring a $10-$15 unwrapped gift as a donation for Harbor House. This can be a pet brush, pet shampoo, new child’s toy, or personal items for women. Harbor House is a refuge for abused families who often leave with literally the clothes on their back. Harbor House also provides a pet facility so the family pet is not left with the abuser. Contact Deaconess Liz with questions and to obtain the entry code for the Magnolia Building.
What’s In a Name?
When someone asks who you are, you respond with your name. But, simply stating your name isn’t enough to prove your identity. Trinity is blessed to participate with many other churches and organizations in the Central Florida area that recognize the unequivocal necessity of owning a Florida Identification Card. Without an official ID, absolutely no services are available. You cannot cash a check or open a bank account, you cannot rent a room or stay in a shelter, you cannot obtain many social service programs, you cannot vote, you are invisible IDignity began to help the disadvantaged – not just homeless persons. The state of Florida is REAL ID compliant with the Federal government meaning that obtaining a state identification card is more difficult. The necessary documents can be an insurmountable hurdle for many of our poor, elderly, and indigent persons in Central Florida. IDignity began in 2008 and since that first monthly event has served close to 20,000 people navigate the complicated paper trail required to have a legal identity. Trinity was one of the five founding churches to believe that God had a plan requiring cooperation in faith. The February event is OURS to sponsor. This means we need to have a substantial volunteer presence, and either a monetary donation specifically for that month, or arrange for and sponsor lunch for the 100+ volunteers who make the event possible. Thursday, February 18 beginning at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 4:00 p.m. the Orlando Union Rescue Mission graciously gives up their home for IDignity’s event. Parking is free; continental breakfast is free; lunch is free; your time is priceless. Contact Deaconess Liz: eborth@trinitydowntown.org or 407-488-1919 X127 or in person to learn how to reserve your spot.
Get Connected – Develop Spiritually
Trinity has multiple ongoing Bible study options. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Sunday Adult Bible Class
9:30am and 11am, Fellowship Hall (S110)
9:30 New study topic began Sunday, January 3: Experience the amazing stories of Daniel who was forced to immigrate to a foreign country. There he became a powerful political leader who remained faithful to the true God. God blessed him with ability to forecast the future. His prophecies give us understanding of how God works in the lives of His people then and today. This 13 week study will be led by Gregg Yawman.
Sunday Moms’ Bible Study
9:30am, First Loggia Meeting Room (S104)
Sunday HS and MS Bible Study Groups
9:30am, Two Story School Building
Sunday School for Children 4 years through 5th grade
9:30am, meet in church basement, the break out to rooms
Monday Evening Winter Park Group
7:00-8:15pm (not yet scheduled)
Tuesday Women’s Tea & Coffee Bible Study
8:45am, Magnolia building first floor conference room (M115)
Tuesday Evening Women’s Bible Study
6pm Magnolia building first floor conference room (M115)
Tuesday East Orlando Group
7pm (1st and 3rd Thursdays), Location rotates in participant homes
Tuesday Foundations Class
7-8:30pm, (begins Jan 19, 8 weeks), Middle Loggia classroom (S105)
Thursday Morning Men’s Prayer Breakfast
6:30am, City Diner, 411 N. Magnolia Ave
Thank you – Trinity Shares Christmas
Thank you to everyone who responded so generously to our annual Trinity Shares Christmas project! In the next week, our wonderful delivery volunteers Omar and Gladys Dittmer, Diann Grover, Tina Hamilton, Sheila Mathews, and Maria Quesada will be delivering gifts, Christmas cards, wrapping paper, food, a Publix gift card, and information about Trinity to twelve caregivers who are the parents, grandparents, or guardians of 21 children who have an incarcerated parent. Each caregiver, when contacted back in October, expressed heartfelt thanks for this unexpected opportunity – your kindness is very much appreciated.
A New Day for the New Year
The women of Trinity regularly meet four times a year for Supper and a Speaker. This LWML event is a themed pot-luck supper featuring a guest speaker who shares an educating and interesting topic. Next event is January 21, 6:30 p.m. in Trinity’s Fellowship Hall. Our pot-luck dishes will be fruit and vegetables, yummy healthy snacks and drinks, and delightful low calorie main dishes. The idea is to bring delicious food that is body constructive rather than body destructive. Our Trinity sister, Tina Hamilton, will show us how to relax and stretch with easy yoga. She will also dispel any myths or misconceptions about yoga exercise. RSVP your attendance to Deaconess Liz: eborth@trinitydowntown.org or 407-488-1919 X 127.
Lutheran Hour Ministry Recording of our Worship
The sermon recorded at Trinity Downtown will be aired a week from this Sunday, on January 17. The sermon titled “ Not What You’d Expect” will be aired on many stations near you. For a complete guide and times, please visit; www.lhm.org and go to the Broadcast tab to find the stations nearest you. LHM is looking forward to your feedback and prays this broadcast reaches many with The Love of Jesus. Be sure to listen!
It’s Time for Food on the Fifth
This 2016 calendar year, the first month 5 weekends appear is JANUARY. In only 4 weeks the grocery cart will wait in our church narthex for your donations. All items will fill the food pantry at the Christian Service Center. We are focusing on the Love Pantry program. There are currently 65 public schools in Orange and Seminole Counties that have Love Pantries. Teachers and other school staff draw from the Love Pantry to send much-needed groceries home with their students. Students grades improve, families become stable, teachers’ jobs get easier – the benefits are endless!
Masonry Volunteer Needed
We are in need of a volunteer with experience in masonry work to assist with laying our engraved courtyard bricks. This project will be scheduled on a Saturday. For additional information please contact Trinity’s General Manager, Mr. Eric Havens. Thank you!
From Steve Cecchetti @Lutheran Services of Florida
The last few weeks of intense scrutiny to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program are slowly being outpaced by calls for understanding, compassion, and welcome. As Lutherans, we open our hearts and stand ready to welcome those who are in need.
“Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.” Psalm 12:5.
We cannot deny that fear has been an obstacle to life-saving relief for refugees in need; but across the United States Lutherans continue to rise to the challenge to live out our faith as people of welcome. Lutheran Services Florida is your ministry partner working to deliver God’s healing, hope and help to people in need in the name of Jesus Christ.
Youth News
Confirmation Classes meeting this Sunday, 2pm
Middle & High School Bible Classes available at 9:30 Sunday Mornings
MS and HS Youth each have their own Sunday classes providing opportunities for students to grow deeper in their relationship with God as well as their relationships with others. Meet the Youth Ministry Team leaders in the second floor classrooms of the K-8 building for fellowship and study time each week.
High School Youth
- July 2016–National Youth Gathering–check website for more information!
For more info: Contact Laura (407) 404-3242 or Mike (727) 686-7403, email TrinityHSYouth@gmail.com, check the Trinity Website or the Trinity HS Youth Facebook page!
Trinity Events
January 10 LECF Estate Planning Helps, 9a-11a, Middle Loggia Room
January 10 Epiphany Cantata at the 8am & 11am worship services
January 14 Women’s Bunco, 6:30pm
January 16 Meet the Lake Eola Heights Neighborhood, 1pm
January 16/17 Baptism Celebration during worship services
January 19 Foundations Class Begins (sign up at TLC@TrinityDowntown.com)
January 21 Supper & a Speaker 6:30 Fellowship Hall
January 23 Touch-a-Truck, 9am-1pm
Jan 24-31 National Lutheran Schools Week
- Sunday, January 24 NLSW & Trinity Lutheran School Sunday 11:00am
- Monday, January 25 TLS Celebration, VPK-8, 10:00-11:00am
- Tuesday, January 26 Kindergarten Round-Up 5:00-6:00pm
- Wednesday, January 27 Chapel led by Kindergarten, 8:30am
- Thursday, January 28 PTL Family Science Night, 6-7:30pm
- Sunday, January 31 Trinity Lutheran School Sunday 9:30am
January 29-31 Trinity hosts JV BBall Tournament
Attendance & Giving
| Jan. 3, 2016 | |
| Worship Attendance | |
| 6:00 p.m. | 51 |
| 8:00 a.m. | 40 |
| 9:30 a.m. | 79 |
| 11:00 a.m. | 88 |
| Total | |
| Sunday School | |
| Adult’s Bible Class | 29 |
| High School Bible Class | – |
| Middle School Bible Class | 1 |
| Children’s Bible Class | 14 |
| Confirmation Class | – |
| Contributions | |
| Current & Missions: | |
| C & M Budget | $ 20,365 |
| C & M Actual | $ 13,005 |
| Faithfully Forward | $ 1,715 |
| Historical Debt | $ 175 |
| SOS/Faith Factor | $ – |
| Dedicated Funds | $ 5,315 |
