2/28/21 is Bold Women Sunday

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WHAT IS BOLD WOMEN SUNDAY?
This is the day to honor and celebrate the bold women in our congregation and community. “Be bold,
take risks on account of the gospel, but believe more boldly in Jesus,” said Martin Luther. And that’s
what we celebrate through Bold Women’s Day. Sandi Jordan will be giving a Temple Talk today at
both worship services

2/28/2021 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

Here are this week’s congregational updates:

 

  1.  Earlier this week, our congregation turned 85 years old!  Holy Trinity was formally organized on February 23, 1936.  Happy Birthday!

  2. The March Messenger was mailed out earlier today.  Hopefully, your copy will soon arrive in your mail.

  3. We keep George Mason in our prayers as he undergoes back surgery on Monday in Charlotte.

  4. Sunday, I will be preaching on the Gospel text, Mark 8:31-38 as we take a look at the crosses we carry for the Lord.

  5. As we continue our Lenten journey, below are a few thoughts I have received from another pastor that I pass on to you:

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Lent 2021 Thoughts

Lent is a season set aside for intentional acts of repentance, fasting, self-examination and lament as we prepare for the reality of Easter.  The season of Lent is 40 days, like the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing him for the work of his ministry that lied ahead.    This 40 day season (not including Sundays) is one that intentionally focuses us on simple living, prayer, fasting and other spiritual disciplines in order to grow deeper in our relationship to God as we make our way to the cross of Good Friday.  Such practices may be a challenge for many.  So to help you in this process below are some ideas for Lenten practices. 

Fasting

Fasting as a spiritual discipline, serves to both unite us with Christ’s sacrificial life, and by taking things away we make space and time in our lives for activities and practices that deepen our relationship with God.   Another way to think about giving up something you love- food or otherwise is that it works to unite us more deeply with the love of God.  As you consider the practice of fasting, you will want to decide what you are fasting from and why. 

 

Ideas for Fasting:

  1. Consider fasting from a few meals each week, and give the money that you would have spent to organizations working to help hungry people

  2. Consider any particular issue that speaks to your heart.  Is it children, refugees, hunger?  Make time to gain more knowledge about the particular issue you chose and then fast and pray for this particular issue throughout Lent.

  3. Consider the practice of giving something away every day for 40 days.  Donate items from your home, giving financial gifts and or gifts of your time to helping others.  Make a plan- write down what you will intentionally do to give of yourself each day.  Pray and perhaps fast over your list asking God’s will to be done through your practice.

  4. Consider a fast from all gossip and negative conversation.  It’s a practice of self-awareness.  For instance, if someone says something negative about a situation or another person, either say nothing or something positive or nothing at all. This includes complaining or making judgements about others. You might consider keeping track somehow of how often this happens.  This type of fast works well with daily prayers of repentance.

  5. Consider a fast from desserts or sodas or whatever other “extra” food you enjoy.  The idea is that we give up things we enjoy unifying us with love of God.  It also reminds us of the abundance we live in.  This would be good paired with learning about poverty in your community and committing your prayers and resources to help others.

  6. Fast from your screen time.  Set time each day that you will not use phone, iPad and computers, including games and social media.  Replace this time with intentional prayer, devotional time or silence and reflection.  If electronics are less of a challenge pick something that you spend time doing that you can fast from to accomplish the same thing.  Use this time to set aside for other spiritual practices.

  7. As you consider fasting or not fasting in some way, you may want to also consider making designated sacred space in your home.  Daily or on designated days of your choosing, light a candle and spend time in prayer, silence and worship each day.

Sacred music may help as well.  Again, these practices require intentional time and space.  For some, making time in our calendars, may be the fast you need. 

  1.  For those with smaller children or grandchildren, consider putting together a calendar of helping others- simple tasks that can be done each day as way of remembering God’s love for us as we love others.  This is a great way to spark conversation about who Jesus is and what it means to follow him.

 

02/24/21 Midweek service

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

I will be preaching on “The Road to the Wilderness” connected to Luke 4:1-11.

Some thoughts to ponder connected to the sermon:

  1. How did Jesus face the decisions he had to make? 
  2. What factors would you say influenced his thinking? 
  3. How did Jesus face the temptations?  What does this say to us about how we face temptation? 
  4. What is involved in being true to who we are as God’s children?
  5. What have you been led to do because of your commitment to Christ and His kingdom? 
  6. Are there times when this commitment has caused difficulty for you? What are the joys you have experienced? 
  7. What is the most important thing you have learned during your own wilderness times?


In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

2/21/21 Weekly Congregational Update

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

A couple of weekly congregational updates to pass along to you:

 

  1. An Ingles grocery card was found on the outside steps, near the Columbarium.  If you are missing one, please contact me.

  2. The LMM will hold a meeting using Zoom on Monday, February 22 @ 6:30 p.m.   All the men of the congregation are invited to participate.  If you have not received a Zoom invitation yet, please contact Mike Cox.  Our speaker for the evening will be our very own Mike Metz.

  3. The text I will be preaching from on Sunday will be Mark 1:9-15 as we explore facing off against temptation.

  4. On Wednesday evening we continue our Mid-week Services with the series, “The Roads Jesus Traveled,” looking at “The Road To The Wilderness.”

 

Stay safe and warm!

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Ash Wednesday

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Ash Wednesday
We will be observing the Imposition of Ashes on February 17. Because of the coronavirus, members of the Worship and Music Committee have been discussing ways to do this in a safe manner. The Rite of the Imposition of Ashes will be similar to what we have done in the past with a few modifications.

The Lenten Devotional Steadfast Love are available in the Narthex. Please remember to take one per family. Mid-week Lenten offerings this year will be split between Good Neighbor Cupboard and Meals On Wheels.

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 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.

We use the Apostles’ Creed.

On Easter Sunday, April 4, we will return to the verses praising our Lord and His resurrection

02/10/21 Congregational Weekly Updates

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Dear Congregational Members and Friends,

 

Here are the latest updates concerning the congregation:

 

  1. This Sunday will be Red Dress Sunday to recognize Heart Disease Awareness and Education in Women.  So ladies, wear a red dress to support those who struggle with or have Heart Disease.

  2. Ash Wednesday begins next week on February 17.  We will be offering two identical worship services – 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m.  In case you are wondering how we will be administering the ashes, that is a good question.  Members of the Worship and Music Committee and I have been wrestling with this for the last several weeks and have come up with a creative approach, due to COVID-19.  I will be using disposable Q-tips to keep everyone safe.

  3. The new Lenten devotionals, Steadfast Love, by Henri Nouwen, are available for you to pick up in the narthex.  Please limit yourselves to one copy per household.

  4. Our Congregational Meeting will be Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. using Zoom.  We hope to finish up by 3:00 p.m. In preparation for this meeting, please have your Yearbook nearby.  If you still need a copy, they are in the narthex and you may come by the church at your convenience to pick up yours. We will be using the Litany sheet to open our meeting (see the attachment). The Agenda for the meeting is attached as well. Also, Diane Richardson will be presenting the Treasurer’s Report for the Congregational Meeting.  Please click on the link below to see a list of those charitable organizations Holy Trinity has supported in 2020. Thank you for your generosity.

    Charitable Contributions to Outside Organizations – 2020

  5. The Congregational 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.   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 your 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

Congregational Meeting Agenda 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Finally, Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, a time when we focus on Jesus’ appearance being changed in the presence of God up on the mountain. I will be preaching on Mark 9:2-9.  We hear God declaring of Jesus, “This is my Son, the Beloved listen to him!”  Some thoughts to ponder: 
  1. How do we tell what voices to listen to in our life?

  2. What should we just let fall on deaf ears?

  3. What keeps us from hearing God’s voice?

  4. Does our life reflect we are listening, taking seriously, patterning our behavior, after the crucified Christ?

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

02/07/21 Souper Bowl of Caring Final Totals

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SOUPER BOWL OF CARING SUNDAY
Thank you to all who participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring last Sunday.
The total raised for both Super Bowl teams was:
the Chiefs ($186.00) and the Buccaneers ($214.00) for a grand total of $400.00

All monies received will be sent to AIM.

2021 Lenten Schedule

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2021 LENTEN WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Sermon Series: “The Roads Jesus Traveled”
Notes:
1) Our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will not take place this year. Also, all Wednesday
Lenten meals have also been cancelled, due to COVID-19.

2) Both Ash Wednesday Services will be identical. Both Maundy Thursday Services will be
identical. Both Good Friday Services will be identical.

Wednesday, February 17 Ash Wednesday Services 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road to Repentance”

Wednesday, February 24 Mid-week Lenten Service – 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To The Wilderness”

Wednesday, March 3 Mid-week Lenten Service – 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Nazareth”

Wednesday, March 10 Mid-week Lenten Service – 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Capernaum”

Wednesday, March 17 Mid-week Lenten Service – 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Samaria”

Wednesday, March 24 Mid-week Lenten Service – 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Jericho”

Thursday, April 1 – Maundy Thursday Services 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Jerusalem”

Friday, April 2 – Good Friday Services 12:00 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Message: “The Road To Emmaus”

Ash Wednesday
We will be observing the Imposition of Ashes on February 17. Because of the coronavirus, members
of the Worship and Music Committee have been discussing ways to do this in a safe manner. The
Rite of the Imposition of Ashes will be similar to what we have done in the past with a few
modifications.

2/14/21 Congregational Meeting

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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
You are invited to attend the congregational meeting on February 14th, which will be held using
Zoom video conferencing in lieu of a face-to-face meeting, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The
meeting will be open 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, type the following string of characters into address bar of your
web browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82248131728

Follow the prompts and provide the meeting passcode when requested. The passcode
is: HTLCFEB14

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

Meeting ID: 822 4813 1728
Passcode: HTLCFEB14

The Zoom app can be 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