Helpful Hint of the Month

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Helpful Hint of the Month
“What are the disciplines of Lent we mention at the conclusion of the Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness during Lent?”

You may have noticed on Sunday mornings that the last paragraph of the Confession and Forgiveness is slightly differing during the season of Lent in our worship services. The minister invites the congregation to “the discipline of Lent:
self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love.”

Lent has long been a time for renewing faith. In the early Church, the custom of fasting before Easter was practiced, initially for only a few days at a time, until it eventually became a 40-day period for Lent as a reminder of the 40-day period of Jesus’ fast in the wilderness.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
WHAT: Choral Evensong
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – sanctuary

The Anderson University Music Students and the Church of the Ascension, Anglican Church will be using our sanctuary for this special event. Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing the psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word vesperis, which became ‘evensong’ in modern English.

Lent – Just a reminder

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Just a reminder
The Forty Days before Easter are the Lenten season. During this time we omit the refrains that are connected to celebrating Christ’s resurrection and we use the verses appropriate for Lent.

They are:

• We refrain from singing Allelulias because of its connection to Easter.

• There is no Absolution (minister declaring our forgiveness, page 118) for all of Lent is a time of self-examination.

• Omit the Hymn of Praise: “Glory to God in the highest” and we instead lead straight into The Prayer of the Day.

• We sing the Lenten verse: “Let your steadfast Love” page 125.

• We use the Apostles’ Creed.

On Easter Sunday, March 31, we will return to the verses praising our Lord and His resurrection.

Why Is That Dead Tree in the Church?

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Why Is That Dead Tree in the Church?
You can’t help but notice the “dead” tree covered in caterpillars which has appeared in the Sanctuary. You may question – why is it here or what is it about?

Things are different in both the church and nature this time of year. There are some things “sleeping” in our worship
such as the use of Alleluias. Everything in our yards such as the grass and trees look dead but they too are just
“sleeping”. Some of God’s creatures such as caterpillars make cocoons. Although we might think they are dead, they
actually have rebirth as a butterfly.

This tree is actually here to help each of us to remember that while the weather often is cool and gray and the grass is brown and the trees bare, there is the hope that Spring is coming! Bulbs are blooming and the days are getting longer. Just as we have hope for Spring, Lent gives us a time to hope for Easter and the promise that the resurrection brings. Just as the change of seasons brings surprises, keep watching the tree thru the Lenten season – there are more surprises to
come!

In past years this has been a project of the LCY and the Sunday School children but this year we included all families of the congregation during a Family Fun Night event.

A Moment for Lent

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A Moment for Lent
PENANCE, FASTING AND ALMSGIVING.
The Church has encouraged certain practices in Lent. Penance means acknowledging our personal sins to God. Fasting involves putting away anything that pulls our attention away from Christ. Almsgiving gives us a chance to selflessly offer something of ourselves to aid others.

02/18/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

Here are some things worth sharing:

• If you are curious about the little pink and blue flags along the side of the office and behind the office, they are marking our new irrigation system that was just installed last week for the Prayer Garden Project.

• Thank you for your generosity this past Sunday for the Souper Bowl of Caring event. A total of $627.00 was given to AIM to fight hunger in the Anderson area! In case you are wondering, the Chiefs again, outdid the 49ers, $394.00 to $258.00 but the real winners will be the recipients at AIM.

• If you have been unsuccessful in recent days in trying to download our worship services, we have changed servers for our church website. Paul Wagner tells me that it may take another couple of days for the change to fully take place. In the meantime, you can still download our worship services using YouTube.

• At this point we do not have the official numbers for our Community Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper but from all indications over 400 folks came through the pancake/sausage/bacon line! A good time was had by all for sure.

• Sunday, I will be preaching on the story of Noah, recorded in Genesis 9:8-17 in our First Lesson for the day. We will take a look at how to handle the difficulties in life, when “the waters begin to rise.”

• We are off to a great start with the Lenten season with our two Ash Wednesday services yesterday. Beginning next Wednesday evening, we return to our regular Lenten schedule for supper and worship service. A Lenten meal will be provided at 6:00 p.m. (in case you are wondering, a free will offering will be received for each meal) in Fellowship Hall. Then our Lenten worship will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. If you would like to read ahead, I will be preaching on the interesting story of Genesis 18:1-16, as we explore Abraham and Sarah providing a meal for three special guests.

• Please mark your calendars, for those looking for a unique way to reach out to children in need, we have it. On Saturday morning, February 24, the Service Committee will be hosting a One Hour Project from 10:00-11:00 a.m. in the Office Conference Room. You will have the opportunity to write notes of encouragement for children who receive Weekend SnackPacks. The supplies will be supplied. You will even be given message samples. See your bulletin or newsletter for all the details.

In Christ,
Pastor Fischer

02/11/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Congregational Members and Friends,

 

Here are this week’s updates to pass along to you:

 

  • We keep Tamara Polsdorfer in our thoughts and prayers upon the death of her husband, Richard.

  • We had 26 at last night’s Family Fun Night event, enjoyed by all! We will be taking the month of March off due to the Lenten worship schedule and will resume in April.

  • A reminder that our Semi-Annual Congregational meeting will take place Sunday morning in Fellowship Hall, promptly at 9:50 a.m.  A light breakfast will be provided.  You may find it helpful for you to bring your copy of the 2024 Yearbook as reports are shared with the congregation.

  • This Sunday is Red Dress Sunday, when the woman of the congregation are encouraged to wear the color red as we highlight heart disease awareness and education in women.

  • Sunday is also the Souper Bowl of Caring event for our congregation.  After each worship service, the Youth will be in the narthex with two big soup pots to receive your financial gifts to AIM to fight hunger. Come and “vote” for your favorite Super Bowl team.

  • Sunday, I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Mark 9:2-9, as we focus on the Transfiguration of Jesus.

  • Tuesday, of course, is when our Community Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will take place.  I wanted to take a moment to explain the listings in the Sunday bulletin and newsletter.  There are actually 2 (two) Pancake Suppers taking place that night.  Our congregation will gather at Boulevard Baptist Church with others in our community as we have done in the past. This is an All You Can Eat drop-in event from 4:30-7:00 p.m.  I just wanted you to be aware that the Anglican Church – Church of the Ascension, will be using our Fellowship Hall that night for their own gathering.  We will see you at Boulevard Baptist Church! Many of our own Lutheran Men in Mission will be doing the cooking, serving and cleaning.

  • Then on Ash Wednesday of next week, we begin the 40-day journey of Lent with Jesus to the cross.  We will have two identical worship services – one at 12:00 noon and one at 7:00 p.m.  Both will have the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion.  I will begin a Lenten series on bread in the Bible.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Breakfast Blessings

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BREAKFAST BLESSINGS
Hope Missions of the Upstate, a charitable and religious non-profit organization in Anderson, provides a safe place for the homeless population to come and enjoy breakfast, coffee, juice and fellowship Monday through Saturday (except the last Saturday of the month) from 7:15 – 10:00 a.m. In 2023, from January 1 through November 11 they served 25,729 meals and this year the need is even greater.
When we reached out to Hope Missions to see how Holy Trinity could support their efforts, we learned they were in immediate need of packets of instant oatmeal, instant grits, ground coffee and powdered creamer.
We can support Hope Missions by gathering the following items to send “Breakfast Blessings” their way:
•
Boxes of Individual Packets of Instant Oatmeal
•
Boxes of Individual Packets of Instant Grits
•
Ground Coffee (like Maxwell House, Folgers, etc.)
•
Powdered Non-Dairy Creamer
We are asking for donations Sunday, February 25 and Sunday, March 3 or during the weeks previous to those dates. Donations may be placed in the gray bin on the table in the room off the narthex. Donated items will be taken to Hope Missions on Tuesday, March 5.
If you have any questions about this project or suggestions for future “Gathering and Giving” projects, please contact Jamie Corrigan at (864) 224-8070 or Leslie Cox at (301) 788-9035.

Souper Bowl of Caring Sunday

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SOUPER BOWL OF CARING SUNDAY
On Super Bowl Sunday, on one of the biggest eating days in the U.S., our congregation will be focusing on hunger in our own community. On February 11th the LCY will once again be participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring. The youth will be in the back of the church after both worship services with large soup pots to collect funds which will go to AIM. Your generosity is appreciated. Following the Late Service that day, the LCY will meet in the Fellowship Hall for their monthly meeting and a Super Bowl party of their own.

Lent Reminders

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LENT
Just a reminder The Forty Days before Easter are the Lenten season. During this time we omit the refrains that are connected to celebrating Christ’s resurrection and we use the verses appropriate for Lent.
They are:
• We refrain from singing or saying Alleluias because of its connection to Easter.
• There is no Absolution (minister declaring our forgiveness, page 118) for all of Lent is a time of self-examination.
• We use the Apostles’ Creed.
On Easter Sunday, March 31, we will return to the verses praising our Lord and His resurrection.