June 2024: Prayer is our most powerful tool

This article is intended to be a reminder, in hopes of increasing our awareness of the life we are embracing at Holy Trinity. When we agreed to share in our ministry with Pastor Luther, a large part of our understanding and commitment was the need for members to become more involved in all aspects of church life, particularly post-covid. This is our first summer together. Pastor Luther is leading Emmanuel Congregation in Manchester by the Sea and continuing to serve at Holy Trinity. My observation is that it can be done, yet the elasticity is much tighter in terms of adding more during the summer. “More’ happens as life happens: deaths, spiritual needs, etc. Pastor Luther would not miss these moments of connection and doing God’s work. So, let us simply be more aware of this.

I find many of you are giving of your resources generously. So is this a call to action? No it isn’t. It is a call to pray and reflect on how we will be inspired to change to embrace our new model of carrying out God’s work and how we use our resources. I cannot help but reflect on how this parallels my own life. What I once did quickly and efficiently, I am now looking to hire someone to help us with. Yes it means less resources for other things, yet it also means we are good stewards of what we have: respecting our bodies’ limitations and still continue to participate in life in a different and full way.

Thank you for praying….it is still our most powerful tool as we embrace change, stay open to the possibilities, and love each other.

Erlinde

May 2024: Notice of Proposed Amendments to the Holy Trinity Constitution

The Council is proposing to update our present Constitution so as to include mandatory changes as put forward by the ELCA. These changes primarily relate to updating our mission and references to disabilities.

The Council is also proposing some changes to reflect current practices and clarify provisions. In C13.03, we propose changing the structure of the audit process, designating up to three members to conduct a financial audit annually. In C14.01, we propose clarifying the submission of written reports by Ministry Teams.

Earlier this year, Pam Shaw resigned from her position as the Ministry Team Leader of "Serve the Lord". At the Mid-Year meeting, we also will be formally voting Cristina Dolcino onto the Council in this position. Thank you Cristina for being willing to serve and thank you Pam for your service.

The other voting items include renaming and redesignating in/out funds or balance sheet items (not in our budget) so we can put them to good use. The changes are:

"Sabbatical Fund Reserve" to "Hospitality Fund". Holds $4,000.

"Flowers" to "Beautification Fund". Holds $4066.

"Organ Fund" to "Audio Sound System Fund" Holds $1,405.

You can read the proposed updated HTELC Constituion by clicking this link. I hope to see many of you at this meeting as well as the picnic that follows!

Erlinde

April 25, 2024: Council Updates Adult Forum on May 5.

The last few weeks have been full and good. We had our Council retreat on April 19-20 at Camp Calumet. By the end of the day on Saturday, we developed a set of goals to span the next 3-9 months. Three days later we had our monthly Council meeting. We have been working on updating both our Constitution and our Bylaws. We will have our Constitution updated so that it is consistent with the 2022 ELCA Constitutional guidelines and plan to vote on this at the Mid-year meeting on June 23rd. The Bylaws will be completed for our January meeting.

Although it may seem a bit early, we have scheduled an Adult Forum on May 5th to share some of the work we have been doing, with the congregation. Our May is full and May 26th is Pastor Luther’s last day with us before he begins serving at Emmanuel Church. Topics we would like to discuss are: sharing the updated Constitution, reviewing our finances thus far this year, and some changes we would like to make regarding several line items from our balance sheet or in/out funds that are no longer being used and would like to redesignate. Another item to share are some of our goals we developed. My hope is that you will be able to attend; if this is not possible, Mark is working on streaming this live for you to join in, if possible. We value your feedback.

With God’s gracious presence at our side, may we all continue to find ways to express our faith in words and actions this Eastertide.

Erlinde Beliveau

April 5, 2024: A Change in "Serve the Lord" council leadership.

It is with regret that the Council accepted Pam Shaw's resignation as a member at large leading the ministries of "Serve the Lord." Pam shared that her animal welfare commitment has increased as the MSPCA transports more cats and dogs from the South on a weekly basis to find homes in Massachusetts where they have a much better opportunity to find adopters. Plus, she feels like she can make a better contribution as she continues her activities on the Altar Guild, Dover Friendly Kitchen and Team Library. Thank you for all you did while serving on the Council Pam!

According to the Bylaws, the Council can appoint another member of the congregation to the Council to fill Pam's position until this member can be voted in at the Mid-Year meeting. We are delighted to share that Cristina Dolcino has agreed to serve out the "Serve the Lord" Ministry's term until next January. Thank you Cristina!

As we constantly change either by our own initiation or in response to external forces, so also does our church. We have set aside time to discuss how we can better meet these changing times during a 24 hour Council retreat at Calumet, April 12-13th. You may think this a very lofty goal for 24 hours, yet I am always surprised at how the spirit moves us in the direction we need to go when our eyes are on the Lord. Some topics we hope to address are how each one of us can minister with our "arms" reaching within Holy Trinity and beyond as we build up and strengthen our community. Greater involvement by and among the members of our congregation aligns with the commitment we made when we called Pastor Luther who is committed to two churches. We are each charged with the task of examining how we can serve. During the retreat we also hope to again explore some of our visions and goals for the next 6 -12 months. This was very helpful to do during our last retreat. Please keep us in your prayers.

March 28, 2024: Council Updates

As a church we have walked along the Lenten way together through worship, study, and the breaking of bread together during our soup suppers. We are in the midst of Holy Week, a time that stirs up who we are, who we think we are, and whose we are. I am grateful this stirring is happening in a community…our community of Holy Trinity. May we always welcome more to this pot of the Lord’s making.

There are a few Council updates to be shared with you (not in any particular order):

• We are reviewing our Constitution and Bylaws as updated by Russ Hilliard, Judy Evans, and Mark Beliveau. Our goal is to have this ready by the Mid-Year meeting in June.
• The financial audit is in the process of being completed by Tim Althof.
• Our insurance review is being worked on by Dave Smith.
• Thus far no one has inquired about our Music Director position. We have posted the job description at various music educational schools and music organizations. Please continue to pray about this and directly talk with people you may know who are gifted in this area. Thank you all for supporting the ministry of Holy Trinity!

Peace,

Erlinde

March 2024: Life Together in Christian Community

I have been at the church often in the last month for meetings and completing various tasks. Whenever I am there, I come across someone doing a task to maintain or move the church forward. Some tasks are big and some are small. I also realize many others are completing tasks from their home or by visiting members or making phone calls or writing emails. The strings of our “Christ’s web” reach out to many places. To witness this is humbling and powerful.

I have found Bonhoeffer’s book, Life Together to be a reality check for myself, particularly chapter one on “Community”. I appreciate when I am given “an uplifting experience of genuine Christian community” (page 39). However, as Bonhoeffer points out we do not live in Christian community for these experiences. We live and work together by our faith that we have been given, not what we humanly experience. My reality check is to ask myself, “Who am I doing this for?” I can easily get caught up with the humanness of my role...the list of things to do and people to talk to. This reality check may not change the list BUT it does change my perspective, because I am now inviting Christ to be present in all of this.

Nineteen women participated in the Women’s Retreat this past weekend. Yes, it was an uplifting experience…… there was laughter, collegiality, the breaking of bread together, and the beauty of nature surrounded us. There were also stories shared. Stories of women walking in faith. As a wise woman once shared with me, life is like a coin. On one side, the coin tells the stories of all of our joys and on the other side, the coin tells the stories of all of our losses and sorrows. Faith allows us to hold this coin in our precious palms. Life together in Christian community strengthens us to hold each other’s palms through Christ’s presence.

January 18, 2024: Budget Meeting & Annual Meeting

This Sunday, January 21, 2024, we will be holding the annual budget forum as we prepare for the annual meeting scheduled for the next Sunday, January 28. For those of you who are not familiar with this tradition, we introduced this annual session several years back to allow for more discussion time about our planned spending for the upcoming year. The budget forum provides the opportunity for everyone to study the spending plan proposed by the congregation council for the upcoming year, to ask questions, and make suggestions. This session is for discussion only; no motions will be entertained. If you are unable to attend the session in person, you will be able to participate virtually. Please watch for directions describing how to access the meeting on Sunday morning.

The following Sunday, January 28 we will hold our annual meeting. In order to conduct business at the meeting, we must have a quorum of members who sign in and are present. Only members of Holy Trinity are eligible to vote. Several motions related to the budget along with a vote to accept new council members will be held at the meeting. If you are unable to attend the annual meting in person, you will be able to attend and vote virtually. Please watch for directions describing how to access the meeting.

October 26, 2023: Our upcoming retreat at Calumet

It’s been a busy fall for all of us at Holy Trinity. Pastor Luther began his ministry with us in September, we celebrated his installation in early October, and sadly said good bye to several beloved members of the Holy Trinity family in September and October. During that same time, Council members guided by Pastor Luther began to cautiously identify priorities to shape this new ministry. At a recent Adult Forum discussion Pastor Luther shared the basic outline of priorities on which we believe we should focus in these first few months of this new ministry: enhancing worship, family and youth ministry, adult education, caring for others in our congregation, and stewardship and membership. And now, we are taking the next steps. On Friday evening and Saturday, the Council and Pastor Luther will be gathering at Camp Calumet for a retreat intended to develop strategies to make these priorities a reality. We plan to discuss these questions:

• How can we provide ways to enhance our Sunday morning time together to grow our faith, our families, and our community?
• How do we create opportunities for hospitality within the church and for those outside the church?
• What does our vision look like in 6 months? In 12 months?

One day provides only brief amount of time to discuss all the areas we would like to discuss, or answer all the questions that are posed. But it’s a beginning, and we will continue this work for a long time to come. We’ll be writing more about our work in the upcoming Tidings. Please pray for us as we strive to learn God’s pathway for our congregation, that we listen, have compassion, and take bold steps where appropriate.

September 5, 2023: A Letter to the Congregation

Dear Friends, We at Holy Trinity are beginning a new and as yet unknown path to live our faith in a world that knows little stability. Over these past several months since we voted unanimously to call Pastor Luther Zeigler as our permanent Pastor, we have been “dipping our collective toes” into the unknowns of the future. We know that Pastor Luther has been called to lead two congregations with somewhat different polities and traditions: Episcopal and Lutheran. Even though no builder of houses would begin a new project without architectural plans for guidance, it may feel like we are doing just that.

But we share some basic tenets. Lutherans and Episcopalians have walked together more and more closely over the years. We have entered into this process knowing that:

• one of the highlights of our community is a strong shared bond of ministry;
• mutual trust is a critical ingredient;
• the love and support of each partner in ministry is essential; and
• the way we’ve always done things won’t necessarily work in the future.

We will be challenged to find new ways to shape our ministry. We will find new pathways, new relationships, new avenues to share our joy. We also know that the future is an unknown, and that we will need to practice patience and resilience. We are also confident that joy and love await us as we move ahead.

I believe that I would not be able to find any person in 2023 who would tell me that his or her life is unchanged since the pandemic. In fact, in many of our conversations, we still hear phrases like “it used to be” or “before the pandemic we did….”. The notion that our world is spinning rapidly is as true of the church as it is in every other arena of our lives. However, the constant in the story of Holy Trinity is the bedrock of God’s love for us. We are truly blessed to share our faith, love, and trust in the risen Christ with each other and the world around us! Our faith emboldens us to act courageously and walk confidently together into God’s future for us, even when we see change on the horizon.

There is a role for everyone to play in this exciting new ministry model, and we invite each of you to share in a celebration to honor this new era of ministry as Pastor Luther is installed as the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. This “Celebration of New Ministry” will be held on Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 PM, followed by a reception in our gathering area. We invite you to share in this joyful ceremony.

Sincerely,

Judy Evans,

Holy Trinity Congregation Council President

June 29, 2023: Celebration of New Ministry Date

It was 2 months ago today that we met together following our Sunday worship service, and agreed unanimously to call Pastor Luther Zeigler to be with us, to be our spiritual leader, to take a journey that has yet to be charted, and to “grow” a new ministry. During the coming 2 months which will go by quickly, we will begin to talk about what could be, what might be, and how we can work together to forge a new path. The Worship Team together with Pastor Don and Pastor Luther are planning what may be the first obvious demonstration of this new partnership, the Installation of Pastor Luther as our called minister which is scheduled to take place on October 1 at 4PM. The title for this worship service when we will publicly acknowledge our new path will be “Celebration of New Ministry.” I’m struck by how perfectly those words form a virtual image of this future: exciting, stimulating, a bit intimidating, and both celebratory and new. Several Holy Trinity friends have commented to me about how they are feeling a new and different sense of excitement of what lies ahead. Yes, I totally agree. Beginnings are both exciting and unsettling. Over these next months, we need to look inwardly to ascertain what gifts each of us can bring to share in our new ministry. Do you have the gift of compassion, or teaching, or leadership, or music, or writing, or speaking, or fixing things, or organizing, or cooking, or art, or finance, or planning, or working with young people. All types of gifts are needed to make our vision a reality. Let us all pray that we might know our gifts and find ways to share those gifts with others. As I prepared this message, I was drawn to the words of Julian of Norwich –‘all shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well’. I believe it to be true. Please note the date of October 1 on your calendar so you can join the celebration of this new ministry at Holy Trinity.