08/22/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

Here are some things I consider worthy to pass along to you this week:

  1. This past week, Anita Brady sold her house and she is now living at the Summit Place, Room #103. She still has the same phone number, listed in the Church Directory.

  2. The Prayer Card Requests (yellow cards) are now back in the pews.  When you have prayer needs, simply fill out the name of the person you want prayed for and your name as the sponsor, and place the yellow card in one of the offering plates (located in the Narthex and Sacristy – the room where Holy Communion is prepared), or send Pat an email with the information, or call her in the office.  The names will be printed in the following Sunday’s bulletin.

  3. Yes, you are not seeing things.  The city repaved the road in front of the church, Broad Street, earlier this week.

  4. Last night, I joined other members of the Safety Team in an Active Shooter Training session led by Lt. Tod Caron with the Anderson Sheriff’s Department.  We met at Temple B’Nai Israel, just down the street from the church.

  5. Sunday, I will be preaching on the gospel text, John 6:56-69, as we explore Simon Peter’s words to Christ, “You have the words of eternal life.” 
    • What do these words mean to you?
    • Who are the people in our life who we trust, without question?
    • Why do we place in our trust in the words of the Bible?
    • Why do we place our trust in Jesus?

 

I hope to see you, either in person at worship on Sunday, or you seeing me in worship over the internet.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

8/15/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

Here are a few updates to pass along to you this week:

  1. Mrs. Jackie McConnell turned 99 years of age this past Monday.  She is our oldest member.

  2. The date of August 15 is a Lesser Festival in the Lectionary Series, as Mary, Mother of Our Lord Sunday.  My sermon message Sunday will focus on Mary.

  3. With the CDC again recommending social distancing and wearing of masks, as is the SC Synod, and in an abundance of caution, we are returning to prior worship practices. The following recommendations were set forth by the council on Monday, August 9:

 

  • Worship Services – beginning immediately, masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged and all singing by the congregation is suspended.  Soloist following the sermon will continue.  Individuals feeling ill should refrain from attending worship and vaccinations are encouraged for those not yet vaccinated.

  • Nursery – HTLC will not be providing a nursery attendant at this time.

  • Sunday School – Classes may continue to meet in the Fellowship Hall.  Masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged.

  • Choir Party/Get Together Scheduled for August – Postponed.  To be re-evaluated by Council at the September meeting.

  • Church Affiliated Group Meetings – LMM, WELCA, Youth Group, Never Too Late – Postponed.  To be re-evaluated by Council at the September meeting.

  • Non-Church Affiliated Group Meetings – TOPS, Kiwanis, etc., may continue to meet if they so desire.  Masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged.

  • Deutches Fest – To be re-evaluated by Council at the September meeting.

  • Church Council – September meeting will be held in person in the Fellowship Hall.  Masks and social distancing will be followed.

  • Confirmation Classes – Pastor Fischer will have the latitude to hold classes in person (masked and social distanced) provided parents of confirmands are in agreement.  Should parents have reservations about in-person meetings, confirmation classes may be postponed until next year. 

 

Note: The above recommendations are point-in-time decisions and are subject to change.

 

  1.  We ask that those attending worship only sit in the designated pews marked with a bulletin.  In recent weeks, folks have started sitting in other areas and we want to return to using every other pew, during this time.

  2. I know that these decisions may be disappointing to many.  As Lutherans, singing is in our blood and tradition,  but these decisions are in the best interest of the congregation.  No one enjoys wearing a mask, except Zorro and a few other super heroes but we can endure these new worship guidelines in Christian love for each other.

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

8/8/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of HTLC,

Here are some things of note to pass along to you:

  1. Nancy Korn returned home from the hospital on Monday.

  2. We keep Brenda McGowan and family, in our thoughts and prayers upon the death of her daughter, Lisa McGowan, on Tuesday.

  3. Jane Potter underwent successful knee replacement surgery this morning at the Oconee Memorial Hospital.  She is expected to return home tomorrow, on Friday.

  4. Every wonder where is God when you are looking for Him?  We will be exploring First Kings 19:4-12 as we look at Elijah’s hunt for God.

  5. Sunday worship will be as it has been the last couple of months – the wearing of masks is optional.  Monday evening, as part of its agenda, the Church Council will be in conversation about the new COVID variant and how/if that may affect our worship.  Please be in prayer for our meeting.

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

DONATIONS FOR THE SCWELCA CONVENTION PROJECT

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DONATIONS FOR THE SCWELCA CONVENTION PROJECT

The project for this year’s South Carolina WELCA Convention, which will be held on Sunday, September 26, is to provide monetary support to Lutheran Disaster Response and to the SC Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers.

The Lutheran Disaster Response provides aid to those impacted by natural disasters and the pandemic.
Lutheran World Relief

The SC Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers assist victims of abuse.
SC Network Children’s Advocacy Centers

If you wish to donate to this year’s project, please submit your contribution, payable to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, no later than September 19. Please indicate that it is for the WELCA Convention Project and include the name of the organization you wish to receive your support – LDR or SCNCAC.

8/01/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Greetings on this hot and humid Thursday afternoon!  Here are this week’s updates to pass along to you:

 

  1. This past Saturday we had 23 volunteers come out to make sandwiches for our Saturday Servants project.  We will gather one last time, for this year, on Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall.  Thank you for all your involvement and support over the month of July.

  2. We are very grateful to Rita Bell and Bonnie Lutz for all their work in putting together our beautiful Sunshine Baskets.  They have been very busy with all the baptisms and new members we have received in recent months.

  3. You are asked to keep Lisa McGowan in your prayers.  Earlier in the week she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. Lisa lives in Carlton, Oregon and is the daughter of Brenda McGowan and sister of Bonnie Emanuel.

  4. You are asked to keep Nancy Korn in your prayers.  Nancy was admitted to AnMed on Monday of this week for the treatment of blood clots in her lungs.

  5. If you have been keeping up with the national news then you are aware of the changes the CDC has made in respect to the wearing of masks.  Our Church Council is scheduled to meet on Monday, August 9.  As we always do, discussion of COVID changes are on our agenda.  I will keep you posted if anything changes connected to our worship.

  6. Sunday, I will be preaching on the Second Lesson from Ephesians 4:1-16 as we take a look at Paul’s words, “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/25/21 Congregational Weekly Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

Some items to pass along to you this week:

  1. We had another great turn out this past Saturday to make sandwiches/lunches for the community, with 20 participating.  We will gather again at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall to do it again.  Please, do not arrive early as we will wait until the 10:00 a.m. time to start.

  2. We are very thankful to Robert Allen who has picked up the bread, fruit and water each week for our Saturday Servants projects.

  3. At the Late Service this Sunday, July 25, we will be baptizing Don Simon.  We are grateful to all who have helped him on his faith journey.  He will be 92 in August!

  4. Sunday, I will be preaching on the gospel text, John 6:1-21, as we explore the disciples being asked by Jesus to feed the 5,000 and their response, and how that might apply to our own lives.


In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

7/18/21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of the Congregation,

 

Some weekly updates to pass along to you:

 

  1. We were very grateful to have Dave Rasche back among us this past Sunday at the Late Service, as he continues to recover from his stroke. 
  2. We keep Jill Helgeson, and her family, in our thoughts and prayers upon the death of her brother, Gene Cromer. 
  3. We will gather in Fellowship Hall on this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall to make sandwiches and food bags for the hungry in the Anderson area, through our Saturday Servants project.  Come join us! 
  4. The Lord has blessed us as we continue to grow.  Sunday, we will be baptizing Abi Caldwell at the Early Service, and then sisters – Lacy, Faith and Riley Bernhardt at the Late Service. 
  5. After completing his First Communion classes with me, we will be welcoming Michael Caruso to the Lord’s Table, at the Late Service on Sunday. 
  6. I will be preaching on the gospel reading this week, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, as we hear our Lord tell his apostles and us, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” 
  7. We are grateful for Diane Richardson, who filled in for Pat in the church office this week.  Thank you Diane!

 

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

 

7/11//21 Weekly Congregational Updates

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Dear Members and Friends of Holy Trinity,

 

Some updates to pass along to you:

  1. We had 25 volunteers this past week to make sandwiches for our Saturday Servants event, which is one of our largest turnouts ever!

  2. Do not forget that this Saturday, July 10, we will NOT gather to make sandwiches.  Another organization has that responsibility for every 2nd Saturday of the month, for the year.  We will resume on Saturday, July 17.

  3. “How many were at worship this past Sunday?,” you may ask.  We had 65 in attendance at the Early Service and 60 in attendance at the Late Service for a total of 125!  That is the most we have had on a Sunday in quite a while.

  4. This Sunday, July 11, we will be receiving a total of 5 new members at both worship services.  Please make sure and introduce yourselves to all our new folks in the coming weeks.

  5. Do you know what a plumb line is and how it is used?  Sunday, I will be preaching on the First Reading from Amos 7:7-15 as we wrestle with God’s question to Amos and to us, “What do you see?”   

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer

07/04/21 Congregational Weekly Update

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Here are several updates to pass along to you:

 

  1. The July/August edition of the Messenger was mailed out yesterday (Tuesday).  Hopefully, you will receive your copy soon.

  2. Saturday, we will gather in Fellowship Hall at 10:00 a.m. to assemble the sandwiches for the Saturday Servants project to feed those hungry in the Anderson area.  If you have used plastic grocery bags you want to donate, bring them with you.  Otherwise, please do not bring any bags on Sunday morning, as we have all we will need.   For those who would like to participate in the distribution, we will carpool over to the Anderson Soup Kitchen (on Franklin Street) at 10:50 a.m. and finish up around 11:30 a.m.

  3. We will return to singing hymns this Sunday in worship, just in time for a few patriotic favorites.  The hymnals have been returned to the pews.

  4. At the Late Service this Sunday, we will be receiving new members into our congregation.  Mila Emmons will be baptized, and her parents, Scott and Joann, will join our church membership.

  5. Sunday, we will grapple with, “When God Says No,” to our prayer requests.  Our message/sermon is based on the  Second Reading from 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, specifically, Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.”

  6. We keep in our prayers, Steven Goodson, upon his recent rotator cuff and torn bicep surgery.

  7. I am saddened to inform you of the death of Ron Carlson earlier this morning.  You are encouraged to keep his wife, Kathy, and family, in your thoughts and prayers. The funeral arrangements are pending and are being handled by Gray Mortuary of Pelzer, SC.
    “Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Ronald Keith Carlson. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming.  Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.”  – Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 283

 

In Christ,

Pastor Fischer      

Saturday Servants July 2021

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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. Adequate precautions will be taken due to COVID-19. Each Saturday in July (except the 2nd week) 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 will take place:

 We will be providing food for 4 Saturdays, July 3, July 17, July 24, and July 31, (another group will be taking care of doing the second Saturday of each month).

We will begin at the usual 9:30 a.m. to allow more time.

Masks and gloves will be required to prepare the food and to distribute the food.

Gloves will be provided.

 Kroger Bakery will be providing the bread this year, but Carolina Produce will not be providing the fruit.

 We are asking for financial donations to allow us to cover the cost of the fruit.

 We will be providing individual packaged pretzel bags instead of creating our own.


  1. Here is an updated list of needs we still need for the Saturday Servants projects:

      Saturday Servants is fast approaching.  We now have all the food items we need to make sandwiches.  The only thing we        still need are two things:
1) used plastic grocery bags, and
2) You!  We would like to have between 15-25 volunteers each Saturday during July.  There are no sign-ups.  Just show up            each Saturday morning in July at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall.  (Keep in mind that another group will be taking care of            the sandwiches on July 10 so we will not gather on this day.)

If you have questions, please contact Shirley Ebert, our Service Committee Chair, 864-353-7366.