Trinity United Methodist Church

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Worship Times

Sunday

8:15 AM Contemporary Worship

9:40 am to 10:45 am Sunday School & Kid Konnection

11:00 AM Traditional Worship

6:00 PM youth fellowship

February News Letter

REMINDER

Remember to designate Trinity Educational Development Corporation and enter code M1080 when you donate to United Way.

WANTED:

Toiletries from Hotels/InnsToiletries Inns
Do you travel either for work or pleasure? Do you
take the hotel toiletries with you, put them in the
bathroom drawer at home and forget them? Well
now there's a great place for them if you'd like to
donate. A marked box has been placed at the
West entrance where they will be collected
periodically. Friends of mine at work donate the
toiletries to either the
Hartford Women's
Shelter or the
Springfield Rescue
Mission. These items
really make a big
difference in the lives
of people who have so
little. If you have
questions, let me
know.
Thank you, Lynn LeMire (860--688-6587)

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SACRED SOUNDS CONCERT SERIES

Your Generosity makes the Sacred Sounds Concert Series Possible Please consider supporting our concert series and music ministry with a gift. All supporters will be listed in all concert programs and will have preferential seating at concerts. Patrons, Sponsors and Benefactors receive 2 tickets to all ticketed concerts. Tickets can be purchased on Sunday mornings during the coffee hour or through the church office. Please make checks payable to Trinity United Methodist Church and indicate Sacred Sounds Concert Series in the memo section.

Benefactor $500+ Sponsor $250-499 Patron $100-249 Donor $50-99 Friend up to $50

Gestures of Gratitude

In 2005, a female humpback whale became entangled in a web of crab traps and lines just east of the Farallon Islands, off the San Francisco coast. Hundreds of yards of line rope were wrapped around her body, tail, torso and mouth, weighing her down so much that she struggled to stay afloat.

A fisherman spotted the whale and radioed for help. When rescuers arrived, they determined that the only way to save the creature was to dive in and untangle her. This was a dangerous proposition, as one slap of the tail could be deadly.

Rescuers worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed the whale. What she did next surprised the divers: She swam in what seemed like joyous circles, coming back to each person, one at a time, nudging them gently, in what rescuers assumed was a beautiful gesture of thanks.

May you and those you love be surrounded by people who help you get untangled from whatever is binding you and may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER NEEDED FOR THIS FALL:

Our 3 and 4 year olds need a teacher for Sunday School; Usually a class of about 3 to 5 students. Excellent curriculum is available and help from our staff. Sunday School meets from 9:40 until 10:35 AM.

Please pray for a teacher for our little ones, maybe even you. Thank you, Lois Ann Weissenburger, S.S. Superintendent (860-243-0430)

TIME TO STEP DOWN

Americans enjoy an abundance of freedoms. From what we'll pursue to what we'll eat for lunch, we're constantly making decisions about what we want out of life. So it's hard to find peace when our plans go awry and we lose control of our circumstances.

A wise person suggested, "For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe." What if we stepped down and let God be God? He created the universe, after all. Shouldn't we trust him to run it?

DONATING IRS ASSETS TO CHARITY

A new tax law passed in late 2010 reinstates a provision enabling retirees to take tax-free withdrawals from their IRA provided the money is transferred directly to a qualified charitable organization. Retirees 70 1/2 and older can donate up to $100,000 tax free from their IRA each year.

Under this temporary provision this distribution is excluded from income if it is made directly to a charity. This distribution is not included in your income so is equivalent to a 100 percent deduction. Bu making a charitable contribution from your IRA, you can satisfy your RMD amount without reporting additional income.

Donating IRA assets can be a rewarding strategy for both you and the church. As Always, you should talk with your financial representative or tax advisor before making a decision that alters your tax situation. It is important to consider your tax situation before deciding whether to make a charitable contribution from your IRA.

Your donation s and gifts help Trinity UMC provide Kingdom Building Ministries in our community and around the world

TCS PRAYER PARTNER NETWORK:

Please join the TCS Prayer Partner Network. Those who are a part of the network will receive a calendar each month with the name of a specific student or staff member to pray for each day. To join, please fill out the card you see in your bulletin. You can place the completed card in a basket on the TCS table. If you joined last year you will continue to receive the calendars each month, unless you request to be taken off the mailing list. Thank you for your prayers for TCS!

CD’S OF THE SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE ARE AVAILABLE

To order a CD of Sunday Worship place $2.00 in a pew envelope and mark it “CD” and “your name”. Drop it in the box on the narthex table and your CD will be placed in that box to be picked up next Sunday.

SAVE ME A PEW

The world's largest Protestant Christian congregation is Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea. Since its founding in 1958, the church has grown exponentially. By 1983, seven Sunday services weren't enough to accommodate all the worshipers, so satellite churches were established.

The main church, located directly across from Korea's National Assembly, can seat 26,000. But membership is so large that people are told which week of the month they can attend worship. What an incredible witness in a country where only about 30 percent of the citizens are Christians!

What would it take for our church to have a similar "problem"? And what can you do about it?

CHURCH TABLE AND CHAIR POLICY

Last winter a new policy was established about the use of the church's tables and chairs. It was announced a number of times in the bulletin. In the past the old tables and chairs were allowed to be used by church members if it was cleared through the church office. This is no longer the case. We no longer have any old tables. No tables and chairs are allowed off the church premises. We respectfully ask for everyone's cooperation and adherence to this new policy. If you need further explanation or have questions please speak to Dale Smith, Trustee chair or Pastor.

BIBLES/DEVOTIONALS FOR
SOUTH PARK INN SHELTER

For many years Trinity through the South Park Inn Soup Kitchen Ministry, has been feeding the homeless the last Sunday of every month January through October. Now we want to help feed them spiritually as well. You can help by donating your gently used Bibles and Devotionals. There will be a collection box in the west entrance way of the church. If you have any questions please call Chris Boyer at 860-688-7670.

SIGN UP FOR NURSERY

There will be a sign-up sheet for nursery on the Children's Ministry table in Fellowship Hall. Please stop by the table and sign-up today. Be a part of this vital ministry that meets the needs of parents, babies, and toddlers.

CRIB AND TODDLER ROOM

GOD'S HOUSE

We have a great heritage stretching back to the Old Testament taking good care of God's House. The care and cleanliness of our own church facility communicates a sense of stewardship and love. Every day hundreds of people walk and use our church facilities. Our church campus is well used by many ministries. This is a good thing. Many churches sit empty during the week, not Trinity.

However, the truth is we do not care as well for our church home as we should. Lights are left on, areas are often used and they are not picked up. We need to do better and we can. If you walk down the hall and see some trash on the floor, pick it up and place it in the trash can. If you see lights on in an unoccupied room, turn them off. If we all took this as our personal responsibility and did not assume someone else will do it, it will get done. If you notice some equipment that needs repair, let the office know. When you come to worship remove your own bulletin and if you do not want it put it in the trash basked in the narthex. We have also had a problem in the Great Room with the ceiling tiles. Groups have been alerted that it is forbidden to throw balls in such a way that they dislodge ceiling tiles. This is dangerous because if a sprinkler head is hit it will cause gallons of water to flood the area ruining our wood floor. This is so serious that any person or group found to have done this will not be allowed to use the gym.

We are fortunate at Trinity to have two custodians whose main job it is to clean. Please let them do their work and do not divert them from their main job. Do not ask the custodians to things not related to cleaning. It takes many hours to clean bathrooms, maintain floors, and do the general cleaning that is necessary to make our facility look good.

We have had a policy allowing the use of our older tables and chairs to church members for private parties. We no longer have any older tables available and our policy does not allow any new chairs or tables to be removed from our facility. Please observe this new policy.

Church groups are also alerted to the fact that we now recycle all plastic, glass and metal including white paper and colored paper. Please observe these new rules.

John R. Gerlach, Pastor
Dale Smith, Chair Trustees

PARISH NURSE CORNER

The Nurses at Trinity will continue to have a Blood Pressure Check on the first Sunday of each month for you. We will be located in Pastor Skip's office during Coffee Fellowship and between Worship Services.

SMALL GROUPS

News

Are you looking to enrich your relationship with the Lord, dig into scripture, be involved with a support network with other Christians? Get involved with a Small Group this year.

If you're looking for a group contact the office, Pastor Skip 860-688-9245, or Sharyn Donzella 860-683-0824.

SOUTH PARK INN

SOUTH PARK INN’S website says “No one ever plans on being homeless! With no where else to go, nearly 1,500 men, women and children find themselves on our doorstep, each year.” The South Park Soup Kitchen Ministry at Trinity helps this local ministry by bringing the supper meal the last Sunday of each month, January through October. If you would like to help with the cooking and bringing of the meal to South Park, please contact Ron or Chris Boyer at 860-688-7670 or put your name and phone number on the sign up sheet in the Fellowship Hall’s Ministry bulletin board and we will contact you and answer any questions you may have. Thanks and God bless, Chris Boyer

DIAPER DRIVE:

We are STILL collecting bags/boxes of diapers and wipes in Fellowship Hall. Windsor Social Services URGENTLY needs larger/toddler sized diapers 4,5, & 6. Please help fill the pack-n-play through February! Questions? Please contact Sarah King @ 860.823.8153.

MYF - Youth Library

Needs Your Help!!

Our culture is pushing its message on our teens on relationships, sex, dating, money, success, etc. Can the church combat this deceptive message with the truth? We can with your help. Please consider a small donation to purchase Christian books/resources for teens to check out from our library. You can put checks in the offering made out to Trinity and earmark them "MYF Library." Thanks for your support!

TRINITY CALENDAR AND SCHEDULING PROCEDURE

This is a reminder that all meetings on the church campus must be scheduled through the church office. Be sure to include set up and take down times whether the day of the event or meeting or the day before or after. If you use the kitchen an application form must be filled out in advance. These forms are available in the church office and will, in the future, be made available on line. The church calendar for the whole year is available on line so you can check on date/time availability on line. When the calendar is open you can click on the event to find out information on set up/take down times. As you know our church building is used by many ministries, groups and events. Never assume that meeting space is available without first checking with the office. In most cases meeting dates and events can be scheduled a year ahead of time. If your event is not scheduled on the church calendar and there is a conflict we will observe the "first come first served" rule. Nothing is scheduled unless it is done in writing - email is fine - to the church office: office@tumcwindsor.org Only Sharon LaFrancis and Arlene Dargenio can calendar/schedule church events. The office will confirm with you by email that the event is scheduled and approved. If you do not receive confirmation please contact the church office from 8:30-3:30pm Monday - Friday. Thanks for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Pastor John.

THE 2012 FLOWER CALENDAR

The flowers that grace our worship every Sunday are given by Trinity members and friends.

Your gift of flowers may be given in honor or in memory of a loved one or to mark a special anniversary or birthday of a spiritual event in your life. You simply need to fill in the date on the chart inside the atrium entrance on the right wall as you leave. Instructions are listed with cost. Flowers that are given may be taken home or given to a shut in or loved one by speaking to Perry Marsh.

If you wish to have flowers put under the cross, you may sign up on the 2012 flower chart (instructions are beside the chart), then call Jordan Florist at 683-0680 and speak to Karen Jordan, who will be happy to take your order.

We have a special price of $35.00. More elaborate arrangements will be priced higher. Pay Jordan’s directly.