November 2017 Our mission is to liſt high the cross of Jesus Christ by Preaching, Teaching, and Sharing God’s love and unchanging Word. Trinity Lutheran Ministries 600 Water Street at Fillmore Edwardsville, Illinois 62025 Trinitylutheranministries.org 618.656.2918 Making Connecons within our Chrisan Family Inside this issue: From the Pastor 1 From the Associate Pastor 2 From the Minister of Music 3 School News 3 Eric Dunn, DCE 4 News You can Use 5 Official Acts 11 Financial Report 11 It’s Still All about Jesus! The End I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Rev. 22:13) Yes, as my title states: It’s Still All about Jesus: The End. Now that would make a very short article for me to write, and before you make the joke, I know many will say that it’s the best one I have ever written. And to that I say, ha ha very funny… No instead, November marks the end of the Church year. It’s always good to do some reflecting when it comes down to the end of another year. We typically reflect on the goals that we set, asking, “Did we achieve them?” Nor- mally we have to conclude, not every single goal was met. What about our achievements? We have had those, but we normally find out that the goal did not teach us as much as the journey. Yes, these are the things that we reflect up- on when it comes to the end the calendar in our everyday life, but what about our church calendar? At the end of the Church year, we focus on the end, the Last Day. The title, It’s Still All about Jesus, is our theme for the school year and it is especially fitting as it relates to this year being the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation. The title, It’s Still All about Jesus, also fits with the end of the church. Yes, as a church, it is fitting to reflect on our goals. But what should the goals be for a church, especially a Lutheran church? I pray that we would focus on Scripture, grace, faith and Christ alone. These can be goals of a church based on what we really think “church” is. I pray that that Scripture would be the guid- ing principle to know how we are to be defined. The Scripture reveals us to be a people defined by grace, the grace of Christ given to us and the grace we desire to share with our neighbor. This speaks of the faith, the belief that we both con- fess and live in each and every day and each and every year. Which really re- flects why our church must be all about Christ. For Christ is not just our begin- ning but He is also our end. In Revelation 22:13 – Jesus says he is the telos. This word telos means end or conclusion, but it also means goal. Therefore, Jesus is not just a means to an end for us, that we use Jesus to reach our separate goal (health, wealth, and our hearts desire). No, Jesus is our telos, he is our goal, he is all that we need and desire. So as we come to the end of our year, we have to confess that this church year and every church year It’s Still All about Jesus: The End. God’s blessings, Pastor Shank Hebrews 13:8 Proud Member & Supporter of Metro-East Lutheran High School Association
Transcript
November 2017
Our mission is to lift high the cross of Jesus Christ by Preaching,
Teaching, and Sharing God’s love and unchanging Word.
Trinity Lutheran Ministries 600 Water Street at Fillmore Edwardsville, Illinois 62025 Trinitylutheranministries.org 618.656.2918
Making Connections within our Christian Family
Inside this issue: From the Pastor 1
From the Associate Pastor 2
From the Minister of Music 3
School News 3
Eric Dunn, DCE 4
News You can Use 5
Official Acts 11
Financial Report 11
It’s Still All about Jesus! The End
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Rev. 22:13)
Yes, as my title states: It’s Still All about Jesus: The End. Now that would make a very short article for me to write, and before you make the joke, I know many will say that it’s the best one I have ever written. And to that I say, ha ha very funny…
No instead, November marks the end of the Church year. It’s always good to do some reflecting when it comes down to the end of another year. We typically reflect on the goals that we set, asking, “Did we achieve them?” Nor-mally we have to conclude, not every single goal was met. What about our achievements? We have had those, but we normally find out that the goal did not teach us as much as the journey. Yes, these are the things that we reflect up-on when it comes to the end the calendar in our everyday life, but what about our church calendar?
At the end of the Church year, we focus on the end, the Last Day. The title, It’s Still All about Jesus, is our theme for the school year and it is especially fitting as it relates to this year being the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The title, It’s Still All about Jesus, also fits with the end of the church.
Yes, as a church, it is fitting to reflect on our goals. But what should the goals be for a church, especially a Lutheran church? I pray that we would focus on Scripture, grace, faith and Christ alone. These can be goals of a church based on what we really think “church” is. I pray that that Scripture would be the guid-ing principle to know how we are to be defined. The Scripture reveals us to be a people defined by grace, the grace of Christ given to us and the grace we desire to share with our neighbor. This speaks of the faith, the belief that we both con-fess and live in each and every day and each and every year. Which really re-flects why our church must be all about Christ. For Christ is not just our begin-ning but He is also our end.
In Revelation 22:13 – Jesus says he is the telos. This word telos means end or conclusion, but it also means goal. Therefore, Jesus is not just a means to an end for us, that we use Jesus to reach our separate goal (health, wealth, and our hearts desire). No, Jesus is our telos, he is our goal, he is all that we need and desire. So as we come to the end of our year, we have to confess that this church year and every church year It’s Still All about Jesus: The End.
God’s blessings,
Pastor Shank Hebrews 13:8
Proud Member & Supporter of
Metro-East Lutheran High School Association
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From the Associate Pastor:
November 2017
The Song of Simeon recounts the life of a man waiting in the Lord. Simeon was promised to not see death until he saw the coming Messiah. Although the promise fulfilled is his death sentence, he rejoices the same. It is not gold or silver or youth he seeks, but only the Christ! In the Holy Supper of our Lord you receive a foretaste of the feast to come, it is as though the temporal ends and the eternal begins. Precious is Jesus’ Body and Blood for it gives in this time God’s love through the forgiveness of sins. The patient partake of the precious, while in faith waiting on the Lord. Patience is at the heart of love and waits on the Lord. Jesus will come in his own time but that does not mean he has forsaken his faithful rem-nant. Still, you can be left waiting for a lifetime never quite knowing what each day holds. What comes of all this waiting and patience, and love of God that in faith watches for the Lord? Well, you may call it a Simeon moment. And there are plenty examples. How about waiting for a child to be born, and born again in Holy Baptism? What about a prayer that is resolved after years of patience and frustration? Or, all that time waiting for a faithful spouse? It was the Lord who prepared these fruits for you. But you well know of all the waiting and patience that seemingly lacks a Simeon moment, don’t
you. Stillborn children, prayers that go unan-swered, a spouse’s betrayal, and so forth. Where is God in all this? It is not sufficient to say in the day of trouble that God has allowed a terrible thing to take place—which is true but not a com-plete or completely satisfying reality. Here’s how one may take heart in this unsettling reality of a sin filled world and dark days: God is in the midst of this day. This is a comforting reali-ty that the Psalmist clings to and confesses. He recognizes that just as you are given to rejoice that God prepares your hearts to receive his Body and Blood to nourish your faith. He also prepares you to face fear and sin with faith like Simeon in the temple whose death draws near in the coming Christ, and to take courage, God is in the midst of this day and is the substance of your holy and hopeful heart. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?…One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple…Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord (Ps. 27: 1, 4, 14)!”
In Christ Alone,
Pastor DeBlieck
SCHOOL NEWS
Trinity continues to collect Box Tops and various items for recycling. There are boxes in the school hallway to place your box tops and recyclables.
Trinity is also continuing the Scrip program. Orders are placed once a week for the months of November and December for all your Christmas needs! The school receives a percentage of each gift card purchased — please consider this worth-while fundraiser. It’s especially helpful for your everyday needs such as gas and grocery. Order forms are available in the narthex, school office, church office, and online..
Check the calendar on Trinity’s website for sports games and important dates!
Lord, You Have Prepared “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32 ESV
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November 2017
A huge thank you to all who played and sang on Refor-mation Sunday for the 500
th celebration. This coming
week will be the remembrance of all the saints. Thank you to our bells for providing special music at the 8 am service and to the Cherub Choir for singing at the 10:30 am service. While we have dedicated musicians, we can always use more for our groups. Some travel and cannot be there when we sing on a weekend, some have work obligations, several play instruments and bells as well as sing. Please use your talents that the Lord has given you for the church today! 892 Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
1 Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home. All be safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin; God, our maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied. Come to God’s own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home. 2 All the world is God’s own field, Fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear. Lord of harvest, grant that we Wholesome grain and pure may be. 3 For the Lord, our God, shall come And shall take His harvest home, From His field shall in that day All offenses purge away, Give His angels charge at last In the fire the tares to cast, But the fruitful ears to store In His garner evermore. 4 Even so, Lord, quickly come To Thy final harvest home; Gather Thou Thy people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin, There, forever purified, In Thy garner to abide: Come with all Thine angels, come, Raise the glorious harvest home.
A blessed thanksgiving and safe travels to all of you!
Jan
Wes Jones, Principal
Dear Friends in Christ,
It is hard to believe that we are already well into the second quarter of the school year. October was a busy month. Our Cross Country team ran in the Lutheran Sports Association of Illinois’ State Meet. We had two students qualify to run in the National Lutheran Cross Country Meet at Concor-dia University Wisconsin. Clayton Lakatos finished 23rd in the 3rd through 6th grade division at Na-tionals. After finishing 6th in the State Meet, 8th grader Mason Miller finished 14th at the National Meet.
Classes have already started taking turns leading chapel. In October, our 8th grade and 5th grade classes led our Wednesday morning worship. This is just one of the many ways that our students serve the Lord. We are constantly equipping our students to serve the Lord by serving their neigh-bor. It is incredible to think about how much they learn and grow during their years here at Trinity.
At the beginning of November, both of our volleyball teams will compete in the Lutheran Sports Association State Tournament in Spring-field. The Lord has blessed these girls and boys with many gifts and they use those gifts to HIS glo-ry. Basketball will be in full swing throughout the month of November as well. I truly look forward to seeing our students grow academically, physically, and spiritually.
In HIS Service,
Wes Jones
Jan Arneson, Minister of Music
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Eric Dunn, DCE
Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Trunk or treat has come and gone for another year and it was a fantastic success. Thank you so much to everyone that made this year’s event a success. Trunk or treat continues to be a fantastic outreach as most of the participants are non-members. Thank you again for your support of this event.
Jr. High youth group continues to meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month and the high school youth meet on Sunday nights from 7 to 8:30 pm. The Jr. High will begin meeting twice a month starting in January. The exact date for that second meeting is still TBD but information will be available soon.
The youth are always asking about the anual lock-ins for each group. I hope to have those dates avail-
able at the end of November so you can get them on your calendars.
I will be out of the office starting November 10th and I will be returning on November 28th. I will be home with Henry as he recovers from surgery. Thank you to everyone for your support during this time. Melissa and I are amazed daily by the won-derful people that surround us at Trinity.
That’s all I have for this
month, short and sweet.
Blessings on your Thanks-
giving celebrations!
Eric
November 2017
From Stewardship . . .
Our Father in heaven has claimed us as His own. By the shedding of His Son’s blood, by the His death for our sins and His resurrection for our justification, God the Father has received us back into His family. By water combined with His Word, promise, and name, the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us. We be-long to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is in us, and we are in Him. And being in Him, all things are ours. In Him, we are richly and abundantly blessed. Our true treasure and wealth is that we belong to the most holy Trinity and everything that is His belongs also to us: righteousness, peace, eternal life. Even our temporal treasures are gifts from His fatherly divine goodness and mercy. We receive our treasures from Him, and thus, as (good stewards of His varied grace,) (1 Peter 4:10) we manage them in such a way that they may be re-turned to Him. We bring them to Him, hallowed through prayers of thanksgiving and God’s holy Word, as an offering. Thus, all our possessions, as gifts from God, are also offerings to Him, from which we eat to nourish our bodies, share with our family, neighbors,
and fellow Christians, with the poor and even our en-emies, as holy things given by the holy God. His tem-poral gifts are blessings to and for us, and bring bless-ing upon us even as they are pressed into His service for His kingdom and the souls that receive them. Thus we place all that we have into God’s hands, and He never fails to remember us and pours out the full-ness of His promises upon us. We give thanks for all that He has done, is doing, and will continue to do. We give thanks by not taking for ourselves, but giving to all even as our heavenly Father has given to us. As we prepare for the celebrations of Thanksgiving, may we all give thanks continually for all that we are and all that we have because of God’s providential care. And may we be all the more diligent in bringing everything that we have received from God to Him, so that He may bless it and employ it for the good of all — even for us. “For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance” (Matthew 13:12).
The Stewardship Board
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Women’s Activities
Ladies’ Aid Ladies’ Aid meets
the first Thursday of the month at 1pm in the church’s lower level
Ladies’ Aid Quilters Meets every
Thursday from 9am —1pm in the church’s lower level except for the 1st Thursday of the month
Dorcas Society Dorcas Society
meets the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm, unless otherwise noted in the hap-penings, in the church’s lower level,
News You Can Use
November 2017
Don’t forget to save your box tops and
Coke rewards—turn them in to the
school or church office for our school to reap the benefits!
Ladies Aid Quilting...Join us on Thurs-days at 9:30am in the church basement, weather permitting. We meet every Thursday with the exception of the first Thursday which is the La-dies Aid Meeting. Questions? Call Sarah Yates 288-9208.
KFUO Broadcasts…We are once again broadcasting our 8am worship service during the months of November, December, and January on radio station KFUO. Donations are needed to make this possible. You may make this donation as a memorial or honorarium. If you would like to sponsor one of those weeks, please call the church office. The cost per week is $150.00.
Trinity PTL Meeting...Tuesday, Novem-ber 7th at 7pm in the lower level of the base-ment. Door prize available! Free childcare.
2nd Grade Operetta...The 2nd Graders will be presenting “Fish Tales” on November 9, at 7:00p.m. in the gymnasium. Fish Tales is the story of Mr. Gill who likes to have fishing tour-naments for kids, and tell Bible Stories about fish. It includes dialog, singing, and dancing, and a whole lot of fun! You are welcome to come and join in the fun with the 2nd Grad-ers. A freewill offering will be taken at the door.
Dorcas Society Bazaar...Wanted: Quali-ty "white elephant" re-gifted or craft items for the Dorcas Society Bazaar. Items can be dropped off in church lower level and marked for Dorcas Bazaar. Questions or to have items picked up call Pat Harmon 656-9388 or Carol Grimm 288-7882.
Dorcas/LWML Meeting...The Dorcas/LWML Society will meet Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:00 in the church lower level to price and pre-view items for the Bazaar. The Bazaar is held during the Sausage Supper on Nov. 19. Helpers are needed as room clerks for the day, especially 1:30-3:30pm and 3:30pm to close.
5K Helpers Meeting...Do you want to help shine Christ’s love this Christmas in a fes-tive way? Consider coming to our Ugly CHRISTmas Sweater 5K meeting before the voters’ meeting at 6pm on November 20th. Pizza will be served!
74th Annual Sausage Supper…The Trinity Men’s Club will be holding their annual Sausage Supper on Sunday, November 19th from 12-5:30pm. Served family Style: Sausage, mashed potatoes, gravy, sauerkraut, green beans, cranberry salad, applesauce, bread, pie, and refreshments. All carry-outs and adults $11, children $5 (6yrs and under free). More info, including volunteer signups coming soon!
Ladies Aid Christmas Party...The La-dies Aid Christmas Party will be held on De-cember 7th at 11:30am at Bella Milano in Ed-wardsville, The cost is $16. Reservations are due by November 28th and may be made at the November 2nd Meeting or by contacting Mary Hanks at 656-8631. All are welcome!
UGLY Christmas Sweater 5K...Save the date & grab your ugliest Christmas sweater for our 2nd annual CHRISTmas Ugly Sweater Dash 5K on Saturday, December 9th! We wel-come runners and walkers of all ages - this is a family-friendly event! We will soon be in search of volunteers and could use your help! Sponsor form is available in the Happenings Flyers online. Register online before November 24th for a discounted price. goo.gl/E4fk6G
The Lutheran Witness... the magazine of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, is available for subscription orders. The maga-zine is full of thoughtful, timely and scholarly articles about various subjects that emerge in the church. The cost for a year's subscription is $18. If you would like to renew or receive a subscription, please contact the church office at 656-2918. Orders must be placed and paid for by November 17.
Trinity Chapel Offerings...Trinity’s 2nd quarter offerings will benefit Rachel Meyer who is serving as a missionary in Uganda. She teaches at a Lutheran primary school and sup-ports the development of a continuing education program for the teachers. Rachel is also in-volved with the life and activities of a local con-gregation, giving her the wonderful opportunity to build relationships and share the Gospel with locals. You can support Rachel by sending a donation in to the school or church office or online at lcms.meyer.
Slime Day! Great job raising $900 for hurricane relief!
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Apple Butter Time November 2017
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November 2017
PE Fun
First Grade singing Happy Birthday to
Mrs. Jump
Fire Drill
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November 2017
Pre-School classes visiting the fire station
Third grade
receiving
dictionaries from
the Rotary Club
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November 2017
T O R N A D O D R I L L
Fire trucks came to visit
Mrs. Wallace’s classes
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Troop IL 1901
November 2017
We packed over 40 boxes and are looking for more donations to pack another 40! Donations due by Monday, November 6.
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Financial Reports Official Acts
**FOR CHRISTMAS** Scrip is now available to order once a week.
Orders are due on Mondays, with orders being available the
following Friday. Order forms available online and in the office.
**New Offering!!** Hanson Meat Company is new to the list of retailers available.to
order from. Hanson Meat Company will give back 10% of all gift
certificates ordered to our school.
Any questions? Contact Brenda in the church office.
September, 2017 Funerals Cletus Hackethal 9/21/17 Officiant: Rev. John Shank Gary Gustafson 9/26/17 Officiant: Rev. John Shank Marti Knecht 9/30/17 Officiant: Rev. John Shank New Members Joel, Saydi, Josiah & Josette Rempfer, transferred from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville and Faith Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO 2/24/17 and 9/18/17 Schoenleber Lenore Payne and Kimberly Payne, received by affir-mation of faith 9/15/17 Schoenleber
November 2017
NUTS ARE BACK!!! We are selling 12 oz
bags of nuts for $9.00 a bag. Available nuts are pecan halves, pecan pieces, whole cashews (roasted and salted), and mixed nuts
(roasted and salted). We are taking pre-orders through Nov 5th. Pre-order through Debbie Zimmerman at (618) 656-9554 or email [email protected] OR Megan Zimmerman at (618)377-2608 or email [email protected], or call the church office. Pro-ceeds from nut sales is to benefit the 2019 National Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, MN.
International Student Ministry at SIUE International Ministry Coordinator
By Bessie Fick Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, Hebrews 13:2 What are the needs? International student Ministry is a ministry of friendship and hospitality that we might have the opportunity of confessing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those God is sending from other lands.
These past few weeks I have been busy getting to know the SIUE campus, meeting members of the congregation and meeting American and international students. I am in the process of meeting different international student organi-zation presidents in order to introduce myself and to learn about international student needs at SIUE. While talking with the international students I heard of the following needs and concerns that international students have: Lohith, from India, is in the process of purchasing a used car and is not sure of which would be a good vehicle to purchase; Lavanya, from India, had difficulty finding transportation to an Indian grocery store when she first arrived; Seren, from Turkey, was interested in seeing different points of interest in the area; a Korean student was seeking help in improving his English skills, as he is part of the English as a second language program on campus. All these conversations help us to see in what manner God might lead us to assist these internationals God is sending from other lands.
In order to plan the direction for International student Ministry, we are seeking members from the con-gregation to help form the ISM Support Team. If you would be interested in joining this group, please contact [email protected].
We are also inviting families to work with the International Hospitality program at SIUE. Families are assigned an international student to help them learn about American culture through participating in dif-ferent family celebrations or activities. The next assignments will take place in January. If you are in-terested, please contact [email protected]. You can also learn more at the following SIUE link: http://www.siue.edu/internationalstudents/int-hospitality-program.shtml
