Trinity Lutheran Church

Here is what our past TiM Pastors are up to!

Paul Miller (06-08) and Marie moved to Texas in 2009. He has served as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Canyon Lake, TX. Paul and Marie’s daughter, Ruth, was born last summer, 10 weeks pre-mature. She is now a 25-pound 15-month-old and progressing very well.

Jeremy Walloch (06-08) continues to serve as Senior Pastor of Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Giddings, Texas (MLLCGiddings.com). He and Michelle are now up to three little girls: Elsie (6), Addie (4), and Caroline (1), enjoy living out in the country on a ranch.
Thomas Jacobson (06-08) is currently in the Ph.D. program in church history at Luther Seminary, having just finished his first year in May of 2011. He and his wife Theresa are expecting their first child, a boy, in December!

Marsha Anderson (08-10) recently finished a year of hospital chaplaincy, primarily working with mental health patients. She is currently awaiting call and supplies preaching while her husband Brian finishes his Master of Divinity. They are enjoying the adventure of life in Oakland, CA and are embracing the unpredictable nature of God’s call!

Melodi Hagen (08-10)
Melodi and husband Eric are expexting baby number two in January of 2012. Anna is now 3 years old and loves gardening and eating the vegetables. Melodi is excited about being a part of the synod Maccedonia project combining Prayer Practice & Stewardship.

Josh Graber (08-10) spent the last year On-Leave-from-Call as he travelled around the country investigating the potential of creating a new gap-year experience for young adults. He used a TiM alumni grant to travel to Norway this fall where he met with young adult clergy and leaders in the folkhøgskole system.

It’s time for our annual Stewardship Sunday! Yay! AMEN! Hallelujah!

Maybe that isn’t our first response. Maybe we are more likely to groan, sigh, or avert our eyes from the sender of this message. But why don’t we celebrate stewardship the same way we do Rally Sunday? Why don’t we get excited about generous giving, the way we do about Christmas? Why aren’t we as joyous about pledging to support ministry, as we are about Wednesday night Lent services and the journey to Easter?

Stewardship is something for us to be excited about and to celebrate! The theme this year for Trinity’s Stewardship is God’s Work, Our Voices. Everything that happens here – from Worship to Small Groups, Confirmation to Parish Nursing, Lost and Found to Children’s choirs, and Family Emergency Assistance to the Thanksgiving Meal and Hunger Awareness – is the work of God through our hearts, our hands, and our voices.

Our voices proclaim God’s love for God’s people as we forgive a neighbor, share in a bible study, visit the sick, talk with a grieving spouse at a funeral, or sing praises with the worship ensemble and organ. God has generously spoken to us through the gifts of time, talents, and treasure.  God has given us the joy and duty of lifting our voices by returning our time, talents, and treasure for the purpose of God’s work at Trinity, in the Fargo-Moorhead community, and across the world.

On November 13th you will have a chance to return your pledge card as we celebrate the gift of stewardship through our voices.  Prayerfully consider how God may grow you in giving this year. We also will celebrate how children can voice stewardship through a “Noisy Offering.” Bring your loose and change (and dollar bills!) as we noisily support the churches in Minot.

Our hearts get excited about God’s work through this community, which is why we invest our treasure here in support of the ministry that God is leading.You are encouraged and challenged to celebrate this Stewardship season, grow in giving, pledge to support the mission, and avoid averting your eyes from this message…because it doesn’t come from me. Yay! AMEN! Hallelujah!

Peace,
Pastor Rick

“Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the people of God sharing the word of Christ in word and deed.”    - Romans 10:17

Friends in Christ,

A change is in the air. Can you feel it? The air is more crisp, the temperature a bit chillier. There is a bit of anxiousness as we wait. Wait for the leaves to drop, the first snow to fall and the holidays to arrive.

But we aren’t the only ones who wait. In our schools, children wait every day while their classmates enjoy milk and snacks that their family didn’t have the extra money to pay for that week. In our community, hundreds of families wait in line at food pantries to help supplement the meager food on their tables. In the Horn of Africa, over 12 million people wait for relief from the most serious food insecurity situation in the world today.

November is Hunger Awareness Month at Trinity. In the midst of a world hungering not just for food, but for CHANGE, we dedicate a few weeks to learn, serve, eat, and pray together. We come together in solidarity with Christians from around our community and around the globe to address the growing problem of hunger and food scarcity.

Please consider taking time this month to: 1) write or call your elected representatives in favor of supporting anti-poverty measures; 2) attend our educational forums from hunger experts in the community on 11/13 and 11/20; 3) give generously to the Hunger Offering for the World Hunger Appeal; 4) consider volunteering at our Community Thanksgiving Dinner or at a local food shelf; and 5) pray for those who go hungry or who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

As we celebrate the beauty of the season, the warmth of time spent with family, the bounty on our tables, let us remember the One who is the Bread of Life, who gave himself to us that we might be a blessing to others.

Sincerely Yours,
Pastor Alexis

In Recognition of All Saints Day we invite members to celebrate the lives and legacy of the saints. Tea will be held in their honor on Sun., Nov. 6 in the Trinity Lounge at 10:05 am. Gather with others to remember the ones we miss and love, celebrate their lives and the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

We especially remember…
These Trinity members who have died since Nov. 1, 2010:
Simon Langager
Robert D. Johnson
Leila Jacobson
Emerald Ristvedt
David McLaren
Jan Welken
Arlene Regelstad
Dwight Diercks
David M. Pederson
Dennis Larson
Jeannette Okland
Irma Gidmark
Agnes Hagen
Dorothy Solheim
Marian Erickson
Thomas Proehl
Bernice Legler
William Hagen, Sr.
Richard Kvamme
Fern Voxland
Betty Atherton
Delia Seaburg
Alan Swedberg
Richard Campbell
Alys Oberg
Wendell Buckley
Delores Weber
Shirley Fremo
Norman Kuehl
Craig Cardenas

I’ve been wondering what it is that causes people to share what God has given them. Let me share five insights that were brought to my attention recently.

1.People see a need. Often it is true that when people see a need they give to it. We’ve seen that in our congregation. It was certainly true when we saw the results of the terrible earthquake in Haiti. People reached out to help those in need.

2.Sometimes people give because of a vision that has been placed before them. In the most recent ELCA Assembly the vision was cast to help eliminate malaria in the world. We are invited to be a part of a world wide attempt to provide mosquito netting to poor families, especially in Africa.

3.Sometimes because of relationships we have with others we join in supporting their efforts to reach out to others. Our relationship with our daughter-in-law has caused my wife and I to support Parents Project for Muscular Dystrophy. We believe in that organization because we trust her and seek to support that cause.

4.One might think that giving financially comes automatically. The truth is the Old Adam in all of us work against our sharing. It’s helpful when leaders in the church point to ways for us to share with others. At Trinity we’ve pointed to Automatic Transfer of funds through our checking accounts to support the ministries of our congregation.

5.People see sharing with others as a way of honoring and obeying God’s Word. Jesus spoke of this and the wise use of our wealth more frequently than almost any other subject in the Bible. He told many stories that encourage people to share as they were blessed.

Our theme for our Stewardship Emphasis this year is “God’s Work. Our Voices”. We speak volumes of faith by supporting Jesus’ ministries through our congregation. Our generosity can bring about a loud shout, affirming Jesus as Lord and Savior.

-Jerry Protextor

Your Journey from Mourning to Joy
God made us diverse, with different gifts and talents, but one thing that we all share in common is the experience of grieving over the death of a loved one.  God also has called all of us to bear each other’s burdens, to encourage and strengthen each other, and to love our neighbor.

This fall Trinity is hosting a workshop on grief recovery that is available to the entire Fargo-Moorhead community.  Grief Share is a national ministry program that uses each of us to tell our grief stories and relate to one another.  We work together to assist in dealing with the pain of grief – helping others while receiving help at the same time.  It is amazing the way that God works through us, the body of Christ!
Grief Share will meet on Tuesday nights, from 7-9 pm, starting on September 6th.  The group will meet in the CLC classrooms.  The only cost for this program is $13 for a workbook.  Each session is completely self-contained, which means you can attend the sessions that relate to you, miss if you need to and pick up again the following week.

If you are interested or have any questions please contact Char Skaff (CharMSkaff@aol.com) by September 2nd to sign up.

May we all join together to find joy in God’s presence, even in the deepest pain of our sadness.

Jesus says he came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) Receiving the abundant life that Christ gives us is difficult if we are constrained by financial demands. We may not feel free or at peace because we are living paycheck to paycheck like 70% of Americans.

Maybe you did not realize that so many members of our family here at Trinity struggle with financial budgets – saving, spending, and sharing.

That’s why we are going to be offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class from September 21st through December 21st. This is a 13 week commitment, every Wednesday night from 7-8:30 pm.  It’s the most practical information available and the most fun you’ll ever have learning about money. This course can lead you out of debt, help you find “where the money goes,” and free you from worry.

One of the things Dave Ramsey says is: “Normal is BROKE! So be weird!” and Financial Peace University will show you exactly how to do that; how to start eliminating debt so you’re free to do things you’ve always wanted to do!
Each weekly session starts with Dave Ramsey teaching on video and is followed by a small group discussion, so we can learn together how to be faithful stewards of the financial resources we have been given.

You’ll see that you are DEFINITELY not alone if you’re struggling in this area. This material teaches you how to apply Biblical principles to the way you handle money and how to start truly managing all of the resources God has given you.

This class breaks the process down into easy steps that will help no matter where you are. You’ve just got to take it!  The cost of the class is $100, but we are having a free class preview September 7th at 7 pm in the CLC classrooms.  You don’t want to miss it!  Kits will be ordered following the class preview.  If you would like to register before the preview date, please call the church office.  Space is limited.

If you want more information, please contact Clark Tufte (cht@gomoorhead.com) or (236-1070). Let us experience financial peace and live our lives abundantly!

Free ice cream, live music, door prizes, face painting, and, did we mention, free ice cream? This year marks the 15^th anniversary of Music on the Blacktop at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead.

In 1997 a small dedicated group and Pastor John Hulden wanted to invite the whole community to a new event to celebrate the end of summer and the start of fall activities at Trinity.  They thought, “What could be more fun than ice cream and a free concert?” So, they kicked off the first Music on the Blacktop. It is a one evening, community event with free music and ice cream with seemingly endless toppings. Congregation members from Trinity provide toppings from gummy bears to sprinkles, nuts to chocolate syrup, and everything in between. Last year’s event brought in almost 100 toppings to choose from. Between 500 and 1000 bowls of free ice cream have been served annually for the last 14 years.

You are invited to join us on Wednesday, August 31^st for the 15^th Annual Music on the Blacktop. The music starts at 6:30 pm with Ricot and Friends’ Haitian band followed by Jay Beech and his crew rocking the stage at 7 pm. We will light the campfire at 8 so don’t miss out! Come rain or shine; all are welcome. Trinity Lutheran Church, 210 7^th Street South, Moorhead, MN (in the 8^th street parking lot). And don’t forget your lawn chair!

Event sponsors include: Wright Funeral Home, Waddell & Reed, Schuck Bus Service, State Bank & Trust, Stop-N-Go, Loaf ‘N Jug, Petro Serve USA, Wendt Custom Cabinets, Rigels Appliances, Voxland Electric,  Cash Wise Foods, Hornbacher’s and SunMart Foods.

We are excited to announce that Trinity Lutheran has won a $30,000 “Scientists in Congregations” Grant from the John Templeton Foundation!

In March, Pr Steve sent around an email to the pastoral staff about an exciting way to deepen our congregations’ understanding of the constant intersections of faith and life.  Its presentation immediately sparked my imagination and when the idea was shared with other ministry leaders here at Trinity, it was clear that there was some potential.  After Easter, in May and into June, we convened meetings with several of the many science professors and educators who are members of Trinity.  We brainstormed and organized ideas for a proposal.  Dr Heidi Manning of Concordia agreed to co-direct the grant with Pastor Colin and Dr Ernie Simmons agreed to advise the process, which will be especially helpful because of his experience with previous grants from the John Templeton Foundation.

So what’s the plan?  Well, there are three main ways that we will be looking at the interplay between science and faith through issues surrounding God’s Evolving Work in Creation during Fall ‘11 and Spring ‘12.  First, our Children’s Ministry will be developing a new unit on New Life and Creation (which is one of six units the kids learn).  Second, the Fall Retreat for High Schoolers, 6^th Grade Masterpiece Retreat and 9^th Grade Sexuality retreat will be enriched with the input of science educators and resources; Plus, we’ll be working on a 7^th Grade Evolution and Faith Retreat to help middle school kids see that faith can be complementary instead of contradictory to a mature way of engaging science.  Finally, five times in the next year we will invite prominent speakers and convene public forums of science and faith educators from Concordia, MSUM, NDSU and beyond for the benefit of Trinity and the whole F-M community.

We hope you are as excited about this great opportunity!  If you have thoughts, encouragement or are willing to help make this opportunity a success, email Pr Colin at colin@trinitymhd.org

As a part of the TiM program, Pastors Rick, Colin, and myself had the opportunity to travel to Holden Village as part of our colleague group. There we had the opportunity to reflect on our ministry at Trinity during the last year. Pastor John had planned to go with us, but he had to remain here in Moorhead. Instead, Pastor Gretchen Anderson, along with Pastor Emmy and Pastor Melissa Ehrhardt (from Clarissa, MN) joined us as well as Lindsay, Anya, and Jeni. On June 16th, at 2 am we made our way to the Amtrak station, just hours after the first train westbound opened, after being closed for 3 weeks due to flooding in western ND. Nevertheless, the 9 of us got on the train and headed west!

Travel there and back wasn’t exactly smooth. Flooding and freight train traffic caused us to arrive 12 hours late, and therefore we ended up losing a day at Holden. On our way back, the train line shut down again after Minot’s levee broke, and we were forced to deboard in Havre, MT. Pastor John came to the rescue, though, and we had a smooth ride home through ND in a borrowed 12-passenger van from Concordia.
But, more importantly, at Holden we had the chance to worship, pray, sing, learn, eat and play in the community. None of us had been there before and we were all struck by Holden’s beauty, the warmth of community, and the opportunities to meet and gather. It was Haiti week at Holden, so we were blessed to hear about various ministries and the state of the Lutheran Church in Haiti.

Oftentimes we all went our separate ways during the day, but mid-afternoon ice cream, check-in, and worship brought us together. Though our time there was short, I think all of us agreed that we would love to go back sometime. (Maybe not by train, though!)  The opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, and we’re blessed to have been able to do it as a part of the TiM program.
- Pastor Alexis Twito