November 10 2024: Review and Refinement of Shared Ministry with Pastor Luther

This past Sunday in our Adult Forum, we celebrated the first-year anniversary of Pastor Luther beginning his call with Holy Trinity. We spent time discussing the blessings of this past year, what we have learned, and then how Pastor’s role will be refined going forward. When we called Pastor Luther, we recognized that this call would be a “living experiment” as we have never before shared a pastor with another congregation. The refinements we are making now are in this sense adjustments we knew we would likely need to make as we lived more deeply into our “shared ministry.” Attached is a two-page handout that summarizes what Pastor Luther, Russ Hilliard, and I shared. I also strongly encourage you to listen to the Adult Forum if you missed it, as the forum included a sharing of personal experiences, some thoughtful discussion, and many good questions and responses among those who attended. The next segment of our discussion—which is an adult forum scheduled for November 10—will focus on how we as a congregation can become more involved in sharing some of the ministry opportunities that Pastor Luther will be unable to continue. This is an exciting time during which we are being called by the Holy Spirit into new and creative ways of “being church.” Such change can be scary at first, of course; but it almost always is a catalyst for meaningful growth, learning, and fresh opportunities to serve God and our community.

Erlinde

October 3, 2024: Reflections on the Shared Ministry with Pastor Luther

President’s Article

We have intentionally made the decision to take the time to celebrate and reflect on the Shared Ministry Holy Trinity entered into with Pastor Luther one year ago. Why? Because anniversaries are times to celebrate and reflect on what our joys and challenges have been and where we hope to go in the next year. The decision to do so is done deliberately because we have never had to share a Pastor with another church. This is new to us and we are living into it. See below for a summary of why our relationship is innovative.

Anne Lamott wrote a book titled: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers twelve years ago. She is an American novelist and writes non-fiction.

In this book, Anne writes, “When we are stunned to the place beyond words, we’re finally starting to get somewhere. It is so much more comfortable to think that we know what it all means, what to expect and how it all hangs together. When we are stunned to the place beyond words, when an aspect of life takes us away from being able to chip away at something until it’s down to a manageable size and then to file it away nicely, when all we can say in response is “Wow,” that’s a prayer.”

We prayed fervently for the future of our church and for a special person to lead us into the next chapter of our faith lives. This was not an easy time for Holy Trinity, and we prayed. One year ago, with hearts filled with gratitude, we received and welcomed Pastor Luther.

In this past year, we give thanks for many blessings. We will share some of these blessings next Sunday, during our Adult Forum on October 6th. We will set aside some time to simply say “Wow”. We hope you can join us for this time of reflection. We will also share our refinement of Pastor Luther’s role as we live into our covenant in the next year. Then on Sunday, November 10th, we will reflect and refine our role as a congregation as we live into this covenant as well.

August 2024: Exciting Plans for the Fall!

I would like to share some of our exciting plans for the fall as well as some logistics. Let’s not let this stop us from soaking in the last couple of weeks of summer though.

First of all, it is with a very grateful heart we say good bye to Pastor Larsen on his last Sunday with us on September 1st (Labor Day weekend). His presence and service as our Summer Supply Pastor is a gift. On September 8th, we welcome Pastor Dave Snyder to lead us in worship. He served as our pastor from 1989 to 1997 and now resides with his wife, Susan in New Jersey. On September 15th, we welcome back Pastor Luther! I look forward to see how God will work through us with Pastor Luther in the next year!

In the fall, Adult Forums will be held on the first and second Sundays of the month after the service. This will begin in October and continue through December. At this point, we will re-evaluate to see if the schedule needs any modifications. Mark Edwards and Russ Hilliard are the coordinators. Please contact them if you have ideas or thoughts for future forums. At times, we may have an activity or ministry team event at the same time as a forum, expanding the choices available to members.

The third and fourth Sundays will be used for special meetings or events. Some of these may be Council-led, and some maybe team ministry led. One special meeting has already been set for October 20th. The Council will review proposed changes to our Bylaws. We will be voting on these changes next January.

Erlinde

August 2024: "Pollinators"

We have a beautiful Tulip tree outside of our kitchen window. Earlier this summer, many tulips blossomed and fell to the ground. With the tulips in the branches came many bumblebees carrying out their pollinating business. I do love metaphors, and I think of all of us as pollinators. We fertilize a community or the people in our life with the pollen of God’s love. Some fun facts: Pollinators are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. Pollinating animals travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies in a vital interaction that allows the transfer of genetic material vital to most flowering plants so they can reproduce. As you witness the next bumblebee buzzing around, perhaps think of yourself as a pollinator touching one person with God’s affirming and edifying love and then doing the same to the next person you meet.

How will we pollinate one another as our needs change? How do we go about doing this inside of our church family and outside in the community? We, as a Church Council are exploring where can we effectively pollinate as a congregation. Over the next few weeks, we will be having meetings to explore with you how we will direct our pollination efforts to best use the gifts God has given to us. Meetings include discussing our Tanzania ministry and our Music/Choir ministry. We are also in the process of developing an Advisory Team to evaluate and make recommendations for the next steps in caring for our property. Pollinating may be done one bee at a time but the fruits become more visible if they work from their hive as a team. So it is with our community.

Erlinde Beliveau

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.