09/15/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Here are this week’s updates:

 

  • Beginning on Sunday, each pew will have a copy of the Congregational Pictorial Directory in a protected folder.  These copies are designed to remain in the pew and to help us learn the names and faces of our church family.

  • On Sunday, the Deutesches Fest tickets will be available to purchase from a church council member (or the church office during the week). You will notice that the ticket prices have been increased slightly from $12.00 to $15.00 for adults, and from $7.00 to $10.00 for children (12 and under).  This is to increase the amount of funds we donate to local charities.  This year all funds generated will go to Meal on Wheels – Anderson.

  • On Sunday we begin a two-week hygiene drive as we gather donated items for Clean Start, Haven of Rest Men’s Ministries, and Haven of Rest Women’s Ministries.  There is a list of needed items in your bulletin and newsletter.  Several folks have purchased items in bulk using Amazon, which is an option.  There are collection bins in the room off the narthex. This outreach project is sponsored by our Service Committee.

  • We begin a new Sunday School year on Sunday, as we now have classes for the children, youth and Adults.  Classes begin at 10:00 a.m.

  • Sunday I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Mark 8:27-38 as we explore the question of Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?”  If you have a chance, please google Caesarea Philippi to get a better understanding of why Jesus chose this location to ask this question to his disciples.

  • The new Christ In Our Home devotionals for October/November/December are now ready to be picked up in the narthex.

  • If you have someone in mind (up to 4 someones), you have the opportunity to share those names with us on the Council Advisory Ballot. Simply fill out the form in your bulletin and drop it off in either the box located in the narthex or the one in the sacristy. Please be mindful of those ineligible to serve listed in the bulletin and newsletter.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

HOPE AND HYGIENE DRIVE September 15 and 22

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HOPE AND HYGIENE DRIVE
September 15 and 22

The Service Committee is excited to announce our “Hope and Hygiene Drive”.
For two Sundays in September, September 15 and 22 we are accepting donations of toiletries and personal hygiene items to support two incredible organizations:
Clean Start and Haven of Rest Men’s and Women’s Ministries.

Clean Start serves the homeless, poor and marginalized in our community by providing facilities for them to shower, launder their clothing, access mail and phone, and to help direct them toward the availability of other services they may need.

Haven of Rest Men’s and Women’s Ministries is a non-profit Bible based discipleship program and ministry designed to rescue, restore, and release men and women facing destructive, lifedominating behaviors.

Please join us in making a difference by donating items from the following list:
Laundry detergent
Paper Towels
Toilet Tissues
Wash cloths
Deodorants
Trash bags (13 and 30 gal.)
Tooth brushes
Tooth Pastes
Dental Floss
Body Wash
Full-size Shampoos
Full-size Conditioners
Disposable Razors
Brushes Combs
Socks
Men’s White T-shirts up to size 4x

Collection Bins will be placed in the room off the Narthex for two Sundays, September 15 and September 22. Collected items will be divided and distributed to Clean Start and Haven of Rest the following week.

Together, we can bring a fresh start and a renewed sense of hope to many in our community!

Thank you for your generosity and support!

The Service Committee

Update on Frozen Casseroles for Calvary Home for Children

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Frozen Casseroles for Calvary Home for Children

  • A big Thank You to all who provided frozen casseroles to our service project for Calvary Home for Children.  Together, 31 casseroles were donated.

The Service Committee

08/07/24 SUMMER FUN NIGHT

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SUMMER FUN NIGHT
We continue our monthly summer gatherings in Fellowship Hall for a time of Food, Fun &
Fellowship around a Biblical theme. Adults and Kids of all ages are invited to join us! There will
be crafts, games, and song. The meal will be provided.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 7 5:30 –7:00 p.m. (Please note date change.)

WHAT: “JOSEPH’S COAT”

Saturday Servant Update

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Thank You Saturday Servants!!!

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has always been there for their neighbors in need and July was no exception. For three Saturdays in July, we met to make peanut butter and jelly and bologna and cheese sandwiches. In assembly-line fashion, we packed bags with fruit, cookies/cakes, and chips. At the end of the month we had made 429 bagged lunches which contained a lunch for Saturday and a lunch for Sunday. That is 858 sandwiches, not to mention the additional peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were made! Many volunteers were needed to accomplish this task, from those who did the prep-work in the kitchen, those who made the sandwiches and worked the assembly line, to the individuals who traveled to the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen to distribute the lunches to our neighbors.

Costs were kept low as a result of local business donations of bread, water, a discount in fruit costs, your food donations and a Thrivent Grant and monetary gifts.

Great job HTLC Saturday Servants! Many thanks to you for your donation of your time, goods, and financial support to feed our hungry neighbors in Anderson.

Many Thanks,
The Service Committee

8/4/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

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

 

  • A big “Thank You” for the wonderful participation we had for our final week of Saturday Servants.  We had 33 show up this past Saturday, the 2nd largest number ever, to make sandwiches!  The Lord was definitely with us as we distributed the food to those hungry.  As you can imagine, we never know how much to prepare for, but we had just enough.  And while I am at it, thank you to all who donated food items through the weeks, picked up bread and fruit, made arrangements for donated water bottles, set up tables, did the kitchen preparation, and we thank Leslie Cox and Jamie Corrigan for organizing our events this year.   I actually had one woman ask me while we were packing up to leave, “Will your group be back next Saturday.”  To which I replied, “No ma’am.  But another church will be here.”  She was deeply touched by the generosity of our congregation.  Again, thank you to all who helped make this year’s Saturday Servants event to run so smoothly.

  • Our next Family Fun Night will be Wednesday as we take a look at Joseph’s Coat.  With the return of school, please note that we meet 30 minutes earlier, from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

  • We will be receiving New Members on Sunday, August 11!

  • The Learning Committee will soon be kicking off a new Sunday School year and is making plans to begin a new Sunday School class for our younger children, ages 3-5th grade.  More information to come.

  • We are grateful to have Diane Richardson sitting in the office next week, filling in for Pat as she takes some time off.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/28/24 Guest Speaker

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GUEST SPEAKER
We welcome Pastor Hitoshi Adachi as our guest preacher. Since June of 2019, Holy Trinity has supported the ministry of Pastor Hitoshi and his wife, Satako, as part of our yearly budget.

He was born into an Eastern Orthodox family in Yokohama, Japan, and became a fourth generation Christian. She studied at Friends Junior High and High School in Tokyo that was founded by Quakers and became a Christian.

Hitoshi and Satoko met at Nihon Kohden, a Japanese manufacturer of medical devices and married in 1985. Two years later she left the company when their first child was born. He became the president of their US subsidiary in Southern California in 1997. Hitoshi, Satoko, and their three children moved there and were invited to Resurrection Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, eventually becoming Lutherans.

Several years later Hitoshi felt the call of God after helping a coworker deal with cancer and then death. He left the company in 2006, entered studies at Luther Seminary, and was ordained in 2010.

Pastor Hitoshi served as an assistant to the Bishop in the Pacifica Synod as well as a pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach that included a Japanese ministry. For the last eight years, Pastor Hitoshi has served as a missionary to Kumamoto, Japan. Satako has served as an organist and a pianist for congregations for many years.

7/28/24 Weekly Congregational Update

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

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

 

  • Pat and I are trying something new in the bulletin to make it easier to follow.  Beginning this Sunday, we have moved the Psalm reading off the back cover of the bulletin and have worked it into the liturgy so that you will not have to turn any pages.  It is easier said than done as there are several parts of the bulletin that change sizes from week to week (the length of the Psalm and the words to the anthem(s).

  • The date of the Deutsches Fest has changed from November 9 to October 5.  Please mark your calendars accordingly.

  • The Service Committee will be receiving Frozen Casseroles for Calvay Home for Children this Sunday and on August 4.  This is a 2-week outreach blitz, just in time for the new school year.  All the details are in your bulletin.

  • We are very blessed to have as our Guest Preacher Sunday, at both of our worship services, Pastor Hitoshi Adachi.  You will recall that he and his wife, Satako, are our missionaries to Japan.  Pastor Hitoshi will be preaching on our gospel, John 6:1-21, as well as bringing a personal word of thankfulness to our congregation.  I will be leading the remainder of the worship service.

  • Thursday of next week, the Dining Divas will gather for their monthly supper outing.  This group has grown to having almost 20 women in attendance each month.  If you are planning to attend, you will need to RSVP Beth Cribbe so that adequate space can be reserved.
  • Our last Saturday Servants for the year will take place this Saturday in Fellowship Hall at 10:00 a.m.  We will gather to make sandwiches and bagged lunches for those hungry in the Anderson area.  We had 35 volunteers on week 1, 20  last Saturday, and are hoping for a few more Saturday.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/21/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

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

  •  Youth and Adult Enablers are having a wonderful time in New Orleans this week as part of the National Youth Gathering.  They are with 16,000 other Lutheran youth from all across our nation.  Our group will be returning home Saturday evening.

  • We will gather again on Saturday of this week to assemble bagged lunches for our Saturday Servants outreach ministry.  Our time to meet is at 10:00 AM.  Note the new time.

  • Sunday, I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, as we focus on the importance of being in a deserted place from time to time.

  • Some of you have already asked when our Deutsches Fest will be this year.  You can go ahead and mark your calendars for November 9, 4:00-7:00 p.m.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/7/24 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

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

 

  • This coming Saturday will be our first Saturday Servants project this year.  We will gather in Fellowship Hall at a new time, 9:45 a.m., to allow us to make more sandwiches.  We will begin right on time so if you come early, you will be asked to wait until the designated time. Then at 10:50 a.m., a handful of us will travel over to the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen location (formerly Roy’s Diner, 1527 South Main Street), to distribute the sandwich bags to those hungry in the Anderson area.  There is not sign up.  Just show up.

  • As part of our Holy Trinity tradition, for a change of pace, we switch over to using the blue With One Voice (WOV) hymnal for the months of July and August.

  • Sunday I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Mark 6:1-13, as we hear the amazing story of how Jesus could do few miracles when he returned to his home town of Nazareth, due to their unbelief.  My message will focus on handling our disappointments in life.

  • A week from today, Wednesday, July 10, our next Summer Fun Night will take place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall.

  • Retired Lutheran pastor/author, Frank Honeycutt (brother-in-law to Anna and Chris Caldwell and Andy and Sharon Christmas) has just released the new book, Miracles For Skeptics – Encountering the Paranormal Ministry of Jesus.  If you are interested in ordering this book, please use the link: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802883155/miracles-for-skeptics/

  • Several of you have inquired whether the Staff Celebration from last Sunday was recorded.  Yes, it was, thank you Paul Wagner.  Just clink on the church webpage, and there is a link under Sunday’s worship service.

  • Dear Members of Holy Trinity, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your recent generosity and kindness shared with me and my family this past Sunday.  The staff recognition of me and Jill for our years of service to the congregation has truly been an event to be remembered and treasured.  For the many hours of planning of the Mutual Ministry Committee, for the work before, during and after the Celebration of the Fellowship Committee, for the wonderful talents of Beth Cribbe and Brenda McGowen shared in song, and to all others who helped shape this marvelous event – thank you, thank you, thank you!  It is such a joy to worship, minister, and serve Christ with you!

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer