September 2017 Newsletter Message

Over the past several months during this 500th Anniversary year of the Reformation, I have been reflecting on various aspects of what it means to be Lutheran. So far, we have explored community service (May), Holy Baptism (June), technology and ministry (July), and youth ministry (August). I will return to that series in October, but for this month, I wanted to give you a bit of a road map for our life together as we continue in this 500th Anniversary year!

September will be a busy month for us as we get back in the swing of things following our summer of recharging. I look forward to our educational programs starting up again on the 10th as we celebrate the commissioning of our Sunday School teachers. For that Sunday and the 17th, the Adult Forum class will be joining with the Youth Group and Confirmation class to explore Reformation history with the movie Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation. (Any of you Star Wars aficionados out there might be excited to know that I am putting together the two weeks of discussion under the working titles A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back!) On the 10th and 17th, we will also offer signup assistance during coffee for our Church Directory photo sessions that will be held October 5 & 6 (2-9pm) and Oct. 7 (10am-5pm). 

The last Sunday of September will kick off our Mission Sundays series, which will run through October 15. During these Sundays, we will celebrate how God’s Welcome, Nurture, Serve mission for Trinity has progressed this year. Along the way, we will also be celebrating at least 4 baptisms (Albin children on Sep. 24, Brackett twins on Oct. 15). Adult Forum will be turning our attention during October toward some important theological developments in Lutheranism.

November will be a month that focuses heavily on the evolution of worship in the Lutheran tradition, with a number of highlights in our Sunday gatherings. We begin that month with Confirmation Sunday on Nov. 5, a day of commissioning six of our youth and launching them on their way to greater ministry in the congregation and community. The next two Sundays will be “Throwback Sundays,” when we pull out our old hymnals and revisit what Trinity’s worship looked like in past years. This will prove quite interesting for me, as Nov. 12 will be my first experience leading worship from the 1925 Augustana Synod Hymnal and the 19th will be my first attempt at the 1958 Service Book and Hymnal. We will then end November with Christ the King Sunday, singing hymns of Martin Luther (and maybe some other Lutheran hymnwriters) that take us through the entire church year in a single service.

December seems a long way away, but for now, it is enough to know that we will be turning our attention to understanding several other Christian denominations that came out of the Reformation. The highlight of December will be the Dec. 10 combined worship service and choir cantata with our neighbors at the Church of the Brethren--it will be a great opportunity for church neighbors to become better friends!

The peace of the Lord be with you all as the busy rhythms of life return this month. From what I have just written here as my to-do list, I will be in just as great need of such peace!