9/24/23 Congregational Updates

Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Here are this week’s items of interest to pass along to you:

 

  • Thank you so much for your generosity this past Sunday for Gideon Sunday.  Together, we gave $1,045 to buy Bibles for them to give out!

  • Sunday is WELCA Sunday (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) for our congregation, where the women of the church will be leading our worship services.  Pastor Ashley Twitchell will be our guest preacher.

  • Sunday is the last day to turn in suggestions of those to serve on the Church Council, term 2024-2026.  If you have someone in mind (up to four people) whom you feel would be a good candidate(s) for the church council, fill out the form in the bulletin marked “Advisory Ballot.”

  • Tickets to this year’s Deutsches Fest will be available beginning this Sunday, from one of our council members.  Deutsches Fest is always a very enjoyable time for our congregation, and will be held Saturday, October 21, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

  • A meeting will be held in Fellowship Hall after the Late Service Sunday for all youth and their parents who are planning to attend the National Youth Gathering in 2024.  This is a very important meeting!

  • After taking the summer off, Monday, the Lutheran Men in Mission will hold its monthly supper meeting at 6:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.

  • Our Small Catechisms classes are going very well.  We have had an average of 20 folks attend each session each week, so far.  Tonight, we will finish us the Creeds.  Next week we will focus on prayer in general and then dive in to the Lord’s Prayer.  Please come out and join us, even if you have not attended any classes yet. 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/17/23 Weekly Congregational Update

Dear Members and Friends,

 

Here are this week’s updates:

 

  • This Sunday will be Gideon Sunday, when we will have a guest speaker take a few minutes of each worship service to share the work they do in spreading God’s Word though the Bibles they give out.  You will have an opportunity to give financially to support their ministry.

  • Sunday, I will be preaching on the difficult topic of forgiveness, specifically, how can we forgive someone who has wronged us?  Our message will be based on our First Reading from Genesis 50:15-21 and our Gospel Reading from Matthew 18:21-35.  Please read both ahead of time, and if you can, the preceding chapters of the Genesis’ reading concerning Joseph.

  • If you have someone in mind who you feel would be a good candidate to serve on the Church Council, please fill out the form in the bulletin (Advisory Ballot) and place it in one of the boxes located in the narthex or the sacristy.  You can name up to four people.  The deadline to do this is Sunday, September 24.

  • “How are the Adult Catechism Classes going?”, you ask.  Fantastic!  Last week we had a total of 41 attend the classes and we are on pace to do even more this week.  Tonight, we will finish up the topic of Baptism and then take a look at the topic of Holy Communion.  Come out and join us tonight if you can.  Next week we will jump into the world of the 3 creeds we use – the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, as well as the Athanasian Creed.

  • On Monday of next week, Pat will be taking the day off.

 

See you soon!

Pastor Fischer

9/24 WELCA Sunday

Sunday, September 24 will be WELCA Sunday. Rev. Ashley Twitchell will be our guest pastor
at both services. She is serving as the Chaplain at Rosecrest Retirement Community, one of our
Lutheran Homes of SC. All ladies can help with the service.

9/10/23 Weekly Congregational Updates

Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

Here are a few things to pass along to you this week:

 

  • Our first Adult Catechism class was well attended on Tuesday morning with 19 in attendance.  That same material on Baptism will be repeated at tonight’s class from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Pairs and Spares Room.  Then next week, we will cover the topic of Holy Communion on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening.  Again, if you cannot attend all classes, come to the ones you can.

  • You should be able to tell from Sunday’s sermon title, “Yes, But He Started It!,” that we will be covering the subject of dealing with times when others hurt us, based on our Gospel Reading from Matthew 18:15-20.

  • On Tuesday the Katie’s Ladies Circle has a lunch gathering scheduled at the Gray House in Starr.  Contact Beth Cribbe for more information.

  • On Wednesday afternoon/evening, we will have our next Family Fun Night in Fellowship Hall with food, fun, and fellowship as we take a look at the story of Jesus raising the little girl back from the dead.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

10/1/23 BLESSING OF THE ANIMIALS

BLESSING OF THE ANIMIALS
You are invited to join us on Sunday afternoon, October 1st for an informal Service of the Blessing of Animals. We will gather in the back parking lot at 5:00 p.m. behind Fellowship Hall.

Bring your pets – dogs, cats, birds, snakes, turtles, fish, gerbils, lizards or anything else you consider to be a family pet.

10/21/23 8th Annual Deutsches Fest

SAVE THE DATE
On Saturday, October 21, from 4-7 p.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church will host its 8th Annual Deutsches Fest, a German festival to celebrate our Lutheran heritage. We will again be inviting Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to join us. We will gather in our Fellowship Hall and dine on German foods like bratwurst, roast chicken and German side dishes. Beer, wine and softer beverages will be served. We will have German music, dancing and Gemütlichkeit, which does not have a
direct English translation but describes an atmosphere which is comfortable and enjoyable.

Tickets will be $12.00 for adults and $7.00 for children (12 and younger) and will be available from a Church Council member or through the church office beginning September 24th. Tickets need to be purchased in advance to help us with the planning of the food. The deadline to purchase tickets is Sunday, October 15th. All proceeds raised will be gifted to A.I.M. Food
Bank.

If you’d be interested in making a German dish if we provide you with a recipe, please contact Virgil Hobbs. Mark your calendars now as we look forward to a wonderful afternoon/evening of fellowship for our congregation.

LOCAL CHARITABLE GRANTS

LOCAL CHARITABLE GRANTS
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and its members have generously donated money over the years to
support organizations assisting people in need in Anderson County. The HTLC Mission
Endowment Fund has been a significant donor, distributing more than $28,000 in 2022 due to
stock market gains in 2021. However, in 2022, due to market losses and the fund’s operational
guidelines, the fund will not be able to distribute any grants in 2023 to organizations assisting
those in need in Anderson County.
We feel it is important for HTLC to maintain a notable presence with community charities,
especially in difficult economic times.
Over the past three years, the Endowment Fund of Holy Trinity has been able to provide a
total average of $10,483 per year, which has been divided and given to the following
organizations:
1. A.I.M.
2. Good Neighbor Cupboard
3. Anderson Free Clinic
4. Haven of Rest
5. Salvation Army of Anderson
Despite their continuing needs, they will receive no HTLC Endowment Fund grants in 2023.
If you already donate directly to any of these organizations or wish to contribute, we encourage
you to consider donating through their existing, specific HTLC designated account by marking
your charity donation on your offering envelope. This way, HTLC aims to ensure a regular
contribution to these organizations even when the Endowment Fund faces limitations.
These five organizations are familiar to HTLC for their efficient provision of basic services to
Anderson County residents, and we believe they should be the top priorities for our support.
Thank you for considering this method of helping these charities. Your support will make a
meaningful difference in the lives of those in need in our community.
The Endowment Committee

9/3/23 Weekly Congregational Updates

Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Here are this week’s happenings:

 

  1. The September Messenger was mailed out yesterday.  Hopefully your copy will arrive soon.

  2. Marlys Hittner moved to Brookdale yesterday.  Her new address is:  311 Simpson Road, M-2, Anderson, SC 29621

  3. We keep Bill Welborn in our prayers as he recovers from recent hip replacement surgery.

  4. We keep in our prayers Jill Helgeson who is recovering from COVID.  Sharon Christmas will be filling in for her as organist this Sunday.

  5. We keep in our prayers Mike Oates and his Duke Energy crew who are positioned in the Florence and Marion region of our state.  They are expected to be there for another day or two and then it will be determined if they head to Florida or return home.

  6. This coming Sunday, we are starting back our Youth Sunday School class.  Anna Caldwell and Connor Caldwell will be teach-teaching.  They will meet each week in the Youth Room of the Education Building beginning at 10:00 a.m.

  7. Sunday, I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Matthew 16:21-28 as Peter rebukes Jesus and then Jesus returns the favor.  We will examine one of the greatest temptations of life.

  8. Don’t forget that my Adult Catechism classes begin next week as we explore the world of Baptism.  Each there is a class on Tuesday mornings and that same material will be repeated Thursday evenings.  I would love to see you there!

  9. For those traveling this Labor Day weekend, may the Lord watch over you and your family.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

2024 ELCA Youth Gathering

All Youth 8th-12th grade are invited to our first informational meeting about the upcoming 2024 National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. The meeting will be held on Sunday, September 24th, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. worship service. All eligible Youth and at least one of their parents are encouraged to attend. We will discuss the Gathering, travel plans, and lodging. Because of the cancellation of the last Gathering, the now Young Adults who missed the last event (due to COVID) are also eligible to attend in 2024 so they too are invited to attend the meeting. Lunch will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Goodson.

HTLC Youth Sunday School

Calling all HTLC youth!
We are giving this another shot! We hope you will join us for a casual Youth Sunday School class that follows the church lectionary. This will be a space where we will use scripture to guide discussion about school, current events, and whatever is going on in our lives. Connor Caldwell (ELCY Alum) and Anna Caldwell will be tag-teaming the leadership of this class, so please see either of them with any questions you may have. The class will be beginning on Sunday, September 3 in the Youth Sunday School Room right next door to the Choir Room. Our church may be small, thus our class may be small, but there will always be at least three of us, so no need to worry about being the only one! We are excited to see you there!