Trick or Treat So Others May Eat 2020

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Trick -or-Treat- So- Others- May- Eat – The Youth will meet after the Late Service, today, do lunch and then go to the neighborhoods to collect filled bags. We will then take all bags, including the ones from the congregation, to A.I.M. To the congregation, “THANK YOU” so much for your support in this project.

Angel Tree 2020

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Angel Tree
Holy Trinity will again have the Angel Tree in the Narthex, beginning next Sunday, November 1st. Families will be chosen by AIM and given to us for Christmas giving. In addition to selecting names from the Angel Tree in-person like we usually do, for those concerned about being out in public, you also will have the option of making a donation and someone from WELCA will do the shopping for you.

John Dickson’s Funeral 5PM

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https://www.sullivanking.com/obituary/john-dickson-jr

The receiving of friends will be non-traditional and held on Saturday, October 24th from 11:00AM to 2:00PM outside on the portico of Sullivan-King Mortuary, located at 3205 N Hwy 81, in Anderson, SC.  It will be a drop-in, social distancing and masks encouraged.  Due to COVID restrictions, the funeral will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 209 E Broad Street, Anderson, SC at 5pm for immediate family only.  Following this service, an outside celebration will be held around the columbarium in the church memorial garden at 5:50pm.  Everyone is invited.  Social distancing and masks are encouraged.  Come celebrate the wonderful life of John Wesley Dickson, Jr.

We will tape the funeral and a link will be posted on the main page of this web site, which will be available for viewing about an hour after the service is over.

 

The video can viewed directly on YouTube at https://youtu.be/UIz-SV73vnM or the link from this web site main page

10/25/20 Weekly Congregational Update

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

I usually send these updates out on Thursday but several items cannot wait until then.

  • The funeral service for Betty Vanesse will be on Thursday, October 22 at the Sosebee Funeral Home on South Main Street.  The public is invited to visit with the family from 3:00-4:00 p.m. prior to the service, and then at 4:00 p.m. I will be conducting a private service for the family only in their chapel.  This service will be Live Streamed on the Sosebee Facebook page.  If you would like to send a card to Betty’s son, his address is:  Jack Vanesse, 1817 Edgewood Avenue, Anderson, SC  29625.

  • The memorial service for John Dickson will be on Saturday, October 24 in our sanctuary at 5:00 p.m. for the family only.  However, you may visit with the family prior to the service that day from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM outside on the portico of the Sullivan-King Funeral Home and you are invited to gather with the family at our columbarium for the inurnment service which will take place following the service around 5:50 p.m.  The memorial service will be recorded and placed on our church website and then later on the link of Sullivan-King.

  • You are reminded to wear something with the color red for this Sunday, Reformation Sunday.
  • We may not be singing hymns or processing or having a trumpet player like we do, due to COVID-19, but we will be celebrating Holy Communion.

  • Don’t forget to bring back your Time/Talent sheets filled out and your pledge cards.  These items will be blessed as part of the service Sunday.

  • Don’t forget to bring back your Trick-Or-Treat-So-Others-May-Eat bag filled with grocery items.  You may drop these off before Sunday, if you wish, by placing them in the room off the narthex, using the door code.

  • You may be wondering what we will be doing concerning Christmas Eve worship services.  To practice social distancing and to keep our numbers low, we will be offering 4 CHOICES of worship services!  11:00 AM and 3:00 PM will be a family oriented service using the ABC’s of Christmas like we did last year.  At 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM we will be offering a traditional Liturgical Christmas Eve Service.  More details will be coming but in the meantime, we are asking folks who are planning to attend to “reserve a spot” to help us keep our numbers spread out.  A member of the Church Council will be contacting each family of the congregation before Thanksgiving with the details and then they are planning to call two weeks before Christmas to get commitments to help us with our planning.

  • I need to let you know that Paul Wagner tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon.  He served as the worship recorder this past Sunday morning at the Early Service but his exposure was limited to us – he wore a mask at all times, and kept his distance while he recorded.  I tell you this to keep you posted and as a precaution.  Paul is now in a 2 week quarantine.  On a side note, not really related to Paul’s update, I wanted you to know that the Health Ministry Team has a germicidal/virocidal fogger they use every time we have a worship service in the middle of the week.  For example, after Saturday’s funeral service in the sanctuary, the fogger will be used to clean the aerosol particles as well as the surfaces. 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

10/18/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of our Congregation,

Here are several updates to pass along to you:

  1. This coming Sunday, October 18, is Breast Cancer Awareness Sunday.  You are encouraged to wear something pink to worship.
  2. We will be giving out the empty bags for you to fill for Trick-Or-Treat-So-Others-May-Eat as part of our food drive for AIM.   You are to return them full the following week, October 18.  If you are not yet comfortable coming to worship due to the coronavirus, there will be spare bags in the room off the narthex for you to pick up and return at your convenience beginning Sunday.  Don’t forget to use the door code to enter.
  3. By now you and your family should have received your copy of the Time and Talent sheets for 2021, as well as pledge cards for giving.  Please bring them back with you Sunday (or mail to the church office) and they will be blessed as part of the worship service this Sunday.  There will be a basket in the narthex and sacristy to receive these.   Because of COVID-19, we are not yet back to full capacity with our volunteers and really need you to prayerfully consider helping us through the use of sharing your Time and Talents with us.
  4. Several of you have asked me how we plan to hold our Semi-Annual Congregation Meeting on Sunday, November 8th.  With the threat of COVID-19 and in order to practice social distancing, the Church Council and I have discussed various methods to hold this meeting safely.  According to our Church Bylaws, proxies and absentee ballots are not permissible for this meeting so we have decided to be a little creative.  We have decided that we will still have our Congregational Meeting on November 8, but NOT during the Sunday School hour.  Instead, our meeting will take place at both the Early and Late Services that day during the worship service.  At the designated time, we will take 5-10 minutes to complete the voting process to elect new council members and to approved a budget for 2021.  In order to make this happen, you have a little homework on your part to complete before the meeting. You will receive the nominees and the budget as part of the November Messenger, as in years past.  However to vote on the budget, is a little more of a challenge since we will not be able to handle discussions as part of the meeting.  Along with the budget you will receive a sheet explaining the basic changes to next year’s budget compared to this year’s budget. If you have any questions or comments, you are asked to contact Diane Richardson, our church treasurer, and she will go over your budget questions.  Since the budget has already gone through the Support Committee and the Church Council, and next year’s proposed budget is slightly different from this year’s, we will be voting to approve the church budget with a simple yes or no answer as part of the meeting.  In the unlikely event, that there happens to be a tie in the voting process for new council members, we will have a tie breaker vote the following Sunday.  We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding in this time of COVID-19.  Our goal is to take care of the business of the congregation in an efficient and safe manner.  If I can answer any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

10/11/20 Congregational Weekly Update

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

1 ) This Sunday I will preaching on the gospel reading from Matthew [22:1-14].  Some thoughts to ponder in preparation:

  • In your life, what important events have you received an invitation to attend – a wedding, a graduation, a retirement celebration?
  • What does it mean to get something marked in the mail “RSVP”?
  • What does this parable really mean?
  • What is the “proper clothing” referred to in this story?
  • Reading the chapters that proceed this gospel reading will give a better context/understanding.

2) Sadly, it is time for us to let Cheryl Lane move on to her new home in Cortland, NY.  We will be doing a Rite of Farewell and Godspeed blessing at the 8:45 a.m. service if you would like to come and say goodbye this Sunday.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Upcoming funeral information and Streaming of Dr Bryan Hill’s funeral service 10AM Friday 10/2/14

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Dr. Bryan Hill’s funeral service will be live-streamed and may be accessed by visiting

https://www.harrisfuneral.com/obituary/DrJBryan-Hill

Click on link at bottom of obituary to connect to the live stream

Graveside services will be 2:00PM, Friday, October 2, 2020 in Long Cane Cemetery, Highway 20, Abbeville, SC.

The family will greet friends immediately following the graveside service.

 

  • Dick and Mary Williams – You are invited to the graveside service this Saturday, October 3, at 2:00 p.m. at Memory Gardens, Central, SC.  This service will be outside, under their portico. 
  • Elaine Rummage – There was a memorial service earlier for the family in our sanctuary.  You are invited to attend the brief committal service on Tuesday, October 6, at 10:00 a.m. at the M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery.

 

 

10/4/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

A few updates to pass along to you:

 

  1. Several of you have asked which cemetery Bryan Hill’s graveside service will take place.  Evidently there are two.  The service will take place Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the Upper Long Cane Cemetery, located on SC Highway 20.  If it helps, the cemetery is just down the road from the Upper Long Cane Presbyterian Church (194 SC-20) in Abbeville, SC. 
  2. We keep Susan Straup in our prayers as she recovers from cornea transplant surgery yesterday. 
  3. Sunday I will be preaching on the gospel reading, Matthew 21:33-46.  Some thoughts to ponder in preparation:
    1. The landowner in this story represents God.
    2. Knowing this, how does this parable portray God?
    3. Are we producing the “fruits” our Lord is expecting?
    4. Have you ever used something you did not own – a car rental, a house, a borrowed tool?
    5. What happens when we misuse or break that borrowed item?

 

See you Sunday at worship in the sanctuary (with Holy Communion) or on the internet,

Pastor Fischer

 

9/27/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

A couple of reminders to pass along to you:

  • Don’t forget that all council nominations are due by this Sunday, September 27.  If you have someone in mind (or several people) whom you feel would be a good candidate to serve on the church council, the simplest way to do this is to send your list of names to Pat in the church office via email.
  • Our Zoom congregational VBS program begins Sunday and runs for until the end of October.  This material is for all ages, not just the children, and has already been paid for.  We thought we would give it a try and if it works out, there are other sessions available next year. You will need to register using the link in the bulletin.  If you have any questions, please contact Kate Roehrs.
  • On Sunday, October 4, our Presiding Bishop, Bishop Eaton, will be installing our recently elected bishop of the SC Synod, The Rev. Ginny Aebischer.  This will take place at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Columbia and you are invited to join in via Zoom.  This service will be live streamed on the Synod website:  www.scsynod.com
  • We keep in our prayers Bryan Hill who had a major heart attack on Tuesday morning while checking in at the hospital to have a heart catherization.  He is in critical condition in the AnMed CICU.   We pray for Kim and the family as well, during this difficult time.
  • This past Sunday saw our largest attendance yet with a total of 75!  We had 33 at the Early Service and 42 at the Late Service.
  • The Inurnment Service has been set for Elaine Rummage.  If you would like to attend, this brief service will take place at the Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery on Tuesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m.  In case you are wondering during this COVID time, it will take place outside at the pavilion.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

09/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

  • I will be conducting the Memorial Service at the graveside of Dick and Mary Williams on Saturday, October 3 at 2:00 p.m. at Memory Gardens, Central, SC.  You are invited to attend.  Please note that social distancing will be observed and masks are recommended.

  • For our sermon message this Sunday, I will be preaching on the Old Testament reading of Jonah 3:10-4:11 and Matthew 20:1-16.  We will be exploring the age old truth that “Life Isn’t Fair!” and grappling with whether God is fair.

  • If you have someone in mind who you feel would be a good candidate to serve on the church council, please submit their name (or several names) into the Suggestion Box or simply email Pat Ross in the church office your suggestions.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer