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DON’T GO SHIPWRECK WITH YOUR FAITH!

Please read the following Bible verses:

2 Corinthians 11:25

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

1 Timothy 1:19

Some rejected the message of the Gospel and have suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

Do you know the hymn, “Stand by Me?” My favorite stanza goes like this:

 

“When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea, Thou who rulest wind and water stand by me.”

If you are experiencing way too much pain and drama in your life and are feeling overwhelmed, please read from the Book of Acts 27:27 – 28:5. Talk about the raging storms of life! The Apostle Paul weathered many storms: controversy, dissension, discord, and many others. Though he was loved by some, he was despised by others. But one of the most serious natural storms of life he experienced happened via a shipwreck. Please read the story referenced above. You won’t believe what he and others went through to proclaim the gospel of peace and love for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Consider this passage from 2 Corinthians chapter 11:

“I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

I have endured some rough storms in my life, but never anything like this. So many in our world encounter serious storms: Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, declining health, fractured relationships, and families that have become broken and lost.

Because Paul endured so many “real” shipwrecks throughout his Apostolic career, he often used the metaphor “shipwreck” to describe a person who once embraced the faith, but then when the storms of life came along, they soon abandoned all hope and went shipwreck with their faith.

Please know that during the week of June 17-21, we are going to form young hearts and minds to believe in the One who has believed in them since the day of their birth. God loves our children immensely. We at Trinity UMC love them, too!! We are going to equip them with biblical knowledge and insights about life so that when the storms come they will know who to turn to – Jesus, our Savior!

Love,

Rev. Jim

To Clap or Not to Clap

To Clap or Not to Clap

Before you ponder whether you agree with clapping in church or not, let me preface by saying I didn’t grow up going to church and I have no preconceived notions of whether clapping in a worship service is acceptable or not.  Personally, I love that Trinity is a “clappy” church.  As a church family, we are open, appreciative, supportive people who truly view our church as a family unit.  We clap to thank a guest musician for playing, we clap to recognize Marcin and his amazing talent, we clap to praise God, we clap to celebrate, we clap to make a joyful noise ourselves, we clap because the Holy Spirit just  can’t be contained.

I wanted to shed light on how I choose music for the flow of the worship service.  As a worship planner, I actually look at the scripture, sermon, and big picture of the whole service.  Part of my job is to make the flow of the service seamless in emotional content, style, and overall mood. Or at least, that is how I view my job.  There are times, when I pick an upbeat, high energy, joyful anthem to energize all of the congregation, including the choir and worship leaders.  And on the other side of the coin, there are pieces I pick to be reflective, thought-provoking, and calm.  Not to say, those characteristics always must go together, but I’m generalizing to make a point.  Because of the mood presented, you may not feel the need to applaud or you may feel the need to jump up out of your pew.  It is entirely up to you; clapping is not expected every time.  However, I love our “clappy” church, so clap when you want and if you feel like sitting in silence after the choral anthem and letting the mood wash over you, that is okay too.  The Holy Spirit flows over us in unexpected ways, and I want each one of us to be open to it.

Exercise Self-Control In All Things

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.” — 1 Corinthians 9:24-25.

Trinity’s own Drs. Joel and Lamar Muro recently shared this captivating picture of their beautiful daughter, Eliana. The more I studied this action shot, the more qualities of the Christian life became apparent: knowledge, discipline, determination, competition, and her own God-given athletic skill. Knowing Eliana as I do, I know that she (and her younger brother, Maxwell) are knowledgeable in many areas. The image makes clear that Eliana has complete knowledge of her chosen sport. More importantly, She and her brother have been given knowledge and wisdom from above (Proverbs 4:7). Eliana and her brother are very fortunate to have parents who are nurturing them in the faith community. The image reflects the many hours she spends in disciplining herself in mind and body.

While at Trinity she (along with our other children) learns how to become a disciple (student) of Jesus by learning the spiritual disciplines. God has given her not a spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). She has strong determination because her parents and her church have taught her that she can do all things through Christ who gives her strength (Philippians 4:13). Eliana is also aware that as a Christian, she (along with all children, youth, and adults) compete against the evil powers of this world. An athlete is not crowned unless [she] competes according to the rules.– (2 Timothy 2:5). Finally, this picture of Eliana in action displays in a powerfully visually way her skillful athleticism.

Trinity United Methodist Church values children. We place a high premium on all of our kids. I am very grateful to God that we have so many parents in our church who take interest in, and are deeply involved in, the lives of their children. Carefully studying this picture of Eliana compels me to ask the same questions about my own spiritual life: Do I have a deep knowledge of the scriptures? Am I rooted and grounded in God’s living Word? Am I a disciplined follower of Jesus? Am I determined to love as Christ loved, to give as he gave, and to forgive as he has forgiven me? Do I reject the evil powers of this world and resist injustice in whatever way it presents itself?

Okay, about my own athleticism…I think we all know the answer to that question! The good news is that God gives to each of us spiritual gifts as God chooses (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

We are called to teach our children; however, let us never miss out on any opportunity to let them teach us!

Fighting Fire with Spirit

How You Can Help

Donate to The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s U.S. Disaster Relief Fund, Advance #901670.

A satellite image shows smoke pouring from a wildfire that broke out in the early morning hours of Nov. 8, just outside Paradise, Ca. The Camp Fire, named for its proximity to Camp Creek Road in Feather River Canyon, has overtaken and nearly burned out the town of 30,000 residents located in northern California. NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

What does it pay for?

During this time of our Stewardship campaign, I have been reflecting on how the estimate of giving is so important.  Turning in a commitment card is extremely important because that is what we use to make our budget for the upcoming year.  Without the commitment cards, I cannot effectively plan all the expected and extra events within the Music Ministry.

To begin with, let me just say that I am a relatively thrifty person.  I don’t shop a bunch (besides groceries), but if I do, I shop at Target, WalMart, and Kohl’s.  I always use coupons and often hunt for the best deal.  I also like resale shops and thrift stores.  To me, as a thrifty person, running the music at Trinity is expensive.  It’s all the little things you don’t think about.

For example, when the choir sings a new piece, it costs around two dollars per copy for that anthem.  Multiply that by 45 copies and we’ve almost spent a hundred dollars.  Most of the anthems we own don’t have enough copies for the size of choir we have, so every year I try to add some extra copies to our standard, beloved anthems.  Within the music ministry, we purchase new sound equipment as well as repair the music and sound equipment to keep it in tip-top shape.  Our praise team wouldn’t be able to function without mics and speakers and a keyboard, etc. and a sound engineer to run it.  We obtain music for the youth praise band and the adult praise team by paying a license for a website that allows us the use of those songs.  Sometimes, I buy new mic stands, guitar stands, or music stands because those items eventually wear out.  For the children’s musical, we purchase music, an accompaniment CD, and the scripts along with sets and costumes.  Recently I purchased stand lights for the bell choir because their new location in the sanctuary makes it harder to see.

For the big celebrations of Easter, Christmas Cantata, and Christmas Eve, we bring in professional musicians to play for us because truly we need their level of musicianship, experience, education, and talent to make it as polished and enjoyable as possible.  Our Christmas Cantata, which is a huge event, does require a decent amount of the music budget because we purchase music at $9 per copy for 50 copies, instrumentalist fees, practice CDs for the choir members, and the conductor score and instrumentalist copies.

Notice I haven’t even touched upon salaries within the Music Ministry.  Without tithing to the church, we wouldn’t be able to pay the amazing staff I/we have that all give their jobs 110% and are truly irreplaceable.  We have Jordan running sound, Amanda leading Refuel, Vinny directing the children, and Marcin playing the piano and organ.  What would Trinity and our worship services be without them?

All of this couldn’t be possible without everyone contributing to the pot, so to speak.  And if you ask me for my future goals within the Music Ministry, I could give you a lengthy list because I want to expand our music ministry and make music more prominent for our congregation and our community.  In 2019, the Music Ministry will be presenting the entire masterwork of Vivaldi’s Gloria.  I would love to bring in a few professional musicians to enhance the performance; Marcin plays wonderfully but wouldn’t it sound beautiful with strings added?

It’s all up to us.  How much can we contribute to this church that we love? Where do we see Trinity in our future goals and how can we get it there? Are you willing to support our church to be the best church we can be?

And don’t forget, TURN IN YOUR COMMITMENT CARD!

Top Ten Reasons to Join Choir

TOP TEN REASONS TO JOIN CHOIR

  1. You can wear whatever you like to church because choir robes cover everything.

 

  1. You get to be first to communion.

 

  1. Choir is an instant family full of wonderful people.

 

  1. You may meet your new best friend(s).

 

  1. You have a reserved seat for the service every time.

 

  1. It’s a backstage pass to all music events.

 

  1. The view of the sanctuary and congregation from the choir loft is priceless.

 

  1. It’s an opportunity to serve the Lord while having fun.

 

  1. It’s a great way to make a joyful noise.

 

  1. The three F’s: Food, Fun, and Fellowship. Enough Said!

My Grandmother’s Poem

My Grandmother’s Poem

On Friday June 29th, my family laid to rest the remains of my grandmother along with the ashes of my aunt and two uncles (all on my mother’s side).  My grandmother wrote poetry in her younger years and requested this one be read at her memorial service.  After I sang “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” which was unbeknownst to me a fitting introduction, my mother read this poem by my grandmother Darleen Kelly:

REJOICE

Don’t cry for me – don’t grieve for me

This time of mourning is for those left behind

Feel the sorrow you must feel – because you miss me

Shed the tears that must be shed – to relieve the pain

Then lift yourself from the darkness of despair

Look up toward the light, look up toward me

I now know the secret people spend their lives searching for

The world beyond has miraculously been revealed to me

I have left sorrow and pain behind

They have been replaced with eternal joy

Rejoice with me

“From Despair To Hope”

Trinity Saints,

Join us in worship Sunday, May 27th, for 3 deeply moving worship services remembering those who died in active military service. Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

It is our custom in the United Methodist Church to lift high the cross of our calling — building shalom, peace with justice. Our Lay Leader, The Honorable Don Windle, and I, will present a dialogue sermon on peace with justice titled, “From Despair to Hope.” Our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, laid down their lives so that we may continue to live in a world of peace with justice — a community of shalom.

Join us at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. for our traditional services in the sanctuary and at 9:45 for our contemporary “Refuel” service in our Lowrie Worship Center.

Sunday is our Sabbath Day.

“Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8)

Come to worship prepared to “enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

Prior to coming to worship, pray that God will pour out the fruits of the Spirit upon you. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Love,

Rev. Jim

Well Done!

As I watched the children’s musical  I could only think surely the presence of God is in this place! Thank you children for blessing us and reminding us not to worry but to pray and depend on God. You all did an amazing job worshipping and praising God with your musical talents. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to be the children’s director to such a wonderful group of children and their families.

 

Cuteness Overload!

Cuteness Overload!  Prepare yourself for this Sunday one service at 11:00 am.  Our super cute Trinity children will be presenting the musical “Not Your Average Joe” for our worship service this Sunday.  Bring your friends, family, cameras, and possibly tissues as we witness the glory of God as our children sing and act the story of Joseph with a 1950’s twist.  See you there!