THE
WIND
Trinity Lutheran Church, Longview,WA
Phone (360) 423-6750
website www.longviewtrinitylutheran.com
August Circle Meetings
Bethany Circle – Friday, August 12th 11:00am
Potluck Alyce Rasmusson hosting 3761 Rosewood
Vesper & Faith Circle – No August meetings
Social Ministries – No August meeting – Next
meeting is September 7th 10:00am at the church
WELCA
Thank you to the women of Trinity WELCA for
paying my registration and housing for the Region 1
in Lynwood, WA June 24-25, 2016
The Gather Magazine Bible Studies for September,
October and November are written by Pastor
Meghan Johnston. She is from Fort Collins,
Colorado; the title is “When God’s not Fair”.
September is “Jonah and the Terrible Horrible No
Good Very Bad Day”. When God forgives the
guilty. October is “Jesus and the Evil Eye”. When
God blesses the undeserving. November is “Paul
and the Power of Failure”. When God chooses the
unholy. December is written by Sonia Solomonson.
She writes a devotional around the theme of
Advent. What wants to be born in you?
W
August, 2016
e-mail [email protected]
Cookies
We need people to sign up for cookies in the fall, if
you would like to bring cookies please sign up for a
Sunday on the sign-up sheet in the link.
Evangelism
We will be having an Ice Cream Social again this
year on August 2nd after service. We enjoyed the
one last year, so we'll do it again. We will also have
movies on September 27th and November 8th titles
to be announced. If there is something you would
like to see, let me know. You have done a great job
with shoe boxes!! We have given out as of July 1,
l63 boxes to the people entering Community House
on Broadway. Thanks for the boxes and for the
items that have been left to put in the boxes like
soap, toothpaste, brushes, combs, shampoo,
washcloths, etc. Blessings!
-Laura Mahnke, Evangelism
Book Study
Book study will resume on September 10th at noon.
We will be continuing in Philip Yancey's book
"What's So Amazing About Grace?" If you would
like to join us and do not have a book contact Pastor
Craig.
-Grace Kennedy
Social Ministries/WELCA Christian Concerns
We had a great response to our “Undie Sunday”.
Thanks to everyone. We will give new socks and
underwear to many children. It’s time to collect
school supplies again. The Red Canoe Credit
Union will match donations and give them to
Salvation Army. Donations that come in after their
deadline will go directly to the schools. We will
donate sweatpants after school starts. We use
money from the bake sale and silent auction to
purchase these items. We donated 3 boxes of
diapers to the Women’s Support Shelter. They have
an ongoing need. Thank you for your help
-Bob and Carol Hoehne, Social Ministries
Fall Sunday School Kick-off BBQ
Starting September 13th – the weekend after Labor
Day, we will start our 2015-2016 Sunday School
season for children and adults. We traditionally
mark this event with a BBQ after church. So please
plan to stay after church on September 13th. Food
will be provided; so just come and enjoy the food
and fellowship. Brace yourself for a strong 20152016 Sunday School year!
Not sure if we need to include announcements
similar to these from last year as well. Still have
half a page to add.
Being on Facebook and having
pastors and religious people as
friends, I receive many "religious"
messages and links to articles that
people feel that are important. Some of the most
common reference the church and the people in the
church and how they are missing the boat on the
younger generation. Last Sunday I mentioned one
such article which just put me over the top.
First let me say that as the local church and as
the whole church we need to always find ways to be
welcoming community. Such reaching out often
includes some change or adjustment which may
push us out of our comfort zone. The church's
mission is to reach out with the gospel to a people
who have not heard or responded to that word.
However, the word itself is a particular Word that
has been passed down from generation to
generation and it needs to be preserved in its purity.
Beyond that, the method or form of how this Word
passed down can vary and we need to be aware of
this and looking for new ways to express this Word
in a way that current seekers can grasp.
A recent article told that the church needs
millennials, but the millennials don't need church.
In making this argument it is said that the
millennials "...hunger for authenticity, innovation,
and social change."
However, what galls me about the article is that
there are many reasons (sometimes excuses) why
younger people do not attend church. To put the
blame solely on the people in the church is wrong.
Articles such as these seem to say or imply is that
the people of the church are the problem. They are
inauthentic, selfish, uncaring phonies.
Here is my take on all this. The church is only
around today because of faithful people who have
given of their time, money, prays, and hard work
and caring.
Without such people, there would be no church.
So when I see these faithful people getting the
blame, I get worked up.
And uncaring, inauthentic phonies? These are
the people in the basement making quilts for people
who need them; caps to keep the heads of children
warm in the winter. We have a community working
for the special needs of the community from the
schools to the shelters. People who serve on
committees and are involved in charitable
organizations. We have people who give of their
time to make worship meaningful for those who are
here and those who give their time and effort to
teach our children and improve our community.
Along with all this, it is shown in study after
study that people who attend church regularly give
of their time and money way more than those who
do not go to church on a regular basis.
And maybe most important, but often
overlooked, community of people who care for,
pray for, support and nurture one another in times of
need and in times of joy.
So excuse me, but do not offend me by this
nonsense that the people of the church are
inauthentic, uncaring phonies by some selfish,
narrow and wrong ideal. If anything, the church has
an Public Relation problem. Media, movies, TV,
culture has spread this idea of the uncaring church
when by all measureable means - it is the people of
the church that do care with their actions and gifts.
In all this we (the church) is not perfect,
however no institution or people are perfect. We do
need to look for ways to reach out and communicate
the Gospel.
But enough of this inauthentic,
uncaring stuff. For me I just want to say "Thank
you" to the people of Trinity for all that you do in
caring and being authentic.
Blessings,
Pastor Craig
Prayer Concerns
Bill Bauer, Mike Beebe Jr., Ethel Bergly, Barbara Brudvik, Bill Carson, Solveig Clark, Adaleah Cliffton, Jo
Dickinson, Ken Dietrich, Cliff Eddington, Geneva Ellis, Elaine Erdelbrock, Janice Farnham, Les Foss, Danny
Gallagher, Jim Garding, Dick Gibson, Garrett Grigsby, David Hamilton, Robert Hamilton, Casey Hoehne, Vickie
Hoehne, Karen Machin, Mildred Huffman, Helen Keeling, Andrew Kennedy, Steven Kennedy, Alice Kettwig,
Arne Lund, Shelley Machin, Denise Maloney, Diane Osborn, Carol Oswalt, Stephanie Paiten, Barney Rinkel,
Donna Rinkel, Marilyn Scrichfield, Steven Shoff, Perry Skoglund, Randolph Smith, David Stein, Elaine Street,
Patty Street, Marlene Swanson, Barrett Swalling, Brandon Traver, Dean Walker, Eugene White, Chuck Wiggins,
Women’s Shelter, women and children, and our incarcerated loved ones. Let us pray for justice and stability.
Let us pray for enduring peace for Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Sudan and all places of unrest…. Including
safety for our military personnel: Kevin Anicker, Ben Downing, Brent Robert Johnston, Justin Little, McKehen
Wheeler