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trinity tidings trinity lutheran church 1010 sill street la crosse wisconsin april 2011 from the pastor s desk dear friends a couple of weeks ago as i write this an open letter appeared in our local newspaper it was addressed to our governor and signed by a myriad of clergy throughout the state of wisconsin specifically the letter sought to address the current legislation regarding state employees and collective bargaining from the faith perspectives of the signatories in the days since its appearance i ve had conversation with a number of folks in our congregation some relieved that i didn t sign it and others wondering why i didn t i offer the following as some food for thought not specifically to this issue alone but to all such political discussions pastor stephan sandness like you i m incredibly stressed by what s going on in our public life right now and its effects on our society and on our congregation and like you i too have some pretty strong opinions about politics economics and how best to care for one-another particularly for those most vulnerable but opinions are like you-know-what everybody s got one and to someone else they might very well stink i live out my calling in a rather public way ministering to people of all stripes i didn t sign that letter not because of my political or social leanings but precisely because my call to continue to be pastor prophet and priest to all my congregation is more valuable to me than staking out any particular political turf life is messy economics are messy and so is democracy the pendulum is constantly swinging and i as a christian pastor have no desire to hitch myself or my ministry simply to one side of the pendulum as christians jesus calls us to be leaven and to be salt in our society we should be questioning absolutes whenever and wherever we come up against them and being brave enough to question our own motivations in the political and economic arenas are we really honoring god and neighbor there or are we simply looking out for selfish interest our only absolute is god s love poured out on all of us in jesus christ and the fact that we need that kind of grace because we re fundamentally selfish and broken humility i don t sense a lot of humility coming from anyone in the debates as of late that s what bothers me the most now i ll tell you why i love my church why i love being a pastor in it i love being a part of a church that finds its identity not in a common social statement or political credo but in the proclamation of grace through faith in jesus christ i love being part of a church where on any given saturday night or sunday morning a tea party activist might very well be kneeling right next to a union shop steward who might be kneeling next to a green party supporter who might be kneeling next to a conservative small business owner all at the same communion rail this happens on a regular basis here trust me i love being part of a church with a congregational polity power to make decisions residing in the congregation and not dictated primarily from a higher level of church hierarchy meaning we are free to discern what the holy spirit of god is calling us to in our particular context what might be construed by some as theological liberalism might actually be a vibrant active openness to god s leading no one said church is easy the only thing jesus ever guaranteed his followers was a cross but with it the promise of resurrection most of all i love being part of a church where i am led by god into the lives of people who hold opinions different from my own on a myriad of social and political topics they hold differing opinions because they all have unique histories and experiences that have led them to those opinions and that to me is fascinating god has given me friendships that have challenged me taught me and stretched me in ways that would have been unimaginable in a church full of folks just like me stomach-aches and head-aches sometimes no doubt but i wouldn t trade it for the world somewhere in there are the seeds of the kingdom god desires and is bringing about continued

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from the pastor s desk continued i wonder what would happen if we all took a break from msnbc foxnews comedy central facebook and twitter and agreed to meet people where they re at or to at least meet them at the communion rail the hardest part in all of this for me is figuring out how to foster an atmosphere in which people can actually talk about these important issues before us without simply mirroring the culture s penchant for absolutes and all-or-nothing winner-take-all debates i pray for god to show us a better way i guess we can begin by fostering friendship among ourselves ears and hearts open easier to friends than they do to opponents jesus called his friends those who do the will of his father figuring out god s will not only as it pertains to us as individuals but also in the public square is a challenge ever before us and one we dare not dismiss lightly we do have some clues from jesus on how to begin perhaps by treating people with whom we disagree with respect rather than contempt let s start there in easter hope of a new creation pastor stephan sandness attention all volunteers readers requested for palm sunday if you d like to be a reader for our palm sunday april 17th passion narrative from the gospel of matthew now is the time to tell pastor laurie there are no rehearsals you read from the pews the part you ve been assigned and all you need to do is call and say what service you re available 5:30 8:30 or 10:45 and you ll be given a part thanks amos update amos advocating-mobilizing-organizing in solidarity is an inter-faith non-partisan congregation based coalition working for compassionate justice in wisconsin s seven rivers region if you re interested in learning more about amos have questions or would like to make a donation to support trinity s involvement please see pastor laurie or contact janet loy minor 783-7537 our representative to the amos leadership board information can be found in the track racks of the narthex as well our core team is always looking for new members and will meet tuesday april 5th at 6:00 pm in the library so if you re curious about how that functions please contact pastor laurie or join us thanks trinity blood drive thanks to trinity members helping with the march 17 blood drive mark mitchell jim richason reggie lezpona pat blanchard mara schellpfeffer bernice arentz sharon olson norine johnson peggy nelson sue swim and fran rybarik and joanne allemand coordinators easter flowers and memorials it s that time of year again for us to order flowers to adorn the sanctuary for easter this year our choices are easter lily $14 spring bulbs $14 flowering plant $14 hydrangea $26 order forms are in the weekly worship bulletin or you may call the church office to place your order deadline to order flowers noon ­ monday april 11 2011 memorials deadline noon ­ monday april 18 2011 spring clean-up day calling all cleaners on saturday april 16 we re going to be giving our church home a good dose of spring cleaning inside and out we had a nice crew last year and they were kept plenty busy giving the inside of our church building a good once-over and we d like to get after it again this month we ll start around 8:00 a.m and folks can come and go as they are able bring some basic cleaning supplies with you if you can we ll have some here too and weather permitting we ll have some folks outside doing some yard work and exterior cleaning of the building a couple of things we might find handy a pressure washer a carpet cleaner with upholstery attachment we have one but another would be great maybe another ladder or two some basic hand tools plan on joining us even if you can only stay and help for a little while many hands make light work th

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parish nurse corner dear people of trinity thank you for the wonderful send-off you gave me on sunday march 20 the blessing the brunch the cards and a rock engraved with a biblical message from thessalonians i will never forget you and will say a little prayer for this kind caring congregation each time i walk past that rock god bless you each and every one frank rybarik blood drive results our march 17 blood drive was a great success 37 people registered to donate 33 donated whole blood units 1 donated platelets 1 donated double red cells wisconsin patients benefitting 102 special thanks to fran rybarik for all her efforts through the years since january 15 2007 we have been saving lives in a very special way during fran s tenure 282 units have been drawn at trinity fran was instrumental in getting the program started here at trinity and set up future giving opportunities in recruiting joanne allemand to continue her legacy heartfelt thanks to all of our volunteers and donators for making lifesaving a part of their day have you put on a little fluff over the cold winter months with spring finally here now is the time to get active try to get outdoors each day and enjoy the sun and warm weather also participate in some activity even if it s only a nice walk during that walk enjoy all the gifts of nature that god has blessed us with here in his country it s good for the body mind and spirit submitted by kathi volden pn trinity s parish nurse retires parish nurses serve the ministry of the church in a very exceptional way parish nurses bring healing to the whole person and the whole congregation mind body and spirit in the home or hospital setting what qualifications are required to be a parish nurse be a licensed registered nurse complete the ipnrc basic parish nurse preparation course adhere to the standards and scope of parish nursing and the state nurse practice act have an understanding of legal and ethical issues as it relates to professional practice for the past six years fran has served trinity as our parish nurse coordinator as the coordinator fran tends to many things in our church we have the parish nurses to thank for our aed and the training updates that are done every two years the blood pressure clinics that are held monthly during the school year updating the first aid kits every september fran also was instrumental in starting the prayer shawl ministry and has a wonderful group that gathers the 2 nd thursday of each month the church has also been involved with starting our lay visitation program which has begun with 3 people doing visitation besides writing a monthly health tip for the newsletter she has planned health fairs and educational programs sending out bereavement cards and following up with families after the loss of a loved one one of the largest parts of the parish nurses job is home visits the average case load is approximately 40 people some are visited yearly or quarterly where others are visited monthly there are some bereavement follow up and one time visits following surgery if you have an interest in serving your church as the parish nurse coordinator please contact meme mihalovic personnel chair or sandy thompson council president fran enjoy the next phase of your life and enjoy your retirement.

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april 2011 miriam-dorcas circle miriam-dorcas circle will meet on wednesday april 6 at 9:30 a.m in the nelson faith center new members are always welcome monday women s bible study meets april 4th 18th it s a grace there are so many great women out there who i d love to be in conversation with about the power of god s word in our lives won t you join the other great women who gather every other monday to discover and share the joy and struggle of it all we meet from 7:00-8:15 pm in the library this is a study that is new every session so you are invited to join the group whenever your schedule allows if you have questions please call pastor laurie thanks maundy thursday april 21 11:00 am worship with holy communion 7:00 pm worship holy communion/first communion ­ 5th graders good friday april 22 7:00 pm worship saturday april 23 5:30 pm worship easter sunday april 24 6:30 am easter sunrise worship with holy communion 8:30 am easter festival worship with holy communion 10:45 am easter festival worship with holy communion sunday adult lenten bible study continues in april our sunday lenten bible study continues april 3rd 10th and meets in fellowship hall during the education hour its focus is around seven wonders of the word the lenten book of faith it s not necessary to have the book in order to attend we ll use its scripture and discussion questions as a starting point having the book would be a plus but certainly not a requirement just come and join the conversation lenten lunches only two lenten luncheons are left the dates of these luncheons are april 6 and april 11 following the 11:00 lenten service come and enjoy fellowship while having a warm comforting meal served in the hanson fellowship hall lunch prices will be $5.00 per person children free if you have not attended a luncheon yet please come and join others for a delicious meal and fellowship fictional characters book club the fictional characters book club will meet on thursday april 28 at 7:00 pm in the pederson library we will be discussing orange is the new black my year in a women s prison by piper kerman we always welcome new members to join our discussion group love your neighbor jar in february the collection focus was to support the la crosse warming shelter and money raised was $571.32 monies offered in march will head to the st clare s mission and elca disaster fund for the japan earthquake relief god bless you and thank you again for the continued generosity shown to our trinity neighbors near and far it makes a real difference

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youth news festival foods receipts the youth will be collecting festival foods receipts quarterly the months for this quarter are april may and june palm sunday breakfast on sunday april 17th the youth will be hosting their annual palm sunday breakfast from 7:30-11:00 a.m this year we will be serving scrambled eggs pancakes hash browns sausage fruit muffins juice and coffee and it will be served buffet style the cost will be $5.00 for adults and $3:00 for children ages 4-12 and 3 and under are free all proceeds will go towards the youth trip to south dakota this summer donations needed are 8 8 4 5 lbs of butter gallons of orange juice gallons of milk large cans of coffee 18 bottles of syrup 35 lbs of pancake mix add water only monetary donations for eggs sausages hash browns and fruit there will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex for those who would like to donate please have all donations to the church by april 15th thank you for supporting our youth easter basket deliveries the confirmation students will be making up easter baskets on wednesday april 6th and we will be delivering them to our shut-ins the following two weeks we plan on making up 50 baskets and are still in need of supplies if you would like to donate items please have them here before april 6th and if you would like to help delivery baskets please let reggie know easter egg hunt and party mark your calendars for this year s easter egg hunt and party all children preschool through 5th grade are invited to attend the party on saturday april 23rd from 1-3 in the fellowship hall there will be an egg hunt story-time crafts games and cookie decorating sugar creek dates and activities it s that time of year again to mark your calendar for this year s upcoming sugar creek activities trinity s week has been set for june 26th july 1st please send your registration form and deposit early to sugar creek to ensure your spot with trinity s youth registration forms will be in the narthex and sunday school office explorer day camp for k-5th grade has been set for wednesday june 29th you may sign up anytime with reggie consent forms and a $15.00 camp fee are required if these dates are inconvenient for you please feel free to schedule a time that is convenient through sugar creek please see reggie for more details trinity would like to help all families who are in need of assistance scholarship request forms are available in the narthex and sunday school office please have all request forms in by april 30th.

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youth news continued first communion instruction the time is quickly approaching for us to gather our fifth-grade students together here at trinity for a time of orientation around the sacrament of holy communion getting our kids prepared to join us at the lord s table is a sacred responsibility we d like to invite both parents and students to attend a brief series of three meetings this april sunday afternoon april 3rd 1:00 ­ 2:00 p.m sunday afternoon april 10th 1:00 ­ 2:00 p.m tuesday evening april 12th 6:30 ­ 7:30 p.m both of the sunday meetings will convene in the church sanctuary the tuesday meeting will be downstairs in the fellowship hall and kitchen where we ll be baking the bread we ll use for their first communion at maundy thursday worship april 21st at 7:00 p.m we want at least one parent or guardian to be at the classes with each student so we can learn and converse together it s also a good opportunity to brush up on your own understanding of the lord s supper if a parent cannot make a particular class please make plans to have another mentoring adult come with your child such as a grandparent aunt uncle or baptismal sponsor any questions just give us a call608-782-6200 we look forward to seeing you in class black hills south dakota high school trip there s still time to sign up all 10th through 12th grade students are welcome to spend a week at the atlantic mountain ranch in the beautiful black hills of south dakota students will need to pack their grungy work clothes and gloves because we will be pitching in and helping our neighbors with habitat for humanity not only will we be putting our christian faith into action but we will be growing in faith building new relationships learning new skills as we follow christ s call to serve others we will also take time out to explore and have fun in the black hills we will leave for the amr servant camp july 16 and will arrive back on july 22 the cost will be appr $500.00 which will include food at the camp lodging gas and one night at a hotel extra spending money will be needed please sign up early with your $100 non-refundable deposit space will be limited to 16 youth please see reggie or pastor sandness for more details who s who in the news at trinity student of the month joseph saiz a senior at onalaska high school was honored as the student of the month in february criteria for being nominated includes long term academic effort and achievement a high degree of life skills ­ respect responsibility teamwork integrity and initiative ­ demonstrated on a regular basis and involvement in co-curricular activities joseph is the son of david and barbara saiz joey also competed on march 15 in the mr onalaska competition at onalaska high school the event sponsored by the national honor society was a fundraiser for the two year old daughter of an onalaska middle school teacher recently diagnosed with leukemia eleven ohs junior and senior boys competed in four categories swimsuit outfit of choice talent and interview and joey was chosen as the winner

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trinity tidings is a monthly newsletter of trinity lutheran church 1010 sill street la crosse wisconsin 54603 all visitors are welcome to worship with us each saturday at 5:30 p.m and sunday s at 8:30 a.m and 10:45 a.m saturday night school is at 4:30 p.m and sunday school is at 9:35 a.m communion is on the first and third sundays of the month at both worship services summer worship june august services are at 8:30 a.m and 10:00 a.m stephan sandness is the pastor laurie weis is the associate pastor and reggie lezpona is the youth director the church office telephone number is 608 782-6200 trinity lutheran church 1010 sill street la crosse wisconsin 54603 return service requested non profit organization u.s postage paid la crosse wi 54603 permit no 346 wafer food of the month april ­ side dishes rice potato stuffing or helper mixes please keep in mind there is an on-going need for items such as soups paper products and personal hygiene items important reminder for trinity members due to the new privacy regulations when you are hospitalized it is important to indicate on your medical record that you not only are a member of trinity lutheran church la crosse there are several trinity churches in the area but also that you would like the church notified when you are hospitalized pastor sandness or pastor laurie will make hospital visits on monday wednesday and friday each week in the event that someone is admitted through the emergency ward it is important that a family member or friend contact the church april ushers saturday 5:30 p.m ron sherry easter 6:30 a.m kiesling family sunday 8:30 a.m earl mary hammond we need 2 more yet easter 8:30 a.m 4 still needed sunday 10:10 a.m 4 still needed easter 10:45 a.m 4 still needed fall/winter/spring worship schedule september brings the return of our regular worship schedule there will be no saturday school this year as all children are encouraged to attend sunday school on sunday mornings from 9:35 to 10:30 a.m we look forward to seeing their excited faces as they return to sunday school worship services will be saturday at 5:30 pm sunday mornings at 8:30 am our radio broadcast service over wkty 580 am and 10:45 am.

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