01/31/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Here are a few things going on in the congregation that may be of benefit to you:

  1. The Year Book was completed earlier today.  We are very grateful for the committee chairs for turning in their reports and to our secretary, Pat Ross, for her many many hours in putting this all together and printing it.  The Yearbook has two parts to it.  The first part is the brand new Church Directory that I sent you a copy over the internet earlier today.  The second part contains all the reports, as well as worship assistant assignments for 2021, Flower Chart, Tabulators, etc.  Copies of the Yearbook have been placed in the narthex for you to pick up at your convenience.  You may pick up a copy on Sunday at worship or for those who are concerned about being out in public during this pandemic, you may stop by the church during the week and use the door code to let yourself in.  We ask that you limit yourselves to one copy per household.  If you would like to have a copy mailed to you, please contact the church office.

  2. To help keep us safe, the Church Council has decided that our Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting will take place on February 14, using Zoom video conferencing in lieu of a face-to-face meeting due to the Corona Virus pandemic.   The meeting will be open for attendees to join at 1:40 PM allowing everyone ample time to get their audio and video connected before the start of the meeting.  The meeting will begin promptly at 2:00 PM and will conclude by 3:00 PM.  All attendees will be muted when they join the meeting and we ask that you stay muted to prevent background noise from interfering with the speaker. To join the congregational meeting you can click on following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82248131728?pwd=dndGWVpFTzBNTG1KL1dZRnVDd2VkZz09

Alternatively, you can start the Zoom application on you computer or tablet and enter the Meeting ID and passcode below when prompted

Meeting ID: 822 4813 1728

Passcode: HTLCFEB14

The Zoom can app can installed on your computer by going to https://zoom.us/ and at the bottom of the page you will see a column labeled ‘Download’ and clicking on ‘Meetings Client’ will install the application on  your computer.  You can install the application on your tablet by going to the Apple or Google app store.  Lastly, please make certain your Zoom app is current.   

If you have technical questions, feel free to contact Mike Cox — Cell: 301-788-8420   or e-mail: salzburg1951@gmail.com

 

  1. You are asked to keep Elizabeth Fogle and her family, in your prayers upon the death of her mother, Nancy Summers, who died this past Saturday.

  2. I will be preaching this Sunday on the Gospel text, Mark 1:21-28, as we explore the authority of Jesus. 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

01/24/21 Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

Just one email today, thank goodness.  Just a couple of things to pass along to you:

 

  1. Jake Walters is now at the Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home.  Of course, all assisted living facilities are still closed to visitors, due to COVID-19.  I encourage you to reach out to his wife, Ellen, with your words of love, prayer and concern.  Her number is:  864-226-6534.
  2. Speaking of COVID, for our safety, Pat and I would greatly appreciate you wearing a mask when you enter the church office to see us. 
  3. I will be preaching on the Gospel Reading Sunday, Mark 1:14-20 and taking a deeper longer at the connection to fishing and evangelizing. Some thoughts to ponder in preparation for the message Sunday:
    1. What is the strangest fishing story you have ever heard in your life?
    2. What is the most memorable occasion of a time when you have gone fishing?
    3. What did you use for bait?
    4. What kind of gear did you use?
    5. Who provided the expertise in the adventure?
    6. How do you relate to our Lord’s command that you and I are to “fish for people”?
    7. Are there certain “baits” better to use than others? 
    8. How much does timing and location play a part in the success of this endeavor?

 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

Lenten Tree

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Lenten Tree
As COVID prevents us from meeting and making the caterpillars and butterflies for the Lenten/Resurrection tree, we will have kits available for all youth and children of the congregation to create the critters at home. The kits will be in the narthex starting Sunday the 17th of January. In order to have the tree up by Ash Wednesday, please return your critters and place them in the box in the narthex no later than Sunday, February 14th. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Goodson.

1/17/21 Congregational Weekly Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Here are several updates that may be of interest to you concerning our congregation:

 

  1. Earlier this week, on Monday evening, the Church Council continued its discussion of COVID and keeping the congregation safe at worship.  Beginning Sunday, I will greet you after the worship service, not in the narthex, which creates a bottleneck upon exiting, but down at the landing, at the bottom of the steps.

  2. I am now hearing from some in our congregation that they have begun to receive the first administration of the COVID-19 vaccinations.  Hopefully, with the Lord’s help, this virus will soon be a thing of the past!

  3. Thank you to all who responded to the call to fill the open dates on our flower chart.  As of right now, there are only two dates remaining:  June 27 and July 11.  If you are interested in one of these two dates, please let me know immediately with a REPLY, and that will keep us from having to print these dates later this morning for Sunday’s bulletin.

  4. Amy Goodson and I have almost completed all committees for 2021 but have one mystery to solve that we need your help with.  Someone has filled out their Time and Talent Sheet indicating they would be interested in serving on the Witness Committee for 2021 but did not sign the form so we have no way of making this happen.  If you are one of those interested in serving in this capacity for this year, please send me a REPLY this week, before we begin printing the Year Book.

  5. In case you are wondering how this works, after all the Time and Talent Sheets are turned in, Nancy Korn takes all this information and puts it into a spreadsheet, which enables us to complete the worship assignments for the new year.  There are still a copy of areas we need to beef up.  Due to COVID-19, and that several of our youth will be graduating soon, we are searching for a few adults who are willing to serve as acolytes.  We also would like to add a few more Assisting Ministers.  Both of these positions require the wearing a robe during worship and some training, which Nancy will provide.  If you can help us out, I need to know by Sunday evening, as we will be completing the Year Book and begin printing next week.

  6. Sunday, I will be preaching on the First Reading, I Samuel 3:1-20, as we explore the call of Samuel and how it may apply to our life.  I encourage you to read over this text ahead of time and get familiar with Samuel by also reading the first two chapters of Samuel. 


Two more quick items:

  1. In my earlier email requesting additional Worship Assistants, I realized that, unless you are doing this already, many of you may not really know what is expected of those who serve in this capacity.  Basically, you do the prayer before Holy Communion and after Communion (already printed in a hymnal), assist in the distribution of the wine/grape juice, and give the Dismissal from the back of the church at the end of the service.  I hope this helps you in your decision.

  2. Below is information Paul Wagner wanted me to share with the congregation concerning COVID-19.

Here is a list of people (per the CDC) that are at highest risk for having serious complications from COVID  (and who may wish to self-quarantine at this time).

People highest risk for having serious complications from COVID

People > 65 years of age
(8 out of 10 covid-19 deaths in the US have been adults 65 years old and older)

Adults with medical conditions
Adults of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19:

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

01/10/2021 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

There are several things of interest to pass along to you:

  1. Evidently, my email list has been compromised at the church. Several of you have informed me that someone has hacked into my email listings posing as me and requesting gift cards.  Let me remind you again, I will NEVER ask for any kind of financial help over the internet.  If you are ever in doubt, just pick up the phone and call me.
  2. The 2021 offering envelopes were mailed out yesterday, to those who were not able to pick them up at church.
  3. As you know, COVID-19 numbers have risen dramatically in recent days across the country, including Anderson.  I encourage you to consider staying home and worshipping with us over the internet if you are even slightly concerned.
  4. There are still 10 open dates for the 2021 Flower Chart for the altar.  If you are interested in reserving any of these dates, please send me a REPLY with your date of preference and I will pass this info along to Pat who will then contact you to obtain the bulletin listing information.

                             May 2
                             June 27
                             August 1
                             August 8
                             August 22
                             September 5
                             September 19
                             November 28
                             December 12
                             December 19

  1. Pat and I are working on the new Church Directory for 2021.  I have given her all the changes that I am aware of concerning names, phone numbers, addresses, emails.  After she finishes entering all this information into the computer, I will then send you a Rough Draft over the internet for you to look over and correct before we print an official version for the congregation.
  2. This Sunday, January 10, is the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, when we focus on the significance of Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:4-11 and our own baptism.  Last week in our message we covered what it means to be “Chosen For Greatness” by the Lord.  Sunday we will cover what it means to be “Claimed By God.”
  3. I want to end this email with some wonderful news.  As we all know, COVID-19 has disrupted the way we all live, work and play, even in the church, especially in the church.  Many congregations are struggling financially to make ends meet due to the fact that many folks are not able to be in worship.  God has blessed us tremendously at Holy Trinity through your generosity and faithfulness, as we were able to completely cover our budged needs for 2020! 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer