7/19/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

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

  1. We are grateful to Tom Weeks for organizing our congregation’s involvement in the United Way SnackPack program, where folks gather at a site to put together bags of food for kids in school.  Members of our congregation have participated in this the last two years and Tom is putting together a list of those who are interested in participating.  If interested, contact Tom at trweeksjuno.com 
  2. We keep in our prayers John Dickson who is currently going through some difficult times with his health. 
  3. We had another good attendance this past Sunday in worship in Fellowship Hall with 23 folks at the Early Service and 29 at the Late Service for a total of 52. 
  4. If fighting weeds is your thing, then you will enjoy this Sunday’s sermon message based on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. 
  5. Some questions to ponder:
    1. Who are the “weeds” in our world today?
    2. What characteristics do they display?
    3. Where do “weeds” come from?
    4. What kind of farmer allows both weeds and wheat to grow together?
    5. Is it possible, in our Lutheran thought, that we are all filled with wheat and weeds? 
  6. I hope to see you at worship on Sunday or you seeing me over the internet.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

7/12/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

Here are a couple of items to pass along to you:

  1. We are off to a great start with in-person worship services.  We had 27 in attendance at this past Sunday’s worship service for the Early Service and 23 at the Late Service.
  2. As these weeks drag on and on of not being able to attend worship for some of us, if you and/or your family is interested in meeting me in the church sanctuary to receive private Holy Communion, simply contact me to set up an appointment.
  3. The Church Council met this past Monday evening via Zoom and decided that the sanctuary CAN now be used for funeral/memorial services during this time of COVID-19, for the immediate family only.
  4. Please note, during this coronavirus time, WELCA will not be preparing or serving bereavement meals for the family.
  5.  If you have a green thumb, or enjoy working in the yard, or have worked with planting seeds, or have an aversion to waste, this Sunday’s message is especially for you.  Come hear a sermon on “Wasted Seed” based on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

New worship space in fellowship hall

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In case you may be wondering what the Fellowship Hall will look like tomorrow for worship, please see the photo attached.  We are very grateful to Nancy and Dave Korn for all their work!

Pastor Fischer

 

Weekly Congregational Updates 07/05/20

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

 

Here are a few items of interest to pass along to you:

 

  1. Yes, it is finally here!  Don’t forget this Sunday, July 5, we will be returning to in-person worship services.  These will of course be modified worship services due to COVID-19.  A 8:45 AM and a 11:00 AM service will be offered in Fellowship Hall for those comfortable to be in the presence of others during this pandemic time.  Holy Communion will be offered at both services.  The wearing of masks is strongly encouraged but is not required.
  2. If you are wondering what the seating arrangements will look like inside Fellowship Hall, please see the attached photo.  You will notice that we have 19 clusters of two chairs.  The Ushers will greet you at the door and adjust the number of chairs needed for you.
  3. Please note, if you are planning on attending the 8:45 AM worship service, you are asked to arrive a few minutes early.  This service will be recorded for our website link so I will be giving Holy Communion instructions at 8:40 before we begin recording.   These procedures are slightly different from what we have done in the past.
  4. The Health Ministry Team met last week and created a policy for cleaning between the worship services.  For those attending the 11:00 AM worship service, the surfaces will be wiped down after the Early Service.
  5. We keep in our thoughts and prayers Phil Cahaly and family upon the death of his brother Edward.
  6. I wanted to inform you that Elaine Rummage is under the care of Hospice at the Rainey Hospice House.  We keep Paul and the family in our prayers during this difficult time.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

Congregational Weekly Updates 06/23/20

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

A couple of things to pass along to you:

  1. We now have all the food/snack items needed to make all the sandwiches for Saturday Servants.  We do not need anything else.  Please note that if we have anything left over, those food items will be given to AIM, so nothing will be wasted.  Thank you so much for your generosity.
  2. We still have just a few spots left for volunteers to make sandwiches.  If you are interested, you will need to contact Pat in the church office, as she is organizing the help.
  3. Please note that our first Saturday will be on July 4, which of course, is a national holiday, but we will still feed those hungry in our community.
  4. Congratulations go out to Andrew and Allie Drennan on the birth of Parks Drennan, born June 16.  We also congratulate proud new grandparents, Bob and Kim Drennan and Aunt Chelsea.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Saturday Servants

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Saturday Servants
Again this year, HTLC will prepare bagged lunches for the Anderson Emergency Soup Kitchen through the Saturday Servants Program. However, adequate precautions will be taken due to COVID-19. Each Saturday in July we will gather in Fellowship Hall to prepare 100 peanut butter/jelly sandwiches and 100 bologna sandwiches, along with other food items. This year the following changes will take place:
 Because of social distancing, we are only needing 12 volunteers each week to make sandwiches.
 You will need to contact Pat in the church office to volunteer.
 We will begin at 9:00 a.m. instead of the usual 9:30 a.m. to allow more time.
 Only 4 volunteers are needed each week to distribute the food at the Soup Kitchen.
 No close contact will be allowed with those receiving the food.
 Masks and gloves will be required to prepare the food and to distribute the food.
 Gloves will be provided.
 Kroger Bakery will not be providing the bread this year, nor Carolina Produce providing the fruit.
 We are asking for financial donations to allow us to cover the cost of the bread and fruit.
 We will be providing individual packaged pretzel bags instead of creating our own.

 

  • We are very grateful for all of the food items dropped off for the Saturday Servants Project. 
    As of 6/21/20 we have all the food items that we will need.  Thank you to all who have donated!

6/21/20 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

A few things noteworthy to pass along to you:

  • We are very grateful for all of the food items dropped off for the Saturday Servants Project.  As of this morning, the only items still needed are:
    • 3 jars of mayonnaise (32 ounce size)
    • 17 boxes of Little Debbie Cakes (12 to a box)
    • 168 individual prepackaged pretzel bags (small size)
  • We keep Vicki Lybrand and her family in our thoughts and prayers upon the death of her father, Denzil Patrick “D.P.” Ready.
  • We are getting closer to worshipping together.  Plans are underway for us to return, in a limited fashion, to Fellowship Hall on July 5.  Please be advised, if you have any underlying health issues or have concerns, you should not be in attendance at worship.  Every week, one of the worship services will be recorded and posted on the church website.
  • The church newsletter, The Messenger, is expected to be mailed out on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
  • With Father’s Day coming up, I leave you with one last thought.  Many of us were blessed to have a loving father growing up and now that we have gotten older, we now better appreciate the many sacrifices our father endured for the family.  I heard one comedian the other day put it like this, “I have an 18 year old.  Her name is Alexis.  I chose that name because if I did not have her, I’d be driving one.”

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

Resumption of Worship services July 5th, 2020

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,             June 10, 2020

 

The Church Council met via Zoom for its meeting Monday evening to discuss  when and how the congregation might safely return to in-person worship.  After consulting with guidelines and input from the Synod and the CDC as well as other congregations, the Church Council has approved in-person worship to resume beginning July 5 in Fellowship Hall.  This is Phase One with the goal to be back in the Sanctuary as soon as it is feasible.  Fellowship Hall was chosen as the site of worship because of two advantages that it has over the sanctuary – the spacing is more flexible (chairs can be moved around) and the environment is more conducive for sanitizing.  The Council is fully aware that the worship service arrangements are not for everybody and each individual will need to decide for themselves if they feel comfortable returning to worship at this time.  Over the next several weeks, I will be working with others in the congregation to work out all the details.  If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to call me in the church office (224-4220) or my cell phone (933-7434).  Below are a list of the changes that will need to occur to make this happen. 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

 

  • To help facilitate social distancing, chairs in Fellowship Hall will be set up in 19 clusters, 7 feet apart, to accommodate a total of 50 worshipers.
  • To minimize possible exposure to the virus, worship services will be shorter than what we are accustomed to.
  • To spread out the attendance, there will be two Sunday morning worship services, one at 8:45 a.m. and one at 11:00 a.m.
  • Surfaces will be cleaned between the worship services.
  • In the place of hymnals, we will be using bulletins with a printed worship service.
  • Several recent studies have found that forceful, sustained breathing, such as during singing, appears to pose a greater danger of spreading the coronavirus. To minimize these dangers, the singing of hymns, the Kyrie, and the Psalms, will be omitted.  In addition to a prelude, we will be using a soloist for a hymn and speak the remaining parts of the liturgy.   
  • The Sharing of the Peace has been omitted.
  • We will be refraining from handshaking and hugging.
  • No nursery or Sunday School will be offered at this time.
  • Offering plates will not be passed during the worship service but instead, be placed at the entrance.
  • Holy Communion will be offered the first Sunday of each month, with July 5 being a Communion Sunday.
  • The distribution of Holy Communion will be modified to minimize touch.
  • We will be using wafers instead of bread at this time.
  • Cups of wine and grape juice will be pre-filled, and cups will be spaced out on the serving tray to eliminate accidental touching of nearby cups.
  • You are asked to enter using the door from the back parking lot (not the door off Oakland Street). Entering and exiting, the door will be either propped open or someone will open the door for you so that you will not have to touch the door handle.
  • Social gathering after worship is not recommended within the Fellowship Hall. However, you may gather outside in the parking lot, keeping proper distance.
  • For the protection of others, the wearing of masks is strongly encouraged during worship. You are encouraged to bring your own mask, however, masks will also be available at the door.
  • We will continue to record one of the worship services every Sunday morning and post these on the internet, as we have been doing.
  • A word of caution: We cannot provide a 100% sterile and sanitized environment at all times. Due to the size of the Fellowship Hall, the complexity of the structures and the furnishings within, and the myriads of church members who come to worship, therefore, if you have underlying health issues/concerns, you should not be at worship. 
  • Please note, during this time when we are not using the Church Sanctuary for Sunday worship services, funerals/memorial services will not be permitted in the Sanctuary.  

Fathers Day 2020

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FATHER’S DAY is June 21st. A special offering, sponsored by the Lutheran Men, is being received to be given to the South Carolina Lutheran Men in Mission. If you would like to make a donation In Memory Of or In Honor Of your Father, please fill out the form below. The names will be listed in the bulletin on Father’s Day and in the July/August Newsletter. The deadline is June 15th.

 

You can download and print a form by clicking on the link below

Fathersday2020

AIM in Need of Food/Donations

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AIM in Need of Food/Donations
We have learned recently that AIM is in dire need to replenish its Food Pantry.

Because of COVID-19, the normal income of food donations is drastically lower due to churches not being open and thereby decreasing the amount of food items brought in each week, and to the cancellation of the Postal Service Food Drive, which is the largest source of canned goods for the Food Pantry. Added to this crisis is the increase in the need of the community as unemployment levels have increased.

Holy Trinity is reaching out to address this need in two ways. You may drop off needed food items (listed below) at your convenience in the room off the narthex, using the church door access code, or you may make a monetary donation directly to AIM or through the church. We are grateful to Amy Goodson who has agreed to drop off the food items to AIM as they come in.

Food Items Needed Include: Peanut Butter, rice, dried beans, pasta, canned meat, canned fruit, canned soup, oatmeal, grits, flour, sugar, cereal, cooking oil—cleaning/personal hygiene list: bath soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet tissue, laundry soap, bleach, cleaning solutions (Lysol, Mr. Clean for example).

Please note: perishables are not included.